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Comment by timewizard | Hacker News Reader

Previously the TRACON and it's equipment were located close together and connected directly.

Now they're separated by a commercial data link. When that link breaks ATC breaks, this is because they literally moved the staff from EWR to PHL, so you can't even revert when this occurs. This is why NATCA opposes and opposed the move.

It's even a little worse since this type of failure had occurred before and some of the controllers who experienced it took leaves from their positions reducing staff availability even more. It was an absurd change that set of a chain reaction of consequences for the system as a whole.

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Do you have a source for the failure of a commercial data link causing this?

All I can find are hand-wavy claims that wiring shorted and took down some piece of critical hardware.

In the absence of a source, you’ll need another way to explain how the move caused this.

> Do you have a source for a failure of the commercial data link causing this?

The previous failure.

https://theaircurrent.com/aviation-safety/faa-knew-of-potent...

> All I can find is hand-wavy claims that wiring shorted and took down some piece of critical hardware.

Which would most likely be communications equipment. In any case I think it's fair to say it's a structure issue and not an administrative one. Unless we think DOGE made some change at the center that caused this wire to burn out?

The ceaseless political drum beating for points around here chafes. The likelihood that any administration is perfectly good or perfectly evil is absolutely zero. Let's get to causes and not generalities?

> The ceaseless political drum beating for points around here chafes. ... Let's get to causes and not generalities?

Absolutely. Please let me know if you find out what that cause is! I think that’s more important than something like “It was under the last Administration that the critical change was made.”

They’re gonna look back on the decision to move the controllers to Philly as a horrible mistake

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