Veteran air traffic controller Barret Byrnes says many airports are handling far more flights than they were designed for, resulting in confusion on the ground. Happens every day. At times, he says, controllers are directing more than 50 planes at once, taxiing on the ground, often across active runways. It can be confusing for controllers and pilots. We got a view of the problem from the cockpit when we flew with John Nance, an experienced commercial pilot and ABC's aviation analyst.
Pilots are busy going through their instrument checklists and studying maps.
At the same time, they're listening for crucial radio instructions from the tower. The radio system is the lifeline between pilots and controllers. But many agree it's woefully outdated. We have 1960s technology in our radio equipment. Third World nations have better, you know, air traffic control equipment than we do.