Happy New Year 2025

Tag: Traffic

Duffy says SpaceX workers will visit Air Traffic Control System Command Center

SpaceX workers will visit the Air Traffic Control System Command Center on Monday, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy noted in a Sunday post on X, in which he also mentioned former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, with whom he recently engaged in a social media spat.

“America deserves safe, state-of-the-art air travel, and President Trump has ordered that I deliver a new, world-class air traffic control system that will be the envy of the world,” Duffy declared, noting that he’d welcome assistance from American developers or businesses.

“To do that, I need advice from the brightest minds in America. I’m asking for help from any high-tech American developer or company that is willing to give back to our country.

SEAN DUFFY TELLS HILLARY CLINTON TO ‘SIT THIS ONE OUT’ AFTER SHE CHIMES IN ON HIS DOGE ANNOUNCEMENT

Left: U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy speaks to reporters about the collision of an American Airlines flight with a military Black Hawk helicopter near Ronald Reagan National Airport, in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House on Jan. 30, 2025 in Washington, D.C.; Right: Hillary Clinton at the Navalny Screening held at the Museum of Modern Art on Jan. 30, 2025 in New York, N.Y. (Left: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images; Right: Lexie Moreland/WWD via Getty Images)

“Tomorrow, members of @elonmusk’s SpaceX team will be visiting the Air Traffic Control System Command Center in VA to get a firsthand look at the current system, learn what air traffic controllers like and dislike about their current tools, and envision how we can make a new, better, modern and safer system.”

He then brought up Clinton.

“Because I know the media (and Hillary Clinton) will claim Elon’s team is getting special access, let me make clear that the @FAANews regularly gives tours of the command center to both media and companies.”

SENATE CONFIRMS TRUMP PICK SEAN DUFFY FOR TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY

In the post on Sunday, Duffy also said that he will visit the FAA Academy this week.

“Later in the week, I will travel to the FAA Academy in Oklahoma to meet with air traffic controller instructors and students to learn more about their education and how we can ensure that only the very best guide our aircrafts,” he noted.

“My door at @USDOT is open to any and all patriotic developers or companies who want to help our country in this incredible, game-changing mission. I hope to hear from any company committed to ushering in America’s golden age of travel!”

President Donald Trump tapped business magnate Elon Musk to spearhead the Department of Government Efficiency, an effort to uncover federal government waste, fraud, and abuse.

TRANSPORTATION SECRETARY REASSURES PUBLIC ABOUT AIR TRAVEL SAFETY AFTER DEADLY CRASH: ‘SAFEST FORM OF TRAVEL’

Left: Sean Duffy, US secretary of transportation, during an executive order signing in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025; Right: In this photo illustration a SpaceX logo seen displayed on a smartphone (Left: Samuel Corum/Sipa/Bloomberg via Getty Images; Right: Pavlo Gonchar/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

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“The safety of air travel is a non-partisan matter. SpaceX engineers will help make air travel safer,” Musk wrote in response to Duffy’s tweet.

Earlier this month, Clinton and Duffy engaged in a back and forth on X after Duffy noted that the DOGE team would help upgrade the aviation system.

Alex Nitzberg is a writer for Fox News Digital.

February 17, 2025
Vance: US air traffic control systems antiquated, looks like video game

Vice President JD Vance sits down with Maria Bartiromo to discuss the tragic Washington, DC plane crash, Democratic obstruction in the Senate, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries vow to battle Trumps agenda and more.

Vice President JD Vance said the United States’ air traffic control (ATC) systems are outdated and must be upgraded following the rise in close calls in recent years and the two deadly air tragedies that struck the U.S. in the past week.

During an exclusive interview with FOX News’ “Sunday Morning Futures,” host Maria Bartiromo asked the vice president what could be done about the shortage of air traffic controllers as well as the use of traffic management systems that are decades-old while America’s allies utilize more modern technology.

Vice President J.D. Vance speaks to Fox Business’ Maria Bartiromo in an interview that appeared on “Sunday Morning Futures.” (Fox Business / FOXBusiness)

“The software point is really important, though, because we know if you look at these old, antiquated air traffic control systems, it really does look like a video game. It’s 30 years old. We’ve got better software,” Vance said. “We need a federal government that’s more responsive to the technology that’s out there. And I really do think that with President Trump’s leadership, we’re going to have those near-misses and those almost terrible tragedies – those are going to come down, which means our aviation system is going to be much safer.”

