NATCA Bookshelf

Margaret Jenny PRESIDENT A New Model of Engagement RTCA RADIO TECHNICAL COMMISSION FOR AERONAUTICS 34 NextGen Now | Winter 2014 As the nation's air transportation system has advanced in size, diversity, and complexity, the FAA's engagement with the aviation industry has evolved to keep pace. Unlike in previous decades, the FAA's signature NextGen program requires not only government investments, but also substantial investments by operators. The FAA has called on RTCA to forge consensus among the diverse aviation community to help facilitate a coordinated and benefits-driven approach to modernizing the air transportation system encompassed in the NextGen program. In response to a request by the FAA, the NextGen Integration Working Group (NIWG), a joint FAA-Industry team operating under the NextGen Advisory Committee (NAC), forged a consensus to deploy NextGen capabilities in the near-term that will deliver measurable benefits to the National Airspace System. At its fall meeting, the NAC approved the NIWG recommendation, arrived at through a new model of collaboration between the FAA and industry. The FAA then delivered a report to Congress, documenting the NIWG recommendations along with a plan to track progress on both FAA and industry commitments. The FAA and industry accomplished all of this on the aggressive schedule set by Congress. This enhanced model of collaboration began in the late summer of 2013, when faced with budget challenges, FAA Administrator Michael Huerta, along with Deputy Administrator and Chief NextGen Officer Mike Whitaker asked RTCA to review the FAA's NextGen implementation plans and forge a consensus on top priorities. Within two months, the NAC delivered a list of 11 Tier 1 and eight Tier 2 priorities that they agreed would provide the earliest and best results within any potential budget scenario. In early 2014, the FAA asked RTCA to take prioritization one step further and identify the top four capabilities along with all requisite actions that must be completed to deploy them at specific sites over the next three years. The FAA committed senior leadership and Subject Matter Experts

• Cover