---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Certain countries long ago succeeded…"
description: "\"Certain countries long ago succeeded where the U.S. has failed in commercializing their air traffic control systems, putting them in the hands of priva..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/838/holman-w-jenkins-jr-85508_able_certain-countries-long-ago-succeeded-whe_2717427.jpg"
---

#  Certain countries long ago succeeded where the U.S. has…

![“Certain countries long ago succeeded where the U.S. has failed in commercializing their air traffic control systems, putting them in the hands of private or quasi-private operators able to raise capital, charge fees, and invest in growth, free of meddling by congressional pork barons. You want a…” quote by Holman W. Jenkins, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/838/holman-w-jenkins-jr-85508_able_certain-countries-long-ago-succeeded-whe_2717427.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/838/holman-w-jenkins-jr-85508_able_certain-countries-long-ago-succeeded-whe_2717427.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/838/holman-w-jenkins-jr-85508_able_certain-countries-long-ago-succeeded-whe_2717427.jpg)

> “Certain countries long ago succeeded where the U.S. has failed in commercializing their air traffic control systems, putting them in the hands of private or quasi-private operators able to raise capital, charge fees, and invest in growth, free of meddling by congressional pork barons. You want a drone-friendly air traffic control system? This is the place to start. Our FAA isn't blindly anti-drone but simply marooned in a system that still needs thousands of eyeballs gazing at radar terminals and out of cockpit windshields.”

Holman W. Jenkins, Jr

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Privatizing air traffic control can boost innovation, funding, and drone integration by removing political interference.

**In simple terms:** Private operators can improve air traffic systems.

Key Takeaway

Consider privatization for modern air traffic solutions.

Themes

innovation privatization aviation policy drone integration

Mood

optimistic critical

Type

policy analytical

When to use this quote

- government agencies
- airline operators
- drone manufacturers
- urban air mobility planners

Key Concepts

market mechanisms regulatory reform public‑private partnerships

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we balance efficiency with safety?
- What safeguards prevent monopoly control?

A Different Perspective

Privatization may reduce public oversight and raise costs for users.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Air traffic control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/air-traffic-control/) [Country](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/country/) [Drone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drone/) [Drones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drones/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Long ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-ago/) [Radar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radar/) [Traffic control](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/traffic-control/)

## Related quotes

> [There is also the fact that NORAD-Northeast was conducting war game exercises that morning, a fact that has been very little talked about and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-marrs/there-is-also-the-fact-that-norad-northeast-was-conducting-war-game/)

[Jim Marrs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-marrs/)

> [Advances in technology - hugely beneficial though they are - render us vulnerable in new ways. For instance, our interconnected world depends on elaborate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/advances-in-technology-hugely-beneficial-though-they-are-render-us/)

[Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/)

> [“In early March 2015 the Government Accountability Office issued a report warning that the air traffic control system is vulnerable to cyberattack.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-koppel/in-early-march-2015-the-government-accountability-office-issued-a/)

[Ted Koppel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-koppel/)

> [The reality is that we do not have an air traffic control system that is smart enough and technologically capable enough to be able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-may/the-reality-is-that-we-do-not-have-an-air-traffic-control-system-that/)

[James May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-may/)

> [There are many things in life over which you have no choice. But the greatest activity of life is well within your dominion. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/there-are-many-things-in-life-over-which-you-have-no-choice-but-the/)

[Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/)

> [From bank accounts to financial systems, power grids to air traffic controls - our most critical infrastructure remain attractive cyber targets, and if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-quigley/from-bank-accounts-to-financial-systems-power-grids-to-air-traffic/)

[Mike Quigley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-quigley/)

> [“The thing you have to understand about that crash,” Ratwatte said, “is that New York air traffic controllers are famous for being rude, aggressive,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-thing-you-have-to-understand-about-that-crash-ratwatte-said-is/)

[Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/)

> [I fly an aeroplane, and I think a lot about how much I do not want ever to run into an optimistic air traffic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-pollack/i-fly-an-aeroplane-and-i-think-a-lot-about-how-much-i-do-not-want/)

[Sydney Pollack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-pollack/)

