National Airspace System: FAA's Approach to Its New Communications System Appears Prudent, but Challenges Remain

摘要

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) uses radios to provide air ground voice and data communications for pilots and air traffic controllers to safely coordinate all flight operations-ground movements of aircraft at airports, take-offs and landings, and separation distances between aircraft as they cruise at high altitudes. However, the anticipated growth in air traffic, coupled with FAA's efforts to reduce air traffic delays and introduce new air traffic services, will create a demand for additional channels for voice communications that FAA's current system cannot provide. FAA is implementing a new communications system to respond to this challenge and also seeking to enhance its existing ability to transmit data to provide more information to pilots, reduce errors in voice communications, and better balance controllers' workload. Moreover, FAA expects that its new system should be less susceptible to interference from such sources as power lines and radio and television stations and also improve security against unauthorized users. FAA is developing products to use with its future integrated voice and data communications system. FAA refers to the initiative to acquire this system as Next Generation Air/Ground Communications (NEXCOM) and estimates that its long-term funding commitment for this initiative could reach $4 billion through fiscal year 2023. Because voice and data communications are critical to air traffic management, you asked us to determine (1) to what extent the existing voice and data communications system used by FAA can effectively meet its expected future needs, (2) what FAA has done to help ensure that the technology it wants to use for NEXCOM will meet its future needs, and (3) what major issues FAA needs to resolve before it can make a final decision on the technology it wants to use for NEXCOM. To address these objectives, among other things, we interviewed and analyzed data and documentation from FAA program officials, experts in communications from the Department of Defense and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, representatives of national and international aviation groups, and officials representing FAA's controller and maintenance workforces. We did not verify the data FAA provided or the results of FAA's analysis.