by Craig L. Fuller
President & CEO
Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association
A few weeks ago, I had the privilege of testifying before Congress about the state of NextGen. Members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure’s Aviation Subcommittee wanted to know how NextGen implementation is going—and they invited me to share the GA perspective.
I take these opportunities to speak to members of Congress very seriously. I know that I represent all of AOPA’s members as well as many in the GA community at large when I testify.
So far, I told the subcommittee, NextGen has delivered some valuable benefits, but many questions still remain.
If you are among the tens of thousands of pilots who fly with a WAAS-capable GPS, then you’ve probably enjoyed the benefits of NextGen in the form of instrument approaches to thousands of runway ends that once had no all-weather capabilities. In fact, as of July 2012, there were 12,131 approaches that rely on GPS operating in the United States. That compares to only 6,628 ground-based instrument approaches. Perhaps you’ve also enjoyed flying routes with lower minimums or navigating busy metroplex airspace following a T-route. These are the early dividends of NextGen, and GA has benefitted from the increased access, safety, and efficiency that go with these new options.
But we’ve also got some important questions about the future of NextGen that remain unanswered. Exactly what equipment will be needed to take advantage of ADS-B? What will it cost? What value will it deliver to pilots? GA pilots have always been quick to adopt new technologies when the cost-benefit ratio makes sense, but we need answers to these questions so each of us can make that calculation based on our own flying.
We also need a realistic timeline for when each key milestone will be reached along the way to full NextGen implementation. That’s a tricky issue at the moment, because we don’t yet know whether Congress will be able to reach agreement on cutting the deficit. If no deal is reached in time, we’ll see automatic cuts of up to $160 million in NextGen take effect in January—a virtual guarantee that NextGen implementation will be delayed.
I also spoke about the importance of maintaining our traditional ground-based infrastructure while the FAA, air traffic controllers, and pilots make the transition to NextGen’s satellite-based system. We can’t just turn NextGen on like a light switch—and we can’t afford to lose our existing infrastructure overnight either. That’s why I stressed the need for a maintenance plan and budget to keep the system working safely even as we move toward the future.
Modernizing the entire air traffic system is a huge and complex task. Congress is keeping a watchful eye on the process, and all of us at AOPA are making certain general aviation’s interests are represented at every step along the way.
