[Satellite News 10-04-11] Commercial airlines want the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to accelerate the implementation of onboard satellite-based navigation systems on airlines, according to an industry-government report issued Oct. 3.

   The airlines claim that the satellite systems will allow pilots to plot more precise airport-approach routes, which could alleviate airport congestion and reduce costs for commercial carriers, however, the report suggested that the FAA leverage short-term benefits of air-traffic control modernization before replacing ground-based radar networks with onboard satellite-based systems.

   “[The FAA] should emphasize interim upgrades to airport approaches that allow carriers to use existing onboard navigation equipment to trim fuel costs, reduce pollution and alleviate airport congestion. New procedures would save money by clearing aircraft to approach airports on more gradual descents, which could save fuel because pilots could proceed toward their landings at slower speeds under reduced power,” the report said.

   The FAA has dealt with the issue of short-term improvements in airborne traffic control for several years and its directors have pushed for complex revisions of procedures and practices to give pilots authority to determine their own flight paths, ensure safe separation from nearby aircraft and assume other tasks now handled by controllers on the ground.

A committee set up by the FAA, industry executives and a wide range of experts created the report. The committee recommended using federal loan guarantees or other financial incentives to help airlines with long-term cockpit upgrades. The issued presented in the report are expected to be raised during a U.S. Congress transportation subcommittee hearing this week and the Air Traffic Control Association’s annual conference.

   “The FAA must do more to help airlines realize near-term benefits of satellite-based flight paths that permit pilots to fly shorter, more fuel-efficient descents and runway approaches,” the committee wrote in the report. “Currently, four out of ten airliners have the necessary equipment, though not all crews have been trained for such approaches. FAA implementation needs to precede retrofits.”

   In a statement released following the report, FAA Chiefs Michael Huerta and Randy Babbitt acknowledged the importance of demonstrating near-term gains by airlines from traffic controls upgrades. “The agency was looking for specifics on establishing priorities and measuring benefits.”

   In August, Aerospace Industry Association (AIA) CEO Marion Blakey cited a long list of concerns related to debilitating congressional budget cuts for the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. Blakey said that research, development, procurement and investment accounts are always the hardest hit during times of budget stringency because operational requirements always must be funded. “The Budget Control Act does not provide enough detail to determine its effect on NextGen, aircraft certification, science research and human spaceflight, but AIA will be fighting hard to preserve FAA and NASA fundraising because we know these programs are at risk,” she said.

   The FAA’s reauthorization extension, which was scheduled for Congressional approval in September, contains critical pieces of legislation to improve aviation safety and advance the FAA’s Next Generation Air Transportation System that aims to improve the efficiency of the U.S. air traffic control system.

   “After a two-week long partial [U.S. government] shutdown in August, the FAA continues to limp along on extensions because Congress was once again unable to reach a compromise,” said Blakey. “Yet we continue to wait for some resolution of this unfinished business with the FAA working under the same legal authorities it had five years ago. The current extension expires on September 16 and no one can predict confidently whether we will finally have a reauthorization, a 22nd extension or another partial shutdown.”

   AIA said that the organization plans to lobby Congress to make sure that U.S. defense and aerospace budget reductions are made with an “eye to sound strategy” and that there is a positive resolution to the FAA reauthorization bill. “It is simply unfathomable to think that, at a time when jobs are the top issue facing American voters, Congress might cause huge layoffs in a critical and healthy industry vital to our national security, public safety and economic prosperity,” said Blakey. “Our hope is that when members of Congress return after Labor Day, they’ve had the opportunity to meet with their constituents at home and have heard about the importance of reaching consensus on issues that have such importance to our nation.”

   In July, the FAA granted approval for the use of Iridium data services to transmit Air Traffic Control (ATC) communications from airplanes in oceanic airspace. The authorization was the result of a five-year FAA evaluation for aircraft flying in airspace under FAA jurisdiction to use Future Air Navigation System (FANS) 1/A over Iridium (FOI) to meet communications requirements for air traffic control.