U.S. Federal Aviation Administration sent this bulletin at 09/24/2026 10:55 AM EDT
Week of September 21, 2026
SMART Rollout
This week, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy and FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford unveiled the Strategic Management of Airspace, Routes and Trajectories (SMART) – a cutting-edge tool that centralizes 200 data streams into one platform. SMART provides a comprehensive visualization of where planes are going, how much traffic the system can handle, and where congestion or weather could cause challenges.
Three air traffic control towers recently received new Tower Simulation Systems (TSS). The towers at Monroe Regional Airport in Louisiana, Montgomery Regional Airport in Alabama and Sioux Falls Regional Airport in South Dakota now have the new training system. The TSS projects real airport layouts, allowing controllers to practice operations and scenarios using simulated traffic. TSS can speed up training times by almost 30 percent.
We’re installing 117 of these systems at airports across the country as part of our Brand New Air Traffic Control System (BNATCS). You can learn more about all the BNATCS upgrades by visiting the Modern Skies webpage.
This week’s guest Weather Squad forecaster is Matt Standridge with 13 WTHR out of Indianapolis. Matt is forecasting cooler temperatures for the Great Lakes and East Coast as we step into autumn. The upper Midwest and Northeast are in for a rainy weekend.
ICYMI
The FAA has partnered with Shenandoah University in Virginia to join the Enhanced Air Traffic – Collegiate Training Initiative (E-CTI). Students who pass the E-CTI program can apply to become a controller on a fast track – skipping the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City and jumping straight to on-site facility training. Shenandoah University is the first school in Virginia to become an E-CTI school. Read our press release for more information.
