NEXGEN : The Future Of The Air Traffic Control System

The odds are that at some point in time, most people in America will travel by air. What most of these people do not realize is that a simple flight is in reality a well-oiled, complex machine unlike any other air navigation service provider in the world. After the Wright brothers took their first successful flight, America embraced air travel.  The Federal Aviation Agency (now Administration) officially began operations in May of 1958, and later developed a sophisticated air traffic control system that is responsible for the largest volume of air traffic in the world (“A Brief History of the FAA”). Today, however, many politicians believe that government involvement in air traffic control is inhibiting the overall performance of air traffic control. Several bills have been proposed to Congress since the 1970s in attempt to separate air traffic control (referenced as ATC) from the FAA by privatization, corporatization, or other means (Elias 2). The most recent of these bills has caused serious debate in the aviation world over economic policies, safety regulations, and overall effectiveness of the current ATC system. The Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization Act (21st Century AIRR Act) as proposed by Representative Bill Shuster should not be passed by Congress because it would privatize air traffic control by removing it from the Federal Aviation Administration. This would entail the creation of a board of stakeholders who would have the power to make regulatory

Southwest Airlines shot out of the gates, much to the chagrin of their competitors as a short haul, low fare, and high frequency carrier. As SWA expanded and deregulation occurred, they had to decide what kind of airline they wanted to be and how they would adapt to the changing environment. The FAA reports that passenger numbers are expected to reach a billion passengers in 2023 (FAA, 2011). Most Airlines are responding to the increased demand by centralizing and consolidating their assets. This in turn creates a situation where capacity is maximized in some airports and congestion increases causing significant delay. Demand will continue to rise over the next few decades and these airlines must rely on regulators and policy makers to upgrade the very necessary infrastructure and technology. Southwest’s strategy is to remain a point to point carrier instead of the traditional hub and spoke carrier, satisfying their customer demand with lower congestion at underutilized airports with more flights. However Southwest continues to remain flexible looking forward as it adopts hub and spoke techniques, coordinates with the FAA and governing bodies, and invests heavily in its most important airports to stay ahead of the pack.

In 2003, Don Carty, a chairman and the chief operating officer of American Airlines resigned to avoid the company from entering bankruptcy (Wong, 2003). Prior to his resignation, Carty spent 12 hours with three of the union’s representatives to discuss new contracts. These new contracts included five instead of six year contracts and a new cash incentive plan (Wong, 2003). The unions he negotiated with were the Allied Pilots Association, transport Workers Union, and the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (Wong, 2003). In the provided video, Don Carty addresses two challenges he believes is driving the airline industry. The first challenge of being able to find an accepted price that both the consumers and the suppliers can agree on as fair or at a level that brings in profitable traffic to the business. The second challenge, relating to the air traffic industry, in finding a better way to conduct labor relations in the airline industry without the help of American government agencies.

Conclusion: • I told you a bit today about why I chose Air Traffic Control as a career, namely for the money, job availability, and the satisfaction that comes with providing a public

There are over 130 ATCT and over 25 TRACON in the United States. With Air Traffic Control system inability to update the outdated equipment privatization might be a solution. The FAA's Fiscal Year (FY) 2015 budget request of $15.4 billion trims base NextGen funding and purpose to raise the Passenger

The national aviation system is under increasing demand for more and more flights as air passenger numbers continue to rise. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aerospace Forecast Fiscal Years 2015-2035 report estimates an annual growth of 2.0 percent per year from 2016-2035. This will equate to an average of 1.14 billion passengers flying within the U.S. per year by the end of year 2035 (n.d., p. 47). As the number of aircraft flying increase to accommodate passenger demand, the number of aircraft delays and risk to flight safety are also likely to increase. The current air traffic control (ATC) infrastructure evolved from the World War II era and wasn’t designed to handle the predicted air traffic loads of the 21st century (Hopkin, Wise & Garland, 2010). In order to update the ATC system to increase its capacity, the FAA, along with other select governing bodies have started implementing NextGen.

