About Us

The Museum of Air Traffic Control is a service of the Aviation Policy Institute, Inc., a not-for-profit corporation organized under the laws of the state of California.

Effective 19 November 2006, the US Internal Revenue Service has issued a determination finding that we ARE exempt from Federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Therefore, your donations to the Museum of Air Traffic Control and the Aviation Policy Institute, Inc., are tax-deductable as regards US Federal taxes.

Corporate governance for the Aviation Policy Institute is provided by a Board of Directors consisting of persons who work within and outside of aviation. Day-to-day operations are managed by Chief Executive Officer and Director, Dave Diamon, a retired FAA air traffic controller who holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English as well as a degree in law (J.D.), both from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Offices are located in Northern California.

Purpose

The purpose of this site is two-fold:

First, this is the place where the worldwide history of air traffic control will be preserved. Our task is to chronicle--to catalog--the history of ATC through an archive explaining the people, the hardware, the policies, and the procedures which make-up air traffic control. One of the ways we’ll do this is by carefully explaining all aspects of ATC, using all of the data we can find. Another way we’ll be preserving and explaining the past is by seeking-out and acquiring the physical artifacts of ATC. Those artifacts will be meticulously documented, with photographs and other data being shared on this site and the artifact itself being prepared for exhibit. Our goal is to build a collection of ATC equipment which will form the basis for a traditional, physical Museum of Air Traffic Control. In much the same way, this site will provide an extensive online library of ATC documents with copies of those documents being destined for a traditional library to be located within the physical Museum of ATC. Until such time as a physical museum can be created, we'll be making portions of our collection available to airports and others who have an interest in displaying our artifacts.

Second, this site will continue to grow with the profession. Our purpose is not simply to describe how ATC was, but rather, what ATC is becoming as well. Therefore, you’ll find information on ADS-B as well as shrimp boats, and on the four-course radio range as well as multilateration.

Of course, this is a tall order. At this point we’ve got roughly 35% of the page structure of the site up and linked. However, only a small portion of those pages actually have content and very few of those pages are complete. Still, we’re committed to making this site the preeminent source of information regarding everything ATC, and for that we need your help.

Our needs fall into two general categories: financial help and artifacts.

We seek businesses, governments, and individuals willing to financially underwrite our work. Large donations are most helpful in that they fund our work without requiring the sort of staff time required to manage hundreds or thousands of smaller donations. This is not to say that we do not appreciate donations of all amounts—we certainly do! It is only to say that large donations tend to support the mission of the Museum of ATC more efficiently. Please note that the names of major contributors will feature prominently on this site.

The other way you can support our mission is through the donation of artifacts. If you’ve got documents, hardware, photographs, recordings, or stories to share, please contact us. If you’d like to donate artifacts outright, let us know. Also, if you’ve got artifacts that you don’t want to part with but you would still like to enable us to make a photographic record of those artifacts available on our site, please contact us. Even if you are unsure as to whether your artifact would be of interest to us, please get in touch. Our goal is to compile a complete record of the history of air traffic control and even the most obscure items are likely of value in that endeavor.

You may contact us by clicking on the "Contact Us" link shown on the bottom of every page on this site. Please, don’t be shy!

Please keep an eye on us as we grow. And again, if you can help, please don’t hesitate to contact us.