FAA's Aging Flight-Plan System Having Problems

Eddytor takes us to eWeek for a look at the FAA's air-traffic control system, which, after 20 years of continuous operation, is in desperate need of an overhaul. Recent crashes have caused major delays, but the system's scope and importance make it difficult to test upgrades and improvements. "Many technologies are used in air traffic control systems. Primary and secondary radar are used to enhance a controller's 'situational awareness' within his assigned airspace; all types of aircraft send back primary echoes of varying sizes to controllers' screens as radar energy is bounced off their skins. Transponder-equipped aircraft reply to secondary radar interrogations by giving an ID (Mode A), an altitude (Mode C) and/or a unique callsign (Mode S). Certain types of weather also may register on a radar screen."

Windows, I bet

[David Gerard]

Obviously they have to rewerite it for Google Chrome to compete with the LHC. [today.com]

Re:Crashes

[Epistax]

*Bash*

Well if we switch the system over the Vista, they will be one and the same.

*Drums*

Re:Aviation is stuck in World War II

[Anonymous Coward]

Protip: large pasted post involving slipped in racist comments from an AC are one of the oldest forms of trolling used on slashdot.

Re:Aviation is stuck in World War II

[value_added]

Once you can read it, you find it valuable to not have to sift through mounds of useless or redundant information (like adjectives, verbs, etc.)

You're suggesting that the your local TV station's Doppler 2008 15-minute weather segment is too long?

Dunno about you, but here in Southern California, getting the highs, lows, barometric readings, precipitation levels, wind speeds, wind directions, relevant surf, snow, rain or wind advisories, sun rise, sun set and current phase of the moon for where I live (and the same for a dozen or so nearby communities) from a friendly weatherman or weatherwoman that takes the time to describe and explain the relevance of all that information (hopefully with live footage, pictures, charts or graphs), is the only way to know with quantifiable certainty that tommorow's weather will be just like just like yesterday's and the day before that.

Unless, of course, you choose to look out the window or step outside long enough to realise you've probably got better things to do.

Windows Server solution

[windows ain't so bad]

There is probably a Microsoft Windows Server solution for this situation, using products from the Microsoft Windows Server 2008 Family. Combining high uptime and ease-of-use, Microsoft Windows Server 2008 is ideal for mission-critical, sensitive systems like this. It will also lower the system's TCO.

Re:Aviation is stuck in World War II

[Linker3000]

How true - my Granny can only do UNIVAC SHORT code and 4004 assembly code. At her age, she'd also have no idea what a POKE is.