The Future of Air Traffic Control

The Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen)

With the rapid expansion of commercial and private air travel, the U.S. federal government must ensure the implementation of an air transportation system that will address the increasing volume of passengers, and provide safety and security for the rapidly growing industry of air commerce. With promises to do just that, the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) could be the answer we’ve been waiting for. However, managers must be aware of the potential problems associated with NextGen in order to promote the effective planning and implementation of this new technology.

NextGen is a combined effort from the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the National Air and Space Administration (NASA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Department of Defense (DoD), and the Department of Commerce (DoC). Representatives from these agencies make up the Joint Planning Development Office (JPDO), which was created specifically to support the development of a new transportation system. NextGen is a myriad of projects designed to increase airport capacity, maximize airspace capacity, increase safety, reduce emissions, and allow planes to fly optimal flight paths. This new system will be a transportation upgrade, allowing the United States to function at maximum efficiency to accommodate an expected future traveling population of over 1 billion.

NextGen promises to implement new and improved technology with the addition of several new systems in the cockpit. The main system for pilots and controllers will be the Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B). When fully implemented, this system utilizes satellite technology to provide an accurate depiction of air traffic to the pilot, with the exact same information being displayed to the air traffic controller. It also has the capability to bring real-time weather into the cockpit.

The mandatory requirement for aircraft will be to have ADS-B OUT, the portion of the system that is installed in the aircraft that provides information to air traffic controllers. While this is good for controllers, it does nothing to aid the pilots with increased weather capability, or an exact satellite position of traffic, which are both parts of the ADS-B IN system. General Aircraft will be required to install the ADS-B OUT systems to comply with FAA standards, but at a great cost, and without the ADS-B IN, there is no additional benefit to them. Pilots will have to be trained on the operation of ADS-B IN, and they will also be tasked with constantly monitoring the equipment in flight. This additional monitoring includes four-dimensional trajectories, weather depictions, traffic, and precision navigation, adding to the already busy job of flying an aircraft. Managers must ensure proper training and evaluation procedures are established and followed to ensure the crew is proficient in handling new equipment, and new equipment failures. They must also consider a viable fatigue management program for the increase in pilot workload.

ADS-B is basically run by Global Positioning System (GPS), which is fairly reliable, but easily interrupted. GPS signals are weak and can be interrupted by sunspots as well as other types of interference. In 1989 a solar storm caused a 9 hour power outage in Quebec that affected 6 million people.

In order to prevent a GPS interruption, the backup plan is to depend on enhanced Loran (eLoran), which is a ground-based system of antennas that works similar to the multiple satellite feeds we now use. One of the problems with eLoran is that every aircraft will probably be required to have this backup. This is another costly system that private aircraft owners as well as airlines will have to consider. With no GPS backup, if the system gets interrupted, there will be no way to see the air traffic, and therefore no way to keep separation from the traffic. When you’re going 500 miles an hour it’s impossible to see and avoid every aircraft in the sky by looking out the window.

Another part of NextGen is the expansion of facilities that receive the majority of traffic, and cause the majority of delays. While the expansion of facilities and runways is much needed, the current problems run deeper. This fix does not address the over scheduling practices of airlines, and with money as the motivating factor, expanding the airports will have the effect of more traffic, and more potential revenue for the airlines as they continue to over schedule flights on a new higher level. This over scheduling creates delays and brings down pilots morale, whose hours are extended with each delay, and without any extra pay.

  Although we are in dire need of NextGen to accommodate our future air travelers, much attention must be paid to the impact of this new technology on the operators, and backup systems must be in place to ensure the continued operation of aviation. Manager’s implementing these new technologies should remain especially vigilant during the initial phases of incorporation, and be mindful to encourage operator suggestions and timely improvements to the system. With the special attention of the agencies involved, and the encouragement of effective feedback, the Next Generation Air Transportation System can continue to progress into the next generation.         

By: Amber Markham, Air Traffic Controller

Please read the comments section below, and feel free to leave your comments and observations.

re NextGen

19:29, 18 October 2009 .. Posted by Vannevar

Excellent Post.

NextGen

08:42, 20 October 2009 .. Posted by Anonymous

Very insightful article. What are your suggestions to mitigate the problems that you highlighted?

Happy Air Traffic Controllers Day (Oct 20)

Wayne Farley
Air Traffic Controller

Valid Point

16:25, 20 October 2009 .. Posted by markham

Hi Wayne,

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my article. You make a valid point with your question, my article does not include suggestions to alleviate any of the problems listed. However, I am currently mid-stride in conducting research to address these problems, and there will be a follow up article on NextGen containing the suggested solutions.
The biggest problem I have encountered is money. With the current state of the economy, where are we going to squeeze the national budget to come up with the massive amount of money to fund NextGen to completion?
The United States currently owes China $750 billion, amoung other stakeholders, and we have plans to auction off more bonds, creating an even larger deficit.
With our national debt totaling over $11 trillion there is no easy answer or quick fix. However, finding the places where the majority of U.S. funds are wasted and suggesting fixes to those problems may free up the needed funds to allow NextGen to progress on schedule.
If you would like to read about my fix for fatigue in aviation, which is a major safety issue, and likely to get worse as NextGen tasks pilots with even more to do, please read the article “Can a Massage Program Effectively Reduce Fatigue in Aviation Personnel?". You can find this article in the Archives link located at the top of this page, directly under my picture.

Happy Air Traffic Controllers Day to you too!

V/r,

Amber Markham
Air Traffic Controller

Edited by markham on 20 October 2009 at 12:34