Transportation

FAA Reauthorization:Trying to Get 10 Pounds into a 5 Pound Bag?

Written by on March 22, 2012 in Aviation, Featured, NextGen, Transportation with 0 Comments
FAA Reauthorization:Trying to Get 10 Pounds into a 5 Pound Bag?

The Reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration was finally completed the end of January. While much has been said about the Reauthorization, not much has been said about its adequacy. After 22 extensions and over four years of stop-gap measures, some of which didn’t work and created significant gaps and employee furloughs, the FAA can […]

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How to Avoid Getting Run Over by Change

Written by on January 18, 2012 in Aviation, Leaders, NextGen, PBN, Transportation with 0 Comments
How to Avoid Getting Run Over by Change

As we reflect on where we are and ponder resolutions for the coming year, I think of NextGen and some of the subtle, but significant, experiences of the past year. The NextGen we need requires change. Yet, we know change does not come easily. In fact, I have seen a recurring resistance to change. In […]

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Tomorrow’s Global System for the Rest of the World

Written by on October 3, 2011 in Aviation, EuroControl, NextGen, SESAR, Transportation with 0 Comments
Tomorrow’s Global System for the Rest of the World

For people in the US, it’s NextGen. For Europeans, it’s SESAR or Single European Sky. For the Japanese, it’s CARATS. These are the programs by which the air transportation systems of tomorrow will be developed—that is, for the US, Europe and Japan. So, what’s the rest of the world supposed to do? Recently, ICAO held […]

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Volcanic Déjà vu: How well did we do on the second try?

Written by on May 27, 2011 in Aviation, Transportation, Volcanic Ash with 0 Comments
Volcanic Déjà vu: How well did we do on the second try?

A little over a year after the Eyjafjallajökull eruption, we have another eruption in Iceland causing air transportation disruptions in Europe. Grímsvötn erupted on May 21, but relatively briefly. Although ash emissions slowed after a couple of days, the ash plume was propelled above FL600. The ash clouds moved predominantly to the north and northeast. […]

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Sitting On Huge Reserves Of NextGen Economic Benefits? Revisiting Predictability, Flexibility And Access

Written by on April 12, 2011 in Aviation, NextGen, Transportation with 0 Comments
Sitting On Huge Reserves Of NextGen Economic Benefits? Revisiting Predictability, Flexibility And Access

Ever since I can remember, when it comes to measuring the performance of the nation’s air transportation system, the aviation community has focused on safety, capacity, and delays. These have been the primary yardsticks of performance.  The legislation that created the FAA cites safety and efficiency as its primary mission, but efficiency is difficult to […]

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Why Joe Shmoe Should Care About NextGen

Written by on January 20, 2011 in Airspace Optimization, Aviation, NextGen, Transportation with 0 Comments
Why Joe Shmoe Should Care About NextGen

NextGen suffers from an inability to clearly and simply articulate what it will do for everyday Americans. Recent media coverage seems to focus on the price tag of NextGen and an unclear picture of its benefits. The problem of explaining what NextGen will do is exacerbated by the fact that the nation’s air transportation system […]

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Volcanic Disruptions Provide Lessons for NextGen

Written by on December 14, 2010 in Aviation, NextGen, Transportation, Volcanic Ash with 0 Comments
Volcanic Disruptions Provide Lessons for NextGen

Coming off several months of studying volcanic disruptions to aviation, I come away with sobering observations about the way we as an aviation community go about solving real world problems, or the way we don’t solve them as the case may be.At the core, volcanic disruptions require safe and efficient rerouting of aircraft to avoid […]

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