Letter: Aerospace job nicely done

The picture perfect landing of the last space shuttle -- and previous shuttles -- was made possible by a microwave landing system developed here on Long Island ["Atlantis homeward bound," News, July 20].

A small engineering group at Airborne Instrument Laboratories provided the landing guidance system from the edge of space to touchdown.

The shuttle pilots knew they had only one chance to land, once they were committed. There could be no "go-arounds," and the possibility of plowing a deep trench down the NASA runway was always present.

The company is gone, and most of the engineers are retired. However, a belated thank you for a superb job is still in order. Landing system work is being carried on by Telephonics Corp., which purchased the AIL radar work.

James S. Perry, Huntington

Editor's note: The writer worked at AIL for 40 years.