FAA finally replacing floppy disks and Windows 95 in air traffic control systems

In brief: It's 2025, and the FAA has decided it's time to stop using floppy disks and Windows 95 for air traffic control. The head of the agency, Chris Rocheleau, wants to replace the archaic systems with something that belongs in the 21st century.

"The whole idea is to replace the system. No more floppy disks or paper strips," Rocheleau told the House Appropriations Committee during a hearing on Wednesday (via NPR).

Rocheleau is referring to paper flight strips, the pieces of cardstock on which key details of a single flight – such as call sign, aircraft type, and altitude – are printed or handwritten.

In 2023, an FAA assessment found that over a third of the nation's air traffic control systems are unsustainable, and some are starting to fail.