INSIDE THE DC PLANE CRASH INVESTIGATION: AIR TRAFFIC STAFF A ‘SMALL PIECE’ OF ‘VERY BIG PUZZLE,’ OFFICIAL SAYS

The vice president’s statements come after two aviation disasters happened in the U.S., including the collision of a military Black Hawk helicopter with an American Airlines jet in Washington, D.C., last week. A private plane also plummeted out of the sky in Pennsylvania on Friday.

Emergency response units search the crash site of the American Airlines plane on the Potomac River after the plane crashed on approach to Reagan National Airport on Jan. 30, 2025, in Arlington, Virginia. (Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images / Getty Images)

A report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) in September warned that the FAA urgently needed to upgrade its ATC systems, pointing out that the year before, the GAO flagged that 51 of the FAA’s 138 systems are “unsustainable.”

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“Over half of these unsustainable systems are especially concerning, but FAA has been slow to modernize,” the GAO report states. “Some system modernization projects won’t be complete for another 10-13 years. FAA also doesn’t have plans to modernize other systems in need—3 of which are at least 30 years old.”

The Trump administration, which has been in office for two weeks, has vowed to make the necessary upgrades to the systems.

Vice President JD Vance sets the record straight with President Donald Trump’s approach to DEI and more during an appearance on ‘Sunday Morning Futures.’

Newly confirmed Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told “Fox News Sunday” host Shannon Bream over the weekend that America’s skies remain the safest in the world, but he also said major changes could be made to improve the FAA’s systems.

“We have the safest skies in the whole world. Traveling by air is the safest mode of transportation,” Duffy said. “It’s not just air traffic controllers, but we do have technologies on airplanes to keep them separated. So, yeah, no, this is the safest system.”

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Duffy went on to say that the U.S. system “does need to be upgraded.” He also noted an outage of the FAA’s pilot warning system, the “Notice to Air Mission” or NOTAM system, on Saturday night, calling it “antiquated.”

FOX News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.

February 3, 2025
Transportation Sec Sean Duffy says FAA systems are ‘antiquated,’ calls for more air traffic controllers

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says that many of the Federal Aviation Administration’s systems remain “antiquated” and are in need of updates amid a “plummet” in recruitment for air traffic controllers.

Duffy made the statement during an appearance on “Fox News Sunday” with host Shannon Bream. The Trump administration official affirmed that America’s skies remain the safest in the world, but he also said major changes could be made to improve the FAA’s systems.

“We have the safest skies in the whole world. Traveling by air is the safest mode of transportation,” Duffy said. “It’s not just air traffic controllers, but we do have technologies on airplanes to keep them separated. So, yeah, no, this is the safest system.”

Duffy went on to say that the U.S. system “does need to be upgraded.” He also noted an outage of the FAA’s pilot warning system, the “Notice to Air Mission” or NOTAM system, on Saturday night, calling it “antiquated.”

VICTIMS IDENTIFIED IN DC PLANE CRASH INVOLVING AMERICAN AIRLINES JET AND MILITARY HELICOPTER

Secretary of U.S. Department of Transportation Sean Duffy addresses the media, after American Eagle flight 5342 collided with a Black Hawk helicopter while approaching Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and crashed into the Potomac River. (Ken Cedeno/Reuters)

The FAA imposes a mandatory retirement age of 55 for air traffic controllers, causing a large amount of turnover. Duffy noted that the FAA’s training academy was bottlenecked during COVID-19, causing small class sizes and delaying the process as trainees could not get in-person experience at control towers.

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He said he is focusing on training a new generation of recruits.

“You can’t focus on diversity, equity and inclusion when you try to hire air traffic controllers, you focus on the best and brightest,” Duffy told Bream. “I mean, again, some people like me like to have this conversation around equity. But if it’s your pilots or if it’s your air traffic controllers, you want the best. You want the brightest protecting yourself and your family. That’s what we’re going to do with the department.”

First responders work the scene after what witnesses say was a plane crash in Philadelphia on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025. (Matt Rourke/AP)

Duffy’s statements come after two aviation disasters struck the U.S., including the collision of a military Blackhawk helicopter with an American Airlines jet in Washington, D.C., last week. A private plane also plummeted out of the sky in Pennsylvania this weekend.

Investigations are ongoing for both crashes. Duffy said he is particularly interested in the communications that the control tower at Reagan National Airport had with both the jet and the helicopter in last week’s crash.

Search and rescue efforts are seen around a wreckage site in the Potomac River from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, early Thursday morning, Jan. 30, 2025, in Arlington, Virginia. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

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“What happened in the tower? What was going on with the staffing? What should have been done and what was done? What was the language that was used by the air traffic controller? Was it appropriate? Did they appropriately direct traffic consistent with procedures at the FAA?” Duffy asked.

