[Senate Hearing 113-669]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
S. Hrg. 113-669
NEXTGEN: A REVIEW OF PROGRESS, CHALLENGES,
AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVING
AVIATION SAFETY AND EFFICIENCY
=======================================================================
HEARING
before the
SUBCOMMITTEE ON AVIATION OPERATIONS, SAFETY, AND SECURITY
of the
COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE,
SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
UNITED STATES SENATE
ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
__________
JUNE 25, 2014
__________
Printed for the use of the Committee on Commerce, Science, and
Transportation
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U.S. GOVERNMENT PUBLISHING OFFICE
95-362 PDF WASHINGTON : 2015
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SENATE COMMITTEE ON COMMERCE, SCIENCE, AND TRANSPORTATION
ONE HUNDRED THIRTEENTH CONGRESS
SECOND SESSION
JOHN D. ROCKEFELLER IV, West Virginia, Chairman
BARBARA BOXER, California JOHN THUNE, South Dakota, Ranking
BILL NELSON, Florida ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi
MARIA CANTWELL, Washington ROY BLUNT, Missouri
MARK PRYOR, Arkansas MARCO RUBIO, Florida
CLAIRE McCASKILL, Missouri KELLY AYOTTE, New Hampshire
AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota DEAN HELLER, Nevada
MARK BEGICH, Alaska DAN COATS, Indiana
RICHARD BLUMENTHAL, Connecticut TIM SCOTT, South Carolina
BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii TED CRUZ, Texas
EDWARD MARKEY, Massachusetts DEB FISCHER, Nebraska
CORY BOOKER, New Jersey RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin
JOHN E. WALSH, Montana
Ellen L. Doneski, Staff Director
John Williams, General Counsel
David Schwietert, Republican Staff Director
Nick Rossi, Republican Deputy Staff Director
Rebecca Seidel, Republican General Counsel and Chief Investigator
------
SUBCOMMITTEE ON AVIATION OPERATIONS, SAFETY, AND SECURITY
MARIA CANTWELL, Washington, KELLY AYOTTE, New Hampshire,
Chairman Ranking Member
BARBARA BOXER, California ROGER F. WICKER, Mississippi
BILL NELSON, Florida ROY BLUNT, Missouri
MARK PRYOR, Arkansas MARCO RUBIO, Florida
AMY KLOBUCHAR, Minnesota DEAN HELLER, Nevada
MARK BEGICH, Alaska TIM SCOTT, South Carolina
BRIAN SCHATZ, Hawaii TED CRUZ, Texas
CORY BOOKER, New Jersey DEB FISCHER, Nebraska
JOHN E. WALSH, Montana RON JOHNSON, Wisconsin
(II)
C O N T E N T S
----------
Page
Hearing held on June 25, 2014.................................... 1
Statement of Senator Cantwell.................................... 1
Statement of Senator Ayotte...................................... 3
Statement of Senator Booker...................................... 32
Statement of Senator Begich...................................... 34
Statement of Senator Nelson...................................... 36
Witnesses
Hon. Michael G. Whitaker, Deputy Administrator, Federal Aviation
Administration................................................. 4
Prepared statement........................................... 6
Matthew E. Hampton, Assistant Inspector General for Aviation
Audits, Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of
Transportation................................................. 9
Prepared statement........................................... 11
Paul Rinaldi, President, National Air Traffic Controllers
Association.................................................... 17
Prepared statement........................................... 19
Gary Beck, Vice President--Flight Operations, Alaska Airlines.... 25
Prepared statement........................................... 26
Appendix
Response to written questions submitted to Hon. Michael G.
Whitaker by:
Hon. John D. Rockefeller IV.................................. 43
Hon. Maria Cantwell.......................................... 43
Hon. Amy Klobuchar........................................... 47
Response to written question submitted to Gary Beck by:
Hon. Maria Cantwell.......................................... 47
Hon. Amy Klobuchar........................................... 48
NEXTGEN: A REVIEW OF PROGRESS,
CHALLENGES, AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR
IMPROVING AVIATION SAFETY AND EFFICIENCY
----------
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 25, 2014
U.S. Senate,
Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and
Security,
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation,
Washington, DC.
The Subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:30 a.m. in
room SR-253, Russell Senate Office Building, Hon. Maria
Cantwell, Chairman of the Subcommittee, presiding.
OPENING STATEMENT OF HON. MARIA CANTWELL,
U.S. SENATOR FROM WASHINGTON
Senator Cantwell. The Senate Committee on Commerce,
Science, and Transportation will come to order. This is an
Aviation Subcommittee, and we are having a hearing today on
``NextGen: A Review of the Progress, Challenges, and
Opportunities for Improving Aviation Safety and Efficiency.''
I want to thank the witnesses for being here today, the
Honorable Michael Whitaker, who is Deputy Administrator for the
FAA. Welcome.
Mr. Matthew Hampton, Assistant Inspector General for
Aviation Audits, in the Office of the Inspector General for the
U.S. Department of Transportation.
Mr. Paul Rinaldi, President of the National Air Traffic
Controllers Association. Welcome.
Mr. Gary Beck, Vice President--Flight Operations, Alaska
Airlines. I do not know if that means you live in the
Northwest, but if that is indeed the case, welcome, and thank
you for being here.
Senator Booker. It does not matter where he lives, he has
got a great haircut.
[Laughter.]
Senator Cantwell. Just like yours. OK. Today, we are here
to discuss the Next Generation Air Traffic System, more
commonly known as ``NextGen,'' and this program has been
promised as a way to increase safety, improve efficiency,
reduce fuel costs, by reforming our air traffic control system.
A fully implemented NextGen system is also critical for
building capacity in our aviation system to meet the demands of
a growing middle class around the globe and the increase in air
transportation.
There is a lot to do to achieve these goals. Five billion
has been invested in NextGen thus far, and it has as the I.G.
Report says produced some milestones being met, but as the
report shows, there are also issues related to the ASD-B
program, a cornerstone of the technology, and underlying
problematic challenges, and an executable plan for coordinating
many of the multiple programs and the technical issues.
So, we will look forward to hearing more from the IG
Report.
We are expected to continue to invest $1 billion a year in
NextGen, and there have been some delays in this implementation
that we need to push beyond. It is unacceptable for us to
continue to spend resources and not make more progress as it
relates to the flying public.
We have asked the private sector, commercial air carriers,
cargo and general aviation, to make real investments in helping
us meet the promise of NextGen, but we have little data and
metrics to assess the value of that investment.
We had created a NextGen Advisory Committee in the last FAA
reauthorization bill to help the FAA get back on track. Thanks
to many people, including Alaska Airlines' CEO, Bill Ayer, who
have made progress on helping us keep the implementation of key
priorities.
But a lot of work still remains. The NextGen Advisory
Committee has said the FAA should focus on key areas, including
runway operations, Performance Based Navigation, surface
operations, and data communications.
These four priorities represent consensus between the
industry and the FAA where optimum progress can be made in the
shortest amount of time.
I cannot emphasize how important I believe that is. When
you see the progress that has been made from Greener Skies, you
certainly think why can we not get this as a model that could
be replicated more quickly airport to airport or region to
region, having learned all the pluses--challenges with
implementation, thereby flattening some of those and making it
easier for the next airport to implement. So, I certainly hope
that this is one of the priorities we will move on faster.
This will deliver maximum return on investment for the
taxpayers and the airline industry, and improve the service to
the flying public.
The FAA has promised a report on the path forward for many
of the priorities. We look forward to getting that, I believe
this July, so we will have a chance to ask a little bit about
that today, on data communications and the improvements that
are supposed to be made between air traffic controllers and the
commercial pilots, the Performance Based Navigation system,
using GPS, the Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, ADS-
B, and a variety of other issues about the traveling public and
their smoother, shorter flights.
Obviously, we know that NextGen has the promise of an
estimated 1.6 billion gallons of fuel savings by 2020, and this
will help airlines invest in newer, more fuel efficient, safer
planes, which is also good for domestic manufacturing, and good
for our environment.
We all understand that investments must be made in
infrastructure before associated capabilities and benefits are
realized, and that is why, Deputy Administrator Whitaker, I
appreciate your leadership and what you have brought to the
agency to bring focus to this.
We know there are many challenges you face in implementing
a whole new system in the existing culture.
So, we are all here to help focus on these issues today,
and hope that we can prioritize some of these investments.
One of the areas I mentioned is the implementation of the
Greener Skies initiative in Seattle where Alaska Airlines
partnered with Seattle, Boeing, the FAA, and leveraged Alaska's
pioneering efforts on NextGen and Performance Based Navigation.
Today, there are more Performance Based Navigation
procedures in use than conventional routes, and Alaska's
private investment in research in this field has benefited
passengers throughout the nation, and it is critical that we
continue to fund the research and development that will help
achieve these technically complex capabilities and long-term
goals.
I look forward to hearing from all the witnesses today on
this important endeavor that we are undertaking. Again, thank
you all for your contribution, and now I will turn to the
Ranking Member, Senator Ayotte, for her opening statement.
STATEMENT OF HON. KELLY AYOTTE,
U.S. SENATOR FROM NEW HAMPSHIRE
Senator Ayotte. Thank you. I want to thank the Chair of the
Committee for holding this important hearing.
We can all agree that the Next Generation Air
Transportation System, or NextGen, has the potential to
significantly enhance our Nation's antiquated air traffic
system by making our air traffic management more efficient,
more environmentally friendly, and most importantly, safer for
the traveling public.
There is no doubt that NextGen seeks to reform an
extraordinarily complex air traffic management system. However,
as we will discuss today, according to the U.S. Department of
Transportation Inspector General, the Federal Government has
already spent between $5 billion to $6 billion to build the
foundational elements of NextGen, work that has been ongoing
since 2003.
While recognizing that some progress has been made, I am
concerned that we have yet to see many of the tangible results
from these investments that we are all waiting to see and that
we all support.
Specifically, I am concerned that programs critical to the
foundation of NextGen have experienced cost increases,
performance shortfalls, and have failed to meet scheduled
deadlines.
In addition, while I appreciate that some airlines have
already invested millions of dollars in equipping their
aircraft for NextGen, it is concerning that they are still
waiting to see the benefits of these forward thinking
investments, and I think some people are sitting on the side
lines in the airlines industry as well, because those who have
made investments have not yet seen the return on those
investments.
While I look forward to discussing progress today, I also
want to further identify areas that need improvement, so that
we can work together toward swift and efficient implementation
of NextGen.
I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today about
how Congress, the FAA, and industry can work together to better
address these challenges.
As we develop the next FAA reauthorization bill, it is
critical that members of this committee, particularly this
subcommittee, work together along with our House counterparts,
and all the stakeholders involved with the FAA to get this
right.
It is too important for the country that we move forward
with NextGen implementation as fast as we can, that we really
get back on track, and that we do all we can with all of the
great benefits that we will see from updating this system.
So, I thank the Chair for holding this important hearing,
and I thank the witnesses for being here.
Senator Cantwell. Thank you, Senator Ayotte. Now, we will
go to our witnesses. We will start with you, Mr. Whitaker, and
just go down the line. You each have five minutes.
If you have a longer statement, we are happy to submit it
for the record, and that will give us time to really get into
the questions. So, thank you and welcome.
STATEMENT OF HON. MICHAEL G. WHITAKER, DEPUTY ADMINISTRATOR,
FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION
Mr. Whitaker. Thank you, Chairwoman Cantwell and Ranking
Member Ayotte, Senator Booker. I am pleased to have the
opportunity to be here and highlight the progress the FAA and
industry are making with NextGen.
On June 3, my one year anniversary as the agency's Chief
NextGen Officer, I delivered my first annual report to Congress
as required by the 2012 Reauthorization Act. The report
discusses the significant progress we are making with NextGen
foundational programs and underscores the benefits that NextGen
is delivering now.
For example, this year we completed one of the most crucial
foundational elements of NextGen: the installation of the
ground infrastructure for Automatic Dependent Surveillance-
Broadcast or ADS-B. This represents a key milestone in
transitioning from a ground based radar system to satellite
based GPS technology.
ADS-B enables us to determine an aircraft's location and
track with far greater accuracy than radar. In turn, this
allows us more precise and efficient spacing of aircraft, which
enables airlines to take advantage of the fuel savings in
NextGen procedures.
This technology is also improving our ability to perform
life saving search and rescue operations. Air traffic
controllers have better information about an airplane's last
position, thus helping take the ``search'' out of ``search and
rescue.''
We are also close to completing another major foundational
element of NextGen, the software and hardware upgrades to our
Nation's high altitude air traffic centers. The ERAM program
will be complete next spring, allowing us to decommission the
Legacy system.
Similar upgrades in our approach centers, the TRACONs, also
are on track and will be completed in the major TRACONs by
2016.
In all, we are on track and nearing completion of the
foundational phase of NextGen, the technology upgrades that
will enable future capabilities to more efficiently and safely
manage existing traffic and incorporate new users into the
airspace.
This puts us well on track to having all the ADS-B
foundational technology completed well before the 2020 mandate
for industry to equip with ADS-B Out.
Both the FAA and industry must be held accountable if
NextGen is to succeed. We are fulfilling our part of the
bargain. Airlines and general aviation pilots must do their
part and equip by the deadline to use the system that we have
built.
Let me be very clear. The 2020 deadline is not going to
change. We are in a position to achieve this important
milestone on time. The cost of equipment has come down
considerably. There is sufficient maintenance capacity to allow
all equipage to occur, in fact, waiting to equip might cost
more if aircraft owners crowd repair stations to get work done
on the eve of the deadline.
In addition to the foundational work, we have also made
significant strives in working with the industry to deliver
benefits now.
One of my first actions upon joining the agency was to task
a NextGen Advisory Committee or NAC, to provide industry
consensus on capabilities that may be delivered in the next one
to three years.
The NAC responded with a list in September, and since then
we have worked together to hone in on four NextGen areas that
will be our priority--Performance Based Navigation, surface
operations, multiple runway operations, and DataComm. Each of
these areas can bring benefits to users in the near term.
We are working with industry to craft milestones, agree on
metrics, and track our progress on these initiatives.
Much of this work has already been underway. Just last
week, Secretary Fox and FAA Administrator Huerta announced the
completion of the Houston Metroplex. The Obama administration
selected this project as one of 14 high priority infrastructure
projects, ideal for expedited completion. In 30 months working
with industry, we were able to transform Houston's airspace,
thanks to close collaboration with labor, environmental
streamlining, and concurrent reviews.
We have flipped the switch on 61 new procedures that take
advantage of the precision of GPS technology to untangle the
congested airspace shared by multiple airports. These new
procedures are estimated to save airlines three million gallons
of fuel per year while reducing carbon emissions by 31,000
metric tons. That is the equivalent of removing more than 6,000
cars from the streets of Houston.
We plan to replicate or improve upon these benefits at more
than a dozen other busy metropolitan areas across the country.
The FAA is focused on delivering benefits to airspace users
today while also completing the foundational programs of
NextGen. As these foundational programs are complete over the
next 24 months, we are also focusing on the years beyond--the
deployment of surface DataComm through 2018, and full ADS-B
equipage in 2020.
We are on track with NextGen, but it is important that we
continue to work together, FAA, industry, and Congress, to keep
NextGen funded and moving forward. By working together, we have
the ability to transform our nation's airspace for the benefit
of generations to come.
Thank you for the opportunity to be here and I look forward
to your questions.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Whitaker follows:]
Prepared Statement of Hon. Michael G. Whitaker, Deputy Administrator,
Federal Aviation Administration
Chairman Cantwell, Ranking Member Ayotte, members of the
Subcommittee:
Thank you for the opportunity to appear before you today to discuss
the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen). Through
NextGen, the FAA is changing the way the National Airspace System (NAS)
operates to achieve greater efficiency and predictability in air
travel. NextGen will improve safety and support environmental
initiatives such as reducing congestion, noise, emissions and fuel
consumption through increased efficiency. NextGen will also allow the
NAS to expand to meet future demand, manage a more complex set of
users, and support the economic viability of our country's aviation
system.
NextGen was a key component of the 2012 FAA Reauthorization. We
recently released the Chief NextGen Officer's Report to Congress
detailing the progress we have made in NextGen programs and
capabilities. Since I became Chief NextGen Officer in June 2013, the
FAA has made significant progress toward completing the technological
foundation that allows us to operate the NAS with greater efficiency
and predictability and reduced environmental impact. We have
strengthened our partnerships with key stakeholders, coming to an
agreement on a set of near-term capabilities that both the FAA and
industry will concentrate on over the next three years. And we have
concrete evidence that demonstrates how NextGen works.
We are on the cusp of finishing several key programs that underpin
NextGen. We have completed installation of the ground infrastructure
for Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B), the new
surveillance system that uses GPS signals to determine an aircraft's
location. We are on track to have all 20 en route centers operating
with En Route Automation Modernization (ERAM) by Spring 2015, which
will replace HOST, the computer system the FAA has been using to
control traffic in high-altitude airspace since the 1970s. ERAM enables
many new NextGen capabilities that could not be accommodated by HOST.
By the end of 2016, we expect to have made substantial progress
deploying Terminal Automation Modernization and Replacement (TAMR), a
program that upgrades the automation platform used in FAA facilities
that control low-altitude traffic approaching and departing from our
Nation's airports. ERAM and TAMR will be coupled with ADS-B and other
NextGen programs still in development, such as Data Communications and
a suite of traffic management and decision support tools, to provide
new ways to move users safely and efficiently through the NAS.
NextGen Benefits Are Being Delivered Today
Passengers are already enjoying the benefits of NextGen through
shorter flights, better on-time performance and fewer missed
connections. Air carriers are saving precious minutes and fuel and
reducing aircraft exhaust emissions by taking advantage of more precise
routing. General aviation pilots and other small aircraft operators are
enjoying greater access to more airports across the country,
particularly during poor weather. And air traffic controllers have
access to new tools to help them make the critical decisions necessary
to keep the world's busiest airspace system working as safely and
efficiently as possible.
ADS-B
Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) is a key
component of NextGen, which will move air traffic control (ATC) from a
radar-based system to a more precise satellite-derived aircraft
location system. ADS-B equipment combines an aircraft's positioning
source, aircraft avionics, and a ground infrastructure to create an
accurate surveillance interface between aircraft and ATC. ADS-B
provides air traffic controllers with more accurate information to help
keep aircraft safely separated in the sky and on runways.
ADS-B consists of two different services: ADS-B Out and ADS-B In.
