The radios just went dark.
On Friday a telecommunications outage hit the FAA's high-altitude control centers and every departure in America was stopped. Now you're in the tower. There's no radio, only a light gun with six signals that mean different things in the air and on the ground. Land every plane, find room to park them, and whatever happens, don't clear anyone for takeoff.
Ten shifts, one very long Friday night
Every shift is randomized: different callsigns, fuel loads and heavies each time. Trainee labels each light with its meaning and gives live hints. Pro shows only the lights and scores ×1.5.
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Six lights, twelve meanings
Every control tower has a signal lamp for exactly this situation: a narrow, very bright beam aimed at a single aircraft. The same light means something different depending on whether the plane is in the air or on the ground. Steady green is the catch: it means "cleared to land" in the air, but "cleared for takeoff" on the ground.
1 · Read the strips
Each strip shows fuel in minutes. Amber is getting low, red is critical. When a plane hits zero, the crew declares MAYDAY and you take a strike.
2 · Keep the runway moving
A plane that lands has to taxi off the exit before the next one can roll through. If the exit is blocked, planes stop on the runway and anyone behind them has to go around.
3 · Count your parking
Gates fill up. Heavies need wide gates (H), remote stands or taxiway spots. Send the planes you can't fit to an alternate airport while they still have the fuel to get there.