Close Call Over North Dakota Exposes Vulnerabilities in Small Airport Air Traffic Control

The recent harrowing close call between a Delta Air Lines jet and a B-52 bomber over Minot, North Dakota, has thrust the fragile state of air traffic control at America’s small airports into stark relief. When the SkyWest pilot flying Delta Flight 3788 suddenly executed an aggressive evasive maneuver to avoid the military bomber, passengers were shaken—and so should be every American who values national security and aviation safety. Neither pilot was aware of the other's presence beforehand. The Air Force has already admitted that the Minot airport controller failed to alert the bomber crew about the commercial plane. This...