A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/698751
Communications Specialist Sarah Zilonis : szilonis@natcadc.org ; 202 - 266 - 9844. Multimedia Specialist Chris Ray : cray@natcadc.org ; 202 - 26 6 - 9875 WEEKLY MESSAGE FROM ATO COO TERI L. BRISTOL NextGen Success Stories Hi everyone. Last week, we met with the NextGen Advisory Committee (NAC) here in Washington , D . C. The NAC is a forum where we can work with industry and labor to implement Next Gen. This collaboration has been essential to our success. I want to recap some of the progress we discussed at the meeting. We've now deployed Data Communications departure clearance service (DCL) at 28 control towers, and we're 20 months ahead of schedul e. By the end of this year, we expect to complete deployment at more than 50 towers. We're also making progress on Performance Based Navigation (PBN). For instance, last year, we implemented a procedure called Established on Required Navigation Performance in Denver and Seattle. With EoR, pilots can fly shorter distances when simultaneously turning to land on parallel runways. This results in less fuel burn and emissions by the aircraft. After implementing EoR, Denver Airport was able to increase their use of these procedures by 28%. As part of our Metroplex initiative, we're publishing PBN procedures in Charlotte and Atlanta. In the coming weeks, we expect to publish the PBN NAS Navigation strategy, a 15 - year plan to transition the NAS to PBN as the primary means of navigation, and lay the groundwork for what services could be discontinued in the NAS. In support of ADS - B, the FAA recently announced a $500 rebate program for eligible single - engine piston airplane owners who equip with ADS - B avionics equipment early. This program will help the community to meet the agency's January 1, 2020 equipage deadline sooner. Also, we've asked the NAC for a consensus input on the cost/benefit of developing ways to achieve more precise surveillance of aircraft flying over U.S. - controlled oceanic airspace. We've established agreements with air carriers to receive their aircraft surface data, so we can improve predictability and traffic flow on the surface. And on June 15, we made a final investment decision for the Terminal Flight Data Manager (TFDM) program, and soon we'll announce the winning vendor. TFDM will allow airspace users to share up - to - date automated information such as a flight's readiness to depart and taxi information for each aircraft. With this tool, controll ers can better manage the efficiency of departure queues and decrease the time the aircraft spends waiting to taxi. In 2019, we plan to start deploying TFDM at airports around the country. The progress we've made in all of these areas, among others, shows industry that the FAA keeps its commitments and that we're able deliver real benefits through NextGen. In fact, Captain Bart Roberts of JetBlue said at the NAC meeting that they decided to equip with Data Comm because they saw the progress we were making a nd they could see the benefits they would receive over time. I want to thank the countless program officials, engineers, controllers, technicians and so many others who are working hard to successfully implement these programs.