Significant tech upgrades are underway at the Fullerton Municipal Airport, the last remaining general aviation airport in Orange County, as part of a federal initiative to modernize air traffic control systems nationwide.
Operating since 1927, the airport is a self-service hub for smaller aircraft and houses several flight schools and the Orange County Fire Authority’s Firehawk helicopters. It also serves as a reliever airport for the Federal Aviation Administration, helping to reduce congestion at larger hubs such as John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana.
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A Cessna 172 takes off from Fullerton Airport in Fullerton on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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A Cessna 172 takes off from Fullerton Airport in Fullerton on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. (Photo by Jeff Gritchen, Orange County Register/SCNG)
“We’re all integrated into this flow of traffic,” Fullerton Airport Manager Brendan O’Reilly said. “If this facility went down, it would cause a huge impact. That’s why they’re trying to get ahead of that with this modernization.”
O’Reilly explained that air traffic controllers are not just talking to folks flying in and out of the Fullerton airport. They also coordinate with Southern California TRACON, which provides radar air traffic approach control services throughout the region, from Palmdale to San Diego.
“There’s at least 200 airplanes up in the air just in this region, at any given time,” O’Reilly added.
The airport is in the final stages of a digital modernization of its air traffic control tower, replacing antiquated copper-based analog systems with fiber-optic communications, some of which had begun to physically deteriorate. The FAA reported that no safety issues were found with the previous equipment but noted that the improvements are part of the agency’s Brand New Air Traffic Control System modernization project.
The project is also replacing outdated communication channels with digital voice systems and network recording capabilities to streamline contact between aircraft and controllers. And, the airport is upgrading the hardware that provides navigation, weather data and secure communications to help prevent outages that could disrupt regional air traffic.
An FAA spokesperson said the upgrade will enhance reliability “across the national airspace system” and make the technology in use more efficient for air traffic controllers. Those efforts follow a $500,000 FAA grant awarded to the airport in 2024 for separate tower improvements to its technology, security, lighting, and electrical systems, as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law under former President Joe Biden.
But the updates aren’t just technical.
The tower’s exterior now features large, illuminated signs reading “Fullerton Municipal Airport,” a detail that Tim Lloyd, president of the Fullerton Airport Pilot Association, said “beautifully highlights the nostalgic era of our airport.”
