Next Generation Air Transportation System
Encyclopedia
The Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) is the name given to a new National Airspace System
due for implementation across the United States
in stages between 2012 and 2025. The
Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) proposes to transform America’s air traffic control system from an aging ground-based system to a satellite-based system. NextGen GPS technology will be used to shorten routes, save time and fuel, reduce traffic delays, increase capacity, and permit controllers to monitor and manage aircraft with greater safety margins. To implement this the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) will undertake a wide-ranging transformation of the entire United States
air transportation system. This transformation has the aim of reducing gridlock
, both in the sky and at the airport
s. In 2003, The United States Congress established the Joint Planning and Development Office
(JPDO) to plan and coordinate the development of the Next Generation Air Transportation System.
(NAS) of the United States, is intended to better meet future traffic loads, reduce gridlock, and maintain safety. It replaces legacy ground based technologies with newer satellite-based technology.
Major demand and capacity imbalances will be worked collaboratively between the FAA air traffic managers and flight operations. The increased scope, volume and widespread distribution of information by SWIM
, will improve decision-making and let more civil aviation authorities
participate.
The impact of weather
on flight operations will be reduced through the use of improved information sharing, new technology to sense and mitigate the impacts of the weather, to improve weather forecasts
and decision making. Better forecasts, coupled with greater automation, will minimise airspace limitations and traffic restrictions.
The new procedures of NextGen will improve airport surface movements
, reduce spacing and separation requirements, and better manage the overall flows into and out of busy airspace, and to provide maximum use of busy airport
s.
Targeting NextGen at the whole of the NAS, rather than just the busiest airports, will uncover untapped capacity across the whole system. During busy traffic periods, NextGen will rely on aircraft to fly precise routes into and out of many airports to increase throughput.
Both said the agency needs to move away from developing RNP
procedures for airports that merely "overlay existing routes" and toward implementing procedures that allow more direct flight paths that will increase efficiency and lower fuel burn and carbon dioxide emissions. Dillingham said ATC system stakeholders have told GAO "that the process of approving and deploying RNP navigation procedures remains extremely slow and that the FAA's review and approval of a given original RNP design often takes years".
In June 2010, European and American authorities reached a preliminary agreement on interoperability between their future air traffic management systems, SESAR
and NextGen.
In March 2011, the FAA released the latest version of its implementation plan.
As of July 2011, JetBlue and Southwest Airways had installed onboard equipment, partly with federal funds.
National Airspace System
The National Airspace System of the United States is one of the most complex aviation systems in the world — consisting of thousands of people, procedures, facilities, and pieces of equipment — that enables safe and expeditious air travel in the United States and over large portions of the world's...
due for implementation across the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in stages between 2012 and 2025. The
Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) proposes to transform America’s air traffic control system from an aging ground-based system to a satellite-based system. NextGen GPS technology will be used to shorten routes, save time and fuel, reduce traffic delays, increase capacity, and permit controllers to monitor and manage aircraft with greater safety margins. To implement this the Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
(FAA) will undertake a wide-ranging transformation of the entire United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
air transportation system. This transformation has the aim of reducing gridlock
Gridlock
The term gridlock is defined as "A state of severe road congestion arising when continuous queues of vehicles block an entire network of intersecting streets, bringing traffic in all directions to a complete standstill; a traffic jam of this kind." The term originates from a situation possible in...
, both in the sky and at the airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
s. In 2003, The United States Congress established the Joint Planning and Development Office
Joint Planning and Development Office
The United States Congress established the Joint Planning and Development Office in 2003 to plan and coordinate the development of the Next Generation Air Transportation System...
(JPDO) to plan and coordinate the development of the Next Generation Air Transportation System.
Description
The FAA estimates that increasing congestion in the air transportation system of the United States, if unaddressed, would cost the American economy $22 billion annually in lost economic activity by 2022. The NextGen system, which is a transformation of the entire National Airspace SystemNational Airspace System
The National Airspace System of the United States is one of the most complex aviation systems in the world — consisting of thousands of people, procedures, facilities, and pieces of equipment — that enables safe and expeditious air travel in the United States and over large portions of the world's...
(NAS) of the United States, is intended to better meet future traffic loads, reduce gridlock, and maintain safety. It replaces legacy ground based technologies with newer satellite-based technology.