ADS-B Out periodically broadcasts information about each aircraft
operating within the NAS, such as identification, current position,
altitude, and velocity, through an onboard transmitter. With ADS-B,
controllers get an update of aircraft position almost continuously,
compared to every five seconds or longer with radar. The real-time
position information provided to controllers through ADS-B Out is, in
most cases, more accurate than the information available with current
radar-based systems. With more accurate information, ATC will be able
to position and separate aircraft with improved precision and timing,
which leads to enhanced safety, greater efficiency, and ultimately
results in a smoother flow of air traffic.
All users operating in designated airspace must be equipped with
ADS-B Out avionics by January 1, 2020. By that date, all aircraft
flying in designated airspace must be equipped with avionics that meet
performance requirements. The designated airspace includes Class A, B,
and C airspace, as well as Class E airspace areas at or above 10,000
feet mean sea level (MSL) over the 48 contiguous United States and the
District of Columbia, excluding the airspace at and below 2,500 feet
above the surface. This airspace is more complex with relatively
diverse users. The rule also requires that aircraft operating in the
airspace within 30 nautical miles (NM) of the Nation's busiest airports
be equipped with ADS-B Out capabilities. This will enhance safety,
efficiency, and performance around those airports.
Since ADS-B relies on information transmitted from ADS-B Out
equipped aircraft operating in designated airspace, all users operating
in that airspace must be equipped in order for ATC to rely on it. That
is why the FAA has set a firm date by which all aircraft operating in
designated airspace must be equipped. We made a significant investment
in ground infrastructure, and now that installation is complete and we
are finalizing ADS-B connections to the air traffic control automation
platforms, industry equipage is necessary for the full benefits of ADS-
B technology to be achieved.
While only ADS-B Out is required under the rule, many users are
seeing the benefits of universal equipage with ADS-B In and ADS-B Out.
ADS-B In technology allows pilots to see what air traffic controllers
see: displays showing the location of aircraft in the sky around them.
This creates an environment of shared situation awareness that allows
for greater safety and efficiency. Traffic and weather information is
now being sent directly to the cockpit of properly equipped aircraft.
This information alerts them to in-flight hazards and helps prevent
accidents. The three types of ADS-B broadcast services now deployed
are:
Traffic Information Service-Broadcast (TIS-B): This air
traffic advisory service provides the altitude, ground track,
speed and distance of aircraft flying in radar contact with
controllers and within a 15-nautical-mile (nm) radius, up to
3,500 feet above or below the receiving aircraft's position. An
aircraft equipped with ADS-B In can also receive position data
directly from other aircraft broadcasting on the same ADS-B Out
frequency. In addition, TIS-B enables pilots to see aircraft
equipped with transponders flying nearby even if those aircraft
are not equipped with ADS-B Out.
Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Rebroadcast (ADS-R): ADS-R
takes position information received on the ground from
universal access transceiver (UAT)-equipped aircraft and
rebroadcasts it on the 1090 MHz frequency. Likewise, ADS-R
rebroadcasts 1090 MHz data to UAT users. In concert with TIS-B,
ADS-R provides all ADS-B In-equipped aircraft with a
comprehensive airspace and airport surface traffic picture.
ADS-R delivers traffic data within a 15-nm radius 5,000 feet
above or below relative to the receiving aircraft's position.
Flight Information Service-Broadcast (FIS-B): This service
broadcasts graphical weather to the cockpit based on what
ground-based weather radar is detecting. In addition, FIS-B
broadcasts text-based advisories including Notice to Airmen
messages and reports on everything from significant weather to
thunderstorm activity. UAT-equipped general aviation aircraft
can receive this information at altitudes up to 24,000 feet.
The costs of TIS-B and FIS-B services are absorbed by the FAA, so
NAS users, unlike in the airspace controlled by other Air Navigation
Service Providers around the world, do not pay any subscription or
usage fees for traffic, weather, or aeronautical information services.
We are continuing to develop and deploy ADS-B capabilities that
will benefit the aviation community and, by extension, the public in
oceanic, en route and terminal airspace. In 2015, the FAA will
implement ADS-B-enabled In-Trail Procedures in oceanic airspace that
will help airlines save fuel and reduce separation distances. ADS-B is
already being used in the en route environment in Houston and Alaska.
The last en route site will achieve ADS-B IOC by September 2015.
Ground-based Interval Management-Spacing capitalizes on ADS-B to
streamline traffic flows into terminal airspace while Flight Interval
Management-Spacing uses ADS-B to enable more precise spacing between
aircraft.
Performance Based Navigation
Performance Based Navigation (PBN) is a blanket term for more
precise GPS-based navigation methods that allow optimal routing in all
phases of flight. The FAA has been working with stakeholders for many
years on PBN implementation, and today there are more PBN procedures
and routes than there are conventional ones. The agency is now
employing a more systematic and collaborative approach to PBN
deployment through our Metroplex initiative. A metroplex is a
geographic area with several airports and high volume air traffic that
interact in the same airspace. The FAA is actively working to improve
how air traffic flies into, out of and through 13 targeted metroplexes
rather than dealing with airports one at a time. Lessons learned from
this approach are now being applied to all PBN projects across the
National Airspace System (NAS).
We are seeing concrete benefits through this approach. In the
Denver PBN project, the FAA worked with aircraft operators and nine
area airports to create one of the most comprehensive operational
networks of NextGen satellite-based arrivals and departures in the
Nation. This network enables more flexibility and better access to the
airports, which the FAA estimates will save operators approximately 3.2
million gallons of fuel. Overall, approximately 80 percent of all
aircraft that fly in and out of Denver International are equipped to
take advantage of the new procedures, which includes 51 satellite-based
procedures designed to provide more direct routes, de-conflict the
airspace, save fuel and reduce emissions. The project introduced 21
arrivals procedures with optimized profile descents, which allow
aircraft to reduce thrust and glide down to the runway using less fuel
and creating less noise, and two GPS approaches. Twelve additional
sophisticated approach procedures, known as Required Navigation
Performance Authorization Required (RNP AR), went into operations in
late June 2013. These RNP AR procedures provide a more stable but
curved approach, equaling a shorter flying distance. Flying these
approaches requires specific aircraft instruments that direct the
aircraft in a very narrow and precise corridor of airspace. The FAA has
seen an approximate 35 percent decrease in the number of go-arounds
caused by aircraft coming in too high or too fast. Aircraft on the new
arrival procedures are more stabilized on their final approach as they
usually arrive on a more predictable course and speed. That is only one
example of success using a collaborative and systematic approach to
delivering PBN benefits.
We recently completed the Houston Metroplex project, which includes
strategies to streamline the airspace and reduce complexity for air
traffic controllers and flight crews. As part of the program, the FAA
developed 61 new procedures and amended or canceled over 40 existing
procedures to take advantage of the precision of GPS technology. These
improvements will reduce flight miles, save fuel, and reduce carbon
emissions.
In addition to the Metroplex and the large-scale projects, the FAA
continues to implement PBN at other airports across the country,
including Wide Area Augmentation System Localizer Performance with
Vertical guidance procedures that increase access to airports in lower
visibility conditions and are especially helpful to general aviation
pilots.
System Wide Information Management
System Wide Information Management (SWIM) is the digital data
delivery backbone of NextGen, ensuring the right people have the right
information at the right time. Since 2010, NAS users--particularly
airline operations centers--have been accessing weather and other
flight planning information via SWIM, enabling airline dispatchers and
traffic managers to collaborate on the routing and rerouting of traffic
based on real-time information. Users benefit by having access to a
single, comprehensive data feed that contains management initiatives,
airport runway configurations and which airports are in deicing.
In August 2013, Miami Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON)
became the first facility to begin distributing data from the towers
included in its coverage area to an airline via the SWIM Terminal Data
Distribution System (STDDS). STDDS takes raw surface data and converts
it into easily accessible information. The system sends surface
information from airport towers to the corresponding TRACON, which
makes the information available via SWIM messaging services. Airlines
and airports can use this information to streamline surface operations
and increase efficiency. Ultimately, 136 airports will provide surface
information via STDDS at 39 TRACONs to users via SWIM services. The FAA
is planning to unveil several new SWIM capabilities next year,
including Flow Information Publication, which provides subscribers with
access to traffic flow information.
DataComm
Another exciting capability underway is Data Communications (Data
Comm). Data Comm allows us to communicate through written instructions
to pilots, which reduces the possibility of error with radio
communications. More importantly, Data Comm allows us to communicate
highly complex and lengthy clearances, which are currently conveyed
over the radio with read-backs between controllers and pilots to verify
accuracy, by automatically uploading the information digitally into the
aircraft's flight management system. This will ultimately save
operators time and money, and will improve the flexibility and
efficiency of our operations. The FAA has awarded the Data Comm
Integrated Services contract, which will provide for data
communications between airport towers and appropriately equipped
aircraft in 2016. Operational Data Comm trials for departure clearances
are underway in Memphis and Newark.
Reporting NextGen Progress and The Future of NextGen
We have made consistent progress in delivering NextGen in key
areas, first having laid the foundation with ADS-B, ERAM, and TAMR, and
we will be deploying new capabilities through 2020. We will continue to
work closely with stakeholders and industry to ensure that that we are
delivering the operational benefits and taking their input into account
as we set NextGen priorities. We have expanded our public reporting of
NextGen performance through success stories and performance snapshots
on our website. The FAA publishes NextGen-specific metrics at the local
level in order to isolate and identify NextGen improvements at site-
specific locations. Core airports, key city pairs, distance/time/fuel
reduction, runway safety, the implementation and use of NextGen
technology and procedures will continue to be important to
understanding the value and benefits of modernization. Taken together,
these metrics reveal the nationwide impact of NextGen development,
which is already showing benefits.
Next year will be pivotal for the next stage of NextGen, as we make
investment decisions, which are supported in our FY 2015 Budget and
out-year planning documents. We look forward to working with you on
NextGen planning and the upcoming Reauthorization.
Ms. Chairman, this concludes my prepared statement. I would be
pleased to answer any questions you may have.
Senator Cantwell. Thank you very much.
Mr. Hampton?
STATEMENT OF MATTHEW E. HAMPTON,
ASSISTANT INSPECTOR GENERAL FOR AVIATION AUDITS,
OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL,
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
Mr. Hampton. Chairwoman Cantwell, Ranking Member Ayotte,
and members of the Subcommittee, thank you for inviting me to
testify today on the FAA's NextGen program.
As you know, FAA has faced considerable challenges with
NextGen in this very complex effort. We believe FAA is now at
an inflection point and must shift from planning to full
implementation and focus on delivering benefits at specific
locations.
My testimony today will focus on FAA's progress in three
key areas. First, implementing NextGen related provisions of
the FAA Reform Act. Two, responding to NextGen priorities
recommended by the NextGen Advisory Committee, also known as
the ``NAC,'' and three, minimizing risk with implementing
critical automation systems.
Without question, FAA has made progress by implementing
more than half of the Act's 24 NextGen provisions. For example,
last year FAA appointed a much needed Chief NextGen Officer,
Mr. Whitaker here, to oversee the agency's NextGen efforts and
coordinating budgets and plans across the agency.
However, FAA has yet to meet key provisions aimed
specifically at accelerating NextGen. For example, FAA is not
yet in position to mandate that airspace users equipped with
ADS-B In, a system that will display more precise satellite
information to pilots in the cockpit. ADS-B In is considered a
significantly beneficial game changer for unlocking congested
airports, but it is uncertain when this capability can be
implemented and at what cost.
FAA's inability to meet these provisions and deliver
NextGen capabilities are due to a number of underlying
challenges. These include a lack of an executable plan,
evolving requirements, and unresolved complex technical and
operational issues.
We believe some of FAA's difficulties in implementing
NextGen can be addressed by responding to the recommendations
that the NAC made last September. Focusing on NextGen
investment priorities is a long overdue and much needed step,
and a theme of our work over the last two years.
FAA is working with industry to develop milestones and
implementing the prioritized capabilities, but significant
challenges remain.
For example, as we reported last week, FAA has approved the
use of some Performance Based Navigation initiatives, known as
``PBN.'' These procedures can provide airspace users with
significant benefits, such as more streamlined flight paths and
greater fuel efficiency. However, at the 14 large airports
where FAA has implemented advanced procedures, those with
curved and segment approaches to runways, only about 2 percent
of the eligible flights actually use them. This is in part
because FAA lacks an updated policy and procedures for
controllers to handle traffic using both PBN and conventional
means.
FAA's near and mid-term goals for NextGen also depend on
successfully deploying new automation systems that controllers
use to manage air traffic. Despite some progress, FAA continues
to face technical, cost and schedule risks with two programs
that are needed to modernize both the en route and terminal
environment.
For example, FAA is now using the ERAM system, the En Route
Automation System, either full time or part time at 18 of 20
sites that manage high altitude traffic. FAA plans to complete
this $2.5 billion program some time in 2015.
However, two recent major system outages at Los Angeles and
Miami, which caused delays and cancellations of hundreds of
flights, raised questions about the vulnerability and stability
of the system that require urgent management attention.
Also, we are concerned about FAA's $500 million effort to
modernize controller displays and computers that controllers
use to manage airport arrivals and departures at 11 large
airports, including seven of the most active facilities in the
nation, including Atlanta and Dallas-Ft. Worth.
The current cost and schedule parameters are not reliable,
and additional funds will be needed to complete this effort.
Going forward, FAA will need to provide a clear
understanding of how agency priorities are linked to the
budget, and develop a transparent execution plan for moving
forward with the investment priorities, sustained leadership
with clear lines of accountability and authority will be key to
achieving progress.
As the Committee begins deliberating FAA reauthorization,
FAA will need to provide a clear understanding of how much
funding is needed for NextGen, how much money is needed to
sustain the existing NAS, and when that funding profile is
needed.
Chairwoman Cantwell, this concludes my prepared statement.
I would be happy to answer any questions you or Ranking Member
Ayotte or other members of the Subcommittee may have.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Hampton follows:]
Prepared Statement of Matthew E. Hampton, Assistant Inspector General
for Aviation Audits, Office of Inspector General, U.S. Department of
Transportation
Chairwoman Cantwell and Members of the Subcommittee:
Thank you for inviting me here today to testify on the Federal
Aviation Administration's (FAA) progress and challenges in developing
the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen)--a
multibillion-dollar transportation infrastructure project aimed at
modernizing our Nation's aging air traffic system. Since the effort
began almost a decade ago, we have reported on longstanding challenges
and barriers that have limited FAA's progress in delivering NextGen
capabilities, such as the Agency's inability to set realistic plans,
budgets, and expectations, and clearly identify benefits for
stakeholders.
The FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (the act) included 24
provisions intended to help FAA better manage NextGen. In addition, in
September 2013, the NextGen Advisory Committee (NAC)--a joint
Government-industry committee--delivered a report at FAA's request with
recommendations for prioritizing NextGen activities.
My testimony today will focus on FAA's progress in (1) implementing
NextGen-related provisions of the act, (2) responding to NextGen
priorities recommended by the NAC, and (3) minimizing risks in
implementing critical automation systems.
In Summary
FAA has implemented or is on target to implement more than half of
the act's 24 NextGen-related provisions, including appointing a Chief
NextGen Officer. However, FAA has yet to meet provisions intended to
accelerate the development of critical NextGen technologies, including
a key element of the Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B)
program--a cornerstone technology for FAA's goals to transform air
traffic management. FAA's inability to meet these provisions and
deliver NextGen capabilities is due to underlying programmatic
challenges, such as the lack of an executable plan for coordinating
among multiple programs, unresolved complex technical and operational
issues, and ineffective collaboration with industry. FAA is also in the
early stages of responding to the NAC's recommended investment
priorities for advancing NextGen, including establishing performance-
based navigation (PBN). Consistent with our work, the NAC confirmed the
importance of PBN, which can provide significant near-term benefits to
airspace users. However, obstacles such as a lack of updated controller
policies and procedures make it uncertain when users can expect these
benefits. Finally, FAA continues to face technical, cost, and schedule
risks with its efforts to modernize or replace air traffic control
automation systems that are fundamental to achieving NextGen benefits.
More Than Half of the Act's NextGen Modernization Provisions Have Been
Implemented
As we testified in February 2014,\1\ FAA has made progress
implementing the act's NextGen provisions. As of June 2014, FAA has
implemented or is on target to implement 16 of 24 NextGen-related
provisions--including 3 provisions intended to advance new air traffic
procedures and technologies and increase accountability. Specifically:
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\1\ FAA's Implementation of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of
2012 Remains Incomplete (OIG Testimony No. CC-2014-010), February 5,
2014. OIG reports and testimonies are available on our website at
http://www.oig.dot.gov/.
In May 2012, FAA established a program that uses third
parties to develop and test advanced navigation procedures at
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five mid-sized airports.
In October 2012, the Agency completed a multi-agency NextGen
Integrated Work Plan that defines the responsibilities of
partner agencies--such as the Department of Defense and the
National Aeronautics and Space Administration--for conducting
NextGen-related research.
In June 2013, FAA appointed its Deputy Administrator as the
Chief NextGen Officer. The Deputy Administrator will oversee
FAA's NextGen modernization efforts, including coordinating
NextGen budgetary and planning activities across the Agency's
lines of business and with partner agencies.\2\
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\2\ Recognizing the need to better position the Agency to execute
NextGen, FAA announced a major reorganization in 2011. Specifically,
FAA appointed an Assistant Administrator for NextGen, who reports
directly to the FAA Deputy Administrator, and established a new Program
Management Office.
Despite this progress, FAA and the Department have not implemented
key provisions that are intended to accelerate the development of
NextGen technologies and achieve the full range of NextGen benefits.
Most notably, FAA has not carried out important provisions related to
accelerating ADS-B--the foundation for shifting from today's ground-
based radar to NextGen's satellite-based systems. Although FAA has
mandated that all airspace users purchase and install ADS-B Out--
onboard avionics for broadcasting flight information to controllers and
FAA ground systems--it has not issued a mandate for ADS-B In,\3\ which
enables the display of the broadcast information in the cockpit.
Moreover, the Department has not established a public-private incentive
program to encourage users to install NextGen avionics equipment on
aircraft.
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\3\ ADS-B In technology provides pilots with information
transmitted from ADS-B ground stations as well as other aircraft. If an
operator chooses to equip an aircraft with ADS-B In avionics, a
compatible display is needed to view the information.
