The Civil Aeronautics Authority in 1947 adopted the Instrument Landing System (ILS) as its primary landing aid, supplemented by GCA at busy airports. Although GCA was popular with the military, airline pilots preferred the competing ILS system. GCA was placed into operation at Washington's National Airport and Chicago's Municipal Airport in 1947. With Ground Control Approach (GCA), a ground controller followed an approaching aircraft on a radar screen and instructed the pilot down to the runway. Touching Down Safelyīy World War II's end, two precision landing systems were available for civil use: Ground Controlled Approach (GCA), which used radar, and Instrument Landing System (ILS), which used radio transmissions. In November 1941, with World War II sweeping through Europe and Asia, the federal government assumed responsibility for all towers deemed vital to the war effort. The Department of Commerce took over their operation in mid-1936, and within a year eight centers were in full operation coast-to-coast.Īn airway modernization program was launched in 1938, and airport control towers became a familiar sight. Two more soon opened at Cleveland and Chicago. In December 1935, the airlines established the first Airway Traffic Control Center at Newark, New Jersey. By February 1931, the entire New York to San Francisco route was equipped with radio range stations. In the 1920s, the first low-frequency radio range beacon experiments were conducted along National Air Transport's New York-Chicago route. New navigation techniques were needed to allow aircraft to fly reliably and safely at night and in bad weather. However, a series of highly publicized accidents in the mid-1930s, including the crash of a DC-2 in which New Mexico Senator Bronson Cutting was killed, highlighted the critical need for a national system. The federal government stepped in, and in 1936 the Commerce Department accepted nationwide responsibility for air traffic control. The first control tower to use ground-to-air and air-to-ground radio communication was built in 1930 at Cleveland Airport.Īs the popularity of air travel grew, so did the need for better air traffic control along the nation's air routes and especially around airports. Airlines first developed systems to control their own air traffic. Your support will help fund exhibitions, educational programming, and preservation efforts.īecome a member Wall of Honor Ways to give Host an Event Programs Learning resources Plan a field trip Educator professional development Education monthly theme

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Usaf air traffic control