Anders Hagstrom is a reporter with Fox News Digital covering national politics and major breaking news events. Send tips to [email protected], or on Twitter: @Hagstrom_Anders.

February 2, 2025
Inside the DC plane crash investigation: Air traffic staff a ‘small piece’ of ‘very big puzzle,’ official says

FOX Business’ Grady Trimble speaks with National Transportation Safety Board member Todd Inman about the ongoing investigation to discover the cause of the tragic D.C. plane crash.

Following a bombshell report over the alleged air traffic control staffing on the night of the tragic American Airlines and Black Hawk helicopter collision in D.C., the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) designated spokesperson for the incident warned that “a lot of questions remain” about the events leading up to the crash.

“Let me say this first: we [have] to remember 67 people lost their lives… Today will be yet another day of the teams going out there,” NTSB member Todd Inman told FOX Business’ Grady Trimble on Friday.

“They’re out in the field. They’re collecting data. They’ve started interviews. We have hundreds of people in this investigation,” he continued. “But the most important thing right now is to obtain and preserve any perishable evidence so that whenever we come off scene, we can start the analyzation of it.”

An internal preliminary report from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), obtained by the Associated Press, allegedly showed that the number of staff members working at the air control tower at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) in Arlington, Virginia, was “not normal for the time of day and volume of traffic.”

EXPERT PUTS ONUS ON F.A.A. FOR AMERICAN AIRLINES, HELICOPTER CRASH: ‘BAD MANAGEMENT’ IS ‘PUTTING US AT RISK’

On Wednesday night, an American Airlines plane and an Army helicopter collided near Reagan National Airport outside of Washington, D.C. All 67 people onboard both aircraft are presumed dead.

NTSB member Todd Inman told FOX Business “we don’t use the word normal per say,” when discussing air traffic control staff. (Getty Images)

“We don’t use the word normal per se,” Inman reacted. “What happens immediately after an accident is a safety review team begins doing just what we said, perishable evidence. And this is a lot of different people from the FAA. Union representatives all immediately start gaining information.

“So what people are talking about is a rough draft of something, but it is a small piece of a very big puzzle. Thousands of data points,” he added. “So ultimately [it led] to our recommendation of how to prevent this tragedy from occurring again.”

The FAA report also claimed that one air traffic controller was working two positions at the time of the crash, when typically, the two assignments are split between two air traffic controllers.

Aviation expert Captain Mike Coffield breaks down the response process and investigation following a midair collision between a regional airline jet and an Army Black Hawk helicopter.

“Airports are living, breathing cities. So at any time because of weather, because of traffic, because of any other issue, you could see fluctuations in staff up and down. Now, is that an acceptable standard for safety? We will investigate that, and we’re going to find out. If there was anything that needs to be remediated, [we] will then make recommendations,” Inman responded.

Inman pointed out that the NTSB will be closely evaluating evidence like cockpit communications, unique sound recordings, aileron positions, landing gear, altitude pitch, submerged electronics, debris and even interviewing staff that were working with both aircraft.

President Donald Trump has also chimed in on the investigation, claiming via Truth Social that the Army helicopter may have been flying too high, “far above the 200 foot limit” in the DCA airspace.

Victims identified in DC plane crash involving American Airlines jet and military helicopter (Getty Images / Getty Images)

“I would be very careful to anyone who’s listening to this to rely upon off-the-shelf software speculation they’re seeing online,” Inman noted. “Our job is to get the absolute facts as we get these [black] boxes in and get them analyzed, and we look at more granular data, [we’ll] be able to give a much better picture on that.

“In fact, I would just make sure you remember there can be a 50-foot difference in some cases and up to 100 yards for radar versus Ads-b, which is more GPS based. But it’s still not as accurate as what’s in the plane itself.”

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Helicopter pilot Dean Wegner argues there’s ‘a longer story’ behind the tragic American Airlines and helicopter aircraft collision and shares his condolences.

The NTSB plans to “take [their] time” on the investigation, pledging to follow through all evidence “as long as it takes” to get to the root of what happened Wednesday night.

“We’ve done over 100,000 aviation accident investigations, made 15,000 recommendations,” Inman said. “Right now, we’ve not found anything. But if we do, we will immediately tell the public. Our job is to prevent this tragedy from happening again.”

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Fox News’ Greg Wehner contributed to this report.