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The Act directed FAA to begin a rulemaking process for ADS-B In,
with the goal of mandating the new technology by 2020 for aircraft
operating in capacity-constrained airspace. However, technical
requirements for ADS-B In continue to evolve, raising questions about
whether the technology will be available by 2020. A report \4\ by the
ADS-B In Aviation Rulemaking Committee cautioned that the air-to-air
\5\ applications for ADS-B In were not mature and that the costs and
benefits were uncertain. The report also stated that FAA lacks well-
defined policy, equipment standards, certification and operational
approval guidance, procedures, and ground automation--all prerequisites
for a successful rulemaking effort. As a result, it is uncertain when
FAA will be in position to mandate ADS-B In and enhance airport
capacity.
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\4\ ``A Report from the ADS-B In Aviation Rulemaking Committee to
the FAA,'' September 30, 2011.
\5\ Air-to-air as it relates to ADS-B refers to communication of
flight information between two or more ADS-B In-equipped aircraft to
improve situational awareness while in flight.
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While FAA explores options for NextGen rulemaking initiatives, the
Agency has taken some near-term actions to advance ADS-B. FAA is
providing funding for airlines to purchase ADS-B equipment, and has
entered into partnerships with several U.S. airlines to develop and
demonstrate ADS-B In applications and procedures. For example, U.S.
Airways plans to install ADS-B systems in 20 Airbus A330 aircraft to
assess the use of cockpit displays in maintaining proper spacing
between aircraft on arrivals. FAA expects some elements of the
demonstrations to be completed in 2017.
As we reported in February 2014,\6\ FAA's failure to meet
congressional and industry expectations for NextGen is largely due to a
number of barriers, such as the lack of an executable plan for
coordinating among multiple programs, unresolved complex technical and
operational issues, and ineffective collaboration with industry. FAA's
NextGen plans--which initially estimated completion by 2025 at a cost
of $40 billion--lack sound strategies for implementing a system that
could handle three times more traffic while reducing FAA's operating
costs. Moreover, FAA's organizational culture--which is highly
operational, tactical, and safety-oriented--has been slow to embrace
NextGen's transformational vision. Gaps in leadership have further
undermined the Agency's efforts to advance NextGen. These weaknesses
have contributed to stakeholders' skepticism about NextGen's
feasibility and airspace users' reluctance to invest in costly
equipment.
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\6\ Addressing Underlying Causes for NextGen Delays Will Require
Sustained FAA Leadership and Action (OIG Report No. AV-2014-031),
February 25, 2014.
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The extent to which FAA realigns and consolidates the Nation's air
traffic control facilities will be another important component of the
Agency's NextGen efforts. In compliance with the act, in December 2013,
FAA provided Congress with a plan for consolidating and realigning its
air traffic facilities. The plan, developed collaboratively with the
National Air Traffic Controller Association and Professional Aviation
Safety Specialists, institutes a new process for evaluating and
recommending realignments of its terminal facilities. However, the plan
is less comprehensive than the Agency's previous plans that we reviewed
in 2012,\7\ as it does not include a process for realigning and
consolidating facilities that manage high-altitude traffic.\8\
Regardless, as we recommended in 2012, it will be important for the
Agency going forward to establish sound metrics to determine whether
facility realignments and consolidations will result in measurable cost
savings, operational efficiencies, and productivity enhancements.
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\7\ The Success of FAA's Long-Term Plan for Air Traffic Facility
Realignments and Consolidations Depends on Addressing Key Technical,
Financial, and Workforce Challenges (OIG Report No. AV-2012-151), July
17, 2012.
\8\ En route centers guide airplanes flying at high altitudes
through large sections of airspace.
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FAA Is Working With Industry To Implement High-Priority NAC
Recommendations But Challenges Remain
The success of FAA's efforts to implement NextGen depends on the
Agency's ability to set priorities, deliver benefits, and maintain
stakeholder support. To address some of these challenges, FAA is
working with industry to implement the prioritized NextGen capabilities
recommended by the NAC, which include performance-based navigation
(PBN) \9\ due to its great potential for providing near-term benefits
to airspace users. Although FAA has important PBN efforts under way,
the Agency faces obstacles that make it uncertain when airspace users
can expect widespread benefits.
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\9\ PBN is a blanket term for more precise GPS-based navigation
methods that allow optimal routing in all phases of flight.
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FAA Is Working With Industry To Develop a Plan With Milestones for
Implementing Prioritized NextGen Capabilities
In July 2013, FAA requested that the NAC \10\ review the Agency's
NextGen implementation plans and recommend investment priorities,
citing uncertainty around funding for NextGen projects. The NAC
delivered its report in September 2013 and identified industry's top
NextGen priorities based on planned benefits and implementation
readiness.
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\10\ The NAC is a Federal advisory committee that develops
recommendations for NextGen portfolios with an emphasis on the midterm
(through 2018). The NAC includes representation from affected user
groups, including operators, manufacturers, air traffic management,
aviation safety, airports, and environmental experts.
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Consistent with our work, the NAC ranked PBN as the top activity
that FAA should continue regardless of its budget situation.
Introducing new PBN procedures, such as Area Navigation (RNAV) and
Required Navigation Performance (RNP),\11\ is critical to achieving
near-term NextGen benefits, including more direct flight paths,
improved on-time aircraft arrival rates, greater fuel savings, and
reduced aircraft noise. Other activities that top the NAC's list
include unlocking closely spaced parallel runway operations, enhancing
airport surface operations through data sharing, and developing
capabilities for merging and spacing aircraft to increase PBN use.
These priorities are in line with prior NAC recommendations and a
Government-industry task force.\12\
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\11\ RNAV is a method of navigation in which aircraft use avionics,
such as Global Positioning Systems, to fly any desired flight path
without the limitations imposed by ground-based navigation systems. RNP
is a form of RNAV that adds on-board monitoring and alerting
capabilities for pilots, thereby allowing aircraft to fly more precise
flight paths.
\12\ In 2009, an FAA-commissioned RTCA task force made 32
recommendations to advance NextGen and stated that focusing on
delivering near-term operational benefits, rather than major
infrastructure programs, would help gain industry confidence in FAA's
plans and encourage users to invest in NextGen. RTCA, Inc. is a
private, not-for-profit corporation that functions as a Federal
advisory committee.
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FAA is working jointly with industry to develop milestones for
implementing the prioritized capabilities, which require operators to
make changes to their aircraft and flight operations centers, as well
as provide additional pilot training. Specifically, FAA and the NAC
have established ``integrated'' work groups to identify specific
locations for delivery, timelines for implementation, metrics for
measuring benefits, and cost estimates for each of the capabilities.
The work groups have been meeting since April 2014 and are working
toward an interim report in July 2014, followed by a master
implementation plan in October 2014 that will include commitments from
both FAA and industry for the next 1 to 3 years.
However, reaching these commitments may prove difficult as airspace
users focus on ``capabilities,'' while FAA focuses on programs and
infrastructure. Airspace users also want near-term operational benefits
but FAA's delays in defining NextGen benefits have deepened industry's
reluctance to invest. Moreover, FAA has not always provided a clear
understanding of how it will manage and execute implementation and what
it will take to deliver these efforts--particularly in managing complex
interdependencies among programs, such as PBN and controller automation
systems, to minimize risk.
According to FAA officials, the Agency does not plan to adjust its
budgets since the current capital funding level will accommodate these
investment priorities without trade-offs at this time. We will continue
to monitor FAA's efforts with setting NextGen priorities in our ongoing
review of the Agency's progress in responding to the NAC's
recommendations.\13\
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\13\ OIG Audit Announcement, ``Review of FAA's Response to the
NextGen Advisory Committee's (NAC) Recommendations on NextGen
Priorities,'' February 27, 2014.
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FAA Faces Obstacles in Implementing New PBN Flight Procedures To
Optimize Near-Term Benefits
As it works to develop milestones for implementing the NAC's
priority capabilities, particularly PBN, FAA will need to continue its
efforts to implement recommendations we made to address barriers
identified by our office, FAA, and the NAC. Although FAA has introduced
more than 100 RNP procedures at large airports, preliminary data \14\
indicate that RNP use is low, particularly at busy airports, such as
those in the New York City area. Notably, at the 14 large airports \15\
where FAA has implemented advanced PBN procedures with curved
approaches to runways,\16\ only about 2 percent of eligible airline
flights \17\ actually used them.
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\14\ FAA tasked MITRE to obtain and analyze data to measure the use
of PBN procedures and quantify their benefits. MITRE Corporation
manages a research and development center for FAA, the Center for
Advanced Aviation System Development.
\15\ The 14 large airports are Baltimore-Washington International,
Chicago Midway, Denver International, Fort Lauderdale International,
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, JFK International and
LaGuardia in New York, Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul International,
Newark Liberty, San Francisco, Seattle-Tacoma, and Dulles and Reagan
National in Washington, D.C.
\16\ Curved approaches to runways improve the use of airspace by
allowing aircraft to avoid critical areas of terrain or conflicting
airspace, thus increasing capacity.
\17\ An eligible flight is one in which (1) the aircraft was
authorized to fly the RNP procedure and (2) the flight was in a
position to join the procedure.
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Several obstacles have undermined FAA's efforts to increase use of
PBN procedures. For example, according to a March 2012 FAA internal
study and a June 2013 NAC report,\18\ controllers at busy metroplex
locations lack automated tools to manage mixed operations--that is,
merging aircraft using straight-in approaches with those on curved
paths. Other reported obstacles include the lack of clearly defined
operational goals for designing PBN procedures, outdated controller
procedures, and the lack of standard training for pilots and
controllers. In 2012, FAA tasked a team with developing an action plan
to address these obstacles, but it remains unclear as to when they will
issue a report on the team's plan.
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\18\ NextGen Advisory Committee in Response to Tasking from the
Federal Aviation Administration, ``Recommendation for Increased
Utilization of Performance Based Navigation (PBN) in the National
Airspace System (NAS),'' June 2013.
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Further, it is uncertain when airspace users can expect widespread
benefits. In 2010, FAA launched its metroplex initiative--a 7-year
effort to improve the flow of traffic and efficiency at congested
airports in 13 major metropolitan areas.\19\ While FAA is in the study
or design and implementation phase at 9 of 13 metroplex locations, it
has only recently implemented new PBN procedures for one location--
Houston, TX. According to FAA, airline procedure design and other
issues have caused delays at other metroplex sites ranging from 2
months to over 1 year.
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\19\ The 13 metroplex locations are: Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte,
Chicago, Houston, Memphis, Northern California, North Texas, Phoenix,
Southern California, Washington, D.C., Cleveland/Detroit, and South/
Central Florida.
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According to FAA, the launch of new procedures at Houston in May
2014 was a success; however, the Agency will not know the extent of
benefits realized until it completes its 6-month post-implementation
assessment. As we reported in August 2012,\20\ industry representatives
expressed concerns that FAA's metroplex initiative will not maximize
benefits because the Agency has not integrated efforts from other
related initiatives, such as better managing airport taxiway, gate, and
parking area operations. They also stated concerns that FAA has not
provided enough advanced PBN procedures--specifically, those that
regularly allow for more precise and curved approaches.
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\20\ Challenges With Implementing Near-Term NextGen Capabilities at
Congested Airports Could Delay Benefits (OIG Report No. AV-2012-167),
August 1, 2012.
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As we reported last week,\21\ efforts to introduce more advanced
routes have been impeded by the lengthy development and approval
process for new PBN procedures. In September 2010, FAA reported
numerous problems with the process, such as the lack of an expedited
method for approving procedures that require only minor revisions,
inaccurate interpretations of environmental policies and guidance, and
data inconsistencies. To address these problems, FAA made 21
recommendations for streamlining the process for deploying new
procedures in an internal review--the NAV Lean project.\22\ In June
2011, FAA issued its plan for executing the 21 recommendations and to
date has implemented 9. However, FAA does not expect to complete the
entire NAV Lean initiative until September 2015. Ultimately, industry
will not get the full benefits of NAV Lean--to decrease the time it
takes to implement new procedures by more than 40 percent--until all
recommendations are implemented.
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\21\ FAA Faces Significant Obstacles in Advancing the
Implementation and Use of Performance-Based Navigation Procedures (OIG
Report No. AV-2014-057), June 17, 2014.
\22\ NAV Lean was a cross-agency project to streamline policies and
processes used to implement instrument flight procedures in response to
a 2009 joint FAA-industry task force report recommendation. FAA used
the ``Lean Management Process'' to identify areas of waste.
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We made three recommendations to help mitigate barriers to PBN
implementation and expedite the development of new procedures,
including completing an action plan, establishing firm requirements and
schedules, and measuring benefits regularly.
Significant Risks Remain In Implementing Critical NextGen Automation
Systems
FAA's goals for NextGen in the near-and mid-term also depend on the
success of its ongoing efforts to deploy new automation systems that
controllers use to manage air traffic. However, despite recent
progress, FAA continues to face technical, cost, and schedule risks
with both its En Route Automation Modernization (ERAM) program--an over
$2.5 billion system for processing en route flight data--and the
Terminal Automation Modernization/Replacement (TAMR) program--FAA's
effort to modernize terminal air traffic control facilities.
FAA Made Progress With ERAM But Recent Outages Have Exposed
Vulnerabilities
FAA's long-term NextGen goals, such as increasing airspace capacity
and reducing flight delays, depend on fully implementing the ERAM
program. ERAM, which processes flight data to allow controllers to
manage traffic at en route air traffic facilities, is a key foundation
for realizing the benefits of NextGen's transformational programs, such
as new satellite-based surveillance systems and data communications for
controllers and pilots.
Following extensive software-related problems that resulted in
significant delays and cost increases, FAA has made progress with ERAM
over the last 2 years. The Agency is now using ERAM at 18 of FAA's 20
en route air traffic facilities either on a full- or part-time basis--a
significant step forward given the extensive problems at the 2 initial
sites. FAA plans for all 20 sites to achieve full operational
capability and to decommission \23\ the legacy system by 2015.
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\23\ Decommissioning involves the disconnection, removal, and
disposal of the HOST legacy computer system once ERAM has been declared
operationally ready at a site.
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However, as FAA continues to deploy ERAM to the Nation's busiest
facilities, such as those in New York City and Washington, D.C., it
expects to identify new problems that could further impact cost and
schedule. FAA is currently spending about $10.4 million a month on the
ERAM contract.\24\ Also, FAA has already approved an additional $160
million for ERAM enhancements through 2016 to help address site-
specific issues.
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\24\ This includes both capital and operations funding but does not
include NextGen efforts, which are also funded against the same
contract.
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In addition, controllers and experts continue to raise concerns
about ERAM's capabilities. While these issues are not expected to delay
ERAM's expected 2015 completion date, they will need to be addressed
for the system to support most NextGen initiatives. Two capabilities
raise most stakeholder concerns:
Flight Plan Trajectory Modeler--This capability models
aircraft flight paths to predict aircraft conflicts and to
ensure accurate handoffs between controllers as they
communicate with pilots who transition to airspace controlled
by another facility. However, the modeler software has often
required adjustments to change the flight plan trajectory to
ensure accurate handoffs. According to controllers,
improvements are needed to support current operations and
NextGen capabilities that use trajectory-based operations.\25\
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\25\ Trajectory-based operations focus on more precisely managing
aircraft from departure to arrival with the benefits of reduced fuel
consumption, lower operating costs, and reduced emissions.
Aircraft Tracking and Sensor Fusion--This capability allows
ERAM to integrate--or ``fuse''--multiple radars and satellite-
based information for controllers. However, thus far,
controllers have not been able to take advantage of this
improved capability because of problems accurately integrating
radar and satellite data. A MITRE analysis found that the ERAM
tracker will require adjustments to use ADS-B and radar
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together to manage air traffic.
Moreover, two recent major system outages at two sites exposed new
vulnerabilities in the ERAM system. The more severe outage occurred on
April 30, 2014, at the Los Angeles Center and resulted in a significant
disruption in air traffic control operations that impacted thousands of
travelers. According to FAA, the outage was triggered by a flight plan
for an Air Force aircraft flying at an extremely high-altitude--60,000
feet--far above normal airline travel. This situation triggered an ERAM
software glitch that caused the system to attempt to alter other
aircraft flight plans, which overloaded the system for about 2 hours.
Though less severe, ERAM also experienced an outage at the Miami center
in February 2014 that caused delays or cancellations of hundreds of
flights.
FAA is working to address the root causes of these outages, has
made emergency modifications to the ERAM software, and plans to include
a more permanent fix in the next software release due later this year.
Nevertheless, these outages raise questions about the long-term
stability and security of the system, as well as its ability to support
NextGen capabilities. It remains uncertain when ERAM will be stable
enough to remove the back-up legacy system as FAA intends.
FAA Faces Significant Cost, Schedule, and Technical Risks in
Modernizing or
Replacing Automation Systems at Terminal Facilities
FAA's TAMR program aims to modernize or replace all of the
automation systems that controllers rely on to manage traffic at
terminal facilities with a single automation platform--the Standard
Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS). If effectively
implemented, TAMR is expected to reduce Agency costs and facilitate the
implementation of NextGen capabilities. TAMR's current effort involves
modernizing automation systems at 11 terminal facilities, 7 of which
are the largest and busiest in the Nation. FAA estimates this effort
will cost $438 million and will be completed between 2015 and 2017.
However, as we reported in May 2013,\26\ the Agency faces
significant cost, schedule, and technical risks to modernize these
facilities. Specifically, FAA has yet to identify and finalize all
software and hardware requirements that are needed to successfully
replace the existing automation system \27\ with STARS. Finalizing
these requirements involves extensive software development and
testing--a lengthy and potentially costly process should issues arise
during testing. FAA is currently developing software to address 94
requirements gaps but anticipates identifying more gaps once it begins
transitioning to STARS at the busiest facilities. Moreover, because
full STARS capability at the 11 terminal facilities is still years
away, FAA continues to add new capabilities to existing systems at
select facilities to support air traffic operations. The longer FAA
maintains and updates existing systems at these sites, the greater the
implementation and cost risk because FAA will have to add the same
capabilities to STARS.
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\26\ FAA's Acquisition Strategy for Terminal Modernization is at
Risk for Cost Increases, Schedule Delays, and Performance Shortfalls
(OIG Report Number: AV-2013-097), May 29, 2013.
\27\ Common Automated Radar Terminal System (CARTS-IIIE) is the
existing automation system currently at the 11 large terminal
facilities.
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Furthermore, FAA's current cost and schedule estimates for its TAMR
effort are not reliable. For example, FAA's approved program schedule
does not include detailed milestones for software testing and
implementation, and was not assessed for risk per Agency requirements.