Elements
NextGen consists of five elements:- Automatic dependent surveillance-broadcastAutomatic dependent surveillance-broadcastAutomatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast is a surveillance technology for tracking aircraft as part of the Next Generation Air Transportation System ...
(ADS-B). ADS-B will use the Global Positioning SystemGlobal Positioning SystemThe Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...
(GPS) satellite signals to provide air traffic controllerAir traffic controllerAir traffic controllers are the people who expedite and maintain a safe and orderly flow of air traffic in the global air traffic control system. The position of the air traffic controller is one that requires highly specialized skills...
s and pilotsAviatorAn aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
with much more accurate information that will help to keep aircraftAircraftAn aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air, or, in general, the atmosphere of a planet. An aircraft counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines.Although...
safely separated in the skySkyThe sky is the part of the atmosphere or outer space visible from the surface of any astronomical object. It is difficult to define precisely for several reasons. During daylight, the sky of Earth has the appearance of a pale blue surface because the air scatters the sunlight. The sky is sometimes...
and on runwayRunwayAccording to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
s. Aircraft transpondersTransponder (aviation)A transponder is an electronic device that produces a response when it receives a radio-frequency interrogation...
receive GPS signals and use them to determine the aircraft's precise positionPosition fixingPosition fixing is the branch of navigation concerned with the use of a variety of visual and electronic methods to determine the position of a ship, aircraft or person on the surface of the Earth.These techniques include:...
in the sky. These and other data are then broadcast to other aircraft and air traffic control. Once fully established, both pilots and air traffic controllers will, for the first time, see the same real-time display of air traffic, substantially improving safety. The FAA will mandate the avionicsAvionicsAvionics are electronic systems used on aircraft, artificial satellites and spacecraft.Avionic systems include communications, navigation, the display and management of multiple systems and the hundreds of systems that are fitted to aircraft to meet individual roles...
necessary for implementing ADS-B. - System Wide Information ManagementSystem Wide Information ManagementSystem Wide Information Management is a Federal Aviation Administration advanced technology program designed to facilitate greater sharing of Air Traffic Management system information, such as airport operational status, weather information, flight data, status of special use airspace, and...
(SWIM). SWIM will provide a single infrastructure and information management system to deliver high quality, timely data to many users and applications. By reducing the number and types of interfaces and systems, SWIM will reduce data redundancy and better facilitate multi-user information sharing. SWIM will also enable new modes of decision making as information is more easily accessed. - Next Generation Data CommunicationsNext Generation Data CommunicationsNext Generation Data Communications, an element of the Next Generation Air Transportation System, will significantly reduce controller-to-pilot communications and controller workload, whilst improving safety.-Description:...
. Current communications between aircrewAircrewAircrew are the personnel who operate an aircraft while in flight. The composition of the crew depends on the type of aircraft as well as the purpose of the flight.-Civilian:*Aviator** Pilot-in-command** First officer** Second officer** Third officer...
and air traffic control, and between air traffic controllers, are largely realised through voice communicationsSpeechSpeech is the human faculty of speaking.It may also refer to:* Public speaking, the process of speaking to a group of people* Manner of articulation, how the body parts involved in making speech are manipulated...
. Initially, the introduction of data communications will provide an additional means of two-way communication for air traffic control clearances, instructions, advisories, flight crew requests and reports. With the majority of aircraft data linkData linkIn telecommunication a data link is the means of connecting one location to another for the purpose of transmitting and receiving information. It can also refer to a set of electronics assemblies, consisting of a transmitter and a receiver and the interconnecting data telecommunication circuit...
equipped, the exchange of routine controller-pilot messages and clearances via data link will enable controllers to handle more traffic. This will improve air traffic controller productivity, enhancing capacity and safety. - Next Generation Network Enabled WeatherNext Generation Network Enabled WeatherNext Generation Network Enabled Weather is a project to develop a 4-dimension weather data cube from disparate contributors and locations.-Description:...
(NNEW). Seventy percent of NAS delays are attributed to weather every year. The goal of NNEW is to cut weather-related delays at least in half. Tens of thousands of global weather observations and sensor reports from ground-, airborne- and space-based sources will fuse into a single national weather information system, updated in real time. NNEW will provide a common weather picture across the national airspace system, and enable better air transportation decision making. - NAS voice switchNational Airspace System Voice SwitchThe United States National Airspace System Voice Switch project, a part of the Next Generation Air Transportation System , aims to establish a single set of scalable voice switches that can support a dynamic flow of air traffic...
