How Archie League Helped Pioneer Air Traffic Control

His office was a beach chair. His ‘control tower’ a wheelbarrow housing two rolled-up flags. The checkered flag signaled GO. The red flag commanded HOLD. With those tools to communicate with pilots Archie William League became America’s first air traffic controller at the St. Louis airfield. A lunch pail, drinking water, notepad and umbrella helped him get through the day. His hire date was January 1, 1929.

Born fittingly on August 19, now celebrated as National Aviation Day, League embraced the young age of aviation and became a licensed pilot and a licensed engine and aircraft mechanic in his teens.

Aviation’s growing popularity, spurred by Charles Lindbergh’s 1927 Atlantic crossing, made League’s work as an air traffic controller necessary. Runways were growing more crowded, especially in the ‘Gateway City, and airports needed a new kind of traffic professional to keep our runways safe.

League’s career mirrored the growth of our air traffic system and its reliance on dedicated air traffic controllers.

In October 1929, during a dense fog, League calmly guided a small biplane's pilot to a safe landing, a first in aviation history. His work didn’t stop there. As technology progressed, League became St. Louis airport’s first radio controller in the early 1930s. By 1935, there were 35 radio controllers nationwide. In 1937, he joined the Bureau of Air Commerce, which was the precursor to the Civil Aeronautics Authority and the FAA.

A highlight during his 36-year federal aviation career was serving as Director of the FAA’s Air Traffic Service, where he helped to modernize our system of air traffic control into the computer age. League went on and retired as an Assistant Administrator in 1973. In 2004, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association established the Archie League Air Traffic Safety Award for outstanding controllers, saying he, “laid the foundation for the role of air traffic controllers as unsung heroes of the skies.”

Today, our over 14,000 air traffic controllers are embodying Archie League's legacy of excellence, safety, dedication alongside the FAA’s effort to build a brand-new air traffic control system. 

The FAA will replace core infrastructure including radar, software, hardware and telecommunications networks to manage modern travel. Learn more about America’s Brand-New Air Traffic Control System.

In the weeks and months ahead, we will continue to recognize America's aviation heroes and heritage in celebration of America’s 250th anniversary. We will also highlight great aviation milestones as we look forward to aviation's promising future.