Air Traffic Controllers need help. Early in the year a Blackhawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines plane on final approach to Reagan National (DCA), killing 67; air traffic control staffing shortages slowed Newark Liberty airport in the summer, and the recent government shutdown caused controllers to take second jobs driving DoorDash. The FAA is understaffed by 3,000 (21%) Certified Professional Controllers, and the staffing shortage won’t be solved overnight as it takes 2-years to train a new controller.

Air Traffic Collision Warning AI agent

Create an AI agent to continuously monitor our air space for potential air traffic collision to give pilots a couple minutes warning. It would monitor aircraft transponder heading, speed, altitude and radar info., as you can see in FlightAware, to predict and warn controllers and both aircraft of potential collision.

Re-route air corridors for more separation

The helicopter corridor over the Potomac was only a few hundred feet under a DCA runway glide path. I was appointed to the Select Committee on South Bay Arrivals in 2016-17, and the BDEGA landing corridor is about 4,000 feet above my house. Separation is safety.

Mechanical failure AI diagnostic agent for pilots

What if we used AI to analyze flight data for crashes collected by the NTSB to identify symptoms of and workarounds for mechanical failure? What if an AI agent could diagnose a mechanical failure in flight and recommend corrective actions to pilots in seconds rather than minutes?

Why USPS carriers get paid during shutdowns but not air traffic controllers

Finally, mail carriers were paid throughout the government shutdown because the USPS is funded by its own revenue (postage). Why not have air traffic controllers and TSA screeners in an agency funded by the $11.20 TSA security passenger fee you pay in round-trip ticket airfare (generated $4.2 billion in 2023) so they will get paid during the next government shutdown!

GPS as backup for 60s radar

The foundation of the air traffic control system is radar and radio, relying on air traffic controllers giving instructions to pilots over radio. Commercial aircraft are required to have GPS (ADS-B) transponders since 2020, so why can’t we use GPS to supplement radar and send instructions via Starlink?

ATC+AI ASAP

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