I am often fascinated by the behind-the-scenes in aviation and flight operations. As a kid, I would tune in to Channel 9 on United flights, where you could hear the communications between pilots and air traffic control (ATC).

Well, that might all be changing soon. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is implementing text-based communications, which many airport will be using by the end of the year. The new system, called Data Comm, will help reduce delays and save on fuel costs, according to the FAA. Under Data Comm, ATC can enter instructions into the computer, which will then pop up on screens in front of all the pilots that need the information.

A practical example is re-routing flights during severe weather. Currently, controllers would have to contact each plane individually to re-route them. This process can take up to half an hour, if enough planes are waiting to get instructions. With the new system, all information can be relayed immediately to all planes involved.

Washington-Dulles is already using this new system on 10 – 20% of departures, and the feedback has apparently been overwhelmingly positive. Delta spoke to ABC News, and estimate that the new system will help them save 1 minute between taxi and takeoff. This might sound trivial, but with the number of flights Delta has, this amounts to $20 million in savings per year!

(Adapted from https://pointmetotheplane.boardingarea.com/air-traffic-control-text/)

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