The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) ability to successfully implement its revolutionary satellite-based Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) is threatened by the lack of a detailed plan and measurable goals, the air carrier’s reluctance to equip aircraft and questions over who ultimately is in charge of the multibillion dollar project, according to witnesses who testified at a House Transportation subcommittee hearing last week.
The Government Accountability Office’s Gerald Dillingham said the FAA has made progress in planning for and developing NextGen with recent versions of NextGen planning documents partially addressing some of the GAO’s concerns about their usefulness. “But industry stakeholders continue to express frustration that the documents lack any specific timelines or commitments,” he testified.
Industry stakeholders have suggested that the FAA focus on maximizing what can be done with existing, proven capabilities and existing infrastructure. Partly to help accelerate the implementation of NextGen capabilities in the midterm, the FAA has created a NextGen Midterm Implementation Task Force, which is to report its recommendations to FAA in August 2009. The task force plans to identify and prioritize capabilities that can be implemented in the midterm and potentially be deployed regionally to address key bottlenecks.
Dillingham said essential to the mid- and long-term success of these efforts is persuading the airlines to make costly investments in NextGen equipment–a step they are reluctant to take without clearly demonstrated benefits. Incentives that could encourage such investments include operational preferences–such as preferred airspace, routings, or runway access–and equipment investment tax credits. FAA will also have to validate, certify, and issue rules for these capabilities.
“Recent changes in the management structure for NextGen, though designed to address industry stakeholders’ and others’ concerns about fragmentation of authority and lack of accountability, have not fully addressed these issues and have raised further questions about parties’ roles and responsibilities.
“Additionally, human capital issues remain to be resolved, including the degree to which key stakeholders, such as controllers and technicians, are involved in NextGen efforts and whether FAA is able to acquire the systems engineering, contract management, leadership, and other skills needed for NextGen,” he added.
“The FAA faces challenges in addressing ongoing research needs, reconfiguring and maintaining existing facilities, and enhancing the physical capacity of airports,” Dillingham testified.
FAA Senior VP-NextGen and Operations Planning Victoria Cox told the legislators that the FAA is working closely with all aspects of the aviation community to make NextGen a reality. The aviation agency has partnered with several air carriers for trials and demonstrations. The FAA has established an integrated demonstration capability in Florida where it is evaluating NextGen technologies.
NextGen transformational programs made significant advances over the past year, she testified. ADS- B has been deployed in southern Florida and is being deployed in the Gulf of Mexico, where there has never been radar coverage. In December 2008, the FAA achieved its In-Service Decision for ADS-B in southern Florida. Achievement of this major milestone clears the way for national deployment of broadcast services.
“We are working steadily and carefully to bring NextGen to fruition. Our programs are currently on track, our partnerships are strong. We have mapped out our course and we are moving towards our goals,” Cox told the lawmakers.
Cox conceded that aircraft equipage is critical, and former FAA administrator and current Aerospace Industries Association President and CEO Marion Blakey pointed out that “aircraft are not required to be equipped with ADS-B technology until 2020, so there is a seven-year gap between rollout of ground stations and mandatory equipage. She said Congress should provide incentives for users to install the equipment before that deadline, allowing users to take early advantage of the benefits of NextGen.
Dept. of Transportation Inspector General Calvin Scovel said “developing NextGen is a high-risk effort involving billion-dollar investments from both the Government (new ground systems) and airspace users (new avionics). The challenges with NextGen are multi-dimensional and involve research and development, complex software development and integration for both existing and new systems, workforce changes, and policy questions about how to spur aircraft equipage.”
He said the FAA faces significant challenges with key NextGen transformational projects. The FAA has established initial cost and schedule baselines for the first segments of two key NextGen initiatives: ADS-B and SWIM. “Our work shows that both programs face considerable risk associated with development and implementation and will require significant oversight,” said Scovel.
Air Transport Assn. President and CEO James May said: “We have arrived at a pivotal moment for U.S. aviation. Industry stakeholders support the FAA NextGen program – an event not to be overlooked – and the FAA has developed a comprehensive implementation plan. The plan’s flaw, which delays NextGen benefits for too long, can be overcome by an immediate boost in funding to jump-start equipment deployment on the ground and in the air. We urge the subcommittee to make the rapid, successful implementation of NextGen happen now.”
Meanwhile, the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS), the union that represents Federal Aviation Administration technicians, is concerned over the FAA’s attempt to change its certification policy in order to advance its NextGen modernization efforts.
For decades, FAA technicians have routinely evaluated and tested the systems and equipment in the National Airspace System (NAS) to ensure their safe operation. However, the FAA has made a policy change in order to allow systems and services that are not owned by the FAA to be deployed without certification, including the ADS-B system.
“In essence, the FAA is attempting to eliminate inherently governmental functions in order to justify handing over the NAS to private contractors who are focused primarily on maximizing profits and meeting the absolute minimum of safety standards,” said PASS President Tom Brantley.