The Air Traffic Kludge, or the Digital Horseless Carriage

A "Kludge" is defined as an unplanned accumulation of expedients. It works, and is safe, but no one really knows how safe it is, where it is weak or how it can be improved. The contemporary Air Traffic Management system is a classic example of such a system. It has never been designed, but has grown in response to perceived needs modified by the pressure of sectional interests.