The NextGen Initiative

Most people in aviation have heard about the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) vision for the future of national airspace management and control called Next Generation Air Transportation System, or NextGen. The concept evolved from modernization initiatives started during President Bill Clinton’s administration. NextGen relies, in part, on transforming Air Traffic Control (ATC) from a ground-based radar network to an aircraft and satellite-based system. This system is called Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B).

The terms NextGen and ADS-B have been thrown around over the last few years because the vision is quickly becoming a reality. The FAA is working with industry organizations and manufacturers to implement the plan, which it believes will increase safety and efficiency of airspace in the United States by providing more complete and reliable traffic and weather data to pilots and controllers.

The goal of the NextGen initiative is to create capabilities that make air transportation safer and more reliable while increasing the capacity of our airspace and reducing aviation’s environmental impact. Projections indicate that air traffic will increase by 20% over the next decade. The systems being implemented now and in the mid-term are needed to accommodate the increasing demands on our national airspace system. In addition, the FAA is working with its global counterparts to ensure that NextGen is compatible with future foreign airspace requirements.

With the increased traffic, very light jets, unmanned aerial vehicles, and commercial space flight in our near future, there is an imminent need to be proactive in upgrading the national airspace system.

Following are other technologies related to NextGen that are being developed and tested. Duncan Aviation will continue to track them as they are further developed. Expect to hear more about them in the future.

NextGen Technologies

Following are other technologies related to NextGen that are being developed and tested. Duncan Aviation will continue to track them as they are further developed. Expect to hear more about them in the future.

• Ground Based Augmentation System (GBAS) – This system is being tested in Memphis, Tennessee and Newark, New Jersey. GBAS is a precision Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) approach that will allow for decision height of 200 feet Above Ground Level (AGL)--CAT I approach--even at non-Instrument Landing System (ILS) airports.
• Multilateration – This is a transponder-based tracking system that relies on multiple ground-based receivers that calculate an aircraft’s position by measuring the time of arrival of the transponder signal at three or more fixed receiver locations. This system does not rely on embedded Global Positioning System (GPS) data or a Radar Beacon System (RBS). Wide Area Multilateration (WAM) is being tested in Seattle, Washington; Boston, Massachusetts; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Cleveland, Ohio and St. Louis, Missouri. WAM allows ATC to accurately track aircraft in the terminal airspace and on the surface even in zero-visibility conditions.
• Airport Surface Detection Equipment model X (ASDE-X) – This technology is in use at 27 U.S. airports. It allows ATC to manage surface movements more efficiently.
• Data Comm Integrated with FMS – Data Communication integrated with Flight Management Systems (FMS) is being developed to reduce pilot verbal communication and automate coordination between ATC and airborne and surface traffic.

The FAA will need cooperation from all participants in aviation to achieve its NextGen goals. Aircraft that are equipped for ADS-B In and Out, Reduced Vertical Separation Minima (RVSM), Wide Area Augmentation System with Localizer Performance and Vertical Guidance (WAAS-LPV), Required Navigational Performance (RNP) and Future Air Navigation System 1/A (FANS-1/A) will have greater and more efficient access to airspace and airports.

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