NextGen: Modernizing the Aviation Industry

What is NextGen?
NextGen is the brain child of Federal Aviation Administration(FAA). It gives modernization to the
aviation industry by improving safety, capacity and efficiency by improving the procedure of
departure to arrival. The in flight pilots, aviation operators and air traffic controllers receives
accurate and efficient information so as to helps the passengers travel in lesser time, while the
aircraft consumes lesser fuel and produces lesser emission.
How it works?
This is a radar servilence and satelite based monitoring system between the aircraft and the sky. As a
passenger is boarding the aircraft specially during the times of heavy traffic a more dependable
system allows the air traffic controller to give a spot with respect to the order or sequence of the
departing flights. This helps to reduce the grid lock and waiting time for the flight to departure from
the runway. Metered push back from the gate ensure less time inching forward and burning of the
fuel while waiting to take of. This technology is already cutting the taxi time in Newyork and JFK
Airport by 7000 hours per year.
While the flight is ready to take off, it will have its own precise path and direction of the runway no
longer constraint with the single runway or the departure route. Flight takes the help of the satelite
based precision path and direction to depart more quickly and efficiently.
Also the planning to introduce the circular runway, will helps the flights to take off at desired point
and direction also it allows more number flight to land on the same runway at the same time.
The GPS enabled flight gives more accurate information to air traffic controller by giving the pin point
position of the flight. It helps the air traffic controller to give the same air space to other flights while
reducing the risk of error.
While the flight reaches the crushing altitude the flight data is fused with other data including wind,
destination, weather etc. Nextgen technology determines the most safe and efficient path of the
flight considering the data generated from flight as well as the satelite. So weather can no longer be a
reason for the delay of flight or cancel of flight. The delays will be reduced by 41%. By nextgen
technology the landing information will be received by ATC from hunderds of mile and make the
landing arrangement accordingly. This helps the flight to decent at constant speed which reduced the
carbon emission and saves the fuel by 32%. Nextgen technology integrates the information between
the ATC and Cockpit gives the taxi data prior to the landing this cus down the taxi time upon arrival.
This Nextgen Technology reduces the fuel consumption by 1.6 Billion Gallons per year and carbon
emission by 16 million tons.
Project NextGen:
As the NextGen concept was initialize, FAA started for the implementation. En Route Automation
Modernization(ERAM) and Terminal Automation Modernization and Replacement(TAMR) are the two
main milestone for this project. By the 2008 FAA has already implemented the hardware for ERAM.
FAA using knowledge gain since 2011 and lots of evolution and modifications are already done in this
project. Though this project is schedule for full phase implement ion by 2030, but it can be come to
live earlier due to improvement in aerospace industry and GPS system. FAA is working closely with
the stake holders like Nation Airspace System, Air Traffic Controller, Pilot Association, Airport
Authorities etc for the continuous improvement and reduce the risk factor for this revolutionary
automation in Aerospace industries.