TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY IS EXPECTED TO ANNOUNCE PLANS TO MODERNIZE WHAT HE DESCRIBES AS AN ‘AGING, 

UPDATED: MAY 11. 2025

With Newark Liberty International Airport (KEWR) still recovering from a 90-second air traffic control blackout that left pilots in the dark, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy laid out plans to modernize the entire country’s ATC system and build new centers and towers.

“The system we have here is not worth saving,” Duffy said at a press conference Thursday. “I don’t need to preserve any of this, it’s too old. You have a 1960s Volkswagen Beetle you’re using for transportation. I don’t want to use the Beetle, I want a brand-new car. And that’s what we’re building, a brand new car.”

The secretary said he envisions constructing or rebuilding certain ATC facilities, including towers, centers, and terminal radar approach control facilities, better known as TRACONs. His plan calls for six new ATC centers, the biggest buildout of that kind since the 1960s, and 15 towers with colocated TRACONs. The timeline provided to the press anticipates completion by 2028.

The main focus, however, will be on replacing technology used by air traffic controllers, much of which dates to the 1970s and ‘80s, with state-of-the-art telecommunications systems, radios, surveillance technology, and automation programs.

“Everything that controls the airspace is going to be brand new,” Duffy said.

According to an outline released by the Transportation Department, the project will entail transitioning the FAA from its current time-division multiplexing system to Internet Protocol, abandoning archaic technology like floppy disks, replacing aging radios, and developing a common automation platform. The plan also calls for the adoption and integration of fiber cables, wireless devices, and satellite systems.

Duffy said that, in order to complete the overhaul in three to four years, the White House plans to ask Congress for “all the money up front,” though he did not say how much the project is expected to cost. He said he would go before Congress at regular intervals to keep legislators updated on progress.

At one point during the press conference, Duffy called President Donald Trump, who spoke over the phone to the media for several minutes. The president said he would prefer if one company handled the contract for the modernization effort.

“We’d like to give out one big, beautiful contract where they’re in charge of everything,” Trump said. “We’re negotiating with the various companies now.”

The department assembled a slew of government officials and industry figures to endorse the project, including FAA acting administrator Chris Rocheleau, National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy, and the heads of American, Delta, Southwest, United, JetBlue, and Airbus’ American division. Several unions, including those representing air traffic controllers and pilots, also spoke out in favor of the plan.

Nick Daniels, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), applauded Duffy for taking steps he said were long overdue.  “NATCA fully supports this effort,” Daniels said. “NATCA has advocated for the modernization of air traffic control systems and infrastructure for decades, and it is past time that it is addressed.”

A network of airlines, industry groups, manufacturers, unions, and others known as the Modern Skies Coalition also threw its weight behind the project. The coalition came together last month to support a separate proposal advanced by the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee to invest $12 billion in ATC upgrades.

Duffy’s plan to upgrade ATC infrastructure comes one week after he announced a package of incentives meant to reverse the chronic shortage of FAA air traffic controllers. The DOT has promised cash bonuses to trainees who complete the FAA’s ATC program and accept work assignments in regions that are hard to staff or have a high cost of living. The department will also pay bonuses to experienced air traffic controllers each year they continue working after becoming eligible for retirement at the 20-year mark.  Duffy estimates the FAA will have to add about 3,000 air traffic controllers to close its current gap.

Problems with the nation’s ATC system are in the spotlight as Newark continues to deal with flight delays and cancellations.  On April 28, the FAA facility overseeing Newark briefly lost contact with aircraft at and around the airport as a result of an equipment failure, grinding traffic to a halt. Newark is now operating on a reduced schedule out of caution, meaning many travelers are turning up only to have their flights pushed back by hours or sometimes cancelled outright.

The problem has been exacerbated by construction on one of the airport’s runways and a shortage of air traffic controllers. The facility that oversees Newark was already short-staffed before the loss-of-contact incident, but levels are even lower now that some controllers are out on trauma leave.

ATC staffing is also being looked at as a factor in the collision of an American Eagle flight with a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter over the Potomac River near Washington, D.C., in January that left 67 people dead. According to a report from The New York Times, staffing levels at the FAA center overseeing Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA), where the American Eagle flight was landing, were below normal.  Several near-misses between commercial aircraft and military helicopters around Reagan have come to light in the months since the accident

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The history:

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Monday predicted the government could install a “state-of-the-art, brand-new, best technology, envy-of-the-world air traffic control system” in the next three years.

During a cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump and other high-level White House staff, Duffy questioned why upgrades to the system—which stakeholders widely agree uses outdated technology—had not been made sooner.

“The problem is in government, it takes way too long,” Duffy said. “So technology changes, money changes, and administrations change. We have to do this fast, which is why we need the partnership from the Congress to give us the money up front.”

The transportation secretary added: “Our towers are operational, keeping planes in the air. So we have to choreograph this. But we can do it in short order.”

Duffy is expected to release the Department of Transportation’s official plan this week, Reuters reported on Friday. Trump has reportedly been briefed on and offered his support for the initiative.