(NVS). There are currently seventeen different voice switching systems in the NAS, some in use for more than twenty years. NVS will replace these systems with a single air/ground and ground/ground voice communications system.
Benefits
With NextGen, many pilots and dispatchers will be able to select their own, usually direct flight paths, rather than follow the existing interstate highway-like grid in the sky. Each airplane will transmit and receive precise information about the time at which it and others will cross key points along their paths. Pilots and air traffic managers on the ground will have the same precise information, transmitted via data communications.Major demand and capacity imbalances will be worked collaboratively between the FAA air traffic managers and flight operations. The increased scope, volume and widespread distribution of information by SWIM
System Wide Information Management
System Wide Information Management is a Federal Aviation Administration advanced technology program designed to facilitate greater sharing of Air Traffic Management system information, such as airport operational status, weather information, flight data, status of special use airspace, and...
, will improve decision-making and let more civil aviation authorities
Civil Aviation Authority
This is a list of national and supra-national civil aviation authorities.-See also:* Air route authority between the United States and the People's Republic of China* National Transportation Safety Board -External links:****...
participate.
The impact of weather
Weather
Weather is the state of the atmosphere, to the degree that it is hot or cold, wet or dry, calm or stormy, clear or cloudy. Most weather phenomena occur in the troposphere, just below the stratosphere. Weather refers, generally, to day-to-day temperature and precipitation activity, whereas climate...
on flight operations will be reduced through the use of improved information sharing, new technology to sense and mitigate the impacts of the weather, to improve weather forecasts
Weather forecasting
Weather forecasting is the application of science and technology to predict the state of the atmosphere for a given location. Human beings have attempted to predict the weather informally for millennia, and formally since the nineteenth century...
and decision making. Better forecasts, coupled with greater automation, will minimise airspace limitations and traffic restrictions.
The new procedures of NextGen will improve airport surface movements
Ground control
- Aviation and spaceflight :* Air traffic control, in charge of the controlled areas on an airport*A mission control center, such as the one at Johnson Space Center, responsible for spaceflight- Engineering :...
, reduce spacing and separation requirements, and better manage the overall flows into and out of busy airspace, and to provide maximum use of busy airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
s.
Targeting NextGen at the whole of the NAS, rather than just the busiest airports, will uncover untapped capacity across the whole system. During busy traffic periods, NextGen will rely on aircraft to fly precise routes into and out of many airports to increase throughput.
Implementation
In October, 2009, U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General Calvin Scovel and U.S. Government Accountability Office Director of Civil Aviation Issues Gerald Dillingham told Congress that the FAA faced considerable challenges in implementing a satellite-based NextGen ATC system, ranging from delays in approving new procedures and technology to skepticism among airlines regarding investment in new equipment. Testifying before the House of Representatives aviation subcommittee, Scovel warned that "the cost, schedule and benefits for NextGen are uncertain". Dillingham added that the "FAA faces cultural and organizational challenges in implementing NextGen capabilities".Both said the agency needs to move away from developing RNP
Required Navigation Performance
Required Navigation Performance is a type of performance-based navigation that allows an aircraft to fly a specific path between two 3-dimensionally defined points in space. RNAV and RNP systems are fundamentally similar. The key difference between them is the requirement for on-board...
procedures for airports that merely "overlay existing routes" and toward implementing procedures that allow more direct flight paths that will increase efficiency and lower fuel burn and carbon dioxide emissions. Dillingham said ATC system stakeholders have told GAO "that the process of approving and deploying RNP navigation procedures remains extremely slow and that the FAA's review and approval of a given original RNP design often takes years".
In June 2010, European and American authorities reached a preliminary agreement on interoperability between their future air traffic management systems, SESAR
Single European Sky ATM Research
Single European Sky ATM Research is the name given to the collaborative project that is intended to completely overhaul the European airspace and its Air Traffic Management .- Project :The SESAR project is composed of three phases :...
and NextGen.
In March 2011, the FAA released the latest version of its implementation plan.
As of July 2011, JetBlue and Southwest Airways had installed onboard equipment, partly with federal funds.