Out of Control.

Apparently there's no substitute for a human air traffic controller--yet. The Dallas Morning News reports (registration required) that the Federal Aviation Administration has quietly halted a test of an automated system to control some flights departing from Dallas-Ft. Worth International Airport. Four incidents--including one in which two jets flew closer to each other than the mandated three-mile limit--raised red flags. The FAA plans to resume the tests, saying that introducing some level of automation is necessary to increase the capacity of the air-traffic system.

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