> [“AUGUST 5, 1981. That’s the date it became official. It’s rare that we can point to an exact date when a business theory or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sinek/august-5-1981-that-s-the-date-it-became-official-it-s-rare-that-we/)

[Simon Sinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sinek/)

> [ I'm confident because of the - what we \[USA government\] call the strategic agreement we're now working on with them, we will be deeply… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-biden/i-m-confident-because-of-the-what-we-usa-government-call-the/)

[Joe Biden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-biden/)

> [I think the hardest thing that, historically, the industry may have relied upon is that we can't control weather, we can't control air traffic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-munoz/i-think-the-hardest-thing-that-historically-the-industry-may-have/)

[Oscar Munoz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-munoz/)

> [Our enemies are also seeking the abilities to sabotage our power grid, our financial institutions, our air traffic control systems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/our-enemies-are-also-seeking-the-abilities-to-sabotage-our-power-grid/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [“Ask Tabby to hack into air traffic control and see which flight has those coordinates.” I point at the screen. “Find out where it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-t-geissinger/ask-tabby-to-hack-into-air-traffic-control-and-see-which-flight-has/)

[J.T. Geissinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-t-geissinger/)

> [Growing up in Hawaii, my natural instinct was to think that I was going to become a professional surfer or skater. Moving to Los…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-mock/growing-up-in-hawaii-my-natural-instinct-was-to-think-that-i-was/)

[Evan Mock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-mock/)

> [“Don't you think...doesn't it seem sometimes like life is like a plane?...And we're all piloos, you know, of our own planes. When things are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-friesen/don-t-you-think-doesn-t-it-seem-sometimes-like-life-is-like-a-plane/)

[Gayle Friesen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-friesen/)

## More by Holman W. Jenkins, Jr

> [The law is a crude machine at best, and only spits out something approaching justice of its attendants are committed to justice. As lawyering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holman-w-jenkins-jr/the-law-is-a-crude-machine-at-best-and-only-spits-out-something/)

Holman W. Jenkins, Jr

> [Will customers keep supporting the enormous overhead required to sustain ineffectual, unproductive stock picking across an array of thousands of individual funds devoted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holman-w-jenkins-jr/will-customers-keep-supporting-the-enormous-overhead-required-to/)

Holman W. Jenkins, Jr

Explore all 3 Holman W. Jenkins, Jr quotes

## More Able quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/)

[Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/)

> [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/)

[Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/)

> [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/)

[Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/)

> [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/)

[Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/)

> [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/)

Greg Perry

> [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/)

[Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/)

> [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/)

[Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/)

> [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/)

[Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/)

> [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/)

[Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/)

> [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/)

[Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/)

Browse all 17,257 Able quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Certain countries long ago succeeded where the U.S. has failed in commercializing their air traffic control systems, putting them in the hands of private or quasi-private operators able to raise capital, charge fees, and invest in growth, free of meddling by congressional pork barons. You want a drone-friendly air traffic control system? This is the place to start. Our FAA isn't blindly anti-drone but simply marooned in a system that still needs thousands of eyeballs gazing at radar terminals and out of cockpit windshields.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Holman W. Jenkins, Jr"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holman-w-jenkins-jr/certain-countries-long-ago-succeeded-where-the-u-s-has-failed-in/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Able"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holman-w-jenkins-jr/certain-countries-long-ago-succeeded-where-the-u-s-has-failed-in/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/838/holman-w-jenkins-jr-85508_able_certain-countries-long-ago-succeeded-whe_2717427.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/838/holman-w-jenkins-jr-85508_able_certain-countries-long-ago-succeeded-whe_2717427.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/838/holman-w-jenkins-jr-85508_able_certain-countries-long-ago-succeeded-whe_2717427.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Certain countries long ago succeeded where the U.S. has failed in commercializing their air traffic control…” — Holman W. Jenkins, Jr",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Holman W. Jenkins, Jr",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holman-w-jenkins-jr/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Certain countries long ago succeeded where...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holman-w-jenkins-jr/certain-countries-long-ago-succeeded-where-the-u-s-has-failed-in/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holman-w-jenkins-jr/certain-countries-long-ago-succeeded-where-the-u-s-has-failed-in/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
