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T U E S D AY, M A R C H 2 2 , 2 0 1 6 N AT C A D A I LY D I S PAT C H 4 ✈ The Pros and Cons of the Aviation Innovation Reform & Reauthorization Act (AIRR) ✈ NextGen and SESAR Former FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt, now Senior Vice President, Labor Relations, at Southwest Airlines, effectively summarized the current discussion about FAA reauthorization during Monday's panel: "Everybody hates change and everybody hates the way we do things today." Babbitt and fellow panelist Dr. Dorothy Robyn, who served as special assistant to President Clinton from 1993-2001, both support breaking off the air traffic control system from the FAA to an independent, federally-chartered, not- for-profit corporation. That is what the U.S. House of Representatives' Aviation Innovation Reform & Reauthorization Act (AIRR) proposes. NATCA also supports the AIRR Act because it protects its members, creates a stable funding stream, and does not create a for-profit system. NATCA Executive Vice President Trish Gilbert, who moderated the panel, said she understands the apprehension that some members feel. "Everybody understands the devil they know," Gilbert said. "It's almost accepted because at least we know what it is. We know what a shutdown looks like. We know what it's like to walk 20 flights of stairs when the elevator is out. We know that world. To have this other world, other than to look at NavCanada and see how it's worked out well for them, it's unknown. This is why we worked so hard to put in protections for our workforce." Babbitt, a former commercial airline pilot, has spent 50 years in the current system. He said, "I think it is time to try something new." Robyn, a Democrat and an economist who said she "believes deeply in government," agreed, citing her experience advocating restructuring since 1993. She downplayed fears of a new funding model. "You don't have to worry about bleeding red ink," she said. "You do need to worry about not taking advantage of this opportunity." Panelist Ed Wytkind, President of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, said he has "grown weary of a system that uses FAA employees as scapegoats and it's time for that nonsense to end." He stressed that the House bill still needs work, much like the recent highway bill. However, he said staying engaged to continue to work through it is important. The real work will likely be done in the next Congress, he said. The Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l (ALPA) does not support the bill. ALPA President Capt. Tim Canoll, expressed on the panel his concerns about the AIRR Act funding proposal. He said his members have had to endure numerous airline bankruptcies but added that an ATC corporation monopoly would be different. "Let's face it, you can't go out of business as a monopoly." Panelist David Grizzle, former FAA Air Traffic Organization Chief Operating Officer, now CEO of Dazzle Partners, LLC, said even when the system is adequately funded, the procurement system is broken. "It is designed and controlled by the same people who control the budget, which sets up an impossible task. It requires the FAA to plan and schedule something that will not deliver a system for 10 years." As the panel concluded, news came that the House cleared an extension of the current FAA authorization that runs through mid-July and continues this discussion. Air traffic controllers operate in a global airspace. The airspace systems in the United States, Europe, and around the world are complex. Interoperability must be attained to ensure that what functions in the United States also functions globally. Technology like NextGen and the European modernization project SESAR are the driving forces in design systems for the next generation of air travel. Moderator Mary McMillan, Vice President, Aviation Safety and Operational Services, Inmarsat led the discussion with panelists Kevin McLaughlin, NATCA NextGen Representative, Eric Risdon, EVP Professional, International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers' Associations; Simon Hocquard, Operations Director, NATS, UK; and Donald Ward, NextGen International, FAA. Ward focused on ICAO and its function as a global initiative. The FAA has sent controllers to work with ICAO and drive industry forward for years. Controller viewpoints in all aspects of ICAO are exceedingly important to the collaborative nature of NextGen and SESAR to ensure this next round of technology is built correctly. Risdon shared information on Single European Sky ATM research. Performance, safety, technology, human performance, and human factors are all elements that can be enhanced through this research collection. He explained that designing technology through this research should make things easier, faster, and safer, but must never replace the human element. Hocquard focused on the collaborative nature of SESAR and NextGen, pointing out that this is a collaborative effort, not a race to the top. Continuously learning and supporting each other will create a high-functioning and safe global aviation environment. NextGen and SESAR are the biggest changes ever undertaken in the United States and European airspace systems. Hocquard described them as a picture of what is happening today, and what will come tomorrow, stating, "we have the opportunity to make it what we want it to be." McLaughlin discussed the future of 4D Trajectory and the information sharing that will lead to its success. The transformational nature of NextGen has been happening and will continue to drive the future as controllers and engineers improve technology. He stated that users want efficiency and predictability moving forward, warning that we could lose both if we do not incorporate new technologies and apply data collected to the NAS and global airspace. He stated that, "ATC wins through these programs, and the possibilities for this technology moving forward is robust." McMillan closed by describing the paradigm shift occurring through NextGen and SESAR, saying, "the future depends upon successful collaboration between these programs and I encourage everyone to be engaged in these important conversations." PANEL RECAPS MONDAY: "No one's job is unimportant," began Dr. Jerry Cockrell's meaningful and humorous comments on his extensive experience within the aviation field. Despite being told he wouldn't amount to anything, he made the dean's list in academic excellence — all while working three jobs. "In my humble opinion, there are three things critical to success: discipline, motivation, and having a goal," he said. "Discipline means you do what you're supposed to do. You have to adhere to the discipline, to the standard." He described these goals as being attainable through self-motivation and went on to describe his goal from his piloting days: having zero defects in every single flight he handled. "There's always some anomaly that causes you to have to change you goal," he explained. "It may never be absolute perfection, but as close as I can get it, I want zero defects. If your goal isn't zero defects, then you will condone mediocrity in performance." Dr. Cockrell went on to describe his tumultuous first piloting job for a skydiver. He said the fear of failure is much less motivating to accomplishing goals than receiving compliments. These human factors are incredibly important in a pilot who is disciplined, motivated, and able to meet their goals. '"Get 'er done,' because no one makes any money or is transported anywhere until pilots get it done," Dr. Cockrell said. Cockrell warned the audience of having an ego, because it "will get in your way." He recounted the problems it caused for airlines years ago because many men and women who served as single-seat, single- engine pilots in the military were used to doing everything themselves and then they became immersed in a team environment. "It was a struggle to get that evened out, which is why we started the CRM (crew resource management) thing," says Cockrell. Dr. Jerry Cockrell RECAP:

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