NextGen

NextGen

The United states airspace is the busiest and most safe in the world, despite that fact The U.S runs on a very old system. The system is so old, planes are unable to fly directly to airports, and must have larger separation from storms and traffic. With NextGen, Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) will be able to give aircraft a more direct route to their destination, allow traffic to be closer together, and be able to divert traffic better. NextGen will also require all aircraft to have ADS-B. While all general aviation pilots will have to install it on their aircraft, with their money, ATC will know where all aircraft are. I think this is good for general aviation because those who have glass cockpits will be ale to see other traffic, and overall the number of accidents will go down.

One of the big problems with transforming the nations ATC system is the cost. NextGen is estimated to cost around 18 billion dollars by the year 2030. With this large sum of money, who should pay for the system? I believe the system should be paid for by both the aviation businesses and government combined. The system is just too expensive for the aviation businesses alone to pay for, and Air Traffic Controllers are mostly government employees. Also if aviation businesses alone were left to pay for the system, prices around the board would go up greatly. Lastly if the government did not contribute, the system would always remain the same because the aviation businesses would never spend the money. The government should not be the only ones for NextGen however. NextGen will greatly benefits businesses. The gas saved by NextGen alone will save businesses millions. Lastly With ADS-B the chances of a collision are greatly reduced improving safety, and potential loss for businesses.

With the big change to NextGen I expect my future in aviation to be safer and easier. With more direct routes flying will become easier. With the advances of ADS-B I will have more information and better separation from traffic. NextGen will also allow the standards for low approaches to be more flexible, allowing me to go lower and be more safe. Lastly NextGen will be able to plan my rout and space out aircraft in advance, reducing the number of aircraft arriving at an airport at the same time.

References

http://www.faa.gov/nextgen/media/NextGen%20Bus%20Case%202012%20(2012-10-05).pdf

http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/aviation-international-news/2014-06-05/stakeholders-
debate-nextgen-funding-options

http://www.faa.gov/nextgen/