NextGen Progress

Accomplishments

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has established NextGen as a priority, describing the transformation of the national airspace system as “important for the flying public.” He added, however, that NextGen needs to have “realistic goals,” including interim benchmark goals that are achievable in five to eight years.

The FAA completed a variety of tasks during fiscal year 2008 and the first half of fiscal year 2009, making significant strides toward NextGen implementation. During this time, the agency published its NextGen Implementation Plan (on schedule in June 2008) and an update to the plan (January 2009).

NAS Enterprise Architecture

• Updated the FAA's NAS Enterprise Architecture and, in accordance with the FAA Flight Plan goals, accomplished its six most critical milestones from fiscal year 2008.
• Content approval for ERAM Work Package 2
• Developed NextGen equipage strategy
• Approval of Traffic Flow Management System (TFMS) Work Package 2 contents
• Approval of NextGen Towers concept of operations providing efficient and cost-effective staffed and automated services
• JRC approval of initial investment strategy for Data Communications and the concomitant rulemaking strategy for airborne equipment
• Completed package to approve Investment Analysis Readiness for NextGen Weather Processor Work Package 1

NextGen Demonstrations to Support Investment Decisions

• AIRE demonstration resulting in 330 gallons of fuel savings and 6,700 lbs emission reduction
• Continuous descent arrival and tailored arrival demonstrations at Miami and Atlanta
• ASPIRE demonstration resulting 4 percent fuel savings and 11 metric tons emission reduction
• Demonstration of weather integration into decision support at Embry-Riddle test bed in Florida
• Demonstration with Harris Corp. to support future SWIM segments as defined in the NAS Enterprise Architecture
• Initial demonstration of 3D path arrival management in Boeing simulation labs
• Demonstration of enhanced surface flow management to improve aircraft taxi coordination and planning

Completed Memoranda of Understanding

• Agreement with NetJets to test NextGen technologies
• Partnership with Southwest Airlines to make its entire fleet and route structure RNAV/RNP-capable
• Agreement with South Jersey Economic Development District to build aviation research and technology park

Completed Runways, Taxiways and Airfield Improvements

• Washington Dulles new runway
• Seattle-Tacoma new runway
• Chicago O’Hare new runway
• Los Angeles new center taxiway and completion of southside reconfiguration
• Dallas-Fort Worth new end-around taxiway
• Achieved approval of early NextGen wake turbulence mitigation solution at five airports (Boston, Cleveland, Philadelphia, St. Louis, and Seattle-Tacoma), which means increased arrival capacity on closely spaced parallel runways.

Airspace Redesign

• Chicago Midway
• Houston
• New York/New Jersey/Philadelphia

Enabling Procedures

• Published 78 RNAV SIDs and STARs (vs. goal of 50)
• Published 63 RNP ARs (vs. goal of 25)
• Published 49 RNAV routes (vs. goal of 12)
• Published 417 WAAS LPV/LP procedures (vs. goal of 300) – the total number of these procedures now exceed the number of ILS procedures in the NAS
• Implemented ILS approach procedures during adverse weather (Category II Operations on Type 1 ILS) at Pittsburgh, Anchorage, Fairbanks, Seattle-Tacoma, Boise, and St Petersburg

Transformational Programs

• Reached in-service decision on the nationwide deployment of ADS-B
• Deployed ADS-B In (TIS-B and FIS-B) in the Miami area
• Developed SWIM Service Specification and Registry Interface Requirements documents and awarded the service container software contract
• Published NNEW weather product data format standards and conducted IT demonstrations, including capabilities of the virtual 4-D Weather Data Cube
• Initiated NAS Voice Switch investment analysis process and engineering studies
• Made Data Communications initial investment decision for Segment 1 and conducted human-in-the-loop simulation

Enabling Programs

• Implemented Traffic Management Advisor at all 20 en route centers; adjacent center time-based metering implemented for Newark and Philadelphia arrivals
• Implemented ASDE-X at Washington Dulles, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Phoenix, John F. Kennedy, and Los Angeles; receiving integrated surface data from Dulles, John F. Kennedy, Memphis, Seattle, and Louisville