FAA Facts

Scott Sherer

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Facts about the FAA and Air Traffic Control

This holiday season is forecast to be the busiest travel period ever with passengers crossing the country in cars, trains, and planes. But did you know that every day, the FAA's Air Traffic Organization (ATO) provides service to more than 42,000 flights and 2.5 million airline passengers across more than 29 million square miles of airspace?
Some other facts about the world of air traffic:
• At any given moment there are more than 5,000 aircraft traversing the U.S. skies.
• The FAA is a year-round 24/7 operation, responsible for 5.3 million square miles of U.S. domestic airspace and 24 million square miles of U.S. airspace over the oceans.
• There are 43,290 average daily flights in and out of the U.S.
• More than 14,000 air traffic controllers manage traffic from many of the FAA’s 700 facilities.
• Fifty-five hundred airway transportation system specialists maintain more than 70,000 pieces of equipment.
• Aviation contributes $1.6 trillion annually to the U.S. economy and constitutes 5.1 percent of the gross domestic product.
• Aviation generates 10 million jobs in the U.S. annually.

Jmcmanna

<——FAA Air Traffic Controller here (Chicago TRACON).

Other than Oshkosh week, today and next Sunday are generally our two busiest days for general aviation. This morning was fun, as the wx was generally VFR (some icing over Lake Michigan), and there were a lot of different a/c types flying into the Chicago-area satellites.

I took Sunday off this year because I learned my lesson after the last 10 years of working Sunday afternoons

Scott Sherer

Hi Jim,
You're a Chicago TRACON guy?! Wow, that's amazing. Thanks for sharing that!

Jmcmanna

I sure am....I've been here for 9 years now...which means enough seniority to not have to work today

Scott Sherer

Hi Jim,
Is it possible to post a few pics of the TRACON? It might be interesting for everyone.

Jmcmanna

The management is very much against the posting of pictures from the operational area, particularly of the radar scopes. I think there are a few floating around the internet, though, and I might be able to find a video map of the airspace. I'll see what I can come up with.

Scott Sherer

Ok, thanks so much. I understand the security implications so if it's not possible, no worries Thanks for trying!

Jmcmanna

What I can do....if you or any members close by want to take a trip down to Elgin for a tour of the facility, see the scopes in person, and get a guided tour (by me!), I can certainly make that happen.

Kentwkalb

Been following this thread...looks like DuPage is close to your location?

Scott Sherer

Elgin? I'm pretty close! Let me work on it.

Kentwkalb

Love Chicago....especially in August!

Jmcmanna

Not as nice in November through March

Scott Sherer

They're getting 1/2 foot of snow tomorrow, lol.