Free Republic

PALMDALE - Failure to purge the radio communication system at the Los Angeles Enroute Air Traffic Control Center in Palmdale caused Tuesday's nearly four-hour communication breakdown with hundreds of airplanes throughout Southern California, according to a preliminary investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration. "A required 30-day maintenance check on the primary radio system was not done," said William Shumann, FAA spokesman in Washington D.C. "It was a human error; it was not a flaw in the system." Hamid Ghaffari, an air traffic controller at the Palmdale facility who is also an official with the air traffic controllers union, said FAA...

Aug 13, 2002 (Defense Daily/PBI Media via COMTEX) -- Special Operations Forces (SOF) and Air Force enlisted tactical air controllers on the ground greatly aided reconnaissance and targeting and provided immediate battle damage and operational assessments of enemy Al-Qaeda fighters during Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) in Afghanistan, an Air Force official told Defense Daily in an interview yesterday. "'Eyes on the ground' did the following: First and foremost, it demonstrated resolve and provided unique capabilities on the ground, such as strategic reconnaissance, direct attack, as well as support to the unconventional warfight," said Col. Fred Wieners, director of Task Force...