As the United States marks its 250th anniversary, 草莓传媒 presents 鈥�250聽Years of America,鈥� a multipart series examining the innovations, breakthroughs and pivotal moments that have shaped the nation since 1776.
聽is proud to partner with 草莓传媒 to bring you this series.
If there is one name tied to the birth of the nation鈥檚 air traffic control system, it鈥檚 Archie League.
In the late 1920s, at what is now Lambert-St. Louis International Airport, League stood on the airfield directing planes with flags 鈥� red for stop, a checkered flag for go. In winter, he wore a padded suit to fight the cold.
By the early 1930s, a control tower had been built. League became the airport鈥檚 first radio-based controller.
He would go on to push for stronger aviation safety standards and later served in senior federal roles tied to what became the FAA. Today, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association names its highest honor after him 鈥� the Archie League Medal of Safety.
In aviation鈥檚 early years, safety systems were basic.
Airlines ran many of their own towers. Flights were tracked with paper strips. Controllers relied on pilot reports and rough calculations to keep planes apart.
Radar, developed during World War II, didn鈥檛 become widely used for civilian air traffic until the 1950s.
Then came a disaster that changed everything.
On June 30, 1956, two airliners collided over the Grand Canyon, killing all 128 people on board.
Trans World Airlines Flight 2 and United Airlines Flight 718 had departed Los Angeles minutes apart 鈥� one headed to Chicago, the other to Kansas City. They were flying in uncontrolled airspace, where pilots were responsible for maintaining separation.
They never saw each other.
Both aircraft broke apart and fell into the canyon from about 21,000 feet.
The crash stunned the country and exposed serious gaps in the nation鈥檚 air traffic control system.
鈥淭he American public is shocked by this terrible tragedy,鈥� then-Rep. Oren Harris, of Arkansas, said at the time. 鈥淲e are ready to act to find out what caused it and prevent it from happening again.鈥�
Stephen Creamer, president and CEO of the Air Traffic Control Association, said the moment forced a broader shift in how aviation was managed.
鈥淭he federal government expanded after the (Great) Depression and World War II to take on a larger role in developing industries,鈥� Creamer said. 鈥淎viation was part of that evolution.鈥�
Within months, Congress boosted funding to modernize the system 鈥� hiring and training more controllers and installing radar, much of it adapted from military technology.
In 1958, Congress passed the Federal Aviation Act, creating a unified, federally-managed air traffic control system and establishing what became the Federal Aviation Administration.
鈥淭he techniques had been refined during World War II,鈥� Creamer said. 鈥淭hat helped transition to a unified, national system and really drove the political momentum.鈥�
It took years to fully build out. By 1973, the 48 contiguous states were connected by radar, with computers helping manage aircraft in the air and on the ground.
More than 50 years later, aviation leaders say the system is again under pressure.
After years of delays and incremental upgrades, a deadly midair collision on Jan. 29, 2025, over the Potomac River near Reagan National Airport 鈥� involving an American Airlines regional jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter that killed 67 people 鈥� has renewed calls for a multibillion-dollar overhaul.
Creamer said history suggests tragedy can force progress.
鈥淎 good day is when nobody knows you鈥檝e done the job,鈥� he said. 鈥淐ontrollers go to work, solve the problem, and go home without making the news. That鈥檚 the goal.鈥�
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