What The Floppy? FAA Details Ancient Tech In Bid To Modernize Air Traffic Control

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is finally pulling the plug on its outdated air traffic control systems. How outdated, you ask? Well, are systems that run on Windows 95 and floppy disks old enough for you? It won't be easy upgrading these highly interconnected, always-on computers either. The ambitious modernization effort, hailed by officials as "the most important infrastructure project in decades," aims to drag the nation's air traffic management into the 21st century.

For years, the thought of our skies being managed by technology nearly as old as some of the pilots flying through them has been a source of both amusement and significant concern. Air traffic controllers have relied on paper strips for flight information and, astonishingly, floppy disks to transfer critical data between computers still running Windows 95. This technological time warp, while on one hand is a testament to the longevity of these systems ...