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AJ_ATC_090629.ID = "AJ_ATC_090629";
AJ_ATC_090629.ID_WB = 31553497;
AJ_ATC_090629.sPubDate = "6/25/2009 11:33:58 PM GMT";
AJ_ATC_090629.navsectionID = "3032122"
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AJ_ATC_090629.appHeader = "fact file|Air traffic control — an aging system";
AJ_ATC_090629.appDeck = "The Federal Aviation Administration has full or partial responsibility for more than 400 staffed air traffic control facilities across the United States and its territories. Nearly 60 percent of them are near or beyond their projected useful lifespan of 30 years. Click a tab at left for details.";
AJ_ATC_090629.appFooter = "Sources: U.S. Transportation Department; Federal Aviation Administration ";
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AJ_ATC_090629[i-1].body = "<headline/><br>Air traffic control towers and terminal radar approach control facilities manage traffic in the vicinity of an airport &#151; i.e., takeoffs, landings, ascents, approaches and descents. The average control tower is 29 years old, while the average radar facility is 26.";

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AJ_ATC_090629[i-1].body = "<headline/><br>Air route traffic control centers manage high-altitude traffic &#151; i.e., flights in the air between terminals. There are 22 ARTCCs, and they average 43 years of age.";

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AJ_ATC_090629[i-1].body = "<headline/><br>In December, the Transportation Department&#146;s inspector general cataloged the problems at older control facilities. Problems at multiple facilities included water leaks, mold, window condensation, deterioration due to poor design and general disrepair. ";

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AJ_ATC_090629[i-1].body = "<headline/><br>The report said the problems it cataloged posed no immediate risk, but it said they could &#147;affect operations in the long term if they are not addressed.&#148; It called a new funding program for repairs a &#147;significant improvement&#148; but said the FAA hasn&#146;t made key infrastructure decisions because it is placing all its chips on NextGen, a new satellite-based traffic-control system that isn&#146;t scheduled for completion until 2025.";

	// END editorial data