A Michigan airport's airspace shrinks as an old navigation beacon shuts down

The Federal Aviation Administration proposes to shrink the protected airspace around Southwest Michigan Regional Airport in Benton Harbor, Michigan. This change is happening because a decades-old radio beacon, used for navigation, is being turned off.

For decades, air travel relied on a network of ground-based radio beacons called VORs. These beacons are slowly being decommissioned as GPS and other satellite navigation systems become standard. This specific change means pilots flying by instruments will have less protected airspace around the airport, requiring more precise navigation using newer technologies.