# ‘Floppy disks are out, 21st century tech is in’: The FAA is finally ditching 55-year-old storage

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/floppy-disks-are-out-21st-century-tech-is-in-the-faa-is-finally-ditching-55-year-old-storage/
- Published: 2026-11-09T16:07:08+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-09T16:49:34+00:00
- Original publisher: PC Gamer
- Original article: https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/floppy-disks-are-out-21st-century-tech-is-in-the-faa-is-finally-ditching-55-year-old-storage/
- Topics: Gaming

## Key points

- The FAA is replacing floppy-disk storage in its air traffic control system.
- E-IDS will help controllers share critical flight alerts and reports.
- The rollout is planned for 435 sites by the end of 2028.

## Summary

The US Federal Aviation Administration is replacing the floppy-disk-based storage used in parts of its air traffic control system with a modern information display system. The change is intended to help controllers access and share critical flight information more quickly, supporting timely decisions and aviation safety.

The new Enterprise Information Display System (E-IDS) will improve how the FAA collects and shares pilot weather reports and Notices to Airmen, which include alerts and restricted-airspace schedules. The system it replaces, IDS-4, reportedly uses floppy-drive-equipped computers running MS-DOS. The FAA plans to install E-IDS at 435 sites by the end of 2028, with Atlantic City and Nashville among the first locations.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.