FAA to Decommission Last Direction Finders

The FAA has asked for comments on its plan to take the last Direction Finders in U.S. airspace offline. Twenty-nine DFs remain operational in Alaska, along with their associated approaches, but the FAA says nobody has used them since 2008. GPS and ADS-B have reduced the need for DF steers, the FAA says, and Flight Service Stations have other tools available to assist lost or disoriented pilots, such as VOR, ADF, and GPS. “DF equipment is beyond its useful lifecycle,” the FAA says.

If you disagree, or have any opinion on the matter, the FAA is ready to hear your comments until Sept. 10. More…