Welcome to the Air Traffic Control History site
“I was flying in a whiteout just a few feet above the ground in a Cessna 207, squinting through my windscreen to avoid hitting the ground, when I felt a sudden jolt in the plane. I glanced out my left window and saw that my left wing was gone. As I tried to process what had just happened, I felt another huge jolt …”
Pilot Mick Batt dedicated 39 years to the Flight Service Air Traffic Division of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). He began his career in the wilderness of Alaska, also known as the bush, where extreme flying weather conditions were commonplace. Later, he was transferred to the lower 48 as a Flight Service Manager and instructor at the Air Traffic Flight Service Academy in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Fatal Skies is a comprehensive collection of experiences, stories, and accidents from bush pilots in Alaska. While some of these accounts may seem unbelievable, they are true, as the pilots lived to share their tales; others did not.
The book also includes various anecdotes from his personal flying experiences, featuring incredible fishing tales and close encounters with dangerous bears. It offers a unique perspective based on his observations as an air traffic specialist while stationed at the Dillingham, Alaska, Flight Service Station (FSS).
Welcome to the Air Traffic Control History site
This site is dedicated to the history of early aeronautical navigation, Air Commerce radio stations, and the FAA Flight Service Stations.
It contains various articles on the history of Air Traffic Service and aviation, historical articles, photos, and other aviation related materials. Most of the information on this site has been donated by its readers.
Any monetary donations will be used towards software, outsourcing costs, hosting service, and miscellaneous requirements to collect and maintain this extensive archive. Thank you for your consideration.
Flight Service History 1920-1998
A brief history of the FAA Flight Service Station, written by John Schamel, a Flight Service Specialist