46). To date, though, these reforms have not materialized and the air traffic control system remains mired in the FAA bureaucracy (McDougall & Roberts, 2008). In this regard, Poole (2008) emphasizes that, "[the air traffic control system] is managed by an unwieldy government bureaucracy, micromanaged by Congress, and subjected to the ups and downs of the federal budget process. And as air travel continues to grow, the air traffic control system is less and less able to keep pace" (p. 11).
Based on the importance of sound air traffic control systems, there have been a number of studies conducted to determine the primary causes of existing air traffic control system deficiencies. The research to date has identified five main causes as follows:
1. Procurement: cumbersome federal procurement processes end up taking five to seven years to acquire new radar and computer systems -- at a time when a new generation of computers comes along about every 18 months. Thus, the air traffic control system is getting further and further behind.
2. Personnel: federal civil service rules are incompatible with the needs of a high-stress, 24-hour-a-day service business, which must be able to attract and keep the right people in the right, locations at all times.
3. Budget process: the need for air traffic control resources is driven by the growth in aviation activity -- but the FAA's resources are determined by the constraints of balancing the federal budget; moreover, unlike a business, the FAA must fund all major capital expenditures on a pay-as-you-go basis, rather than being able to borrow to pay for long-lived improvements.
4. Micromanagement: both the Department of Transportation and Congress take up huge amounts of FAA management time exerting detailed "oversight" of its operations, keeping it from making and implementing effective long-range plans.
5. Conflict of interest: the FAA serves as both the aviation safety regulator and as the operator of a major component of the aviation system -- air traffic control. Safety regulation should be at arms-length from air traffic control just as it is from airlines and aircraft manufacturers (Poole, 2008, p. 11).
Clearly, the problems facing the air traffic control system in the United States are multifaceted...
Air Traffic Control Free Flight System Free flight represents a positive change in airline traffic management system. It promises efficiency and profitability to the industry, which is going through a rough period. The 1978 deregulation of airlines was perceived as a revolutionary change in the airline industry. Similarly, in the field of air traffic control, the 'free flight' system promises to be the most important change ever since the introduction of radars
GPS will significantly improve the accuracy of air traffic control, and also provide a platform for the efficient increase of aircraft traffic. It is however somewhat unclear why it has taken so long to implement a technology that has such obvious advantages and that has been in existence for such a long time. Perhaps the time and cost involved was a determining factor. From the current viewpoint, it has
privatization of Air Traffic Control in the U.S. Non-profit privatization of ATC Industry experts position on privatizing the U.S. ATC Improvement in safety and regulation New Public Management Orientation in the U.S. Air Traffic Control Technology up gradation and budgetary constraints State-owned enterprises (SOEs) are organizations owned and operated by governments. There is a growing consensus amongst economists and governments that governments should not operate commercial organizations as it hampers the efficiency and productivity of the
911 tragedy, many politicians and airline industry representatives began to search for improvements to the Airline Traffic Control system, or ATC. These improvements were deigned to increase security and safety for all flight personnel, as well as for all passengers. This paper will outline some of the changes made to the ATC systems, and will discuss the benefits of each new policy or procedure. One of the most significant changes
Airports, Airspace, And Air Traffic Control A Manager's Perspective from an Aeronautical Point-of-View on Airports, Airspace, and Air Traffic control Team resource management defines the efficient and effective use of resources that are available including people, information, and equipment. It always targets security enhancement and efficient management of air traffic control (Hikmat, 2013). The principles that guide the management of the team in air traffic control include the following aspects. Developing human factors Linking
Air traffic has continued to increase and it now constitutes a considerable proportion of the travelling public. The amount of long-hour flights has increased significantly. Based on the International Civil Aviation authority, air traffic can be anticipated to double amid till 2020. Airline travel, especially over longer distances, makes air travelers vulnerable to numerous facets that will impact their health and well-being. Particularly, the speed with which influenza spreads and
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now