In addition, FAA's experience deploying STARS at the first site at
Dallas Fort Worth Terminal Radar Approach Control (DFW TRACON) facility
is proving more difficult than expected. According to FAA, DFW TRACON
achieved initial operating capability (IOC),\28\ however, software
requirements remain unstable. FAA has identified 46 additional
requirements that will be needed to ensure STARS provides at least the
same capabilities as the existing system at the site. FAA also
determined that meeting the unique needs of the other 10 sites requires
more enhancements or modifications than originally planned. As a
result, the true timelines and costs to modernize terminal automation
systems remain unknown, and FAA will likely have to secure additional
funds for the program.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
\28\ Initial Operating Capability (IOC) is the milestone in which
controllers begin to use the system on a limited basis to manage
traffic.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
We made a number of recommendations to better and more cost-
efficiently manage FAA's terminal modernization efforts. FAA generally
agreed with our recommendations and has begun working to address them.
Conclusion
NextGen is a complex undertaking that will continue to pose
challenges to FAA for years to come--challenges that have been
exacerbated by unrealistic plans, budgets, and expectations for key
NextGen programs. Going forward, FAA will need to provide a clear
understanding of Agency priorities to decisionmakers and stakeholders
and how the priorities are linked to its budgets. Most importantly, FAA
must develop a reasonable and transparent action plan with firm
commitments on milestones and metrics for measuring benefits--essential
for building stakeholder confidence. Sustained leadership with clear
lines of accountability and authority will be key to accelerating
NextGen progress. We remain committed to monitoring FAA's NextGen
efforts and identifying opportunities to improve implementation.
Chairwoman Cantwell, this concludes my prepared statement. I am
happy to answer any questions you or other members of the Subcommittee
may have.
Senator Cantwell. Thank you, Mr. Hampton. We certainly
appreciate your report. It is very helpful, so we will have
questions for you.
Mr. Rinaldi?
STATEMENT OF PAUL RINALDI, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL AIR TRAFFIC
CONTROLLERS ASSOCIATION
Mr. Rinaldi. Thank you, Chairwoman Cantwell, Senator
Ayotte, members of the Committee for the opportunity to testify
before you today.
My name is Paul Rinaldi. I am the President of the National
Air Traffic Controllers Association, NATCA. NATCA represents
20,000 air traffic controllers, engineers, aircraft
certification specialists, and other aviation safety
professionals.
As the working men and women who make up our nation's air
traffic control system, our members are dedicated to furthering
the public's interest and preserving and promoting and
continuing to run the world's safest, most efficient airspace
system.
Our dedication is evident in our long history of supporting
new technology, modernization, and enhancing our nation's
complex and diverse aviation system.
NATCA is a strong supporter of NextGen modernization
projects currently underway, and we believe that these programs
provide much needed improvements in enhanced efficiency and
increase in safety of the national airspace system.
NATCA is proud to be an active, involved stakeholder and
applauds this committee for including stakeholder involvement
provisions in the 2012 FAA reauthorization bill. The success of
collaboration with the FAA and other aviation stakeholders on
the NextGen Advisory Committee and RTCA has greatly improved
the efficiency of the NextGen modernization process to the
point that we are now seeing tangible results.
So, the good news is there is progress out there, and it is
benefiting the users of the national airspace system. Some of
the highlights--optimization of airspace and procedures in the
Metroplex, we call ``OAPM.''
The FAA has recently implemented 61 new procedures through
the OAPM process in Houston. These procedures will affect all
aircraft around the Houston Metroplex and allow aircraft to be
flown more efficiently with fewer altitude holds and speed
restrictions.
This will save millions of dollars in fuel each year,
reducing the carbon footprint and eliminating noise on the
environment. These procedures are comparative to you being on
the highway setting your car at 55 miles an hour and never
hitting the brakes until you get to your destination.
This was a monumental task with a complete collaborative
effort between the airlines, the pilots, the controllers, and
FAA.
Another area we are seeing success is re-categorization of
wake turbulence separation standards, we call ``RECAT.''
Experts in wake turbulence, safety, and risk analysis have
determined the decrease of separation between similar type
aircraft is as safe or safer than current standards. RECAT has
the capacity of enhancing safety, reducing delays, saving fuel,
and reducing aviation's environmental impact.
Memphis was the first facility to apply these new standards
on November 1, 2012. Federal Express Airlines has been pleased
with the results. Departure delays were reduced by 74 percent
within the first week of implementation. Controllers have been
very supportive of this technology and the tools that help them
identify the weight categories of each airplane.
We have rolled RECAT out to three other airports and we are
seeing similar type benefits, and we look to expeditiously roll
it out across the country.
These are just a few examples of the benefits of NextGen,
but I must say the aviation community and the FAA all see
valuable benefits of modernization, and we believe if they
continue the current practice of stakeholder collaboration,
especially with the front line workforce, we will continue to
see timely progress on many of these NextGen projects and
improve the safety and efficiency of the national airspace
system.
The bad news is we are very concerned about the
inconsistency and the unstable funding. In the past year alone,
the government shutdown and mandatory sequester cuts have
resulted in furloughs at the FAA and slowed and halted several
essential NextGen projects, including ERAM and TAMR.
ERAM and TAMR are the backbone of NextGen modernization.
They are our platforms, and without updating our platforms,
nothing else will work. When they are delayed, it is a domino
effect, and all other programs will be delayed.
Funding uncertainty has created a stop and go pace at the
FAA. When you don't know what you are going to have three
months from now, six months from now, or even trying to plan
year to year, this causes delays and adds cost overruns to many
projects.
Along with stable funding, we would also like to see
streamlining of the rulemaking process at the FAA. This is
needed to be a priority, to take advantage of new procedures
and equipment of NextGen. The long, laborious process currently
in place wastes valuable time.
NATCA believes these changes of stable funding and
streamlining the rulemaking process along with continued
stakeholder involvement are needed in order to successfully
implement NextGen across this country.
Madam Chairwoman, I thank you for the opportunity to
testify in front of you today. I look forward to answering any
questions you or the Committee may have.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Rinaldi follows:]
Prepared Statement of Paul Rinaldi, President, National Air Traffic
Controllers Association
The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) is the
exclusive representative of close to 20,000 aviation safety
professionals, including more than 14,000 air traffic controllers
serving the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Department of
Defense (DOD) and the private sector. In addition, NATCA represents
FAA's Alaska flight service specialists, FAA engineers, traffic
management coordinators, aircraft certification professionals, agency
operational support staff, regional personnel from FAA's logistics,
budget, finance, acquisitions, and information technology divisions, as
well as agency occupational health specialists, and medical program
specialists.
Air traffic controllers are dedicated to ensuring that our National
Airspace System (NAS) is the safest and most efficient in the world. In
order to maintain that safety and efficiency, our controllers work to
improve safety procedures, modernize the NAS, and promote new
technology. We have professional controllers involved in nearly every
modernization and Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen)-
related program the FAA is currently working on. Controller skills are
put to work every day as they handle an impressive volume of flights--
air traffic controllers separate more than 70,000 flights each day,
safely moving nearly two million passengers through our skies daily.
Air traffic controllers handle these flights in the busiest and most
complex airspace in the world with roughly 5,000 planes in the sky at
any given moment.
Executive Summary
NATCA is a strong supporter of the NextGen modernization projects
currently underway. We believe these programs are much-needed
improvements that will increase the safety and efficiency of the NAS.
NATCA is proud to be an actively involved stakeholder, and applauds
this Committee for its work in including a stakeholder involvement
provision in the 2012 FAA Reauthorization Act. The success of our
collaboration with the FAA and other aviation stakeholders has greatly
improved the efficiency of the NextGen modernization process.
At the same time, NATCA is concerned about the lack of stable
funding for these important NextGen modernization projects. In the past
year, mandatory sequestration cuts have resulted in furloughs at the
FAA that slowed and halted several essential NextGen projects,
including En Route Automation Modernization (ERAM), Data Communications
(DataComm), and Terminal Automation Modernization and Replacement
(TAMR). ERAM is the backbone of NextGen modernizations. When ERAM is
delayed, other projects are also delayed in a domino effect. Funding
uncertainty has also created a stop-and-go pace that adds cost overruns
as air traffic controllers must be retrained each time a project is
halted--lost time becomes lost money, and lost opportunity to reap the
benefits of these modernizations.
Today we would like to highlight the immediate effects that
unstable funding has had on NextGen. Specific projects such as ERAM,
TAMR, DataComm, and Performance Based Navigation (PBN) have all faced
setbacks in the last year due to the April 2013 furloughs and the
October 2013 government shutdown. These projects rely on stable funding
in order to plan for test dates, training, and implementation of new
procedures. Without stability, they lose time and money.
This testimony will also provide an overview of several NextGen
projects that are already showing beneficial results. NATCA believes
that with the benefit of stable funding we will continue to reap the
benefits of NextGen modernization projects, such as: the Optimization
of Airspace & Procedures in the Metroplex (OAPM); Automatic Dependent
Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B); Wide Area Multilateration (WAM); PBN;
Re-Categorization of Separation Standards (RECAT); DataComm; and the
Equivalent Lateral Spacing Operations (ELSO).
The successes of these projects demonstrate the benefits of NextGen
and why Congress should prioritize stable funding that allows for the
projects to be completed. For example, Houston has successfully
implemented a total of 61 new procedures through OAPM (this includes 50
new procedures and 11 modified or amended procedures). These procedures
will affect the airspace around Houston and allow aircraft to be flown
more efficiently with fewer altitude holds and speed restrictions. The
airlines' fuel savings from the implementation of Houston's OAPM are
projected to be $9.2-$26 million each year.
ADS-B in the Gulf of Mexico is already improving safety and
efficiency. Controllers and pilots have benefitted tremendously from
ADS-B. Aircraft flying westbound from Florida have been able to reduce
delays because they can now remain in radar control when deviating
south of course due to weather. In addition, helicopters flying to the
oil platforms in the Gulf are delayed less frequently during poor
weather because controllers are able to see them on radar now instead
of working a manual non-radar grid system.
Newark Airport has been conducting a trial of issuing clearances
via DataComm. We anticipate benefits such as more efficient
communication between pilots and controllers, fewer mistakes, and
faster communication time, which saves valuable time when an aircraft
is being rerouted.
Again, NATCA believes that NextGen will increase the safety and
efficiency of the NAS, and hopes that Congress adequately funds the
programs so all aviation stakeholders reap the benefits of
modernization.
Next Generation Air Traffic Control System
NextGen is the FAA's effort to modernize the Nation's air traffic
control system. NATCA fully supports NextGen modernization, which will
allow the FAA to meet increased demand while improving the safety and
efficiency of the NAS, reducing delays, and protecting the environment.
According to the FAA's vision, NextGen will enable more aircraft to
safely fly closer together on more direct routes, reducing delays,
carbon emissions, fuel consumption, and noise.
NextGen projects are transforming the national air transportation
system by using new and existing technologies including satellite
navigation and control of aircraft, advanced digital communications,
and enhanced connectivity between all components of the NAS.
NATCA is proud to be involved in all aspects of the process as an
essential stakeholder. NATCA and the FAA both recognize that
stakeholder involvement is the key to continued success to NextGen. We
applaud the Committee for their efforts to ensure this collaboration
through the stakeholder involvement provision in the 2012 FAA
Reauthorization Act. In addition to being present on NextGen projects,
NATCA is represented as a member of the RTCA, the FAA Management
Advisory Council (MAC), and the NextGen Advisory Committee. Our
presence, as well as that of other industry leaders, has been an
important addition to the discussion on modernization.
Full Funding Is Essential for NextGen
NATCA supports NextGen modernization projects and believes
controllers and end users, including the traveling public and airlines,
are already seeing benefits from these projects. Recent improvements in
collaboration among all aviation stakeholders have resulted in smoother
planning, development, testing, and implementation of many projects.
However, while collaboration has greatly improved, it cannot
overcome the negative consequences of unstable funding. We continue to
see cost overruns and delays, which are certainly compounded when
Congress is unable to provide stable, predictable funding. The April
2013 furloughs, created by sequestration-mandated across the board
budget cuts, created significant delays not just to aircraft, but also
to important NextGen projects. The October 2013 government shutdown
further compounded those delays. In order to continue benefiting from
these modernization projects and seeing the results, Congress must
provide stable and predictable funding to the FAA.
In addition to unstable funding, NextGen is also hindered by an
aging physical infrastructure. The FAA has had difficulty keeping up
with repairs for the physical air traffic control towers, and lagging
maintenance creates difficulties to teams working to develop and deploy
NextGen technology.
Between the week-long furlough of employees at the FAA in April
2013 and the Federal Government shutdown in October 2013, the FAA lost
time and money on several of its key projects. In both cases the FAA
was required to suspend activities on many key programs, sending
controllers working on these projects back to their facilities to work
traffic or in some cases furloughing them. Timetables had to be pushed
back, which increased costs and delayed other project timelines.
Specific Delays Due to Funding Lapses in 2013
En Route Automation Modernization (ERAM): ERAM, which is the
backbone of NextGen modernization, will replace the 40-year-old
En Route Host computer and backup system used at 20 FAA Air
Route Traffic Control Centers nationwide. The FAA has been
spending a significant amount of money to maintain and update
two systems simultaneously in order to continue running the NAS
at full capacity. ERAM was initially scheduled to fully replace
the old system in August 2014. As a result of the April 2013
furloughs, that completion date has been pushed to March 2015,
a delay that will cost in excess of $42 million.
With the funding uncertainty of the last 12 months, the FAA has
attempted to reduce delays to ERAM for as long as possible by
stretching budgets in an effort to avoid cancelling testing and
training. They also sought to save money by cancelling
controller training trips to the FAA Technical Center (Tech
Center). By October 2013, the FAA had to cancel several tests
at key centers because previous delays made them impossible to
go forward. For example, if Fort Worth Air Route Traffic
Control Center (ARTCC or Center), Boston Center, and Memphis
Center were unable to complete their tests in October, the
training that had been completed by their controllers would go
stale, meaning that all participants would need to be
retrained. The retraining takes time and adds significant
additional cost. For example, New York and Washington Centers
had begun training their workforce for ERAM Operations prior to
the shutdown. They were scheduled to begin ERAM operations in
December 2013. The delay in their training has affected the
entire program by adding up to four additional months to the
current completion date of March 2015. The delays in
implementation cost $6 million per month.
Terminal Automation Modernization and Replacement (TAMR):
This program is modernizing the air traffic control systems at
the Nation's major airports as well as every Terminal Radar
Approach Control (TRACON) in the country. TAMR is scheduled to
replace some radar systems that are nearly 50 years old. Nearly
all of the Nation's 253 terminal facilities will be affected by
TAMR. TAMR's mission is to combine and upgrade multiple air
traffic control technologies to a single, state-of-the-art
platform called the Standard Terminal Automation Replacement
System (STARS), which will maintain the safety and increase the
efficiency of the NAS.
Sequestration cuts and the 2013 government shutdown caused a ripple
effect for TAMR testing and deployment. Several projects were
delayed by months, and installations were postponed as a
result. The TAMR project team worked with a skeleton group
during the October 2013 shutdown. Due to economic uncertainty,
the FAA sent its subject matter experts back to controlling
traffic, which halted installations and tests, training
development, and training. All of these aspects were expensive
to shut down, reschedule, and finally restart. Essentially, the
cost and ramifications of the shutdown are just now being fully
realized. The consequences of installation and procurement
delays, along with the rescheduling of nearly every program
activity is far-reaching, and the cost has been estimated at as
much as $10 million per month. However, since the shutdown
ended the program has worked feverishly to recover lost time
through collaboration.
TAMR is now in full deployment and technical refresh mode in all
three phases, having recently installed STARS at Dallas, Boise,
Kalamazoo, and Allentown, and conducted technical refresh
upgrades at Philadelphia and Miami. NATCA subject matter
experts (SMEs) are working in all areas of this program and
finding solutions to problems that have plagued modernization
efforts in the past. Installation of equipment as well as
modernization efforts are underway at literally dozens of
TRACON facilities across the country including: Northern
California, Southern California, New York, Atlanta, Denver,
Chicago, Louisville, St. Louis, Minneapolis, Potomac, Austin,
Billings, Tampa, Seattle, Salt Lake, Orlando, and more. NATCA
SMEs have contributed to the success of this program and an
incredible number of acquisition program baseline goals are
being reached on or ahead of schedule as a result.
The reasons for TAMR's recent successes are many, but can only be
accomplished with a steady funding commitment. The program and
FAA are poised for monumental success like never before
provided that the adequate resources continue to be made
available. Staying the course and finishing this project is
vital to facilitate many NextGen programs.
Optimization of Airspace & Procedures in the Metroplex
(OAPM): Also known as Metroplex, OAPM works to increase the
efficiency of airspace by improving procedures. These changes
will provide economic benefits for airlines, as well as fuel
savings that are beneficial for the environment. We know from
initial testing at the Washington, D.C. location, for example,
that annual fuel savings are exceeding estimates and could be
as much as $19 million each year, and a reduction of 75,000
metric tons of carbon. Thus the real cost is the lost
opportunity for efficiency and sustainable economic benefits
for end users such as airlines. The shutdown halted progress
that was being made at nine test sites across the country.
Listed below are two examples of the impacts of the April 2013
(which lasted one week) sequestration furloughs and the October
2013 shutdown (which lasted 16 days).
The Southern California test site was due to begin final
implementation of procedure changes in December 2014. Due to
the April and October 2013 stand down of the teams, the
implementation date was delayed to February 2016. Those delays
prevent estimated savings of $10-16 million a year in fuel, and
34,000-78,000 metric tons of carbon. A significant part of the
delays due to the fact that although the teams may have been on
hold for only one or two weeks at a time, they require months
to reassemble.
The Houston test site was due to begin final implementation in
December 2013. That was delayed until May 2014 due to the April
2013 furloughs. Houston has just begun using its new procedures
(discussed later), but without the shutdown and furloughs, it
could have begun cost and fuel savings six months earlier.
When Fully Funded, NextGen is Already Showing Results
While NextGen has struggled with funding uncertainty, there are
also success stories of modernization projects that have already been
implemented across the country. These changes assist our controllers in
increasing efficiency and capacity of the NAS while maintaining the
highest safety standards. Below are a few such examples of how NextGen
projects are already benefiting the NAS:
1. Houston--Optimization of Airspace & Procedures in the Metroplex
(OAPM): OAPM study teams rely on current aircraft navigation
capabilities to enhance airport arrival and departure paths,
provide diverging departure paths to get aircraft off the
ground more quickly, and add more direct, high-altitude Area
Navigation (RNAV) navigation routes between metroplexes. These
changes reduce fuel consumption, providing economic benefits
for airlines as well as benefits for the environment.