January 31, 2025
This flying motorcycle can take you from traffic to sky in minutes

The unveiling of the Skyrider X1, which claims to be the “world’s first amphibious flying passenger motorcycle,” has certainly stirred up excitement.

This innovative vehicle promises to change how we think about personal mobility by combining land and air travel in one sleek design.

A major advancement in transportation

Developed by Rictor, a sub-brand of the Chinese company Kuickwheel, the Skyrider X1 marks a big progression from Rictor’s previous product, the K1 e-bike. Transitioning from an electric bicycle to a flying motorcycle is no small feat, and it shows Rictor’s ambition to push the boundaries of eco-friendly and energy-efficient transportation.

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Innovative features

The Skyrider X1 features amphibious functionality, allowing it to operate on both land and water, although some skeptics are curious about how well it will perform in real-world conditions. This vehicle can reach speeds of up to 62 mph (100 km/h) and offers flight times of around 25 minutes for the base model with a 10.5-kWh battery. The premium version, equipped with a 21-kWh battery, boasts up to 40 minutes of flight time.

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Made from lightweight carbon fiber composites and aviation-grade aluminum, the Skyrider X1 balances durability with flight capability. It also incorporates smart technology that includes automatic route planning to determine optimal flight paths based on your destination and real-time adaptability that adjusts altitude, speed and direction according to weather conditions.

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Safety as a priority

Safety is a top priority for Rictor in the design of the Skyrider X1. The vehicle includes triple-redundant flight control systems that ensure safe operation even if an engine fails. Additionally, it features an integrated emergency parachute for added peace of mind.

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AN ELECTRIC AIRCRAFT THE MILITARY HAS ITS EYES ON CAN TAKE OFF WITH ONLY 150 FEET OF RUNWAY

Pricing and accessibility

With an expected price tag of around $60,000, the Skyrider X1 aims to make personal air travel more accessible compared to other eVTOL options. By blending performance with affordability, Rictor hopes to bring flying within reach for more people.

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A look into the future

As cities grow and traffic congestion worsens, innovative solutions like the Skyrider X1 could become essential. This vehicle not only aims to ease urban travel but also promotes sustainable options in personal transportation. With advancements in battery technology and autonomous systems, eVTOL vehicles may soon transform how we navigate our environments.

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Kurt’s key takeaways

The Skyrider X1 is a glimpse into a future where flying could actually be part of our everyday lives. Imagine zipping through the skies instead of sitting in traffic. It sounds pretty cool, right? However, there are still some big questions to tackle about how this will all work in practice. We need to think about safety and whether it can really handle the demands of real-world travel. So, while the idea of flying motorcycles is exciting, we’ll have to wait and see how they fit into real-world scenarios.

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So, what do you think? Would you be ready to hop on a flying motorcycle like the Skyrider X1? Let us know what you think by writing us at Cyberguy.com/Contact.

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Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

January 23, 2025
National Road Safety Week 2025 Dates in India: Here’s the Theme and Significance of the Week-Long Observance That Creates Awareness on Road Safety and Traffic Rules

National Road Safety Week in India is annually observed from January 11 to 17 to promote road safety measures among people and educate them about traffic rules to prevent road accidents. The government of India organises various events to create awareness about road safety, reduce road accidents, and encourage adherence to traffic rules. The week-long campaign is observed across the country, with participation from government agencies, NGOs, schools, colleges, and the general public. National Road Safety Week 2025 Messages, Slogans and HD Images.

As per records, approximately 328 lives are lost daily, much of which could have been prevented with timely rescue and intervention. Despite the innumerable road safety campaigns and awareness drives, many accident- related deaths are recorded across the country. In this article, let’s know more about National Road Safety Week 2025 dates in India, theme and the significance of the annual event. January 2025 Holidays and Festivals Calendar: Check Dates of Important Events in the First Month of the Year.

National Road Safety Week 2025 Dates and Theme

National Road Safety Week 2025 starts from January 11 and continues till January 17. The theme for National Road Safety Week 2025 is “Be a Road Safety Hero.”

National Road Safety Week Significance

National Road Safety Week in India is an excellent opportunity to educate people about following the traffic rules which would help in minimising road accidents and fatalities. The day also promotes the use of helmets, seat belts, and other safety measures and raises awareness about the dangers of rash driving and drunk driving.

Knowing that road accidents as a leading cause of death in the country, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India has called for a joint effort of the state and central government to facilitate the improvement of road and safety infrastructure and to reduce casualties and mortality.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 11, 2025 08:42 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).

January 11, 2025