Fly Us Safe Campaign
The FAA’s Failed Record of Modernization: Putting Safety at Risk
With air traffic increasing to record levels, it’s more important than ever for the FAA to keep modernizing the air traffic control system, ensuring that new technologies make our skies safer and more efficient. FAA Administrator Marion Blakey says she agrees. But the reality? The FAA has been slowing, cutting or derailing critical programs, seriously impacting passenger safety and wasting taxpayer dollars.1
FAA makes cuts to vital system allowing control over aircraft on airport tarmacs. The model X (ASDE-X) is an important system developed after a fatal accident at LAX, providing affordable surface radar at airports so that controllers don’t have to rely solely on visual observance. The program was originally slated for completion in 2007, but due to FAA budget cuts, only 15 of the scheduled 34 sites will have received the essential system by then. Ten medium sized airports still have absolutely no radar. During this delay, many controllers simply cannot “see” areas of an airport’s surface due to obstructions and low visibility.
FAA backs off Controller Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC) – The most significant new initiative to improve controller communication, this program would have provided a critical additional link between pilots and the tower – allowing them to communicate digitally. But the program was terminated in 2004, deeply disappointing industry officials who were relying on the CPDLC program for improvements in safety and efficiency. These officials say the program had demonstrated the system’s capabilities in alleviating flight-deck workload by replacing routine pilot/controller voice exchanges with data messages on a cockpit display screen. Frank Cheshire, American Airlines CPDLC project coordinator and former line and technical pilot, complained on the Aviation International News website, “It’s extremely disappointing after a year-and-a-half of successful operations.” Cheshire added his concern that, over time, the FAA’s funding allocations for CPDLC implementation strategy studies “could slowly disappear.”2
FAA Cancels Deployment of Important Global Positioning Systems – Global Positioning Systems provide a critical layer of additional safety for the air traffic control system. But at a recent air traffic control conference, Steve Zaidman, the FAA’s vice president of operations services, stated there was currently no business case for the LAAS GPS system.3
FAA Fails to Deploy Next Generation Air/Ground Communications (NEXCOM) – Even though the Department of Transportation Inspector General argues that upgrades to the ATC infrastructure are inevitable, the FAA cancelled a critical update to the antiquated analog radio system currently used for air traffic control communications. NEXCOM would have replaced the outdated system, but the program funding was terminated in 2004. It’s still unclear how the FAA plans to solve this problem. By delaying this program, the FAA has forfeited US leadership and has essentially relinquished the decision making required for communications equipment to the European Union.
FAA’s mismanagement of the Standard Terminal Automation Replacement System (STARS) has put the future of Terminal Automation in jeopardy - The STARS program provides a much-needed digital air traffic control system for managing terminal area airspace. But the FAA’s deployment continues to be hampered by numerous technological and software problems, resulting in high cost overruns and delays. As a result, the program has been drastically curtailed, with the FAA chopping its budget by a massive $25 million. Currently, the largest facility to which STARS has been deployed is Philadelphia and it continues to deal with operational problems and failures. STARS has experienced a 7 year delay in deployment and has been reduced from 172 facilities to 47 facilities. In addition, the ASR-11 program (a new digitized radar system that was supposed to be deployed in conjunction with STARS) has been delayed 8 years and reduced by 46.45 million for FY 2004-05.
1 Unless otherwise stated information in this fact sheet is sourced from two GAO reports: National Airspace System – Progress and ongoing challenges for the air traffic organization, released April 2005 (available at http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05485t.pdf) and; National Airspace System – FAA has made progress but continues to face challenges in acquiring major air traffic control systems, released June 2005 (http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d05331.pdf).
2http://www.ainonline.com/issues/06_04/06_04_bugetcutsp54.html
3ATCA symposium held in ACY in April 2005