The National Aviation Facilities Experimental Center (NAFEC) was founded July 1, 1958, by the Airways Modernization Board (AMB) and located in Galloway Township, New Jersey, near

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

. On November 1, 1959, after passage of the

Federal Aviation Act of 1958 The Federal Aviation Act of 1958 was an act of the United States Congress, signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, that created the Federal Aviation Agency (later the Federal Aviation Administration or the FAA) and abolished its predecessor, t ...

, it came under the newly created US Federal Aviation Agency (FAA). Its purpose was to conduct research and development on

air traffic control Air traffic control (ATC) is a service provided by ground-based air traffic controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and through a given section of controlled airspace, and can provide advisory services to aircraft in non-controlled airs ...

computers,

transponder In telecommunications, a transponder is a device that, upon receiving a signal, emits a different signal in response. The term is a blend word, blend of ''transmitter'' and ''responder''. In air navigation or radio frequency identification, a T ...

s, and advanced

radar Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance (''ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, w ...

equipment. The success (in terms of funding and research activity) eventually forced the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) to close its own Technical Evaluation and Development Center in

Indianapolis Indianapolis (), colloquially known as Indy, is the state capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Indiana and the seat of Marion County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the consolidated population of Indianapolis and Marion ...

starting in 1959. The computerized air traffic control developed at NAFEC was based on the

IBM 9020 The IBM 9020 was an IBM System/360 computer adapted into a multiprocessor system for use by the U.S. FAA for Air Traffic Control. Systems were installed in the FAA's 20 ''en route'' Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCCs), beginning in the la ...

, special hardware developed by IBM. Software was developed by NAFEC, IBM, and under contract to

Computer Usage Company Computer Usage Company (CUC) (1955–1986), sometimes called Computer Usage Corporation, was the first independent company to market computer software. History CUC is generally considered the first company to develop software independently and to ...

. The system remained in operation until the 1980s. The former 1942 Naval Air Station became the

Atlantic City International Airport Atlantic City International Airport is a shared civil-military airport northwest of Atlantic City, New Jersey, in Egg Harbor Township, the Pomona section of Galloway Township and in Hamilton Township. The airport is accessible via Exit 9 on ...

, and the center is now called the

William J. Hughes Technical Center The FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center is an aviation research and development, and test and evaluation facility. The Technical Center serves as the national scientific test base for the Federal Aviation Administration. Technical Center progr ...

, named for

William J. Hughes William John Hughes (October 17, 1932 – October 30, 2019) was an American politician and diplomat who served as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1975 to 1995, representing New Jersey's Second Congressional Distri ...

. Since 1958, the center's core activities were accelerating programs to improve aviation safety and updating the air traffic control system, Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) being a part of it. Besides the research and development project work, the FAA field facilities have daily operational support all over the country from the center operating 24-hour. In order to make critical systems remain operational, center experts analyze problems and make software changes.

Early achievements

* 1961 - Automation data processing center work to automate Air Traffic Control * 1963 - First Wake Vortex Turbulence Test by helicopter * 1966 - First operational testing of an Automated En-route Air Traffic Control System * 1966 - Introduction of the Visual Approach Slope Indicator to provide improved guidance to runways * 1969 - First test of a commercial solid-state aircraft cockpit display * 1972 - First Air Traffic Control Tower cab mock up to test controller work areas and do airport observations Other achievements which have recently enhanced the efficiency and safety of the flying public include: * Air Traffic Control Displays * Satellite Navigation * Tower Laboratory Simulations * Weather * Reduced Vertical Separation Minima * Human Factors * Aircraft Fire Safety * Engineered Material Arrestor System * Foreign Object Debris Detection * The Traffic Flow Management System.

References

External links

* pictures of 9020E being recycled 1958 establishments in New Jersey Aviation in the United States Galloway Township, New Jersey Aerospace research institutes Aviation research institutes {{Aviation-stub