If you guys are going back to where you worked and the computer you used on the job, then I think I've got a winner. It was August 16, 1977 and how do I remember, it was the day Elvis died. The equipment was a (ARTS 2) Automated Terminal Radar System at Pensacola Approach. We were closing the old approach control located on the Navy base 9 miles away and opening a brand new approach with computerized radar at Pensacola Regional Airport. Our approach was bigger than most because we handled not only the civilian traffic but all the aircraft flying in and out of the 3 Navy Airports in the area and up to Flight Level 210. Most approachs only handle up to 10,000 feet and maybe 25 miles out, we handled up to 50 miles out.
Our new facility looked like a mini-center, we had 10 radar displays each one was outfitted with a new ARTS 2 system, which had a keyboard for entry and a joy stick so you could slew your cursor to the aircraft you wanted to handoff or receive or whatever. This was night and day from what we had at Navy Pensacola. With the digital readout on the screen we now also had altitude from the aircraft transponder and we had ground speed because the computer can calculate speed between radar sweeps. Every aircraft was given a different transponder code to squawk that was unique in the system and the computer would recognize the aircraft and tag it after 2 sweeps.
The older system that we left at Navy Pensacola had no individual identifying ability. What I meant was you worked a sector and you would have every aircraft in your sector squawk the same code, that could be 0400 and every aircraft would look the same. You could tell yours from another sector because they might on 0500 or 0600 etc., but you couldn't tell one aircraft in your sector from another of your aircraft, you had to memorize each aircraft. Also without computer, there is no altitude or ground speed, you could tell a jet from a Cessna for example because when looking at primary radar, you see a trail behind the aircraft and of course a jet has a longer trail. The new radar was not primary radar, you were looking at a computer display, which meant you had to have a transponder in your aircraft to be seen.
The day we made the change over I was at Navy Pensacola with one other controller and we were handing off the aircraft to the new facility. They would give us the new transponder code and we would give it to the aircraft and when the new facility had radar contact we would give them control. During one of the landline communications with the other facility, the controller voice was coming out of the speaker above my console and he said, 'did you hear, Elvis died', that was some shock just when we were doing this. I never forgot that day.
