A Texas town's airspace shrinks as an old navigation beacon shuts down

The Federal Aviation Administration is shrinking the controlled airspace around Giddings, Texas. This change is happening because a decades-old radio beacon used for navigation is being turned off.

For decades, aircraft navigated using a network of ground-based radio beacons. These beacons are slowly being decommissioned as planes increasingly rely on GPS. This specific change means pilots flying by instrument rules will have less controlled airspace around Giddings, requiring them to use GPS or other navigation methods.