he world of Oceanic Short Wave monitoring aircraft signals! Gander, Shannon, NY Center. Far
beyond possible radar contact, pilots report priority flight data 24-7. The system has been there
for a long time, a part of HF radio for nearly 70 years. The hobby of monitoring aircraft status at 30K
feet and above is a moment by moment occurrence and one of the few things remaining that has notchanged in our radio world of deep oceanic air routes. Thus one of New York Center’s duties.

T

Cell calls, chart position terms; Champ, Bacus,Kraft, Paper etc. VOLMET - I must admit, thecover of a 1945 CQ Magazine got my curiosity ina big way. The first ATC (Air Traffic Controlcenter) came on line Dec 1 1935 in Newark NJ, aconsortium of airline companies organized andmanned the first airway traffic control center. Twoadditional centers similarly organized and staffedmonths later at Chicago and Cleveland in June of1936. CAA photo.
March of 1936 Director of Air Commerce Eugene
Vidal convinced a House Appropriations
Committee to fund air traffic control and for thenecessity of the Fed Govt to take over ATC. Vidal
succeeded and would take over the existing
control centers early fiscal year 1937.
February 16, 1940 Station WSY
CAA authority at LaGuardia Field
operated the first overseas andforeign airways communication
station (OFACS) with regularoperations. It was capable of 2way radio communications withaircraft flying the Atlantic Ocean.
This powerful facility could also
QSO various points in Europe,
Bermuda and Newfoundland. Thestations HF transmitting gear wasat Bayville LI (4) 4kw transmittersand 2 (400) watt transmitters. The receiving operation remote controlled from a 600 acre site atBarnegat Light N.J., near Warren Grove Training Range. (Home of today’s WSY70 Volmet
transmitting site) During WW II the facility was valuable in ferrying operations over N. Atlantic.
WSY set the pattern for the establishment during the war years of similar overseas communications
stations at San Fancisco, Seattle, Miami, New Orleans, Anchorage, Honolulu, San Juan and CanalZone (FAA Historical Chronology 1920-1996)
November 1946 the CAA activated ATC operations over the North Atlantic corridor from NY
Center in conjunction with establishment of North Atlantic region of ICAO. Continued

July 21- 1963 N.Y. Center commissioned a new building behind security fences at 4205 Johnson
Avenue Ronkonkoma, Islip NY. It had the first real time solid state computer for flight activity,
since 1956 they were located at NY International Airport (Today’s JFK Airport) Jamaica L.I. The
new buildings were to be capable of expansion programs when needed.
It is very easy to confuse airport locations because of many airport changes, additions, renovations
and modernization programs. For instance LaGuardia was known as four airports at various times.
First known as Glenn H. Curtiss Airport, then North Beach Airport, dedicated in 1939 as NY
Municipal and renamed in 1947 after Mayor LaGuardia. The N.Y. Idlewild Airport had the same situation, in 1942 commissioned at NY International
Airport, then Idlewild in 1948 and in 1963 John F. Kennedy Airport. Another airport Roosevelt(after Teddy Roosevelt’s son) was decommissioned and made into a shopping mall.
Calendar year 1958 wasmonumental because the total
number of trans Atlantic
passengers by air, exceeded
those traveling by sea. Again
calendar year 1966, in crossing
the North Atlantic, 89% of theyears travelers went by air andonly 11% via sea.
CAA foto, electronic specialist
fine tuning one of the many
feeders in the Rhombic arraysystem, location at BayvilleLong Island. It stands to reason
using directional H.F. antennas,maximizing the northerly
direction..
Continued...

With appreciation to DL8AAM Internet QSL collection above samples. Also references to CAA are
intended to be the present FAA organizational title. NY ATC Ronconcoma - Islip on L.I., is noteasily identified because of various problems including township boundaries. Another ID for themin this century is Riverhead. Who can figure it.
The entrance to the gated secure compound of NY ATC is not clearly marked. It won’t be easy tofind if you are looking for it. I think they’re aware that many of us out here appreciate theirprofessional sounding long range aero communications and good operating practice. W8SU 2008