NATCA Bookshelf

symposium, talked about the value an electronic identification system would play in collecting information that could be used to detect safety and security trends and how that information would contribute to preventing future events. At a global air traffic meeting I attended this week as chair of the Civil Air Navigation Services Organization, I talked with some of my international colleagues about the growth and challenges of autonomous operations in air traffic management. Some interesting things are happening in this arena, including using balloons and other vehicles in upper Class E airspace (above 60,000 feet) to function like cell towers in the sky providing internet and phone service in areas without it. Our Eastern Service Center and San Juan Center colleagues helped bring this internet and phone service technology to Puerto Rico, by assisting Google with Project Loon and issuing an important waiver after Hurricane Maria damaged the island's telecommunications infrastructure. These services were restored much faster than previously possible. And last week, I participated in a kickoff event for two Aviation Rulemaking Committees (ARC). These ARCs will help us make decisions about equitable airspace access for airplanes and commercial space operations and standardize the categorization of spaceports across the nation. Those are a few activities we've been involved in during just the last few days. Our ATO team is active in a number of other ways with new entrants. Integrating these unique operational requirements into our current NAS operations is a challenge, but it's a challenge we fully embrace. March 16, 2018 Tackling Tough Issues with Aviation Industry Input Hi everyone, As experts in our national airspace, our team has made a lot of progress in improving safety and efficiency. We've learned along the way that we are much more successful when we include airlines, pilots, controllers, technicians and other system users when we plan, develop and implement those changes. The strong benefit of collaboration is why my FAA colleagues and I are so committed to the efforts of the NextGen Advisory Committee (NAC), which works with us to prioritize and strategize the best ways to modernize procedures, systems and equipment. This week at the quarterly NAC meeting, which was led by FedEx Chairman David Bronczek and Acting Administrator Dan Elwell, we evaluated some of our biggest initiatives. Operators are enthusiastic about getting Data Communications en route services as we continue to fine-tune its schedule and balance federal resources against other needs. Our other key initiatives – Performance Based Navigation (PBN), Multiple Runway Operations and surface improvements to give us Tower Flight Data Management – are making steady progress and on a good trajectory toward realizing benefits. We also talked about the importance of using our gatherings to tackle some of our toughest issues. We expect to devote more of our time at the NAC to the difficult

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