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NextGen meeting talks future of aviation

The NextGen Institute recently held its annual meeting on September 21, bringing government officials and industry representatives together to highlight accomplishments in the development of the Next Generation Air Transportation System and discuss where it will go.

“NextGen will affect the global aviation system for the better,” John Porcari, deputy secretary of Transportation, told the group of transportation industry stakeholders. “NextGen is the United States’ chance to continue to lead the world in aviation. Through the collaborative efforts of the FAA and private industry, the largest helicopter operator in the Gulf of Mexico is now fully ADS-B equipped… offering additional traffic information the lower altitudes [helicopters] operate."

House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman Thomas Petri from Wisconsin added that the potential for the business aspects of the NextGen system is a "no-brainer" but the risk is in a timing delay. He added that the collaboration between government and the industry needs to be cooperative and proactive, saying the government needs to avoid the "top-down temptation" of dictating what the industry needs.

Representative Jerry Costello from Illinois, who is also a ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, discussed the lack of permanent leadership at the agency. Costello pointed out the pending confirmation of FAA Acting Administrator Michael Huerta is delaying the NextGen implementation. He said Congress, the Federal Aviation Administration and stakeholders all need to continue to work together and see they will benefit from the program.

NextGen is the largest aviation investment in U.S. history. It will help air traffic controllers handle more airplanes, representing a vital step in the establishment of the system, reducing airline traffic by as much as 10 percent. The current system that monitors the path of aircraft from departure to landing is costing taxpayers as much as $27 billion and airlines $10 billion. Air traffic is projected to double in the next two decades and NextGen will replace Global Positioning Satellites to provide a more direct flight path that will save fuel and time, and help pilots and air traffic controllers pinpoint aircrafts locations, the Washington Post reported.

Last month, Harris Corp. was awarded a 15-year contract totaling $291 million to provide communications for NextGen.

“The Harris VCS21 solution replaces legacy technology with a dynamic, IP-based network that has the flexibility and security to support the FAA’s migration to NextGen,” said John O’Sullivan, vice president of Mission Critical Networks, Harris Government Communications Systems.

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