NextGen Task Force Reports Progress

The RTCA task force charged with developing recommendations for “mid-term” NextGen operational capabilities reported progress in meeting its late-August deadline.

The NextGen Mid-Term Implementation Task Force held its fourth plenary meeting Tuesday at FAA headquarters in Washington, D.C. The industry-government group was commissioned by FAA earlier this year and given a tight deadline to produce recommendations for achieving NextGen efficiencies by 2018.

“We are really right where we need to be,” said Capt. Steve Dickson, senior vice president of flight operations with Delta Air Lines and chairman of the task force.

“We have well-defined evaluation criteria to prioritize [industry] input into a defined list of operational capabilities,” Dickson said. “That resulting prioritization needs to be objective and transparent and it will include rationale for how the list was produced. … There needs to be a solid set of industry recommendations presented to the FAA.”

Vicki Cox, FAA senior vice president for NextGen Operations and Planning, also addressed the plenary. “The FAA perspective is that we’re very grateful for the work that this group is doing,” Cox said. “ … I am confident that this task force is going to give the FAA some clear and actionable, consensus recommendations that are aimed at advancing NextGen now.”

The task force plans to deliver an interim report June 30. The final set of recommendations will be released Aug. 31.