'Floppy disks are out, 21st century tech is in': The FAA is finally ditching 55-year-old storage
Better late than never.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has announced the end of an era for 55-year-old floppy disk storage, as it prepares to transition to modern technology. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy stated that the United States will now embrace "state-of-the-art" air traffic control systems, aligning with the vision of President Trump.
The outdated 3.5-inch floppy disks, which have been used to store crucial weather and other essential information in the air traffic control system, will be phased out in favor of the Enterprise Information Display System (E-IDS).
FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford emphasized that the E-IDS would enhance the ability of air traffic controllers to make timely decisions and maintain the safety of air travel. The new system aims to improve the sharing of critical flight alerts, restricted airspace schedules, and pilot reports across the National Airspace System. The E-IDS is set to replace the aging Information Display System 4 (IDS-4), which relied on floppy drive-equipped machines running MS-DOS.
The FAA plans to complete the upgrade at 435 sites across the country by the end of 2028. Some of the first locations to receive the new system include Atlantic City International Airport and Nashville International Airport. As air travelers, we can only hope that this transition to modern technology goes smoothly, ensuring a safer and more efficient flying experience for everyone.
Written by urgent.news from PC Gamer's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