Duffy in a press conference earlier this month said he plans to request “tens of billions of dollars” from Congress to support a modernization of air traffic control. The FAA’s systems and procedures have garnered increased scrutiny amid a string of fatal and near-fatal incidents, including a collision between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and commercial passenger jet in January that killed 67 people. In February, a coalition of aviation groups urged Congress to approve “robust emergency funding” to address these concerns.

The regulator has already accepted several safety recommendations from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), such as barring “nonessential” helicopter operations at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (KDCA), where the midair occurred.

According to Duffy, FAA personnel are also deploying artificial intelligence to help identify “hot spots” for potential crashes and near misses.

“If there’s another ‘DCA-esque’ situation out there, our AI tools will help us identify those and take corrective actions, preemptively as opposed to retroactively,” he said.

But Duffy does not want to stop there. Earlier this month, the transportation secretary said he wants to purchase new radar systems and control terminals, boost air traffic controller hiring, and replace copper telecommunications wiring with “fiber, wireless, and satellite.” He has also vowed to end the use of floppy discs and install runway safety technology that will “allow our air traffic controllers not to use binoculars in the tower to see where aircraft are at.”

Duffy has described the air traffic control system as “aging” and “understaffed,” echoing assessments by the aviation industry and other government agencies. Per an FAA air traffic controller workforce plan, in September 2023, the agency was 2,000 to 4,000 certified professional controllers (CPCs) short of its staffing target at U.S. airports. Around the time of the January collision, the control tower at KDCA was three CPCs short.

A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, produced in the wake of the 2023 notice to airmen (NOTAM) system crash, recommended the FAA take urgent action to modernize “numerous aging and unsustainable air traffic control systems.”

The regulator has been attempting to do just that under its NextGen program, which has been running for decades but according to GAO has made “mixed progress.”

More recently, the agency awarded a $2 billion contract to Verizon to build critical infrastructure for its FAA Enterprise Network Services (FENS) program over the next 15 years. According to the FAA, FENS will install “highly available and secure communications, information services, and networking capabilities” for air traffic control.

But that contract could be in jeopardy. Multiple reports have suggested SpaceX’s Starlink could take over Verizon’s agreement, a contention Starlink has denied. The FAA earlier this month said it is testing Starlink terminals at two “non-safety critical sites” in Alaska and a facility in New Jersey.

On Tuesday, the agency told FLYING it is testing eight Starlink connections and “multiple other technologies including wireless” at two of its facilities, but a final decision on deployment will come from the FAA administrator. Trump last week nominated Bryan Bedford, former CEO of Republic Airways, for that role.

“To update our air traffic control system, it will require multiple companies and multiple technologies,” the FAA said in a statement shared with FLYING. “That is why we are testing multiple communication technologies, including satellites, fiber and wireless to ensure the safety of the national airspace system. Beyond that, no decisions for other deployments have been made.”

The agency said Starlink testing is being conducted under the FAA Telecommunications Infrastructure (FTI) program, managed through a contract with L3 Harris. The FAA and Verizon describe FENS as a successor to FTI. But Duffy and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk have decried Verizon’s pace of implementation. Musk claimed the system, which is not yet operational, is “not working” and “putting air travellers at serious risk,” later admitting he meant to direct his ire toward L3 Harris and FTI. Verizon in response said its solution “stands ready to be deployed.”

“We continue to have productive discussions with the FAA, but we have no additional updates to offer right now,” a Verizon spokesperson told FLYING.

The FAA is also taking steps to “supercharge” air traffic control hiring. On Friday, the agency announced it qualified and referred more than 8,000 candidates to the Air Traffic Skills Assessment (ATSA) exam, with nearly 200 of them passing the test and moving on to the hiring process. It estimates those efforts have shaved five months off its previous hiring pipeline.

He succeeds Mark Baker, who retired after leading AOPA for more than 11 years. Pleasance’s aviation and business background make him the ideal next chief executive for the association. “I’ve been lucky to have participated in almost every dimension of aviation,” said Pleasance. “I will bring that understanding and appreciation for all those dimensions into the role.”

Pleasance’s passion for aviation started not long after moving from Boston to Livermore, California, at age 13. After discovering model airplanes, he became interested in full-scale aircraft while in the Scouts, seeking to earn an aviation merit badge. His Scout leader was a flight instructor, who noticed Pleasance’s interest in airplanes and gave him his first flight lesson in a Cessna 172 at Livermore Municipal Airport (LVK). Pleasance was soon riding his bike to the Livermore airport after school to wash and help owners work on airplanes in exchange for rides. He learned early that the pilot community is generous to young people looking to break into aviation.

On his sixteenth birthday, Pleasance completed his first solo flight in a Cessna 150. He earned his private pilot certificate at age 17, his instrument rating and commercial certificate at age 18, and shortly thereafter his flight instructor certificate.

Pleasance chose to attend University of California, Santa Barbara “because it was positioned right next to the Santa Barbara airport,” he said. “It allowed me to go to school during the day and then sneak away between classes and teach lessons.” After a few months teaching primary students, Pleasance pursued his instrument instructor and multiengine instructor ratings. By age 19, he had earned all his ratings. Pleasance is still an active flight instructor, but because of time constraints he focuses primarily on instrument proficiency checks, tailwheel endorsements, and aerobatics and upset recovery training.

