I get that FAA hardware/software is a time-tested, safety-critical system that has resisted many prior modernization efforts but...how do other countries run their systems? Surely they're not all using floppies. I doubt there are many (any?) countries with a flight volume like the US but overall, flight safety is pretty good world-wide (again, with exceptions).
FAA to eliminate floppy disks used in air traffic control systems
41–50 of 197 posts
Re: FAA to eliminate floppy disks used in air traffic control systems
#42I get that FAA hardware/software is a time-tested, safety-critical system that has resisted many prior modernization efforts but...how do other countries run their systems? Surely they're not all using floppies. I doubt there are many (any?) countries with a flight volume like the US but overall, flight safety is pretty good world-wide (again, with exceptions).
Their governments fund the upgrades instead of running around claiming their flight agencies are full of corruption and inefficiency with no basis in reality.
https://www.navcanada.ca/en/news/news-releases/nav-canada-an...
https://apnews.com/article/faa-firings-trump-doge-safety-air...
Re: FAA to eliminate floppy disks used in air traffic control systems
#43That is a long lonely road these floppies have been kicked down.
Re: FAA to eliminate floppy disks used in air traffic control systems
#44The latest "Last Week Tonight" episode on Air Traffic Controllers is quite interesting. Learned about the floppy discs there.
> floppy discs
disc - optical
disk - not optical
Eg.: floppy disks and DVD discs
Re: FAA to eliminate floppy disks used in air traffic control systems
#45I am surprised Elon didn’t want to automate air traffic control before unsupervised fsd.
I believe his solution for ATC was to make sure they weren't hiring minorities
Re: FAA to eliminate floppy disks used in air traffic control systems
#46I get that FAA hardware/software is a time-tested, safety-critical system that has resisted many prior modernization efforts but...how do other countries run their systems? Surely they're not all using floppies. I doubt there are many (any?) countries with a flight volume like the US but overall, flight safety is pretty good world-wide (again, with exceptions).
Their governments fund the upgrades instead of running around claiming their flight agencies are full of corruption and inefficiency with no basis in reality. https://www.navcanada.ca/en/news/news-releases/nav-canada-an... https://apnews.com/article/faa-firings-trump-doge-safety-air...
The upgrades have been funded for decades. It is an execution issue, not a money issue. Many other parts of the Federal government are in the same condition: software upgrades that are infinite money sinks that never produce much after decades of effort.
I've worked around some of these programs. I've had visibility into some of them for 15 years over which there has been zero forward progress despite unreasonably large amounts of money being spent. It is no secret why those programs are permanently broken but no one wants to have that conversation.
Re: FAA to eliminate floppy disks used in air traffic control systems
#47I get that FAA hardware/software is a time-tested, safety-critical system that has resisted many prior modernization efforts but...how do other countries run their systems? Surely they're not all using floppies. I doubt there are many (any?) countries with a flight volume like the US but overall, flight safety is pretty good world-wide (again, with exceptions).
I remember reading a drone startup saying they had an easier time operating in Kenya than in the US because Kenya's ATC system was fully modernized, with every aircraft tracked at all times.
Re: FAA to eliminate floppy disks used in air traffic control systems
#48Earlier quoted context omitted.
Their governments fund the upgrades instead of running around claiming their flight agencies are full of corruption and inefficiency with no basis in reality. https://www.navcanada.ca/en/news/news-releases/nav-canada-an... https://apnews.com/article/faa-firings-trump-doge-safety-air...
The upgrades have been funded for decades. It is an execution issue, not a money issue. Many other parts of the Federal government are in the same condition: software upgrades that are infinite money sinks that never produce much after decades of effort. I've worked around some of these programs. I've had visibility into some of them for 15 years over which there has been zero forward progress despite unreasonably la…
If it's no secret then what's the reason because I don't know?
Re: FAA to eliminate floppy disks used in air traffic control systems
#49What's the actual problem with floppy disks? Is the system not performing the task it was designed for?
Re: FAA to eliminate floppy disks used in air traffic control systems
#50What's the actual problem with floppy disks? Is the system not performing the task it was designed for?
Floppies aren’t manufactured anymore