Babbitt Stresses NextGen Urgency

FAA Administrator J. Randolph Babbitt stressed commitment to the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) and an urgency to implement the recommendations from the RTCA Task Force. Additionally, Babbitt called on all members of the aviation community to work together to improve the National Airspace System. Babbitt was the keynote speaker at yesterday's NowGen NEXT Conference, sponsored by Avionics Magazine and RTCA. "The efforts of this group have resulted in a sharpened focus for the way ahead. No matter how you interpret the report or its recommendations, one message comes through with great clarity: Everyone agrees that NextGen can’t come soon enough," he told the capacity crowd. "We have to get this launched. We need consensus. We need mutual understanding, trust and commitment." The Task Force this month issued a list of recommendations to FAA for methods of implementing NextGen in the mid-term, to 2018. For more on the Task Force, visit www.nowgennext.com.