New Radar Hampers Some Chicago Flights

May 14, 1999

ALPA, Intl

Home 

That’s because air traffic controllers in a key regional center are
limiting the number of O’Hare arrivals an hour, cutting some peak hours from 100 to
80 arrivals as they learn a new radar display system, says Federal Aviation Administration
traffic control manager Jeff Griffith. Most delays are 10 to 20 minutes, he says.

Airlines are reporting limited impact. In addition to delays, “we are canceling
perhaps five flights in our later afternoon and early evening (flight) banks at Chicago
O’Hare,” American’s John Hotard says. United canceled 52 of its 900
O’Hare takeoffs and landings Monday, spokesman Andy Plews says. “It could go on
for a couple of weeks.” “We hope to have the rate (of flights allowed) back in
about three weeks,” says Bryan Zilonis, an air traffic controller at the Aurora
center, which governs airspace over Chicago O’Hare and Midway airports. Controllers
are working slowly as they learn the keyboard commands and controls beneath the radar
screen, he says.

“We don’t like looking down from the screen” to the keyboard, says
Zilonis, who compares the process to learning the dashboard on a new car but far more
complex.

The radar, known as the Display System Replacement, is fully operational in the
Seattle, Salt Lake City and Cleveland regional centers, but not in 17 others, FAA
spokesman Bill Shumann says.

All replacements should be in place by June 2000, he says. At the nation’s largest
airport, Atlanta Hartsfield, recent flight delays have been weather related, the
FAA’s Kathleen Bergen says. Radar replacement will start there in July.