Houston is an example of a success story. However, while the
Houston test site was due to begin final implementation in
December 2013, it was delayed until May 2014 due to the April
2013 furloughs. Through the collaboration and hard work of the
facilities in the Houston area, a new type of air traffic
control began on May 28, 2014. A total of 61 new procedures (50
new procedures and 11 modified or amended procedures) were
implemented for Houston Center (ZHU), Houston TRACON (I90),
Houston Intercontinental Airport (IAH), and the satellite
airports including David Wayne Hooks Memorial (DWH), William P.
Hobby (HOU), George Bush Intercontinental (IAH), and Sugar Land
Regional (SGR).
United Airlines is the main carrier at IAH, with Southwest being
the focus carrier at Houston Hobby Airport (HOU). These
airlines will see the most benefits from the implementation of
procedures that allow aircraft to be flown more efficiently
with less altitude holds and speed restrictions. The deployment
of the Houston OAPM should be the playbook for future
implementations. The airlines' fuel savings from the
implementation of Houston's OAPM are projected to be $9.2-$26
million each year.
2. Gulf of Mexico--Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-
B): ADS-B, one of the cornerstone components of NextGen, is a
form of surveillance that will replace traditional radar as the
primary surveillance method in the NAS. ADS-B involves the
broadcast of the GPS-derived position report of an aircraft or
vehicle. As this technology continues to evolve and aircraft
equip with ADS-B Avionics, controllers will see an increase in
surveillance coverage not provided by traditional radar
sources. At this time, the FAA has completed the physical
infrastructure of the ADS-B network. Even more importantly,
they have successfully integrated ADS-B data into existing ATC
automation systems, meaning that air traffic controllers can
see the new ADS-B information.
The benefit of having increased surveillance coverage is limited
to the number of aircraft that have certified Minimum
Operational Performance Standards (MOPSB) avionics (this meets
the certification requirements in the FAA ADS-B Mandate of
2020). As of May 31, 2014, the installation of FUSION has
reached over 30 facilities and Houston ARTCC (ZHU) is using
ADS-B in the Gulf of Mexico. For many years non-radar control
was the only option for controllers when working air traffic
through and in the Gulf of Mexico. As ADS-B became a reality,
controllers and pilots have benefitted tremendously from this
technology. Aircraft flying westbound from Florida have been
able to reduce delays because they can now remain in radar
control when deviating south of course due to weather. In
addition, helicopters flying to the oil platforms in the Gulf
are delayed less frequently during poor weather because
controllers are able to see them on radar now instead of
working a manual non-radar grid system.
3. Colorado--Wide Area Multilateration (WAM): WAM is an independent,
cooperative surveillance technology based on the same time
difference of arrival principles that are used on an airport
surface. Several ground-based receiving stations listen to
signals transmitted from an aircraft and then mathematically
calculate its position in three dimensions. This data is
transmitted to screens viewed by air traffic controllers for
separation of aircraft. WAM can interface to terminal or en-
route automation systems.
WAM is beneficial in locations with limited visibility. For
example, controllers at Denver Center (ZDV) were handicapped
when providing air traffic control services because they lacked
radar services below 17,000 feet. With the deployment of WAM,
controllers can actually see the aircraft moving on the surface
of many airports and aircraft remain in radar control for their
entire flight. This has two very significant consequences for
controllers: controllers are able to reduce separation due to
the elimination of non-radar procedures and new procedures that
reduce departure delays are being created thanks to better
surveillance.
4. Phoenix--Performance Based Navigation (PBN): The development and
implementation of PBN will create more defined routing for
aircraft, which ultimately increases the number of aircraft
that controllers can direct. These new procedures will improve
the fuel efficiency for the airlines and create safer and more
efficient procedures for air traffic.
In Phoenix, aircraft arriving from the east were being delayed or
given excessive vectors due to traffic congestion. Teams
consisting of the FAA, NATCA, and the users met to establish
PBN/RNP procedures that have shown benefits to the airlines,
business jets, and general aviation aircraft by modifying the
flight routes and avoiding that congestion.
While Phoenix is a case study in the benefits that PBN can give to
the aviation industry as a whole, the government shutdown had a
tremendous effect on PBN projects across the country because
the schedule for designing and implementing PBN procedures is
precise and any delay causes procedures to slip to future
production dates. Every time this happens the new benefits are
lost for that time period and it affects other procedures in a
domino effect. A lot of time and effort--and therefore money--
was spent in assessing what procedures could be developed and
implemented along with their timelines.
As a result, everything had to be rescheduled. Some projects
slipped and some procedures were cancelled. Each time something
like this happens, funding has been wasted because the work has
to be redone to meet requirements. Many benefits have already
been lost and will continue to be lost due to unstable funding.
5. Memphis--Re-Categorization of Separation Standards (RECAT):
Experts in wake turbulence, safety, and risk analysis have
determined that decreasing separation between similar type
aircraft is as safe, or safer than, current standards and
increases efficiency and capacity, meaning that like other
NextGen projects, RECAT has the capacity to enhance safety,
reduce delays, save fuel, and reduce aviation's environmental
impact.
Memphis Tower and TRACON were the first facilities to apply the
new standards on November 1, 2012. The recategorization of Wake
Turbulence is one of the most beneficial improvements when
comparing the cost of implementation with the savings by the
users. In Memphis, FedEx has been pleased with the results.
Departure delays were reduced by 74 percent in the first week
of implementation. Controllers have been very supportive of
this technology and the tools provided to them identifying the
weight category of each aircraft.
6. Newark -Data Communications (DataComm): DataComm will reduce
frequency congestion by allowing the controller and pilot to
communicate directly via digital communication (much like a
text message). It will also reduce confusion because the
message will be in print form and not copied over the
frequency. A majority of these messages will be integrated into
the flight deck avionics to help save time and remove issues of
incorrect data entry.
One beneficial application of DataComm is evident during severe
weather, when an aircraft may receive several different routes
within a period of 30 minutes. With DataComm, revised routes
can be sent with a few clicks to the flight deck, saving
valuable time as the aircraft is rerouted. This is especially
helpful when there is a language barrier that could occur with
non-English speaking pilots. DataComm also benefits surface
operations by saving time, which reduces the backlog that could
otherwise occur when aircraft are holding for a departure
clearance.
Newark Airport (EWR) has been conducting a trial of issuing
clearances via DataComm. While the program has a long way to
go, it is apparent the benefits of this initiative will be
substantial for controllers and users.
The 2013 government shutdown affected ERAM implementation, which
in turn affected the schedule of implementation of DataComm
functionality at the NAP (National Application Processor) Realm
in Atlanta ARTCC (ZTL). The NAP Realm contains the logic for
aircraft logons. There are two NAP Realms, one at Salt Lake
Center and the other at Atlanta Center. If one fails, the other
is used as a backup. This means that the key site, Salt Lake
City Tower (SLC), will not have logon redundancy in the event
of a failure, and controllers would have to abandon DataComm
functionality and revert to voice communication.
7. Atlanta--Equivalent Lateral Spacing Operations (ELSO): ELSO is a
procedure that enables the world's busiest airport to depart
aircraft on diverging course much closer than in the past.
ELSO, developed by the Mitre Corporation in 2011, added two
departure routes at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International
Airport (ATL) due to an updated separation standard. The
introduction of ELSO at ATL enables simultaneous and successive
diverging departure operations by creating two departure tracks
for each runway end during normal runway operations. When the
weather is not conducive or the pilots are unwilling or unable
to fly the RNAV routes, controllers revert back to the standard
divergence. The angle between departure routes decreased from
15 degrees to 10 degrees, and the time between departures was
reduced from two minutes to one minute, taking advantage of
RNAV technology. Controllers at ATL now clear between eight and
twelve more planes for departure each hour. Controllers rely on
ELSO to expedite departures at this busy airport. The airlines
serving ATL have experienced reduced delays and controllers
have a more predictable course that is set for the aircraft.
Initial reports are positive from both pilots and controllers.
The advantages of ELSO have somewhat of a domino effect. Because
ELSO reduces the need for a triple departure configuration at
ATL, there is a reduction in controller workload. This also
spurs fuel and time savings for departing aircraft.
NATCA Recommendations
The aviation community and the FAA all see the value and benefits
of NextGen modernization projects. We are working collaboratively to
complete testing and implementation of some key programs, as described
above. At this time, NextGen needs assurances from Congress that it
will provide stable and predictable funding for the duration of the
projects. Below are NATCA's formal recommendations for how Congress can
assist the FAA, NATCA, and other stakeholders in successfully
completing NextGen modernization projects.
Stable and Predictable Funding: NextGen must be fully funded
through the regular appropriations process. Attempting to fund
these projects with continuing resolutions, or worse, not at
all, as happened during the October 2013 shutdown, has
significant detrimental effect on NextGen progress.
Continued Collaboration: Congress and the FAA should
continue to focus on collaboration and stakeholder involvement
in order to set and reach realistic deadlines.
Streamlining the Rulemaking Process: The FAA's long and
laborious rulemaking process costs valuable time. Changes are
needed in order to streamline the rulemaking process to better
implement new efficiencies.
Senator Cantwell. Thank you, Mr. Rinaldi. Thank you very
much for being here.
Mr. Beck, welcome. We look forward to your testimony.
STATEMENT OF GARY BECK, VICE PRESIDENT--FLIGHT OPERATIONS,
ALASKA AIRLINES
Mr. Beck. Thank you, Chairwoman Cantwell, Ranking Member
Ayotte, and members of the Subcommittee. My name is Gary Beck
and I am the Vice President of Flight Operations for Alaska
Airlines. It is my pleasure to testify today on the safety
impact and efficacy of NextGen programs, specifically the
Greener Skies initiative.
I also serve as the Co-Chair of the NextGen Implementation
Working Group, and I am on the Subcommittee of the NextGen
Advisory Committee. I am appearing today in my Alaskan
Airlines' capacity.
Greener Skies began in 2008 to improve the efficiency of
flights landing at SeaTac Airport, thereby reducing fuel usage,
carbon emissions, and noise pollution. Greener Skies is the
evolution of a long term initiative of Alaska, started in the
mid-1990s, to use Required Navigation Performance or RNP
technology to improve safety, enhance sustainability, and
decrease the environmental impact of our flight operations.
Alaska was the first U.S. air carrier to invest in RNP and
we are further along than any other airline in using these
technologies to benefit our customers and our partners.
Greener Skies seeks to increase airspace efficiency by
implementing rule changes so that aircraft can approach the
airport with substantially reduced separation and do so from
straight and curved paths.
This is occurring in two phases. First, we have instituted
new arrival procedures that take the aircraft from cruising
altitude to a few thousand feet above the ground. Second, we
are pursuing a rule change that will address the aircraft's
final approach from that lower altitude all the way to the
runway.
The new protocols allow the aircraft to make a continuous
descent rather than requiring it to level off intermittently.
Basically, NextGen arrivals are akin to an airplane sliding
down the banister rather than taking the stairs. The impacts so
far have been significant. The new procedures have cut 17 miles
from previous flight paths.
That may not sound like much, but when considering that an
estimated 30,000 aircraft fly this arrival path each year, that
is from all airlines, not just Alaska, we can expect a
reduction in CO2 emissions from the decreased fuel
usage equivalent to removing 4,100 automobiles from the road.
When considering the growth in air traffic forecasts for
Seattle, the benefits will only increase.
Despite these advancements, phase two of Greener Skies has
encountered set-backs in its approval process. It is time to
extend these benefits all the way to the runway.
As an early adopter and champion of these initiatives,
Alaska Airlines hopes we can count on congressional support to
advance three key issues. My written testimony expands on these
requests.
First, approve the FAA rule change for ``Established on
RNP,'' allowing aircraft to approach the runway on NextGen
flight paths. Two, publish and implement the amended RNP
approach procedures to ensure they are used to their fullest
extent as quickly as possible. Three, support an FAA post-
implementation benefits analysis of the Greener Skies
initiative to provide verifiable data on the benefits and
impact of the program.
The airline industry benefits greatly from NextGen policies
and procedures, and Alaska Airlines has been a strong proponent
of their implementation. Safety, environmental stewardship, and
customer satisfaction all follow from these initiatives.
We could be doing much more. We depend upon your support
and our continued partnership with the FAA to ensure that
NextGen and the Greener Skies initiative create as much benefit
as possible.
This concludes my oral testimony, and I am pleased to
answer any questions from the Committee.
[The prepared statement of Mr. Beck follows:]
Prepared Statement of Gary Beck, Vice President--Flight Operations,
Alaska Airlines
Chairwoman Cantwell, Ranking Member Ayotte, and members of the
Subcommittee:
My name is Gary Beck and I am the vice president of Flight
Operations for Alaska Airlines. It is my pleasure to testify today on
behalf of Alaska Airlines on the safety, impact and efficacy of NextGen
programs, specifically the Greener Skies initiative. In addition to my
role at Alaska Airlines, I also serve as the co-chair of the NextGen
Implementation Working Group focused on expanding the use of
Performance-Based Navigation across the country, and I am on the
subcommittee of the NextGen Advisory Committee. I submit today's
testimony in my Alaska Airlines capacity.
I. Background on the Greener Skies Initiative
Greener Skies began in 2008 as a partnership between Alaska
Airlines, The Boeing Company, and the Port of Seattle. Our goal was to
improve the efficiency of flights landing at SeaTac airport, thereby
reducing fuel usage, carbon emissions and noise pollution. Greener
Skies is the evolution of a long-term initiative at Alaska to use
Required Navigation Performance (RNP) technology to improve safety,
enhance sustainability and decrease the environmental impact of our
flight operations.
Alaska has long been a pioneer in integrating RNP technologies into
our operations. Our work in this area can be traced back to the mid-
1990s when we used RNP-guided flight paths to direct our aircraft
operating out of the Juneau airport, a location known for its bad
weather and mountainous terrain. The challenges posed by the Juneau
environment spurred our entrance into this space, leading Alaska to
invest early in innovative technologies that could help us more
reliably and safely serve communities throughout the state of Alaska.
In so doing, our corporate leaders took a risk in being the first major
U.S. air carrier to invest in RNP, an unproven technology at that time.
That risk was certainly worth taking, and because of that early work
Alaska is further along than any other airline in using these
technologies to benefit our customers and partners.
From its inception at the Juneau airport, we have taken RNP
technologies to the next level with the Greener Skies initiative. In
2010 the FAA, with whom we have a long history of successful
collaboration, declared our project in Seattle a NextGen initiative.
The primary objective of the project was to study the feasibility of
two instrument approach streams to parallel dependent runways (runways
separated by 2,500 to 4,300 feet) with:
one aircraft arriving on a straight-in flight approach,
an adjacent aircraft arriving on a curved path to a parallel
runway,
and both considered ``established'' on the approach, with at
least one of the aircraft using NextGen guidance technology.
Today, aircraft must be separated by 1,000 feet vertically or three
nautical miles laterally until they are ``established'' on straight-in
final segments to dependent parallel runways. One of the key goals of
NextGen is to implement rule changes that allow aircraft to be
established on both curved and straight-in paths, allowing for reduced
separation between the aircraft of just 1.5 nautical miles diagonally.
The key benefit of reduced separation is increased airspace efficiency.
Thirteen airports in the National Airspace System (NAS) would benefit
from this rule change.
The initial phase of the Greener Skies initiative was to develop
and implement two Area Navigation (RNAV) arrivals and six RNP
approaches. In navigational parlance, arrivals are published flight
procedures that take the aircraft from its cruising altitude to a much
lower altitude, typically a few thousand feet, in the airport vicinity.
Approaches are procedures that take the aircraft from that position all
the way to the runway. The primary benefit of the NextGen procedures is
that they allow the aircraft to make a continuous decent rather than
requiring it to level off intermittently. A helpful analogy is that
NextGen arrivals are akin to the plane sliding down the banister rather
than taking the stairs.
In the summer of 2013, after several years of exhaustive trials,
training, safety assessments and FAA airspace negotiations, we were
able to publish and implement the two arrival procedures outlined in
phase one of Greener Skies (HAWKZ and MARNR). We overcame some initial
challenges and at the end of August, with support of the FAA, all
qualified and equipped aircraft and airlines arriving in Seattle from
the north, south, and west began using the NextGen arrival procedures.
This success continues today.
We are currently in phase two of Greener Skies, and our objective
is to obtain a waiver to the Air Traffic Control Handbook that would
allow the implementation of the ``Established on RNP'' procedure. This
mechanism will allow for the reduced separation of 1.5 miles between
approaching aircraft, and for those aircraft to approach on both
straight-in and curved paths. This reduction in separation is a key
factor in reaping the full benefits of the Greener Skies initiative.
II. Benefits of Greener Skies
We have seen significant positive impacts from the implementation
of our two RNAV arrival procedures. For aircraft landing to the south,
the HAWKZ procedure provides a 17-mile savings over previous landing
procedures. That may not sound like much, but when considering that an
estimated 30,000 aircraft fly this arrival path each year (from all
airlines, not just Alaska), the fuel burn reduction quickly adds up.
With an average of 44 gallons of fuel saved per flight, we can expect
1.3 million gallons of annual savings for aircraft arriving Seattle.
Early modeling shows an expected reduction in CO2 emissions
equivalent to 4,100 automobiles. And when considering the growth in air
traffic forecast for Seattle, the benefits will only increase.
Additionally, we have worked closely with the Port of Seattle to
ensure the procedure designs do not affect the Port's long-standing
noise-abatement corridors. The flight procedures are optimized to
concentrate flights over Puget Sound and compatible land uses, reducing
the number of people who experience aircraft overflights. Greener Skies
has allowed Alaska to continually find innovative ways to serve our
customers, the communities in which we work and reduce our
environmental impact.
III. Challenges
Our integration of NextGen programs has been a marked success. But
despite these benefits, we face challenges in fully implementing
NextGen and ensuring our initiatives have the greatest positive impact
they can. We have experienced significant success implementing the two
new arrival procedures as part of phase one of the Greener Skies
initiative. But the second phase, which will deepen the impact of this
program by optimizing our approach protocols in tandem with the arrival
procedures, has encountered setbacks in its approval process. In short,
the benefits we gain during the decent from cruising altitude to the
beginning of our final approach are considerable; extending those
benefits all the way to the runway is our next goal.
