With air traffic control (ATC) modernization in sharp focus, Aviation Week editors and former FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt dig back through our archives to June 1956. A midair collision above the Grand Canyon would spur the formation of FAA and spark much-needed change to an aging ATC system that could no longer keep up with the demands of the day.

Check 6 Revisits delves into Aviation Week's more than 100-year archive. Subscribers can explore our archive here and read key Aviation Week articles related to this episode here:

• The Air Traffic Control Problem (Hotz editorial, August 1955)
• One Step Toward Better Air Traffic Control (Hotz editorial, December 1955)
• Toward Better Air Traffic Control (Hotz editorial, April 1958)