FAA says goodbye to Windows 95 and Floppy Disks in air traffic control overhaul

Yes, ancient PC hardware still drives many government systems around the world. For example, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in the United States, which runs air traffic control facilities in the country and covers one of the busiest airways in the world, is still utilizing systems built in the 1990s with the Windows 95 operating system and floppy disks.

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For those who remember the days of Windows 95 and floppy disks, you'll probably remember a time when using a computer meant that you probably didn't even have access to the Internet, or you were connecting to an online service using a dial-up modem that took a minute or two just to download images.

The good news is that the FAA has finally decided to bring its air traffic control systems and tools into the 21st century. According to acting FAA administrator Chris Rocheleau, this means "no more floppy disks or paper strips." Yes, the FAA also still uses a system of paper cards for air traffic control.

This upgrade has been long overdue. In 2003, an FAA assessment showed that over a third of its air traffic control systems were unsustainable. Using archaic software like Windows 95 and technology like floppy disks could be one factor leading to outages, flight delays, and even cancellations.

"This is the most important infrastructure project that we've had in this country for decades," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy recently said. "Everyone agrees, this is non-partisan. Everyone knows we have to do it."

However, after decades of neglect, moving from Windows 95 to a modern Windows or Linux system for such a large government-run department won't be easy. It's estimated that the transition away from floppy disks will take four years to complete and cost tens of billions of dollars. It could take even longer, as some say that four years for a project of this magnitude is optimistic. Hopefully, by the time 2030 rolls around, floppy disks and software from the 1990s will no longer be used for air traffic control.