Dc-3 System Is Worn Threadbare

For as long as travelers have been flying, the holiday season has involved special memories. More and more, though, those memories include unpleasant recollections of overcrowded airports and delayed airplanes wreaking havoc on schedules and nerves.

Remarkably, these crunches of inconvenience are infrequent. But aviation gridlock - accompanied by the threat of more accidents - could become a daily fact of life unless the Federal Aviation Administration and the way it manages airline traffic are drastically overhauled.

The truth is, our aviation system is dangerously close to being overwhelmed by its success.

More Americans are flying every year. This year there are 600 million flights; 10 years from now there will be 900 million. Soon after the turn of the century, this startling growth in air traffic threatens to usher in an incapacitating aviation gridlock caused by antiquated air traffic control technology, insufficient funds, and an outdated management structure at the FAA.

There is only one way to avoid this aviation gridlock - reorient the funding and management of the FAA.

As a first priority, the FAA must have consistent, long-term spending and revenue plans. The FAA’s funding should be shielded from the unproductive budget gamesmanship that members of Congress and administrations wage all too often. Revenues raised from aviation activity should be directly dedicated to aviation services.

The National Civil Aviation Review Commission, which I chaired, determined that reforming the FAA’s funding was an essential first step. But that alone is not enough. Our broad-based commission, appointed by Congress and the administration, recommended additional steps to assure that the U.S. air traffic control system is managed better so it can remain the world’s best.

In our deliberations, one seemingly small development symbolized the interrelationship between funding and management. We learned that many countries now are investing in digital data communications technology to run their sophisticated air traffic control systems. But the United States is still importing vacuum tubes to run its antiquated equipment.

The answer is to inject a sensible dose of business-like management practices into the air traffic control system’s management. Creating a performance-based organization, overseen by a chief operating officer and a board of directors, will provide strong incentives to improve the system’s service and technology.

Along with heading off gridlock in the skies, we must prevent congestion on the ground by investing in airports, runways and terminals.

The difference between an aviation system that works and one that doesn’t can be a matter of minutes. Clogged runways and airport gates cause delays, and adding just five minutes to average flight times would severely disrupt airline schedules across the country. Remarkably, though, current federal investment in airports is declining even as air traffic increases. We need to spend at least $2 billion a year for the next five years.

Long ago, the U.S. recognized that old bridges and crowded highways are inconvenient and less safe. The same is true for airports.

The final piece of the puzzle is to forcefully and directly address safety concerns.

The U.S. safety record over the last three decades is outstanding. The U.S. accident rate has been consistently around one accident or less per million flights. But it will not be good enough to simply retain the current accident rate while air traffic mounts. If that happens, there will be about six or seven catastrophic accidents a year by 2010, about double the three or four of today. That is unacceptable.

Making the skies safer will require a comprehensive plan built on cooperation between the government and industry. Too often, the U.S. accident prevention strategy has focused on fixing the causes of the last accident. That is important, but it might carry small relevance in preventing the next accident.

In many areas, we need to sharpen the FAA’s focus so that safety is not just regulated, but promoted - so that there is a solid commitment to lower the overall accident rate. For instance, airlines and pilots must be encouraged to raise safety issues without fear of punitive actions. Cutting through this legal and bureaucratic thicket to make accident prevention a top goal will not be easy, but it is necessary.

Through all of these steps, the United States can challenge its aviation system to be the world’s best and safest. We are approaching a critical period in our nation’s aviation history. This program, a comprehensive and politically practical plan, can seize upon a widespread eagerness and willingness for change.

The next 10 years offer great promise for the nation’s aviation system, and we face a unique opportunity for change. If we pass the test, we can assure all Americans that our nation’s aviation system remains preeminent - and that the FAA is up to tomorrow’s challenges.

xxxx