Python for air traffic control?

[Gordon McMillan]

Russ wrote:

>I am thinking about using Python for a unique safety-critical
>application in air traffic control. 

[snip]

>(The trajectory and tracking data will come from existing
>C/C++ programs.) The software must be as simple, clean, and robust as
>humanly possible. The default languages here are C/C++, but I am
>toying with the idea of using Python instead. However, I am a bit
>nervous about the lack of type checking and function prototyping,
>among other issues. Is Python up to this task? 

The set of all type errors caught by the compiler 

  is a strict subset of

the set of all type errors (it's easy to fool C/C++'s type
system, intentionally or not)

  is a strict subset of

the set of all semantic type errors (oops, was that miles? I
wanted kilometers...).

Go for it (just be careful).

- Gordon