As an early adopter and champion of these initiatives, Alaska
Airlines hopes we can count on Congressional support to advance three
key issues:
a. Approve the FAA rule change for ``Established on RNP''
The rule changes that follow from the ``Established on RNP'' waiver
are crucial to NextGen implementation. Roadblocks exist in this
space, in many cases understandably. But approval of the rule
change is a necessary first step to ensure the beneficial
impacts of NextGen.
b. Publish and implement the amended RNP approach procedure
Though the approach procedures were published in 2013, they are not
fully used--with the notable exceptions of the Denver and
Portland airports. These procedures must be amended and fully
implemented. We currently foresee a minimum two-year delay from
initial publication, which further stalls the benefits of
NextGen. Additionally, continuity in the teams developing these
procedures will reduce the time to implementation.
c. Support an FAA post-implementation benefits analysis of the
Greener Skies initiative
It is important that we have verifiable data on the benefits and
impact of the Greener Skies initiative. We have begun culling
that data ourselves, but we ask the FAA to take a leadership
role in developing a benefit analysis in order to validate the
metrics we use to measure the impact of Greener Skies.
IV. Conclusion
The airline industry benefits greatly from NextGen policies and
procedures, and Alaska Airlines has been a strong proponent of their
implementation. Safety, environmental stewardship and customer
satisfaction all follow from these initiatives. But we could be doing
much more. Arrival procedures have seen dramatic improvement. But we
have an opportunity to make further progress by integrating our
approach procedures with those arrival protocols. We depend upon your
support and our continued partnership with the FAA to ensure that
NextGen and the Greener Skies initiative are as impactful at the
national and local level as we know they can be.
Senator Cantwell. Thank you. We will start a round of
questioning of 5 minutes each from my colleagues.
I think in just summarizing where I see this discussion
because all of you have added some very good input, I think the
public first of all does not understand all the acronyms and
what it all means, they just know the promise that we keep
saying this is going to deliver to them in more fuel efficient
planes.
And it looks like half of the money we have spent so far is
on this ERAM system, which is supposedly, on its way, I guess
might be a way of saying it.
But I guess my question is, you know, we have this almost
chicken and egg situation with the industry. On one end, Mr.
Beck has moved--his airline has moved--very quickly in
establishing even prior to this, a Greener Skies navigation
system, again, focused on the terminal end, but you know, made
the investment, moved ahead.
I guess what I am saying is we want to see more of a
partnership with the FAA and industry, because industry also
needs to make these same implementations, but if that
progress--I am not sure ``stalemated'' is the right word, but
delayed--then where we are right now is we have spent $5
billion, the industry may not be moving fast enough, it wants
to move faster, so we are kind of doing an across the board
let's implement each aspect of the software as opposed to maybe
the most leveraged things.
Now I know the ERAM system is one of the most leveraged
things that we have to get done, but when I look at this end of
the table, Mr. Beck, I think well, why not implement as the
NextGen Advisory Committee suggested, making Performance Based
Navigation a very, very high priority, and why not implement
across the country a more rapid deployment of the system.
So, my understanding is we have the Metroplex in--is it
Dallas?
Voice. Houston.
Senator Cantwell. Houston, that is going to go next, but
then the next set, it is going to take us like six years to
implement. Can't we move faster at getting these Performance
Based Navigation systems in place sooner while we are working
obviously on the back end system, because they obviously did
not need the ERAM system before they started making changes.
So, I guess what I am asking, and I would love everybody's
input, are there some more low hanging fruit that brings in the
actual partnerships faster and the actual realized savings
faster than just saying to the taxpayer we are going to spend
another $5 billion before we see the major benefits?
So, anybody who wants to answer that.
Mr. Whitaker. Yes, thank you, Chairwoman Cantwell. If I can
start, I think communicating about NextGen has been one of our
great challenges, and one of the things we are focused on is to
try to improve that communication, and part of that
communication is to point out that we are very close to
completing that foundational phase.
Regardless of whether this was going to be called NextGen''
or something else, we were operating the air traffic control
system with equipment from the 1970s and the 1980s, and it had
to be upgraded, and a big portion of NextGen was to upgrade all
that equipment.
So, we are closing in on the completion of that, and that
will enable additional technologies, but the other focus has
very much been, at least in the last year, on working with
industry through the NAC, understanding the priorities, and
then trying to match those priorities with our budget and our
capabilities, and what is ready to be rolled out.
PBN is clearly front and center in that. The Houston----
Senator Cantwell. Performance Based Navigation.
Mr. Whitaker. Yes, Performance Based. ``Metroplex'' is even
a better term. The Houston Metroplex has been a great success,
and the new routes are achieving an 80 percent usage rate, so
we have ironed out some of the issues about usage. We are
seeing a very successful program. We are receiving e-mails from
pilots who are raving about it versus other problems they have
experienced in the past.
Senator Cantwell. Great, so why not move up that deployment
more rapidly, because my understanding of what is going to
happen is we are going to see them come online and then over
the next 4 years, we will see like a little dribble of----
Mr. Whitaker. So, we have a dozen more in the next three
years, and we have, I think, a pretty aggressive schedule. The
issue is that every airport is different, every airspace
redesign is different.
So, we have certainly learned lessons from Greener Skies
and from other efforts, but we feel that Houston really shows
all of those efforts coming together, and I know Paul can
comment on that. We had a very close collaboration, and I think
that collaboration has been what has made it so successful.
So, there have been learnings from the past, but it is
clearly a focus of the NextGen Advisory Committee and the FAA.
Senator Cantwell. Anybody else want to comment on that?
Mr. Rinaldi. I would like to, Chairman. Mike Whitaker is
absolutely correct. Houston is completely different but what we
have now is a good play book to move forward. Houston took
somewhere between 18 months and 24 months to develop, and
instead of doing one or two approaches like we did with Greener
Skies in Seattle, we did the whole Metroplex, 61 procedures.
Monumental task. We did not know how that was going to work.
Controllers trained right up to the last day, and the way
they were working airplanes and the way the pilots were flying
the airplanes the day before, on May 28, changed with a snap of
the fingers at six in the morning on May 29.
It was a huge success. We now have a good platform where we
don't just change one or two procedures within Seattle, but
maybe we can go back in there and actually re-do all of the
procedures within Seattle and see the benefits.
So, I think getting Houston under our belt and actually
having that platform gives us the ability to be successful.
North Texas will be next, and then we will start looking at
Southern California and Northern California also.
Senator Cantwell. Thank you. Senator Ayotte?
Senator Ayotte. I want to thank all of you for being here.
Mr. Whitaker, I love that we share New Hampshire as home, so
thank you for being here, I appreciate it.
I wanted to follow up on Senator Cantwell's question about
the PBN, Performance Based Navigation procedures, so we are not
all using acronyms.
As I understand the IG's recommendation, in terms of what
the Chair has asked about more quickly implementing these
measures across the country, I read his report to say that he
has recommended that you complete an action plan and develop
milestones to increase the use of the PBN procedures.
So, could you comment on that, and I hope you will commit
to doing that, because as you had the experience you were
talking about in Dallas and taking those lessons from it, and
looking to what was the absolutely great point the Chair made,
how do we accelerate this procedure across the country?
I would love to hear your response to what they recommend
so that we can take those lessons and more quickly move forward
with this so people can really see the tangible benefits of
NextGen.
Mr. Whitaker. Thank you, Senator. We have looked at the
work that the IG has done on PBN, Performance Based Navigation,
as well as the NAC. The NAC has a working group that focuses
just on implementation, because it is such a high priority, and
we are fusing the results of that work into action plans around
how to execute more efficiently.
I will say that we have reached a tipping point. We have--
over half the routes are now PBN routes. When we first started
this process, I think we had a bit of a first come/first serve
basis, rather than having a holistic plan for implementation.
So, we are going through the previous routes and culling
out ones that do not have utilization or may somehow clog the
system, and then we are focused on much more of a holistic
national plan for the route network.
Metroplex is a big part of that because that allows us to
get at some of the congestion most efficiently. The PBN
implementation is a key focus of the NAC and clearly a priority
for us as well.
Senator Ayotte. Mr. Hampton, do you have a comment on this
discussion, having obviously looked at this in your report?
Mr. Hampton. Yes. The FAA did concur with our
recommendation, and they fully understand the importance of
PBN. However, I want to point out that maximizing the benefits
of Performance Based Navigation relies on a couple of things.
One is adjusting the Controller Handbook, and that was done in
Houston, and a lot of work is underway, I would say roughly
half of the 15 ones on target have been completed.
So, you need an integrated approach. Not only that, you
need training for the controllers at that specific facility.
That will help maximize the benefits. At some point, there will
be an additional controller tool set that will be needed to
help them better manage aircraft.
I think what you will see coming out from the NAC report
and FAA's response is a very integrated approach to developing
PBN. You need all the pieces to line up to deliver the
benefits, and I think the FAA is working very well with
industry and the controllers in that regard.
Senator Ayotte. Mr. Hampton, I wanted to follow up with you
on some of the other findings that you had in the report.
You talked about the measures that have been implemented
and talked about the things FAA has done, but I also saw a
number of issues that you raised in your report, including slow
progress in meeting deadlines and implementing core components
of the program, cost increases and schedule delays, and long-
standing programmatic and organizational challenges.
So, is this a funding issue or is this an issue that is
focused on what needs to be done from the FAA, and can you help
me understand how we deal with some of the issues that I see in
your report that are obviously independent of funding?
Mr. Hampton. Thank you for the question. The problems that
we have seen with NextGen and execution are not traceable to an
issue of funding.
Congress had provided FAA in the neighborhood of between $5
billion to $6 billion for NextGen. In the 2008-2009 time frame,
the appropriators gave more money than FAA requested to
accelerate key NextGen technologies.
Money may be an issue going forward, but in the past, it
was not. We do recognize that the sequester did cause some
disruptions to FAA programs, but by and large, money has not
been a problem with the execution of NextGen. It is more
traceable to defining requirements and developing an executable
plan.
Senator Ayotte. Is that the number one issue, you think,
defining requirements and----
Mr. Hampton. Yes, that is the root cause of most of the
problems with NextGen. Another point is integrating and
developing capabilities at specific locations. I think the FAA
is getting to the point now in response to the NAC focusing on
a set of priorities.
The priorities the NAC recommended--Performance Based
Navigation, surface operations, closely spaced parallel
runways, and DataComm, DataComm is a little further off--
represent--are pretty good places to go. There are
opportunities for tremendous benefits.
So, it is a question of focus. FAA cannot afford to advance
NextGen on a broad front, but rather on a more focused and
concentrated way, and I think their budgets and plans need to
reflect that.
Senator Ayotte. Thank you.
Senator Cantwell. Thank you. Senator Booker?
STATEMENT OF HON. CORY BOOKER,
U.S. SENATOR FROM NEW JERSEY
Senator Booker. Can you repeat what you just said? You said
the FAA cannot afford to do it on a broad front?
Mr. Hampton. Let me rephrase that. The past plans were
relatively unconstrained, and that hurt FAA's ability to
actually execute. I think it is the best practice throughout
business and industry to focus on several key areas and execute
them, go to the areas that have the most positive return on
benefit.
Senator Booker. So, help me understand, just for my
concern. The airport systems in the region of the country in
which I am in, in New Jersey, Newark Liberty is the fifteenth
busiest airport in North America, and once you combine that
with JFK and LaGuardia, you have now got the busiest airport
system in the entire United States, which makes us one of the
busiest airport systems globally.
So, my concern is with the numbers of near misses, the
challenges we have--Mr. Rinaldi and I have talked about
staffing issues and the like--safety is the number one concern
that I have.
While I am thrilled about the long-term impact that the
implementation of NextGen will have, I mean extraordinary
benefits environmentally, and I can go on, I am very, very
concerned about the speed with which we are addressing the
issues in the Newark Liberty Airport area.
You hit right to the root of what my concerns were, which
is why are we moving as slow, why can we not move faster? So,
you are telling me it is not a funding issue at all?
Mr. Hampton. In the past, it has not been a funding issue.
We did a report last year and it focused on some of the causes.
Chief among them was an inability to define requirements,
developing an executable plan, and an agency culture that was
resistant to embracing the NextGen culture and change, and
making significant changes in how air traffic is managed.
Senator Booker. So, lack of a plan, some technical issues?
Mr. Hampton. Correct.
Senator Booker. These are the issues that have been sort of
causing the slow pace going backward, but as you look at the
advancing forward--let's go with the next year to 2 years, is
the funding that we are looking at--because right now, the
Fiscal Year 2015 budget submitted to Congress contains around a
$174 million shortfall compared to the Fiscal Year 2014 related
to the NextGen budget.
I look at that discrepancy, and I am wondering if the
research and development portion, which was cut approximately
$43 million--is this causing a strain basically in terms of the
FAA's ability to address the challenges?
I do not mind if Mr. Whitaker or Mr. Hampton answers that.
Again, I am proud of New Jersey's role. I mean, you know,
the facility in Atlantic City, we are focused really on the
DataComm technology that you discussed, and I am really proud
of the role my state is playing in all this.
But again, that budget differential, how is that going to
impact the future implementation?
Mr. Hampton. On that question, sir, thank you very much.
That is the point we have made, is going forward, it is very
important for the FAA to clearly lay out what its requirements
are in terms of funding for NextGen, sustaining the NAS, and
also what the key R&D elements that still have to be done to
advance some of the more advanced concepts. I think that is an
important question particularly as FAA reauthorization comes
forward.
The FAA has to balance sustaining the existing system,
running the system, which they do very well, and introducing
new capabilities. I think it is paramount that the FAA gives
this committee a clear understanding of what its resource
requirements are. I think that is essential.
Senator Booker. Mr. Whitaker?
Mr. Whitaker. Thank you, Senator. If I may just comment, I
think one area--one challenge we have with NextGen--is that
people do not realize it was designed as a twenty-year
endeavor. So, if you look at our funding stream, 20 years, $20
billion program, the first time we hit that funding level was
2009. So, we are not that far down the path as it was laid out.
One of the areas where we do not agree with the IG is that
we view this as an endeavor that you approach in segments. You
do not have to define all of the details of what is going to
happen in 2025. We take it in segments, and as those segments
complete, we start focusing more on the second segment.
We have had discussions back and forth for quite a while
with the IG over this approach. We follow the OMB approach with
respect to that.
But it is important that we keep it funded at the
appropriate level.
Senator Booker. So, the differential in funding is a
concern of yours?
Mr. Whitaker. All of these programs--the individual
components are six to eight year programs, and you have to make
investment decisions going forward. If you do not have funding
predictability, it is very hard to do that. We do not want less
money and we do not want more money. We want the amount of
money that was built into the program so we can execute.
Senator Booker. So, in the final seconds I have two things.
One is the clarity of funding requests seems to be what Mr.
Hampton is saying in terms of a plan to understand, because
again, I feel like a little bit, pun intended, that I am flying
blind in terms of understanding what the future needs are.
Is this differential in funding really something I should
concern myself with or not, and the conflicting testimony I am
hearing, at least reading into it, has me a little concerned,
and I know my team, we want to dig a little deeper into that so
we can properly advocate whether it is resources or whether it
is some of the technical issues. I want to make sure that we
are applying the proper energy in the proper place.
And then I just want to say one more time, the most
congested airport in the United States of America, the most
flights going in and out of the Kennedy/LaGuardia/Newark
Airports, the most pollution being spewed into our air, what
these small parts are making.
This is a serious crisis in my opinion in terms of the
number of challenges we are having with safety in our area, and
the urgency to get this new technology implemented as quickly
as possible.
So, for you to say to me a twenty-year plan, that is all
nice, but I am really focused on how quickly can we create an
environment of safety in the Nation's most busiest air traffic
area, where we are facing, I think, straining the capacity of a
limited number of air traffic controllers relying on technology
frankly that has been around for many decades, perhaps even
before I was born.
Mr. Whitaker. Thank you.
Senator Booker. Thank you.
Senator Cantwell. Senator Begich?
STATEMENT OF HON. MARK BEGICH,
U.S. SENATOR FROM ALASKA
Senator Begich. Thank you very much. Madam Chair, thank you
for hosting this hearing. I want to follow up, Mr. Whitaker, on
what Senator Booker just talked about, and maybe Mr. Hampton, I
think your point was in the plan that the FAA does, you have to
make sure you are doing the best cost/benefit analysis, in
other words, the highest benefit as quickly as possible and
defining those areas. That is what I kind of heard.
Does your plan, Mr. Whitaker, address it that way or is it
kind of the classic what I call ``legislative plan,'' which is,
you know, shop around everywhere to make everyone happy as best
as you can because you will get a call from a Senator if you do
not. How is your plan designed?
Mr. Whitaker. Well, there are really two parts to this. We
have a very detailed implementation plan for NextGen that goes
into detail on how all the programs fit together and how they
roll out over time. We are executing on that plan.
In addition to that, we do have the ability to deliver
benefits, and the NextGen Advisory Committee is designed to
allow us to give industry an opportunity to reach consensus and
tell us what is important for implementation.
I think it is one of the most useful tools that we have,
and we have had----
Senator Begich. That is based on, you know, risk, safety,
some sort of levels of priority that you go after first?
Mr. Whitaker. When we are dealing with the NextGen Advisory
Committee, it is really commercial need and where the benefits
are going to come from. The safety and risk factors are cooked
into the underlying plan that we have.
We take that very valuable feedback, and that is why we
have developed these four areas that we are going to be focused
on over the next one to 3 years to deliver those benefits.
Senator Begich. As you know, with Alaska, NextGen, ADS-B,
all this was pioneered in many ways in Alaska because of the
unique flying conditions that we have there.
Mr. Whitaker. Yes, sir.
Senator Begich. Let me ask you specifically about ADS-B
technology. In regards to Alaska, I know whenever we talk to
the FAA, the FAA always says, you know, we have covered Alaska,
and that is true, 13,000 feet and up, but because of our
general aviation capacity, which is 16 times more pilots
licensed in Alaska than in any other place in the country, the
3,000 to 5,000 really does not get covered as aggressively as
it could be.
We have areas like Prince William Sound, which is a huge
area, as well as up in the Arctic with regards to the North
Slope, which has a lot of activity, especially now with OCS
development, a lot of activity with plane activity.
What is the plan to install more potential ground stations
to improve ADS-B for general aviation in Alaska? I get the
commercial. Generally, I fly on a lot of small planes that you
might not consider commercial, but in Alaska, we consider them
commercial.
