In the air traffic control system, everything must meet the highest levels of safety, but not everything goes according to plan. I’m an aerospace engineer who led a National Academies study ordered by Congress about air traffic controller staffing. What air traffic controllers do? The Federal Aviation Administration’s fundamental guidance for the responsibility of air traffic controllers states: “The primary purpose of the air traffic control system is to prevent a collision involving aircraft.” Air traffic controllers are also charged with providing “a safe, orderly and expeditious flow of air traffic” and other services supporting safety, such as helping pilots avoid mountains and other hazardous terrain and hazardous weather, to the extent they can. Researchers are using machine learning to analyze and predict aspects of air traffic and air traffic control, including air traffic flow between cities and air traffic controller behavior.

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Persons: Tolga Akmen, Timothy Arel, Harry Reid, Ethan Miller, Amy Pritchett Organizations: CNN, National Academies, Congress, Federal Aviation, Air, FAA, London Heathrow, Tolga, Getty, U.S . Senate, Robotics, Cessna, United Airlines, Kansas City Chiefs United Airlines, Harry Reid International, Air Force One, Penn State University, National Science Foundation, Center, Aerial Mobility, NASA Locations: AFP, Las Vegas