As Florida continues mopping up from two recent hurricanes — and hopes to be spared a direct hit from Ivan — money already is starting to arrive to help with the recovery. The FAA last week OK’d a grant of $404,700 for repairs at Melbourne International Airport, where damage from Hurricane Frances was estimated at about $5 million. Melbourne is also the site of the FAA’s primary network operations and control center for airspace, which successfully made a transition to a backup site in Chantilly, Va., before Frances arrived. “The [control center] is essential to managing and monitoring FAA air traffic control operations nationwide,” said Steve Dash, FAA telecommunications manager. The backup system worked smoothly, he said. “There was no impact whatsoever on the National Airspace System.”
Aviation Infrastructure Copes With Hurricanes
Key Takeaways:
- The FAA approved a $404,700 grant for repairs at Melbourne International Airport, which sustained an estimated $5 million in damage from Hurricane Frances.
- Melbourne is home to a critical FAA air traffic control network operations center, which successfully transitioned to a backup site in Virginia before the hurricane.
- This successful transition ensured there was no impact on the National Airspace System, demonstrating the effectiveness of the FAA's backup protocols.
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