United Pilots Confident Amid ATC Outages, Stress Training
United Airlines’ top training official, Capt. Miles Morgan, emphasized that pilots are well-prepared to handle air traffic control (ATC) outages, citing rigorous training and built-in system redundancies. As managing director at United’s Flight Training Center in Denver, Morgan explained that loss of communication with ATC is one of the first scenarios pilots learn to manage. He noted that handling such situations is ingrained in pilot procedures and regularly reinforced during simulation training.
Recent outages at key control centers, including a 90-second communication lapse on May 12 with the center covering Denver International Airport, have raised concerns. Though no safety incidents occurred, the disruptions triggered flight delays and highlighted aging infrastructure and staffing shortages across the national airspace system.
United trains all 18,000 of its pilots at its Denver campus, which recently underwent a $145 million expansion. Pilots regularly return for refresher courses, ensuring readiness for unexpected scenarios. During simulations, instructors recreate near-miss and communication loss events to train pilots to react decisively.
Aviation expert Chad Kendall noted that while such incidents aren’t typically dangerous due to layered redundancies in aircraft and control systems, they underscore the need for modernization. In response, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy proposed a multibillion-dollar upgrade to the FAA’s communication systems and facilities.
Despite public concerns, Morgan remains confident. “We’ve been operating safely under these conditions for years,” he said. “Redundancy, training, and situational awareness keep aviation safe, even when systems fail.”
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Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, denverpost.com