Air Traffic Control   Aviation Safety & Regulation  

FAA to restore controller observation flights on commercial, general aviation and military aircraft

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The FAA is bringing back a program that lets air traffic controllers ride along on commercial, general aviation and military flights. Controllers can observe cockpit procedures and pilot workload in real operating conditions; the program had been paused at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Discovered 2026-10-15T09:04:46.665378-07:00 | 2026-10-15T09:04:46.665378-07:00

Briefing

What Hype is tracking

  • Firsthand observation gives controllers exposure to cockpit procedures and pilot workload during actual flights, informing how they understand and coordinate with flight crews.
  • The FAA is restarting a program suspended at the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, renewing a channel for operational knowledge-sharing across controllers and flight crews.

Reported By

avweb.com Flying Magazine
Sources Tracked
2
First Seen
2026-10-15T09:04:46.665378-07:00
Latest Update
2026-10-15T09:05:06.148482-07:00
Coverage
Aviation

Sources

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