Many of us in aviation watched in awe as the Eyjafjallajokull volcano on Iceland began erupting in earnest on April 14 and began disrupting air traffic all over Europe. According to Oxford Economics, that first week of disruption caused an … Continue reading →

The time has come for “all hands on deck.” FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt and Air Traffic Organization chief Hank Krakowski testified on March 18 before the House Appropriations Subcommittee. They were defending the agency’s FY 2011 budget request. They were … Continue reading →

In response to a recent question about NextGen benefits, I decided to devote this blog entry to that topic. The question came from Bud Bensel, who said he had developed the initial SOIA procedures and PRM operations. I presume this … Continue reading →

As the year winds down and I begin taking stock, a couple of things come to mind. Here we are standing on the verge of NextGen moving to the next level. We’ve begun fast convergence as a community this year, … Continue reading →

NextGen Mid-Term Implementation Task Force, better known as RTCA Task Force 5, completed its work and delivered its final report to the FAA on September 9. On September 15, RTCA put on an all-day conference at a local hotel in Washington, DC to discuss the TF5 recommendations. Continue reading →

As RTCA Task Force 5 comes to a conclusion, I think it’s interesting to try to understand what it represents in the broader scheme of things. Everything in nature seems to seek equilibrium. Hot flows to cold, water seeks a … Continue reading →