'Can’t even buy parts on eBay': Duffy flags crisis in US air traffic control system

US proscription caput Sean Duffy has warned of a “crisis” successful America’s aerial postulation power system, which is grappling with outdated equipment, terrible staffing shortages and a bid of high-profile failures, including deadly accidents and repeated outages.Speaking earlier a Senate Appropriations subcommittee connected Thursday, Duffy revealed that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is truthful reliant connected antiquated systems that it has resorted to searching for replacement parts connected eBay and adjacent 3D printing immoderate components. “Sometimes, we can’t adjacent bargain it connected eBay, truthful we’re trying to usage 3D printing,” Duffy said, arsenic per CBS News.The situation has travel nether aggravated scrutiny pursuing a fatal midair collision successful January betwixt a commercialized pitchy and an Army chopper adjacent Reagan Washington National Airport that killed 67 people, according to WCHSTV. Additionally, instrumentality outages astatine the FAA installation liable for Newark Liberty International Airport, on with akin issues successful Denver and Atlanta, person caused terrible formation disruptions. According to CBS News, Newark had conscionable 3 controllers connected work astatine 1 point, compared to the people staffing of 14.Duffy insisted that “the strategy we presently use… is 25, 35, 40 years aged successful immoderate places. We’ve fto it age, and present we’re seeing the cracks play retired successful existent time.”

He urged lawmakers to enactment the Trump administration’s projected multi-billion-dollar overhaul of the system, which includes replacing hundreds of radars, caller telecommunications infrastructure, and implicit a twelve caller power towers. Read Entire Article