We all love to whine and complain about the air traffic control system in the US, and we like to beat on the Federal Aviation Administration for dragging its feet when it comes to modernizing the mess. But we're going to put it out there: slowly and steadily, progress is being made.
Last month President Bush signed an executive order that will speed the development of NextGen, an air traffic control system that will replace the radar-based dinosaur currently in place. Acting on that order, FAA Administrator Bobby Sturgell has signed off on a national roll out of Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B), which allows planes to be tracked by satellite rather than old-school radar, and is a key component of NextGen.
The initial implementation of 11 ground stations in Florida will provide what is known in ADS-B circles as the essential services component. These include real time broadcasts of traffic, weather, and temporary airspace restrictions to those aircraft hooked up with ADS-B equipment. The other piece of the ADS-B puzzle, known as critical services, is what lets controllers monitor planes using GPS. The idea is that this technology will track planes so accurately that eventually they will be allowed to fly closer together, freeing up airspace and alleviating congestion.
It sounds great, but not everyone is buying it. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association equates it to putting a nuvi inside a car stuck in bumper to bumper traffic and expecting something to happen.