Reducing flight delays is the goal of a program to update air traffic-control technology at Syracuse Hancock International Airport and others nationwide.
The Federal Aviation Administration wants to replace old radar systems with upgraded GPS technology — like that in many autos today. The FAA’s system is called NextGen — as in Next Generation. The GPS stands for Global Positioning System. The GPS technology uses satellites to pinpoint the location of people, vehicles and even airplanes in flight. The FAA says GPS-tracking will give air-traffic controllers more accurate information to help pilots safely and quickly guide their aircraft through the crowded sky.
That’s welcome news to many pilots. James Myers is an American Airlines pilot from Cicero. He says that the current radar system used by Air Traffic Control, or ATC, is a major reason for flight delays.
“The limitation is right now is that there is so many aircraft airborne that the ATC system as it currently stands is kind of maxed out.”
(James Myers of Cicero, pilot for American Airlines)
Myers describes it as a bottleneck effect. The radar system can only accept a certain number of flights. So as more planes attempt to approach an airport, many have to circle around and wait in line before they get the go-ahead to land.
And the FAA says the potential for delays is only going to get worse. The FAA predicts that air traffic will grow about 2 percent every year — and more traffic means more traffic jams.
In the new GPS system, satellites will relay information about each plane to air-traffic controllers. With the satellite information, the air-traffic controllers will not have to ask pilots for details about their aircraft’s whereabouts and speed.
James Myers, the American Airlines pilot from Cicero, says the GPS system would be safer and more efficient.
“It would be more accurate for them to interpret exactly what the airplane is doing at any particular instant. That would help them make a better decision on how to handle that aircraft airborne.”
(James Meyers of Cicero, pilot for American Airlines)
The upgrade to GPS technology is in the bill that will keep the FAA running. That’s called a “reauthorization” bill. One of the supporters of the GPS upgrade is New York Democratic Senator Charles Schumer. In a press release, Schumer praised the system and called for speeding up the transition to it. He says it will “reduce maddening flight delays by over twenty percent.” For Syracuse Hancock International airport, Schumer says the GPS technology will mean 797 fewer flights will be delayed each year.
Debate on the bill is scheduled to continue in the Senate until mid- to late February.
Reporting for Democracywise, I’m Leigh Isaacson.
(Leigh Isaacson is a senior in broadcast and digital journalism with a geography minor.)
-30-
