The public unveiling of the recommendations of RTCA’s NextGen Mid-Term Implementation Task Force (NextGen TF) took place yesterday in Washington, D.C. at the NowGen NEXT conference sponsored by Aviation Today’s Avionics Magazine and RTCA, the organization that develops consensus-based recommendations for the aviation industry.

The NextGen Task Force was formed in February at FAA’s request to recommend a prioritized list of operational capabilities to achieve Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) efficiencies by 2018.

Senior Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials were pleased with the RTCA’s NextGen Implementation Task Force final report, expressing optimism that many if not all of the recommendations can be implemented.

According to Task Force Chair Captain Steve Dickson, SVP Flight Operations at Delta Air Lines, "This report is the product of thousands of hours of time and "sweat equity" invested by nearly 300 dedicated aviation industry stakeholders, all working tirelessly to reach consensus on many thorny issues associated with the transition from the current system to NextGen."

The Task Force recommendations would chart a course to the successful implementation of NextGen.

Over the past seven months, the Task Force developed a short list of actionable operational capability recommendations in five operational areas (surface, runway access, congested metropolitan airspace, cruise and access to the National Airspace System).

Surface operations would encompass improved surveillance, traffic management and situational awareness to reduce tarmac delays, enhancing safety, efficiency and information connectivity. Improvements in runway access would follow at converging, intersecting and closely spaced parallel runways. The Task Force members believe the “blunder distance” separating parallel runway can be reduced with the new air traffic control technologies on the horizon.

The members of the study group also see a pressing need to relieve congestion at major U.S. airports located within metropolitan areas. The idea is to integrate procedures and designs to de-conflict airports and expand the use of terminal separation rules. Cruise separation can be reduced through better communications and improved time-based metering. And collaborative arrival planning could also make airport landings much more efficient. NextGen would also improve NAS access to secondary airports and smaller airfields.

They also included two specific NextGen capabilities (automated data communications and integrated air traffic management). Automated datacom would increase the ability of NAS users to better respond to changing conditions, allowing for tailored arrivals and revised departure clearances while easing weather reroutes. Integrated ATM would offer better solutions for traffic flow problems and improved collaborative air traffic management (C-ATM) automation to negotiate user preferred routes and alternative trajectories.

The Task Force also identified four overarching areas that will affect the successful integration of NextGen capabilities. The overarching recommendations include: providing incentives to operators for equipage (via low-interest loans and/or direct subsidies for equipage); streamlining operational approval and certification (by identifying operational and certification issues early in the process); achieving existing three- and five-mile separation standards; and, establishing mechanisms to continue collaboration in NextGen development and implementation.

The one-day conference featured FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt as the keynote speaker.

“This has been a unique process…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.
“Just about everyone involved has been struggling to define the future of the National Airspace System. For years, we were criticized for not pinning down requirements…I’m hopeful that the work of the task force will put all of this to rest,” stated Babbitt.

“We need to keep in mind the need for a sense of urgency…I think the task force report puts us in the place we need to be…I’ve flown enough to know that NextGen is a success story waiting to happen. We need to advance well beyond the preliminaries. We as a group need to commit together to giving it the juice it needs. Lest there be any doubt, I’m making that commitment for the FAA right here, right now. And I have the support of the Secretary of Transportation and the President. They want this up and running, and they are fully supportive. The green light can’t get any greener than that,” Babbitt continued.

“The Task Force has forged a consensus across a wide spectrum of users…This is an excellent head start. You’ve given us a short list of recommended operational capabilities. Task Force efforts have provided us with a unique opportunity to align our implementation plan with the desires of the aviation community.

“The report also points to the need for delivering NextGen capabilities where they matter. RNP and RNAV approaches are good. RNP and RNAV approaches in high traffic areas are great. We need to be candid with ourselves. We’ve got a lot of these approaches, but we’ve got a lot of them that aren’t in the right spots.

“For those who worry that the FAA is focusing on near-term expediencies at the expense of longer-term deliverables, let me assure you that is not the case. The focus of the Task Force was maximum benefit from today’s tools. NextGen requires us to forge ahead with delivery of tomorrow’s capabilities and we have every intention of doing that. ADS-B is a case in point. Lessons learned from implementing the recommendations of this task force will help us derive maximum benefit from ADS-B once the supporting infrastructure and standards are in place,” the FAA boss told the conference attendees.

More News
Japan Air Stake May Help Delta or American With China Access
Japan Airlines to Cut Routes and 6,800 Jobs
Japan Airlines

Business Travel is a key driver of revenue generation

Airline misery – Analysis of Coming Losses

Studies show cost-cutting travel moves can hurt profits

Pilots question airspeed sensors' troubled history

US must restore aviation leadership says IATA news

AMEX Airline Index up for ninth day in a row, rise led by Continental Airlines and American Airlines

A new guide to airline e-services

High school algebra teacher simplifies airline luggage equation

Ryanair setting up two new Italian bases

Air China launches scheduled flights to Taiwan

Genesis Lease Confirms M&A Discussions with AerCap

Continental airlines will email boarding passes to cell phones

Virgin Blue stands by result guidance

American Airlines employees held in drug bust

High-tech plan would change airplane traffic

Iran’s aviation regulation seen as a factor in air crashes

Rwanda: Civil Aviation Wants Regional Skies Open

How to Buy Your Own Private Jet

Region's airlines take a dive

Low-fare airlines have begun to wage a battle for passengers on the Baltimore to Boston route

Carbon Tax: A Fiscal Exit Strategy of the Crisis

Air Berlin-TUIfly cross-shareholding plans withdrawn, but TUIfly city flight takeover approved

Nordic: SAS accepts Ryanair's offer for free tickets

LTU Pilots On Strike Talks Resume With Air Berlin

UPS airline mechanics authorize strike

Bluer skies for SeaPort Airlines

Former Eclipse COO lands at BBA Aviation

Flight & Flyers: Luckey flyer

Proposed Hudson River changes might be used in other places

Terminal Man Almost Cheats on Us!

What airlines don't want you to know

The problem according to IATA: Too many airlines

Bombardier: We won't repeat Boeing and Airbus' mistakes

So you think airport security screening is bad now?

Charter crashes expose oversight failures

Embraer, Airbus deliver new planes

Virgin Nigeria gets new name tomm at Murtala Muhammed Intl Airport, Lagos

SAA launch of new route mapping application from OAG

Aviation mogul helps put Malaysia on world sports map

Embraer Service Centers In The U.S. Receive EASA Certification

Aer Lingus outlines position on use of Shannon pre-clearance facilities