NextGen
The Next Generation Air
Transportation System (NextGen) is a plan being implemented by the Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) to upgrade the nation's air traffic control
system. It is a multi-phase plan that will take course over the next two
decades and cost about 37 billion dollars (Houston, n.d.). The goal of NextGen
is to modernize the air traffic control system in order to ease the extreme
congestion that is occurring as a result of the rapidly expanding aviation
industry.
The system will have a number of
different components. Automatic Dependant Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) is one
of them. ADS-B will use airborne equipment in conjunction with ground stations
to give a more accurate GPS reading, allowing for closer aircraft separation
minimums. It will also allow radar communication between aircraft, giving a
better sense of situational awareness to the pilots, a valuable tool in IFR
conditions ("ADS-B and").
The integration of NextGen has so
far been costly and full of setbacks. The FAA has mandated that all aircraft
equipped with mode C transponders be ADS-B equipped by 2020. Aircraft owners
and operators are reluctant to invest in the equipment without any confirmation
that the system will even be put into place (Tennyson, 2014).
The problems with NextGen, combined
with those of implementing UAS into the NAS make for an uncertain future.
Implementing a brand new technology into a system that is currently going
through a massive upheaval itself is difficult and will require research.
Currently, the biggest issue with
implementing UAS into the NAS is the lack of "see-and-avoid"
capabilities. Situational awareness for UAV pilots is greatly reduced because
they are operating the aircraft from miles away while looking through a camera.
A pilot of a manned aircraft is far more aware of his surroundings and can
therefore see and avoid other aircraft if a collision becomes imminent.
General Atomics, as well as several
other companies, are currently in the process of testing
"sense-and-avoid" technology, which would allow the UAV to detect a
collision hazard and make the proper corrections to avoid it, but this
technology is still in its infancy (Govers III, 2013).
ADS-B could be the solution to this
problem. ADS-B could be equipped on both manned and unmanned aircraft, giving
more accurate positions, and even allowing the aircraft to communicate data to
each other. This in turn could provide timely and correct collision avoidance
maneuvers to both vehicles, possibly without any intervention from the pilot.
The implementation of a new
technology (UAVs) into a system on the brink of a major upgrade (NAS) means
unforeseen consequences. As we move closer to the FAA 2020 mandate, the
association will have to come up with some definitive guidelines on how owners
and operators can equip their aircraft to become compliant. Fixing the
disparities amongst the known systems will allow the unmanned integration to go
more smoothly.
REFERENCES
Govers,
F. (2013, December 18). General atomics
tests uav that can "sense-and-avoid" other aircraft. Retrieved from http://www.gizmag.com/uav-sense-avoid-test-general- atomics/30184/
Houston,
S.(n.d.) Nextgen in a nutshell.
Retrieved from http://aviation.about.com/od/ATC- Technology/p/What-Is-Nextgen.htm
Tennyson,
E. (2014, September 25). Watchdog report
highlights problems with nextgen mandate.
Retrieved from http://www.aopa.org/News-and-Video/All- News/2014/September/25/Watchdog-report-highlights-problems-with-NextGen-mandate
ADS-B and NextGen
Avionics. Retrieved from http://www.trig-avionics.com/adsb.html
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