Michael Whitaker, the FAA’s Deputy Administrator in charge of NextGen implementation, told a Senate committee yesterday that the agency has made “significant progress” in a number of key technology areas, stressing that the 2020 ADS-B equipment mandate is not in jeopardy of slipping.
Whitaker told members of the Senate Commerce Committee that the construction of a nationwide network of ADS-B ground stations is now finished, “fulfilling our part of the bargain.” Now, he said, it is up to aircraft owners and the airlines to do their part by equipping with ADS-B Out avionics.
“Let me be very clear,” Whitaker said. “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 the work done on the eve of the deadline.”
Whitaker said the completion of the ADS-B network is already reaping significant benefits for ATC and pilots, providing far greater tracking accuracy than radar can and opening the pipeline for pilots to receive traffic and weather information in the cockpit.
Whitaker told the Senate committee his team is also close to completing another “major foundational” element of NextGen, software and hardware upgrades for the nation’s high-altitude air traffic centers that will enable the implementation of ERAM (En Route Automation Modernization) by next spring.
The NextGen Advisory Committee, meanwhile, is focusing on four key areas: performance-based navigation; surface operations; multiple runway operations and DataComm. “Each of these areas,” Whitaker said, “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.”
Although the FAA is largely on track with NextGen implementation, Whitaker stressed that continued cooperation between the agency and the aviation industry is vitally important.
“By working together we have the ability to transform our nation’s airspace system for the benefit of generations to come,” he said.
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