Mr. Whitaker. Yes.
Senator Begich. Because that is how we get around.
Mr. Whitaker. Yes.
Senator Begich. So, what is the plan to increase that
capacity, especially in some very high volume areas like I have
just described?
Mr. Whitaker. So, the baseline program for Alaska was 33
ADS-B ground stations, and that part has been completed, but we
do recognize the terrain in Alaska presents unique challenges,
so there are supplemental programs moving forward.
We already have one program underway to add eight more ADS-
B ground stations on the North Slope and in other regions.
There is work underway in that regard.
Senator Begich. Are you considering satellite coverage?
Also, as you know, in Alaska, that is one other component we
utilize for all our communications. We have a combination. Is
that part of the equation?
Mr. Whitaker. Well, the ADS-B takes us to that satellite
coverage, so that will ultimately be the primary surveillance
mechanism with the radar as a back-up.
Senator Begich. OK; fantastic. Let me ask you before I ask
a couple of others, I have one specific question. This is very
specific, very parochial, not that anything I do is parochial,
it is all about Alaska.
I was just in Alaska, Nome, Alaska, which is not the
easiest place to fly into, short runway, high winds. As a
matter of fact, I flew in with the Coast Guard. Even they were
wondering if we could make it in. One of the issues they have
is--I forget the technical name of the piece of equipment--it
is to measure the wind speed on the tail end of the runway,
which is like near the yaw, they don't have a piece of
equipment.
So, obviously, when you are landing on that airport, it is
a short runway, and your end of that runway is a mountain, and
there are high winds, they would like to measure that wind, and
they have been struggling with the FAA for years--years--to get
this one piece of equipment that could literally protect and
ensure that life safety is there.
In Alaska, we do not have the luxury of long runways
sometimes. We do not have the luxury of calm conditions. Alaska
is a very windy place. As you know, in Alaska, it has very
large industrial areas where a lot of the stuff coming from the
Pacific Rim comes through that area, and that port and that
airport is busy.
So, can you just put that on your shopping list? We will
send you something on this. I know it is not you directly, but
you are here from FAA, you get the tag.
Mr. Whitaker. I will. I will follow up and take a look at
that, Senator.
Senator Begich. Very good. If I could just ask one quick
last question and then I will stop, if that is OK, Madam Chair,
and I apologize. I just want to ask one very quick one and I
will ask this to Mr. Rinaldi.
I know NAC has been working on the issue of the En Route
Automatic Modernization, so forth and so on. I know both FAA
and NATCA are pretty pleased about the 20 locations.
The Alaska Air Traffic Control Center was dropped off that
list. At one time, they were on it, but we did not have
broadband. Now we have broadband.
Can you just give me your quick thoughts on that, what that
means, not being on that list and being one of those 18 to 20
sites? Then I will stop there.
Mr. Rinaldi. I think you are exactly right. Originally,
they were on the list and nobody wanted to actually test new
programs up in Alaska because like you said, it is the main
mode of transportation to many of the remote areas up there.
The En Route Center in Alaska should be on the ERAM
waterfall. It was not on the funding list and it is certainly
not on the list now as we roll out to our last six facilities,
but we would like to see all our en route environments on one
platform. It just makes sense.
Also, we could tie in the majority of equipment we are
using in the Lower 48 that would also help in Alaska. So, it
would just make sense that as we have the team in place and as
we finish up on the East Coast and ERAM now to move to Alaska
and complete that, because, you know, every one of our en route
environments should have the same platform.
Senator Begich. I will end there and maybe I will ask FAA
to respond at a later time. I had a question for Alaska
Airlines, I will submit it for the record.
Thank you very much.
Senator Cantwell. Senator Nelson?
STATEMENT OF HON. BILL NELSON,
U.S. SENATOR FROM FLORIDA
Senator Nelson. Madam Chairman, realistically, what year
are we going to have NextGen ready to go, so that is how we are
operating our flights? Mr. Whitaker?
Mr. Whitaker. NextGen is a whole series of upgrades, so
there is not a particular moment in time when there will be an
announcement that we have flipped a switch and turned it on.
But I think the key components of NextGen really involve,
in addition to the foundational programs that we have talked
about, data communication into the cockpit so that
communications between controllers and pilots can happen that
way, and communications can come into the cockpit----
Senator Nelson. Right.
Mr. Whitaker. You can push a button and it can go into the
flight management system.
Senator Nelson. Right.
Mr. Whitaker. We achieve what we call four dimensional
metering, so when we have an aircraft pushed back from the
gate, we know what time it is going to take off and what time
it is going to land, and what the altitudes will be.
Senator Nelson. Right.
Mr. Whitaker. As I was mentioning, NextGen was designed as
a twenty-year endeavor, and I think if we can stay funded and
on track, that is where we will end up at the end of 20 years.
Senator Nelson. Well, are you saying 20 years from now? It
was a twenty-year endeavor, but it started about ten years ago.
So, are we 10 years down the road?
Mr. Whitaker. So, if you look at the funding profile, the
first full year of funding was 2009. Our target is to bring
those capabilities on by 2025. We still have--we have an
important step ahead of us, which is to define the equipage
requirements for aircraft, and when that will be mandated, I
think that will be probably the defining moment of when it all
comes together.
Senator Nelson. Well, that is an awful lot of fuel that we
are going to use in the meantime on routes that are not direct,
the added safety of the next generation, situational awareness,
and so forth.
Realistically, it is 2025?
Mr. Whitaker. I think that is a realistic target; yes.
Senator Nelson. So, the first funding was in 2009. We have
been talking about this at least for a decade.
Mr. Whitaker. We have, and what happened is in 2003-2004,
work began to develop the concept of operations for NextGen,
and that work continued through 2007. You had some level of
funding from 2007-2008, but in the $100 million range, if you
will.
But as a twenty-year $20 billion program, you are looking
at a run rate of a billion dollars a year, and that level of
funding we have never actually touched upon, but we have come
close beginning in 2009 and every year since then.
Senator Nelson. Mr. Whitaker, tell us about the progress
that you can make with the extra funding that the
administration has requested, and as you share with us, tell us
so we can get on the record about the sequester, what are the
sequester cuts going to do to NextGen's progress?
Mr. Whitaker. I think that one of the keys to successfully
completing NextGen is to have predictability in the funding
stream. I think that is first and foremost what we need.
The many programs that make up NextGen are multi-year
programs that require multi-year investment planning. So, more
than picking a particular level, what we really need to know is
what those levels will be.
I think a billion dollars a year is roughly what we have
planned for in implementing NextGen, and that gives us the
predictability that we need.
Sequestration and the Government shutdown put significant
strain on those programs. We had to pull down many activities
that then took months to reinstate, and that type of funding
uncertainty is a significant risk to execution.
Senator Nelson. So, from the perspective of the air traffic
controllers, Mr. Rinaldi, how do you think the sequester has
impacted air traffic safety?
Mr. Rinaldi. Thank you, Senator Nelson. I believe that the
sequester cuts of last year, we have never seen that before
where they actually sent controllers home to meet the mandated
cuts, and everybody within the FAA, to meet the mandated cuts.
It has impacted many lines of business. The fact that they
had to close the FAA Academy and stop hiring new controllers on
March 1, and the plan was to open on October 1, and because the
full government shutdown, they were not able to open it and get
it up and running until January 1. We were a full year behind
of hiring new controllers, and we are seeing controllers
retiring, you know, 25 years from when they are hired.
The concern with us with sequester is if it was going to
come back, the staffing levels in our facilities, they are at a
record low, we need to get replenishment. We need to continue
to train and get new qualified controllers on board.
Senator Nelson. Thank you. Now, we are getting ready to do
the FAA reauthorization next year. Mr. Hampton, beyond NextGen,
what are priorities that you would like to see as we get ready
for the reauthorization?
Mr. Hampton. Thank you for the question. I think what Mr.
Rinaldi said going forward is having what is the right number
of controllers at the facilities. We have work underway at the
critical facilities, having them properly staffed.
In the past, they had large numbers of trainees, so
adequately ensuring controller workforce. Another issue is
having an adequate inspector model to make sure that we know we
have the right number of inspectors. FAA has roughly 4,000
inspectors, and the key is how many we need and where do we
place them. That is from the safety side.
I also think going forward you are going to have to address
the issues of UAS in the next bill and how quickly they can be
integrated.
Those are some of the thoughts for going forward in the
next reauthorization.
Senator Nelson. Mr. Beck, do you agree?
Mr. Beck. Yes, sir; I do.
Senator Nelson. Do you want to add anything?
Mr. Beck. No, just as the Co-Chair of the PBN NextGen
Implementation Working Group, I do want to echo some of the
comments that Mr. Whitaker and Mr. Rinaldi and also Mr. Hampton
made.
I see us making good, good progress with this NAC group,
and I think we are going in the right direction, and we will be
finishing up our report that will go to Congress in October.
We are going to have our milestones set, and we will mark
our progress over the next one to 3 years of things we will be
able to accomplish.
I just wanted to add that for the record.
Senator Nelson. Thank you, Madam Chairman.
Senator Cantwell. Thank you, Senator Nelson. We appreciate
you being here and the questions.
I wanted to ask a question about savings from a fuel
perspective, whether the En Route Automation system--obviously,
more direct routes, and modifications to that; right? We have
routes today. They could be more direct, so that automation
will save some fuel.
Then we have the Greener Skies, which is really more--I do
not know what you call that, terminal based, you know,
navigation.
Which of those saves the most in fuel? Where are we going
to get our most savings, from the terminal focus or the en
route focus?
Mr. Whitaker. I think I may want to defer to Gary on that.
We are doing a lot of work now in the NAC on trying to
calculate fuel burn. It is one of the metrics that was asked
for in the 2012 reauthorization, but that data was not
available and has some proprietary issues associated with it.
So, we have set up a structure to put in place ways to
measure that fuel burn, but I think the most notable changes
are coming in the approach, the Optimized Profile Descent and
some of the more efficient routings coming into the terminal.
Senator Cantwell. Well, the reason why I asked that
question is because, listen, I believe that people are doing
good work here and people are trying to implement a very
complex system, but I think you heard from my colleague from
Florida when you said 20 years to implement, no one wants to
hear that it takes 20 years to implement this. They want us to
do the things we can bootstrap now and get implemented,
obviously, in the most safe and secure manner, and build the
system that way.
Technology drives best in flat organizations, not
hierarchical, so the more hierarchical we come with this, the
longer it is going to take us to implement. The flatter we can
do, the better.
So, my point to Mr. Hampton about measurement, if the most
savings that we are going to get is in the terminal based
system, then helping to get those cities on line faster, what
are the ways in which we can get every city in America thinking
about, as Mr. Hampton and Mr. Rinaldi said, getting the
procedural books in place.
It does not mean they are going to change over without your
OK, but it gets everybody in America focused on this now and
focused on what this will bring to them, and gets them ready so
when you can implement.
You are learning great things from the Metroplexes in
Seattle and Texas. You are learning a lot. You are going to
flatten a lot of issues that are going to come up in other
areas.
But again, instead of having this more elongated time
period while you are doing the En Route Automation system, you
know, you are spending your money and time there, and yet here
is where you can empower a lot of jurisdictions across the
United States of America to get going now, and getting ready
for where the most fuel savings are, and again, more efficient
landing and saving passengers time and everything, not that we
do not have to have the big system.
I do not know who wants to comment on that, Mr. Beck or Mr.
Rinaldi.
Mr. Beck. I certainly agree that the biggest bang for our
buck as an operator is from cruise altitude to the end of the
runway. I mean ideally, if we can make an arrival, an approach,
and not touch those power levers once we bring it back to idle
until we are on short final, that is where we are going to get
the most bang for our bucks from fuel savings, emission, and
noise, too.
I would agree with you, Chairwoman.
Senator Cantwell. Mr. Rinaldi, how could we empower cities
across America to start--even on an empowerment level--to start
looking at this and getting ready for this implementation so we
do not wait another ten years before we get major cities on
this program?
Mr. Rinaldi. It is a great question. I think we have to
actually focus on--Gary, Mr. Beck, is exactly correct. The
optimal descent approach is where we are saving the fuel,
saving the noise, and improving the carbon footprint on the
environment.
So, we have to start connecting the highways in the sky in
the en route environment so we are not--when they are at flight
level 350, they are what we call ``clean,'' and they are green.
They are flying with--they are burning fuel but there is not
the stop and go when they get into the terminal environment.
So, if we can start connecting Houston and North Texas and
start moving up throughout the United States and connect the
highways in the sky so that when they get into the terminal
environment, they just have the optimal descent approach, that
is where we are going to see the most benefit of NextGen, of
PBN, Performance Based Navigation.
So, how do we do that quickly? We have to set more teams in
place and tell them to go forth and do this great work and
start connecting the highways in the sky.
The way to do that--we do have staffing issues within the
FAA, but we have to start identifying some teams and start
putting them in there so that we are building the system as we
are going along, so when you leave Texas, you are not broken
and all of a sudden we have to slow you down until you get to
another major city.
Senator Cantwell. But is there not something right now that
Houston could share with Miami or Chicago or Newark, that they
can be thinking about and getting ready on their own, as
opposed to waiting for somebody at the FAA to knock on their
door?
Mr. Rinaldi. Absolutely; yes.
Senator Cantwell. Well, I think that is what we need to
look at. I do not know if you have any more questions, Senator
Nelson. Yes, go ahead.
Senator Nelson. Tell me about the technology, are we such
that in the NextGen, we are going to do everything from
satellites and not have radar, or are we going to have radar as
back-up, in which case you have duplicate of costs? What is the
story?
Mr. Whitaker. The idea is to transition to a satellite-
based system, but given the nature of what we do, you need
redundancies in the system, so there will be a redundancy radar
system. It will be a streamlined radar system from what we
currently operate, but key to everything in aviation is
redundancy, and there will be a redundant system in place.
Senator Nelson. So, that being the case, would the
redundancy be robust enough that if suddenly there were a major
solar explosion and this electromagnetic pulse is suddenly
coming to earth and it starts to fry these satellites, that
redundancy is robust enough to still control the traffic?
Mr. Whitaker. Well, you may have exceeded my level of
science knowledge, but if we have to shut down the satellite
based system, it will be able to operate on the radar based
system.
Senator Nelson. It will?
Mr. Whitaker. Yes.
Senator Nelson. That is the question.
Mr. Whitaker. Yes.
Senator Nelson. So, how much do you lessen then the
existing radars so that you still have the capability to
operate?
Mr. Whitaker. So, the radar system now actually has
redundancies to back it up, so we will be able to retire some
of the other redundancies, if you will, but we will have a
comprehensive plan that we will go through a typical safety
analysis to make sure it is robust enough to handle all of the
traffic, but will be more cost efficient than the one that we
are running at this time.
Senator Nelson. By the way, that is not the only traffic we
are looking at. In our testing, for example, of our missiles,
our defense missiles, the civilian space program, on our
launches, the more that we can rely on satellites to help do
the tracking, the greater efficiencies we can get, but we have
the same kind of question, what is the redundancy.
Thank you, Madam Chairman.
Senator Cantwell. Thank you, Senator Nelson. Again, I want
to thank the witnesses for their testimony and for their focus
on this.
I think you should take away from today's hearing that
while some progress has been made, we very much look forward to
this July 1 report, which is mid-term, I guess, and we are
going to get the final in October.
We thank Mr. Hampton again for narrowing the focus, as he
mentioned. I think that is what our larger questions are.
Instead of having a broad approach, we want to see more focused
things that are leveraged, if you will, no pun intended, but to
change the approach a little bit here, and to use the private
sector to focus the attention on those things that are going to
be most leveraged.
Again, if the most fuel efficiency is out of this approach
issue, then what can we do to accelerate that during this time
period while we are also getting the larger system replaced
that is a cross navigation system.
So, I think for all of us, we are stewards of the
taxpayers' dollars, so we want to see the implementation of
this as cost-effectively as possible.
We also want to see the investment made by the private
sector, so all of that is a hand-in-hand process, and we
certainly do not want to see government shutdowns and things of
that nature inhibit us in this area. We want you to have clear
ideas about what you can count on, but we also, as I said, want
it to be the more leveraged things that we can do right now.
So, hopefully, you will take that feedback from us, as you
report back to us on this in the future, and will take that
into consideration.
The good news out of Houston, out of Seattle, does provide
some very, very promising results for the long-run, so we are
certainly happy about that, and certainly, I am sure consumers
will be happier when they have more on-time arrivals.
Anyway, we will come back with a future hearing on this
implementation. Members will have time now to submit questions
to you all. We will have the record open for two weeks so
members can ask individual questions.
Senator Cantwell. I am going to submit one on the UAV
system. I do not have time right now to go into that. We will
submit some questions for the record as well.
But again, thank you very much for all that you are doing
to help us get this new system implemented.
We are adjourned.
[Whereupon, at 11:45 a.m., the hearing was adjourned.]
A P P E N D I X
Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. John D. Rockefeller IV
to Hon. Michael G. Whitaker
According to a June, 2014 series by the Washington Post, both
civilian drones and the GPS signals used to navigate are vulnerable to
hacking or jamming. These GPS signals important part of NextGen
navigation systems for manned aircraft as well, though the danger may
be more acute with drones as there is no pilot on-board to immediately
identify directional changes.
Dealing with this problem requires that we not only design secure
systems up-front, but that we are able to immediately detect and
respond to intrusions into our systems. I know you are working to build
a secure system, but I also want to make sure we have the ability to
detect attacks once all systems are operational.
Question 1. What are you doing to ensure that when an attack occurs
we will be able to respond quickly and effectively?
Answer. The FAA follows a rigorous safety and risk management
process to ensure that new systems and services introduced into the
National Airspace System (NAS) are thoroughly evaluated and appropriate
risk mitigations implemented to maintain and enhance the current level
of safety.
While there have been claims that the implementation of ADS-B in
the NAS provides greater security or safety risks to air navigation
systems in the United States, considering surveillance backup strategy,
independent position validation, ADS-B infrastructure implementation,
Air Traffic Control (ATC) procedures, and vulnerability studies for
ADS-B, the FAA finds no basis to support that claim.
Based on vulnerability assessments conducted for the FAA's
Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcasting (ADS-B) services, the
Agency determined that the risk to the National Airspace System (NAS)
due to spoofing or intentional jamming would be no greater than the
risk with the use of radar systems (Mode A, C, and S) employed to
separate aircraft today.