NextGen is a tremendous, historic shift to revamp the U.S. air transportation system. This all-embracing initiative integrates new and existing policies, procedures, and technologies, including satellite navigation and advanced digital communications. Two major parts of this upgrade and modernization include, but not limited to, Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS) and En Route Automation Modernization (ERAM). These systems enable NextGen capabilities in all phases of flight and safety. STARS for instance, replaces multiple automation systems for controllers who provide control services to pilots in terminal airspace and the airspace immediately surrounding major airports. Additionally, ERAM combines flight plan information with surveillance data from Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B), Wide Area Multi-lateration, and radar to automate many air traffic control functions. Other parts of ERAM include, System Wide Information Management (SWIM), which provides the digital data-sharing backbone of NextGen. SWIM also connects producers and users of data with a common language and single point of contact to access aeronautical, flight, and weather information. ADS-B sends out broadcasts of an aircraft's position, altitude, and velocity to a network of ground stations that relays the information to air traffic control displays and nearby aircraft that are equipped to receive the data. Each component delivers specific capabilities to provide integration and smooth traffic flow to reduce

On Monday, June 5th, president of the United States, Donald Trump, kicked off “infrastructure week”, an unplanned event, at the White House. According to the White House, Trump had dedicated the week to addressing America’s “crumbling infrastructure”. On Monday, Trump announced his support for an initiative to privatize the nation’s air traffic control system, hoping that more expensive, advanced technologies would be available if the sector operated more like a business. He endorsed the concept of moving air traffic operations out of the Federal Aviation Administration and into a self-financing non-profit organization, stating, “Our plan will get you where you need to go more quickly, more reliably, more affordably, and yes, for the first

Establishes an inter-agency working group involving relevant federal security agencies to develop recommendations for enhanced safety and security of expanded small UAS operations BVLOS and over people, and requires the FAA release rules within one year of enactment.

The Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO) going on strike displayed Reagan's firm action that is unprecedented. Giving the workers an ultimatum sent a very strong signal to the union workers. It helped to reduce illegal work stoppages against the federal government drastically. Furthermore, and most importantly, it strengthened the power of the presidency and executive because Reagan exercised his removal power by firing most of the air traffic controllers who went on strike. The action taken marked a turning point in U.S. labor relations and also highlighted that the legal right of workers to organize and bargain collectively is, for lack of a better term, non-existent.

In July 2010, the Government Accountability Office issued a report that outlined the need to improve accountability and transparency in the implementation of NextGen programs. This had been a challenge for the Federal Aviation Administration and the newly-created NPS Team because NextGen is a set of complex programs and capabilities supported by many internal and external stakeholders. Moreover, each stakeholder has different perspectives on implementation, success criteria and performance metrics. As a result, one of the first tasks of the fledging NPS Team was to consult with all the lines of business to understand how each of them contributes to the success of NextGen and how it measures performance.

However, the FAA is planning to use the NextGen system to help out with the noise

As the conversation on how to protect the integrity of the NAS with the integration of UASs, Congress has identified the need for evaluating civil UAS aviation-dedicated spectrum. Spectrum offers the potential of command and control capabilities at higher altitudes, increased protection from hacking of a UAS, the deployment of sense and avoid technology and the transmission of payload data – all necessary to ensure safe UAS operations. The House bill would require the FAA Administrator to research the use of civil aviation dedicated spectrum for all UAS platforms. The Senate has instructed the Administrators of the FAA, National Telecommunications and

President George Bush signed into law The Vision 100 – Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act in 2003. The concept and plans for a new, multi-year, multi-agency effort to develop an air transportation system for the year 2025 and beyond was born out of that law. Approximately one year later, an integrated plan for the Next Generation Air Transportation System aid out the goals, the objectives, and the requirements necessary to create the NextGen

During fall 2014, as Acting Deputy Director, Glenn demonstrated impeccable judgment in leading the coordination of an eventual nationalization of the INL aviation program with a reluctant government, unable and unwilling to assume responsibilities for funding and maintenance and operation. When after six months at post it was time for my first R and R, I was confident that Glenn would do a stellar job as Acting Director. That turned out to be the case. During his stint as head of one of INL’s largest offices in the world, Glenn did an outstanding job managing delicate diplomatic issues related to INL’s Air Wing, including drafting a preliminary response to the GOP’s position on Air Wing nationalization and transition.