 Table of Contents
The Boy Scouts of America has published Boys'
Life since January 1, 1911. I received it for a couple years in the late 1960s while in the
Scouts. I have begun buying copies on eBay to look for useful articles. As time permits, I will be glad
to scan articles for you. All copyrights (if any) are hereby acknowledged. Here are the
Boys' Life issues I have so far.
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sink-me
Talking Them In
Traffic moving at an average of better than three miles a minute and yet handled
with ease and certainty! Traffic so speedy that seconds count and a minute means
a difference of miles in distance! This is what the Air Traffic Control of the Bureau
of Air Commerce has to handle. Let us make a trip from Newark, New Jersey, the world's
busiest airport, to Pittsburgh and see how Air Traffic Control works!
We take Trip Six out of Newark for Pittsburgh. Our pilot reports to Air Traffic
Control that he will leave at 10:00 A.M., climb to an altitude of 9,000 feet and
cross the control point on the airway of Martins Creek, Pa., at 10:55 A.M. He will
continue and reach Sunbury, Pa., at 11:26 A.M. at 9,000 feet. From there the next
control point is Bellefonte, Pa. We will pass that at 11:41 A. M. at 9,000 feet.
Then Buckstown, Pa., at 11:58 A.M. But, here we will be only about twenty-two minutes
out of Pittsburgh. We have some 9,000 feet of altitude to lose. Our pilot plans
to start down and he will cross the control at 5,000 feet.
Air Traffic Control checks the flight plan against traffic on the airway and
finds that it will not interfere with other aircraft or run too close to them so
our plan is approved and we are "cleared." So off we fly and watch how Air Traffic
Control guards us from the moment of departure until we have safely taxied to a
standstill at our destination.
We arrive at Pittsburgh in clear weather and so are allowed to proceed directly
into the field area. But in thick and stormy weather the real test of Air Traffic
Control comes. Then, in order that several huge air transports with their loads
of human lives will not be churning around a common center at an airport the Air
Traffic Control assigns them definite places and altitudes at which to circle until
the approach to the field is clear of traffic. In the New York area planes from
the South are held over Princeton, N. J., at different altitudes; from the West
they are held over Martins Creek. When the traffic clears they are brought in according
to when they arrived and so accidents and bad collisions are avoided. At times Newark
has some five hundred planes to control during the course of the twenty-four hours!
There are over one hundred and thirty-two scheduled flights daily. Uncle Sam's Aerial
Traffic Cops keep this huge volume of air traffic from becoming snarled, preventing
accidents.
Slowly circling at 6,000 feet over Martins Creek waiting its turn.
9,000 feet up over Princeton, N. J.; and waiting to be "talked in."
Posted
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