NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration or FAA has been conducting test flight to test their new air traffic control. NASA has been working with FAA to see if the new tool they developed, Terminal Sequencing and Spacing, is doing fine.
Terminal Sequencing and Spacing is targeting an overall flight effectiveness. They have named the project Next Generation Air Transportation System, or NextGen. The project costs $35-billion. The flight testing is only the first part of everything Wired reported. It is expected that in year 2030 each flight, from preflight prep until arrival, will have modern planning software, digital instead of voice communication, and GPS-based position-reporting over imprecise radar-based tracking.
NASA's aeronautical pacesetters have been working with pilots and engineers of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). They will refashion and improve the whole air traffic control system. They are aiming for a nonstop dive or take off maneuvers to be more doable and more ordinary.
"With TSS, NASA has turned over to the FAA another valuable tool that will soon benefit our environment and everyone who flies or relies on aviation one way or another," explained Jaiwon Shin, NASA's associate administrator for aeronautics.
There will be more efficient traffic control after NextGen comes to life. Since air traffic controllers are using radar data for guiding the planes to land, there are many delays and other obstructive things that stop it from getting in faster. There is the need for greater space between airplanes when they are about to land or take off, unlike with this new innovation.
There are already many business and private planes that are using this. In 2020, commercial flights will be prompted to put it in their aircrafts too. Not only time will be saved with NextGen but also fuel. Moreover, since there is less fuel used, there will be fewer emissions too.
