Air Traffic Control

A Hughes Aircraft Co. division here has taken a small but significant step toward doing business with Eastern Europe, landing a $5.75-million contract to modernize an air-traffic control system in what used to be East Germany. "The barriers have come down," Hughes Ground Systems spokesman Dan Reeder said Friday. "There is a lot of opportunity in Europe, and we hope this is the first of many sales."

The 149 air traffic control towers that were scheduled to close this summer because of federal sequestration will remain open until at least September, government officials said Friday. The Federal Aviation Administration said legislation approved by Congress last month allows the agency to transfer funds from other accounts to keep the towers open until the end of the fiscal year. The towers, run by contract workers, operate at small airports such as Brown Field Municipal Airport in San Diego, Riverside Municipal Airport, Whiteman Airport in Pacoima, Oxnard Airport, Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville and Fullerton Municipal Airport.

The 149 air traffic control towers that were scheduled to close this summer because of federal sequestration will remain open until at least September, government officials said Friday. The Federal Aviation Administration said legislation approved by Congress last month allows the agency to transfer funds from other accounts to keep the towers open until the end of the fiscal year. The towers, run by contract workers, operate at small airports such as Brown Field Municipal Airport in San Diego, Riverside Municipal Airport, Whiteman Airport in Pacoima, Oxnard Airport, Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville and Fullerton Municipal Airport.

Budget cuts won't force the closure of air traffic control towers during overnight shifts, the Federal Aviation Administration said Wednesday. But the federal agency said it is still uncertain whether it will be forced this summer to close towers operated by contractors at 149 small and medium-size airports, including several in Southern California. Budget cuts called for by the federal sequestration forced the FAA in April to furlough air traffic controllers for one day every two weeks.

Name: Steven Casarez Company: Federal Aviation Administration Thumbs up: "I like the excitement. It's a job that will never get boring because of the endless things that can happen--the intensity is good. I also like the security and pay. And for not having a (college) degree, this job has not only given me financial pride, but pride in myself, as well. Minorities are being given a chance to do this job.

Hughes Aircraft Co. has won a $325-million contract to modernize Canada's air traffic control system, beating out International Business Machines Corp. and partially avenging last year's loss of a huge U.S. contract for a similar system. The Canadian Department of Transport contract puts the Fullerton-based Ground Systems division back into the air traffic control business and vastly improves the division's chances of winning further overseas business, a Hughes spokesman said.

Federal aviation officials expect on Monday to begin introducing a proposal to finance a new air-traffic control system that they say will be needed to keep pace with increasing air travel over the next two decades. The next-generation network could cost $69 billion to $76 billion, according to the Congressional Research Service. The Federal Aviation Administration and other government agencies want the system completed by 2025. They have not said how much it would cost.

The Senate defied the Bush administration on Thursday by voting to prohibit the government from transferring air traffic control to private companies. Despite a veto threat, the ban passed 56-41 as an amendment to a spending plan for the Federal Aviation Administration. Air traffic controllers supported the amendment, sponsored by Sen. Frank R. Lautenberg (D-N.J.).

A 10-second power failure at a San Diego air traffic control center Wednesday morning had controllers around the Southland wondering why the "hiccup" lasted so long -- even as the Federal Aviation Administration said the outage was handled with textbook precision. Power to the Terminal Radar Approach Center, which tracks planes at most Southern California airports from five to 30 miles out, was cut at 9:47 a.m.

Gary Schoelen guides planes through the skies of the Western United States, but he needs help setting a financial flight path for himself. Schoelen, a 43-year-old air traffic controller, is attempting to chart a course toward a comfortable and early retirement because Federal Aviation Administration rules require that he conclude his career at age 56.

The furloughed air traffic controllers are back at work, and now the nation's airlines can blame only bad weather for delays in getting you to your destination. The furloughs that began about a week ago - delaying hundreds of planes across the country - ended this weekend after Congress passed legislation allowing the Federal Aviation Administration to use infrastructure improvement funds to pay for workers' salaries. The number of delays ranged from about 4,800 on the first day of the furloughs, April 21, to slightly more than 7,000 the following Monday, a heavy travel day, according to FlightStats, a website that monitors airline flight delays and cancellations.

WASHINGTON - Congress approved a quick fix Friday to end the flight delays snarling the nation's airports, and President Obama will sign the bill when it reaches the White House, showing how swiftly compromise can be found when powerful interests demand it. The speedy resolution came after airlines and businesses warned of lost earnings, and travelers - including lawmakers leaving the capital for a weeklong recess - complained about the waits....

Sequestration is starting to frustrate air travelers. About 400 flights were delayed Sunday because of air traffic controller furloughs, the Federal Aviation Administration said, and a few more interruptions were reported Monday at Los Angeles International Airport and several East Coast airports. But because of light traffic and good weather, the nation's air travel system operated without serious problems. The FAA warned Monday that more delays are on the horizon when air traffic is heavier and severe weather puts pressure on understaffed air traffic control facilities.

While some airline passengers endured long delays at a few East Coast airports Monday, most of the nation's flights departed without significant problems on the first work day after budget cuts hit federal air traffic controllers. Beginning on Sunday, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered air traffic controllers to take one furlough day for every two-week pay period to cut about $600 million from its budget. Agency officials warned that the cuts would force the FAA to delay arrivals and departures to manage the flow of air traffic.

Expect delays in air travel of up to an hour starting this weekend because of federal budget cuts that are forcing the furlough of air traffic controllers, federal officials warn. The budget cuts, brought about by the so-called sequestration, will force the federal government to furlough air traffic controllers for about one day per two-week pay period. At Los Angeles International Airport, the nation's third-busiest airport, delays will average about 10 minutes but could extend up to 67 minutes, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to decide Friday whether to shut down 14 air traffic control towers in Southern California as part of the agency's efforts to trim $600 million because of the federal government's so-called sequestration. As many as 238 towers could be closed nationwide, with 23 in California. The Southland could lose towers at airports in Palmdale, Pacoima, Victorville, Oxnard, Fullerton, Lancaster and elsewhere that handle civil, commercial and military flights.

A congressional investigation raised new concerns today about the nation's air traffic control system, concluding there are too few experienced workers to handle a steadily increasing flow of air travel. An unreleased report by the General Accounting Office, an investigative arm of Congress, was based on an extensive survey of the controller work force and found that workers' morale and fatigue remain a problem 4 1/2 years after President Reagan fired 11,400 controllers for striking illegally.