National Airspace System Issues in Allocating Costs for Air Traffic Services toDOD and Other Users

摘要

The U.S. airspace system, which is in continuous operation 24 hours a day, 365days a year, is commonly referred to as the National Airspace System (NAS). The principal component of the NAS is the ATC system-a vast network of radars; automated data processing, navigation, and communication equipment; and traffic control facilities. It is through the ATC system that FAA and DOD provide services such as controlling takeoffs and landings and managing the flow of traffic between airports. Other components of the NAS include airports or landing areas; aeronautical charts, information, and services; rules, regulations, and procedures; technical information; and personnel and material. Furthermore, portions of certain components of the ATC system, such as long-range radars, are shared jointly between FAA and DOD. Since 1958, as established by the Federal Aviation Act, FAA and DOD have been partners in jointly operating the NAS and in providing air traffic services. They also cooperate in various other areas, such as air defense, drug interdiction, and weather research. The details of how FAA and DOD work together are embodied in joint manuals and hundreds of letters of agreements at both the national and regional levels. For example, Patuxent Naval Air Traffic Control Facility in Patuxent River, Maryland, provides radar coverage for a geographic area of about 6,400 square miles; its boundaries stretch from Bethany Beach, Delaware, along the Atlantic coast to Leedstan, Virginia. Patuxent has entered into a letter of agreement with FAA'S Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center in Leesburg, Virginia, to provide approach control services during certain hours as stipulated in the agreement. Similar agreements exist between FAA'S facilities and DOD'S facilities across the United States. In fiscal year 1995, FAA reported that it handled about 150 million aircraft movements.