QUICK THINKING—FAA NEXTGEN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL PROJECT
The current air traffic control systems in the United States are at least twenty years behind the current technologies and without and upgrade puts the US at risk of falling behind the rest of the world. The NextGen project is attempting to change US air travel from a ground-based, analog system to a satellite-based system using global positioning system (GPS) technology by 2018. The new system would automate many parts of ground and air traffic control, enable real-time GPS maps of air and ground traffic, incorporate weather monitoring to reroute planes, and allow planes to fly closer together without a loss of safety. The NexGen system is the largest project undertaken by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), but a report from the G....