A New Air Traffic Control System On The Horizon

Despite the lack of the mention of user fees in any of the information
I found while researching the Next Generation Air Transportation
System (NGATS), the aroma of user fees permeates this issue.


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AOPA ePilot Volume 7, Issue 24 June 17, 2005
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BOYER NAMED TO COUNCIL THAT WILL HELP DEFINE NEW ATC SYSTEM
AOPA President Phil Boyer was appointed June 13 to the executive
committee of the council that will work with the federal
government to define a new air traffic control system. Boyer is
the only representative of small general aviation aircraft on the
Next Generation Air Transportation System (NGATS) Institute's
Industry Management council. It is heavily populated with leaders
from the airline and commercial aviation industry. "Not only is
AOPA fighting for GA access to airspace and airports in 2005, but
the association also is keeping its members at the forefront of
this long-term government/industry effort to ensure that GA pilots
will continue to have that access in 2025," Boyer said. See AOPA
Online
( http://www.aopa.org/whatsnew/newsite...0613boyer.html ).



http://testimony.ost.dot.gov/test/Shane1.htm
The recent FAA aviation forecast provides further evidence that
our current system, already coming under stress in some areas,
will be stretched to its limit as future demands continue to grow.
Passenger totals are expected to exceed one billion by 2015, and
we project up to a tripling of passengers, operations and cargo by
the year 2025. As Secretary Mineta said in a speech before the
Aero Club in January 2004: “The changes that are coming are too
big, too fundamental for incremental adaptations of the
infrastructure. We need to modernize and transform our air
transportation system – starting right now.”

I don’t need to tell any of you – who all depend so regularly on
air transportation – how critical it is to our economy and to our
quality of life to have a safe, secure and efficient national
aviation system. As noted in the report of the Commission on the
Future of the United States Aerospace Industry, consumers could
lose as much as $30B annually if people and products cannot reach
their destinations within the time periods we expect today. The
truth is that air transportation has become part of the very
fabric of our nation’s economy, and we simply must not allow
delays in the system to limit our future growth potential.

In recognition of these challenges, the 108th Congress and
President Bush took the first critical step toward transforming
our air transportation system by passing and signing into law the
Vision 100 – Century of Aviation Reauthorization Act
(P.L.108-176), which provides for the development and
implementation of an integrated plan for the Next Generation
system. The law also provided for the creation within the FAA of
the Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO) to develop the
Integrated National Plan that guides the development of this
system and manages the work associated with it.

Under the leadership of Administrator Blakey and with her strong
support, the JPDO now serves as a focal point for coordinating the
research related to air transportation for agencies across the
federal government, including the Departments of Transportation,
Commerce, Defense and Homeland Security; NASA; and the Office of
Science and Technology Policy.



http://www.jpdo.aero/site_content/ExecDirJobDesc.html
In March [2005], Federal Aviation Administrator Marion C. Blakey
announced the creation of the Next Generation Air Transportation
System Institute, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that will
coordinate with the Joint Planning and Development Office as it
continues to implement the Integrated National Plan.

http://www.jpdo.aero/site_content/news.html#cooling
The Administrator detailed the vision of the future system: "Our
overarching goal in the Next Generation initiative is to develop a
system that will be flexible enough to accommodate very light jets
and large commercial aircraft, manned or unmanned air vehicles,
small airports and large, business and vacation travelers alike,
and to handle up to three times the number of operations that the
current system, does with no diminution in safety, security and
efficiency. At the same time, the system would minimize the impact
of aviation on the environment."

http://www.jpdo.aero/site_content/planprocess.html
The JPDO has defined eight strategies that are the first steps
towards creating the roadmap for Next Generation Air
Transportation System (NGATS). While the strategies deal with
transforming specific areas of the air transportation system, they
make up a larger whole and will integrate the sum of the efforts
into building the NGATS system as a whole. The transformation
strategies a

1. Develop Airport Infrastructure to Meet Future Demand (FAA)
- Dennis Roberts, Lead

2. Establish an Effective Security System without Limiting
Mobility or Civil Liberties (DHS) - Susan Hallowell, Lead

3. Establish an Agile Air Traffic System (NASA)
- Doug Arbuckle, Lead

4. Establish User-specific Situational Awareness (DoD)
- Colonel Dave Rhodes, Lead

5. Establish a Comprehensive Proactive Safety Management Approach
(FAA) - Dorenda Baker, Lead

6. Environmental Protection that Allows Sustained Aviation Growth
(FAA) - Carl Burleson, Lead

7. Develop a System-wide Capability to Reduce Weather Impacts
(DoC) - Mark Andrews, Lead

8. Harmonize Equipage and Operations Globally (FAA)
- Jack Howell, Lead

Email questions, comments, or feedback to
JPDO is located at:
1500 K Street, NW
Suite 500
Washington, DC 20005
202-220-3300



http://www.ncat.com/archive/newview.html
National Center for Advanced Technologies (NCAT) was founded as a
non-profit research and education foundation to provide a bridge
between government, industry and academia, and to encourage
cooperative efforts on technology development.

Executive Committee

Mr. James Sinnett, McDonnell Douglas (Chair)
Mr. Robert Bescher, Pratt & Whitney
Mr. Burt Birchfield, McDonell Douglas
Mr. Robert Cattoi, Rockwell International
Ms. Dorothy Comassar, General Electric
Dr. John Decaire, President of the National Center for
Manufacturing Sciences



http://www.dot.gov/affairs/minetasp052605.htm
THE HONORABLE NORMAN Y. MINETA
SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION

AEROSPACE INDUSTRIES ASSOCIATION
WILLIAMSBURG, VA

MAY 26, 2005

Lower fares are great news for travelers, but they have
unfortunate implications for aviation infrastructure because, when
travelers pay less for their tickets, it means a smaller Aviation
Trust Fund.

As a result, last year users paid four billion dollars less than
it cost the FAA to carry out its work. And that gap is widening.

The time has come to trade in the 1970s model Aviation Trust Fund
for a 21st Century financing plan for the runways, towers, and
equipment that our Nation needs to keep pace with the growing
numbers of passengers that our airports and airlines are seeing
every day.

That is why we have begun the discussion on financing the aviation
system of tomorrow. This is an open dialogue. There are no
preconceived ideas about how the system should be financed.

We need creative ideas, and I am looking forward to hearing yours.