The FAA meets regularly with the Department of Defense (DOD) and
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) representatives regarding the use
of ADS-B information and national security issues to ensure that all
NAS vulnerabilities are appropriately addressed.
Question 2. GPS is clearly a critical capability for NextGen. What
are you doing to ensure aviation safety in the event that GPS is jammed
or suffers a malfunction?
Answer. Multiple layers of redundancy and alternative systems
ensure the safe operation of the NAS if there is a disruption to a part
of the airspace system, such as the Global Positioning System (GPS).
The NAS was designed to handle widespread, naturally-occurring, GPS
disruptions from events such as solar storms, but the system has not
experienced such disruptions on any noticeable scale. Conversely,
manmade disruptions to GPS are likely to be very localized by their
very nature, and such interference has had minimal effect. The FAA has
traced the very few pilot reports of GPS issues to sources on the
ground such as industrial processes. These events have not affected
safety and the pilots reporting them automatically have utilized the
available alternatives.
GPS technology offers many advantages, but the FAA is not solely
reliant on any single component of the NAS for safe operation. The
future design and operation of the NAS will continue to utilize
multiple layers of redundancy.
______
Response to Written Questions Submitted by Hon. Maria Cantwell to
Hon. Michael G. Whitaker
Question 1. A recent Washington Post investigative report
highlighted a disturbing number of incidents in which pilots reported
dangerously close encounters with drones in the vicinity of airports,
and incidents involving drones appear to be on the rise. What steps is
the FAA taking now to prevent more of these incidents from occurring
around our airports?
Answer. The FAA recently adopted a change to its Flight Standards
Information Management System to assist flight safety inspectors in
educating operators of UAS, including Model Aircraft, to comply with
applicable Federal Aviation Regulations, including operations around
airports. The FAA also recently published the Interpretation for the
Special Rule for Model Aircraft on June 23, 2014, which, among other
things, provides guidance to Model Aircraft operators regarding
coordination with Air Traffic Control when operating near airports. The
FAA is working with its inspectors to ensure they give standard
information to the public on how to satisfy the requirements contained
in the Federal Aviation Regulations and avoid endangering the safety of
the Nation's airspace.
In addition, the FAA will be developing a public outreach campaign
that includes further development of the relationship with industry,
including the Academy of Model Aeronautics, a nationwide community-
based model aircraft organization with a successful record of safe
model aircraft operations.
The FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 was clear that the FAA
may also take enforcement action against UAS operators, including model
aircraft operators, who operate their aircraft in a manner that
endangers the safety of the national airspace system. In the
interpretation of the provisions of the 2012 Act applicable to model
aircraft, the FAA explains that this enforcement authority is designed
to protect users of the airspace as well as people and property on the
ground.
Question 2. At the same time as the FAA is developing rules on the
expanded use of unmanned aircraft, you are also working toward
implementing the NextGen Air Traffic System. What steps are being taken
in the development of NextGen to account for the presence of unmanned
aircraft in the National Airspace System?
Answer. NextGen has multiple ongoing initiatives to account for the
presence of unmanned aircraft in the National Airspace System.
NextGen, in coordination with other FAA lines of business, led the
development of an end-state concept of operations for unmanned aircraft
system integration into the NAS. This concept of operations is maturing
to include the design of detailed operational scenarios which will
inform safe and efficient integration of unmanned aircraft systems.
NextGen is the steward for the National Airspace System Enterprise
Architecture which establishes the foundation from which evolution of
the NAS can be explicitly understood and modeled. NextGen, in
collaboration with the FAA's Unmanned Aircraft System Integration
Office, has initiated an unmanned aircraft system National Airspace
System Enterprise Architecture effort to deliver the first series of
systems engineering diagrams that reflect the current, mid-term and
future time frames of unmanned aircraft system National Airspace System
integration. The initial diagrams capture the scenarios that are
depicted in the FAA's unmanned aircraft system concept of operations,
both operationally and functionally.
NextGen technologies are making it possible to safely introduce
unmanned aircraft into the airspace system. Here are a few examples of
the connection between NextGen and unmanned aircraft systems:
Airborne Collision Avoidance System for UAS: In order for
many unmanned aircraft to operate safely in shared airspace, we
must develop technologies that enable them to ``detect and
avoid'' other airborne vehicles. The agency is researching and
developing a collision avoidance system specifically designed
for unmanned aircraft. It's a technology called ACAS-Xu.
ADS-B: This technology helps achieve collision avoidance
through more precise surveillance--and separation--of both
manned and unmanned aircraft in the same vicinity.
National Airspace System Voice System: Another NextGen
technology that will support unmanned aircraft is NAS Voice
System. This system modernizes the voice communication
capabilities that we use for air traffic services. It will
enable controllers to communicate with the ground pilot of an
unmanned vehicle.
Question 3. What strategies can the FAA employ to expand the
Metroplex initiative, or PBN procedure development generally, to drive
near-term benefits at more airports nationwide? What resources are
needed to achieve this expansion?
Answer. The FAA has moved from a ``quantity based'' strategy to a
``value-based'' strategy for implementing new Performance Based
Navigation (PBN) procedures. Currently, there are over 7,000 PBN
procedures in the NAS. The agency goal is to not merely create more
procedures but rather have procedures that add value for the customers.
This is a strategy that is endorsed by both industry, through the
RTCA NextGen Advisory Committee (NAC), and labor. Drawing from the NAC
recommendations on ways to improve PBN utilization, the FAA has
implemented the Performance-Based Review, Revise or Remove (PRRRT)
process to evaluate existing procedures. If utilization and value do
not meet a cost-benefit ratio, the procedure is considered for revision
to improve the value. If that not possible, the procedure is removed
from the national inventory. This process is aimed at reducing the
number of procedures controllers must maintain currency on, the number
of procedures industry stakeholders must load/maintain in their
navigation systems, and the number of procedures the FAA must maintain
annually.
Additionally, the FAA is drawing on recommendations from the NAC on
how and where to deploy and/or expand the Metroplex initiatives.
Current and future locations are evaluated against an agreed-up set of
criteria that define areas where the greatest need exists and benefits
can be derived. Evaluating and tracking benefits of these initiatives
are currently part of the FAA-NAC work associated with the NextGen
Implementation Working Group (NIWG). Recommendations are expected out
of these efforts later this year.
Question 4. In his testimony, Captain Beck of Alaska Airlines
indicated that the FAA has not granted waivers for curved, GPS
approaches to be considered ``established'' and eligible for the
reduced separation between aircraft that creates efficiencies in the
system. How long does it take to determine if a curved RNP approach can
be ``established'' as on other, straight line approaches? Will you work
to resolve this issue with Alaska Airlines?
Answer. The FAA has and is currently working with Alaska Airlines,
as well as a consortium of additional stakeholders including Horizon
Air, Southwest Airlines, Delta Airlines, the SEA Airport Authority, the
Boeing Company, local ATC, NATCA, and other industry players regarding
the approval of Established on RNP (EoR) concept with specially
designed instrument approach procedures into Seattle-Tacoma
International Airport.
The EoR concept is based on the utilization of aircraft navigation
systems to achieve a specific level of positional accuracy and systems
integrity to support a next generation type of reduced separation in
the terminal airspace. These EoR approaches leverage the required
navigational performance (RNP) found in modern aircraft avionics as a
basis for relieving the standard separation standards currently
mandated by FAA guidance between simultaneous approaches.
Initial RNP EoR Approach designs were created in a highly
collaborative environment of stakeholders through the use of various
subject matter experts and standard Performance Based Navigation (PBN)
procedure development processes. An Environmental Assessment of the
applicable geographic communities was conducted with flight trials and
other analysis for the subject RNP EoR approaches and the findings were
released to the public. The Boeing Company, in conjunction with FAA and
Industry stakeholders, drafted a concept of operations document and
performed a detailed safety analysis of the proposed EoR operation. The
findings of both reports were utilized to validate the initial SEA EoR
approach designs, and as a basis of the Safety Risk Management panel
and subsequent documents that lead to the initial draft of the EoR
operational Waiver request.
The FAA's Flight Standards division also conducted Human in The
Loop Simulations (HITLS) of the EoR approach into SEA and recommended
further considerations for maintaining the desired level of safety.
These recommendations are currently being amended into an updated
version of the SEA EoR waiver request to be vetted by stakeholders for
concurrence and approval.
In addition, final changes to the initial RNP EoR approach designs
initiated by industry stakeholders, are scheduled to be published and
available for use in November of 2014. As the FAA waiver approval
process proceeds, operator and ATC readiness begins to ramp up with the
necessary updates to system infrastructure and training required for
successful implementation and utilization of EoR. The overarching EoR
plan of execution was created in a highly collaborative environment
with all stakeholders, including Alaska Airlines. This continued
collaboration is progressing through regular meetings on a basis of no
less than every two weeks working towards a goal of an ATC waiver
approval and begin operational validation in the spring of 2015.
Question 5. Performance Based Navigation procedures enable planes
to fly more closely together and on more direct routes, which lead to
fewer delays, shorter flight times, and reduced fuel consumption.
Despite these potential benefits, airlines and industry stakeholders in
the past have raised concerns about the use of Performance Based
Navigation (PBN) procedures being developed. What steps is FAA taking
to increase usage of existing procedures with respect to updating
policies and procedures, and providing training, tools and incentives
for controllers to use these procedures whenever possible for properly
equipped aircraft?
Answer. While airlines and industry stakeholders may express
concerns about the use of PBN procedures, they are actually used
thousands of times each day. For example, in Atlanta the daily PBN
procedure utilization rate during December 2013 averaged more than
1,500 operations, which accounts for more than 68 percent of all IFR
operations. Another example is Chicago. The utilization rate at Chicago
Midway fluctuates based on runway use, but in June 2013, the RNP
approach to runway 13C was used by 73 percent of the candidate
aircraft. This procedure was designed specifically to de-conflict
traffic from the adjacent Chicago O'Hare airport during certain weather
conditions and runway configurations. In Seattle, of the seven STARs at
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport only two are PBN procedures.
However, more than 42 percent of all aircraft arriving in Seattle are
already using these two new procedures. Usage of non-PBN procedures has
been declining while use of PBN procedures is slowly increasing as
pilots and controllers become for comfortable.
The FAA has been working diligently to provide the guidance and
tools controllers will need to increase utilization of PBN in the NAS.
The FAA has recently implemented the PBN Implementation Process Order
which provides the policy and guidance necessary for proper management,
development, and maintenance of PBN procedures in the NAS. In the
months leading up to the April 2014 implementation of the Climb/Descend
Via phraseology, the FAA provided training to establish or reinforce
more consistent use of efficient flight profiles. The FAA has been
working to not only provide more training, but to also improve the
standardized utilization of decision support tools that should
facilitate increased utilization of PBN procedures in the NAS.
Currently, one of the largest barriers to the consistent
utilization of PBN procedures is the mixed equipage of aircraft using
the National Airspace System (NAS). Mixed equipage refers to the
capabilities of individual aircraft in the NAS--meaning certain
aircraft are not equipped to leverage the PBN infrastructure that is in
place, while others are equipped for full utilization. To address the
need to manage the myriad aircraft configurations operating in the NAS,
the FAA is revamping adaptation and training for the existing Time-
based Flow Management (TBFM) system and working to implement the
Terminal Spacing and Sequencing (TSS) tool. By creating a national
training course to standardize the utilization of TBFM, increase
utilization of TBFM, and implement TSS; the FAA expects to enable
higher utilization of RNP procedures at high volume airports.
Question 6. In the 1990s the FAA's Advanced Automation System
procurement failed, at a cost of over $5 billion, with relatively
little to show for that investment. As we approach that $5.9 billion
investment in NextGen, how are you avoiding the problems that derailed
that program in the 90s?
Answer. Lessons learned from major program failure led to sweeping
changes in the FAA's acquisition management process. Most recently, in
2011, the FAA established the Program Management Organization (PMO) to
manage NAS system acquisitions and ensure stronger discipline in
managing the dependencies among the major programs.
The PMO structure ensures greater visibility, tighter alignment and
closer integration of complex, interdependent NextGen initiatives and
innovative technology. The PMO plays a critical role in the success of
NextGen by acting as the bridge between strategic requirements and
tactical program implementation to improve the safety and efficiency of
the NAS.
The PMO has instituted bi-weekly reviews of its major acquisitions
and activities, with a specific focus on risks, issues and
opportunities related to system interdependencies. These reviews, with
participation from executives at the director level and above across
NextGen, Finance, and ATO operations, have proven extremely valuable to
executive stakeholders charged with overseeing the success of NextGen.
We have utilized lessons learned from troubled programs (for
example, En Route Automation Modernization or ERAM) to improve how
programs are structured and how systems are implemented. These areas
include program governance; communications improvements; testing
processes; requirements management; risk management; and maintenance
transition planning. These lessons learned and process improvements
will inform a program throughout its lifecycle.
Lastly, recognizing the importance of obtaining input from users of
the system early in the pre-implementation phase of programs is
critical. The scope of controller and maintenance technician
involvement covers a range of activities including: development of
operational concepts, human in the loop simulations, and evaluation of
operational prototypes. This helps to reduce risk prior to full
deployment of a system, by providing early user involvement as we
mature operational capabilities and assess operational suitability of
systems.
______
Response to Written Question Submitted by Hon. Amy Klobuchar to
Hon. Michael G. Whitaker
Question. For decades the FAA Airports Division has addressed
residents' concerns about airport compliance with environmental
regulations using a framework that provides for collaboration and the
consideration of stakeholder concerns. However, recent experiences at
the Minneapolis-St. Paul International (MSP) Airport during the
proposed plan for RNAV implementation suggest there is some
misalignment between local expectations of the process for new projects
and the FAA's processes for addressing community concerns.
Mr. Whitaker, can you talk about the FAA's role when it comes to
public outreach and the way the FAA involves stakeholders including
operators and communities? How does the agency intend to address public
concerns moving forward in a manner considerate of precedent and local
expectations surrounding the design and environmental review of NextGen
aircraft procedures? Will you commit to working with the communities
surrounding airports, such as the Twin Cities metro area?
Answer. The FAA conducts public outreach and coordination with
stakeholders for airspace actions, in strict accordance with agency
directives and procedures. Any airspace actions that are not
categorically excluded from requiring an Environmental Assessment (EA)
or Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) per the National Environmental
Policy Act (NEPA) typically involves conducting public workshops, and
soliciting public comments on draft EA and EIS documents. Associated
public outreach activities includes publishing notices in newspapers,
direct solicitation for comments from impacted stakeholders, and
presenting briefings to stakeholder organizations.
______
Response to Written Question Submitted by Hon. Maria Cantwell to
Gary Beck
Question. Low usage of Performance Based Navigation procedures may
also be related to whether a given procedure provides real benefits to
airlines. In your experience does the FAA development of new PBN
procedures properly and proactively identify, develop, and implement
the most useful new routes?
Answer. Over the past ten years, the FAA has had a process for
developing Area Navigation (RNAV) Arrivals that included industry
involvement. While progress was made at some airports, the procedures
often failed when it came time for implementation. This has been due to
a variety of reasons ranging from aircraft technology, pilot and
controller situational bias, airspace boundary constraints, and length
of time from initial design to publication.
Initially, FAA's Required Navigation Performance (RNP) approaches
were developed and published with a focus on quantity, not quality.
Many are simply an overlay of an existing conventional approach
procedure, without providing safety, access, or operational efficiency
enhancements. RNP approaches must be requested by the pilot; as such,
crews are reluctant to request them and controllers are reluctant to
issue them. Therefore, many RNP approaches have been published, but
very few have been implemented and used.
With initiatives in the National Airspace System like Metroplex,
Greener Skies, and Portland, Oregon, PBN implementation, the process
has become more streamlined and inclusive. We are seeing a
collaborative effort that includes a broader group of key stakeholders
including FAA, Labor, Airports, Community, and Industry. Having many
diverse viewpoints working toward the same goal of improving airspace
safety and efficiency is proving to be a success. Low usage should be a
thing of the past especially with regard to Standard Arrivals because
most of the industry is equipped and trained. RNP usage should increase
as equipage and training increase.
There are still challenges in this effort, but Alaska Airlines
believes the FAA is on the right track. The new PBN Order that was
published earlier this year, as well as the RTCA PBN Blueprint Task
Group's efforts, will bring even more clarity to the process and ensure
that airspace changes have a measurable benefit. Building on a process
that began July 2013 at the request of the FAA, the Industry and FAA
have come together to form the NextGen Integration Working Group (NTWG)
under the NextGen Advisory Committee (NAC). With over one hundred
representatives from all sectors of aviation, the group has been
conducting deep dives of four focus areas to identify what it takes to
deploy meaningful capabilities at specific sites.
The NTWG most recently met in July 2014 to receive reports on the
progress being made with the four teams: Performance Based Navigation
(PBN), Surface and Data Sharing, Closely Spaced Parallel Runways and
DataComm-enabled Controller-Pilot DataLink Communications (CPDLC) and
pre-departure clearances. The goal of the NTWG is to provide the NAC
with an integrated implementation plan and recommendations for tangible
benefits at the October 8, 2014, NAC meeting.
______
Response to Written Question Submitted by Hon. Amy Klobuchar to
Gary Beck
Question. For decades the FAA Airports Division has addressed
residents' concerns about airport compliance with environmental
regulations using a framework that provides for collaboration and the
consideration of stakeholder concerns. However, recent experiences at
the Minneapolis-St. Paul International (MSP) Airport during the
proposed plan for RNAV implementation suggest there is some
misalignment between local expectations of the process for new projects
and the FAA's processes for addressing community concerns.
Mr. Beck, you dealt with this issue in Seattle. How important is
community outreach to the success of deploying NextGen in a way that
works for the community?
Answer. Community engagement through close partnerships with the
airport authority is critical to successfully implementing airspace
changes. The Port of Seattle, operator of Sea-Tac Airport, was a key
partner in the Greener Skies project. Due to the relationships the Port
already had with local communities, they were able to start engaging
local leaders early in the project with the facts about what was
planned and what we expected the benefits to be.
The Port shared existing noise abatement corridors and local noise
concerns with the rest of the project team, ensuring new procedure
designs remained within the pre-defined corridors. Even when flight
paths over the ground didn't change, media coverage of Greener Skies
resulted in a perception from some neighborhoods that there had been a
change. The Environmental Assessment process was thorough, providing
detailed information about the project impacts to the public. Being
transparent with the data was helpful. Community meetings at local
schools and city halls allowed citizens and local elected officials to
learn about the project and share their perspective.
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