Initially, Pleasance intended to be an airline pilot, until a chance opportunity to fly second in command in actor John Travolta’s Hawker jet led him down a different path. He then spent a season flying bush airplanes all around Alaska before returning to California to fly corporate jets for a private equity firm. Here, Pleasance gained an early appreciation for the benefits of general aviation travel. As a corporate pilot, he learned how powerful it was to have access to an airplane that could reach multiple destinations in a single day and conduct business in ways that would not otherwise be possible. Between flights, Pleasance’s time at the firm taught him about commercial real estate and how to buy and sell companies.

Intrigued by his newfound business skills, Pleasance earned his MBA at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, and joined consulting firm McKinsey & Co, “which allowed me to work with some of the biggest companies in the world on some of the most challenging issues that they contend with,” he said. Pleasance next led global customer acquisitions for Google before joining Cisco where he advanced into more senior roles—ultimately leading Cisco’s Acceleration Center, formed to accelerate the success of Cisco’s business transformation.

Pleasance is a savvy aircraft owner who enjoys the camaraderie of ownership as much as the airplanes themselves. While he owns more than one airplane, “I have partners in all of them,” he said. “I’ve discovered that I can only fly one at a time. And it’s good for airplanes to fly. Because of that, I’ve been intentional about having at least one, sometimes a couple of partners.” Pleasance co-owns a Progressive Aerodyne SeaRey light sport amphibious airplane for landing on nearby lakes, a Van’s Aircraft RV–6 for aerobatics, and a Piper Meridian to commute for work. And he’s a member of a club that operates a North American P-51 Mustang and T-6 Texan.

Pleasance has just started to consider how AOPA’s agenda may evolve over time. “The advocacy work we do at the federal and local level is foundational to the value we provide members,” he said. “I think the work we do around safety is critical. We have to continue to be seen as an organization that stands for safety.” There are also areas of opportunity, particularly reaching communities of people who don’t know much about general aviation and wouldn’t normally find themselves at a general aviation airport. “My good friend who came from one of these communities always said, ‘You gotta see it to be it.’ And his point was so many individuals don’t even know aviation is an opportunity for them.”

Since earning his pilot certificate, Pleasance has been introducing people to general aviation. “For me, the emotion of flying is really about the views, but also the ability to experience the world in the way that most people don’t. I love sharing that with other people because they give you that energy back.” Pleasance often takes someone who’s never experienced the joy of seaplane flying to a nearby lake in his SeaRey, and occasionally gives P-51 Mustang rides to individuals who have a historical connection to the airplane or period.

Pleasance also sees general aviation—and AOPA—as central to the futures of aspiring air ambulance pilots, aerial firefighters, bush pilots, and airline pilots since most of these pilots are trained at local airports. “I’d love to have AOPA playing an even bigger role in helping more individuals out there see the breadth of opportunities that exist in aviation.”

(FROM AOPA)

Approximately 686,000 – Highest total on record! (Previous: 677,000 - 2023).

“We had record-setting totals of campers, exhibitors, volunteers, and more. It was also a challenging year at times with weather, logistics, and other factors, which makes me even more proud of the efforts by our volunteers and staff to organize an outstanding event.”

More than 10,000 aircraft arrived at Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh and other airports in east-central Wisconsin. At Wittman alone, there were 16,780 aircraft operations in the 11-day period from July 18-28, which is an average of approximately 113 takeoffs/landings per hour when the airport is open.

2,846 including: 1,200 vintage aircraft, 975 homebuilt aircraft, 337 warbirds, 154 ultralights and light planes, 82, aerobatic aircraft, 65 seaplanes and amphibians, 52 aerobatic aircraft, 23 rotorcraft, and 10 balloons.

More than 15,000 sites in aircraft and drive-in camping accounted for more than 40,000 visitors.

Nearly 6,000 contributing in excess of 250,000 hours.

861 (record number).

More than 1,600 sessions hosted during the week at 65 venues.

More than 23.9 million people were reached by EAA’s social media channels during AirVenture, with engagement of 3.7 million; Total social media video views: 17 million (up 149 percent over 2023); Nearly 45,000 social media followers gained; More than 142,000 hours of viewing EAA video clips online also occurred during the event.

A total of 2,581 attendees registering at the International Visitors Tent from a record-setting 98 countries outside the U.S., a 9 percent increase over 2023. As a significant number of international visitors do not officially register at the tent when they arrive, the actual international visitor total is much higher.

The EAA Aviation Foundation’s annual event to support its aviation education programs attracted more than 1,000 people and raised a record $2.8 million dollars that will be focused on EAA’s mission of growing participation in aviation.

836 media representatives on-site, from six continents.

$170 million for the five counties in the Oshkosh region (Winnebago, Outagamie, Fond du Lac, Calumet, and Brown). * - based on 2017 University of Wisconsin Oshkosh economic impact study