The Congressionally-mandated Next Generation Air Transportation System / Joint Planning and Development Office (NextGen/JPDO) was highlighted a number of times by government and industry officials as they testified during a hearing concerning the RTCA Mid-Term Implementation Task Force Report. The hearing was held on Wednesday, October 28, 2009, before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Aviation. Several comments and observations were of particular interest and relevance, including the following:
Ed Bolen, President and CEO, National Business Aviation Association, and RTCA Policy Board Chairman, asserted that the JPDO provides us “magnetic North” relative to modernization and transformation of the aviation system as we focus on accelerating the process to affect the immediate and mid-term.
Neil Planzer, Vice President of Strategy for Air Traffic Management, The Boeing Company, who testified on behalf of the Aerospace Industries Association, responded to the suggestion of Congressman Thomas Petri (R-WI), the ranking minority member of the Subcommittee, that there should be reliance on the insight and resources of the Department of Defense and other government users of the system. He stated that the JPDO has been and should continue to facilitate the coordination and collaboration of the government partners in this context, especially since it is a federal system …not just a civil system.
Jim May, President and CEO, Air Transport Association, emphasized that the NextGen initiative should be a national priority based on a positive business case, metrics and accountability … especially in light of the huge payback from infrastructure investment. And, he stressed that his role as co-chair of the Institute Management Council (of the NextGen Institute) through the JPDO is a significant factor in this context.
While the testimony from Hank Krakowski, COO of the FAA’s Air Traffic Organization, focused on the primary topic of the hearing with specific attention to review and implementation of the RTCA task force recommendations, he did offer that the JPDO is focused on the longer term and the government partners. As well, he stressed the key role going forward of the NextGen Management Board of which the JPDO Director is a member.
The chairs of the Committee and Subcommittee, Congressman Jim Oberstar (D-MN) and Jerry Costello (D-IL), each reiterated their strong interest in moving the NextGen initiative forward in line with the intent of the 2003 FAA authorization law, as well as the provisions in the reauthorization measure that has been approved by the full House and is still evolving in the U.S. Senate. And, the two Congressional leaders added direction to the DOT Inspector General, the Government Accountability Office, and the aviation industry in general, to closely monitor the FAA’s progress in this regard.
To summarize this aspect of the hearing one can reflect on another point made by Congressman Petri. He expressed the importance of not just addressing the immediate and mid-term, but that we also need to make sure we plan effectively for the more distant future. He opined that he and we would “dread” a process that deals with current and nearer term needs, but, in years further ahead finds us experiencing a “Ground Hog Day” where we don’t have the modernization we need for the future.
Posted by myjpdo
Posted by myjpdo
Posted by myjpdo
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