Monthly Archives: January 2009
NASA may receive $150m for NextGen work
from Flightglobal: NASA’s work on the US air transport industry’s NextGen air traffic control system could see its annual budget more than doubled if President Barack Obama’s fiscal stimulus bill is passed. Obama’s American Recovery and Reinvestment Bill 2009 includes … Continue reading
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Sens. Rockefeller and Hutchison look to NextGen stimulus – but how much?
from NextGov: Senate Commerce Committee leaders might seek to add funding to the economic stimulus package to begin modernizing the nation’s air traffic control system, as uncertainty continues over the timing and chances of a multiyear FAA modernization plan. Senate … Continue reading
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Robert Herbert, Duane Woerth said locked in tight race for FAA Administrator job
From the Washington Post: Long-time Senate aide Robert T. Herbert, in his bid for the top job at the Federal Aviation Administration, appears to be making headway against a rival backed by Washington’s labor establishment. Herbert advises Senate Majority Leader … Continue reading
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Reflections on PSOD, past and future
A lengthy and fascinating article by Aviation Week’s George Larson reflecting on the legacy of PSOD (Per Seat On-demand) air travel as popularized by the now-defunct DayJet. There’s lots to think about; Larson does a great job comparing and contrasting … Continue reading
Filed under background info
US Airways to equip its A330s with ADS-B
from Aviation Week: US Airways plans to use its long-haul Airbus A330 fleet in a new FAA trial that is expected to bring the benefits of satellite-based navigation links to congested Northeast airspace and transatlantic routes. The US Airways project … Continue reading
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ATC transformation removed from GAO watch list
It took 14 years, but the FAA and its ATC transformation plans have been dropped from the Government Accountability Office’s “bad government” watch list, that identifies programs at high risk for fraud, waste, and abuse. Faced with growing air traffic … Continue reading
Explainer: CDA at Atlanta-Hartsfield
The science and technology website Physorg.com has a brief but interesting article entitled “Continuous Descent: Saving Fuel and Reducing Noise for Airliners.” An excerpt: Proponents hope the 90-day test at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport – currently the nation’s busiest airport … Continue reading
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Flying NextGen in 85 years…
How’s this for a next-generation aircraft? European carrier Finnair has put together an interesting site, in which they (with some help from Airbus) imagine what commercial air travel will be like in 2093. Their upbeat assessment: Flying will be popular, … Continue reading
Filed under future plans
Karlin Toner, 15-year NASA veteran, to head DOT NextGen office
DOT 8-09 Thursday, January 15, 2009 Contact: Sarah Echols Tel.: (202) 366-4570 Dr. Karlin Toner to Lead Interagency Coordination of NextGen The Department of Transportation today announced the appointment of Dr. Karlin Toner to serve as the senior DOT staff … Continue reading
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Costello will once again head Aviation Subcommittee
It wasn’t a surprise, but Jerry Costello was reappointed chairman of the House Aviation Subcommittee this week. From the Belleville (Ill.) News-Democrat: “We have a lot of work to do and I look forward to working with President-elect (Barack) Obama … Continue reading
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Thales ATM to demo low-cost ground surveillance package
From the FAA press release: Thales ATM, based in Shawnee, Kan., is one of several companies interested in testing a low-cost ground surveillance system that would be installed at airports not among the 35 scheduled to receive the more expensive … Continue reading
Trade groups, airlines lobby jointly for stimulus funds
from Bloomberg: U.S. airlines and small-jet owners have joined forces to lobby for $4 billion in economic-stimulus aid, setting aside a two-year dispute over air-traffic control costs. Nine Washington-area trade groups representing carriers, plane users such as PepsiCo Inc., and … Continue reading
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Commercial air traffic down dramatically in November
From the Airports Council International (press release): Worldwide passenger traffic dropped sharply by 8 percent in November 2008 as compared to November 2007, according to reports from the 165 key airports that participate in the monthly advance reporting system. International … Continue reading
EXCLUSIVE: Interview with Charlie Leader, Director, Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO)
In our continuing series of exclusive interviews with NextGen newsmakers, we’re pleased to present an in-depth conversation with Charlie Leader, Director of the JPDO. Some quotes: We need to make more progress with the net-centric operations piece. The aviation information-sharing … Continue reading
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Lynne Osmus named acting FAA Administrator
Osmus’ appointment is effective starting Jan 16. The announcement was buried in a White House press release identifying 45 last-minute appointments by the Bush Administration. From Osmus’ biography on the FAA website: Lynne A. Osmus was appointed Assistant Administrator for … Continue reading
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Hot topic: biofuels in jet aviation
Two good articles in the New York Times and Scientific American on the current interest in alternative aviation fuels, hooked to this week’s upcoming Continental B737 biofuel flight test. NYT: Continental plans to have the crew turn off and restart … Continue reading
UPDATE: Crew rest lawsuit
BusinessWeek magazine published a non-subscription article about the lawsuit brought by a group of airlines against the FAA last month. The airlines say that the Federal Aviation Administration bypassed usual rule-making procedures and denied them the right to comment before … Continue reading
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AA, CO sue FAA over proposed crew rest rules
The Wall Street Journal reports (article is subscription only; brief summary here) that American Airlines and Continental Airlines have sued the FAA over a proposal that would raise the minimum rest time for flight deck crew on “ultra long-range flights.” … Continue reading
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Explainer: Why weather is at the heart of NextGen
An excellent set of in-depth articles (start here, continue here) by Aviation International News’ Jennifer Harrington, focusing on the critical role that weather is already playing in shaping the NextGen project. A brief excerpt: Weather forecasters will no longer analyze … Continue reading
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