Last week, the House decisively postponed reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration, something it has already done 16 times since reauthorization was scheduled to take place in 2007. At stake is the future of America’s airline network, which is beholden to the federal government to maintain and update an antiquated air traffic control system.
Flickr photo by Andrew Morrell Photography.
Air traffic control is fully funded by airline ticket fees and other aircraft users. But the system is run by the federal government, which for more than 20 years has promised to update it with a Next Generation system. In contrast, Canada’sprivatized air traffic control recently won an award from the International Air Transport Association for being the world’s best system. ATC agencies in Iceland and the Netherlands also won awards; these have been “corporatized,” turned into independent, government-owned entities that are not dependent on their governments for funding or reauthorizations.
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Some in Congress still hope to pass a reauthorization bill during the lame-duck session. One of the big issues among Congressional micromanagers is the number of flights between Washington’s Reagan National Airport and the West Coast.
Supposedly, Dulles Airport was for long-distance flights while National was for regional flights. But Hill staffers and downtown lobbyists don’t like to take the 30-mile drive to Dulles when National is just a short hop away. If the airports were privatized, they could sell landing slots to the highest bidders. But few in Congress are willing to let their perqs be subject to the uncertainties of the free market.
Meanwhile, an official of the National Air Transportation Association (NATA) laments the departure of Representative James Oberstar, chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, who lost his reelection bid this November. This could be just political schmoozing, but why would NATA be so appreciative of someone who was unable to pass the reauthorization bill for four years or fix air traffic control?
OK, let’s see what the leftist trolls will be saying:
The horse and buggy subsidized the auto!
The entirely unsubsidized passenger rail system was driven out of business by the government subsidizing airlines!
Honda Civics subsidize the trucking industry!
Libertarians and tea baggers are paid to disrupt forums where progressives discuss real transportation progress, such as 19th century light rail.
Big houses are evil and we should tax/fine the bejesus out of selfish suburbanites who want a McMansion!
Any libtards care to add any more talking points? I’ll wait for you to go the Daily Kos and get some, if necessary.
I toured an Air Force AWAC at an air show and I asked one of the technicians if their computers used Windows or Apple operating systems. He said “I wish.” Apparently the AWACs use computers and operating systems from decades ago. They do the job, are reliable, so they don’t update to the newest technology.
The FAA is doing the same thing. They use old computer technology, but it is proven reliable and does the job. But if you want improvements, like more efficient landing approaches and closer spacing, then you need to upgrade the computers.
“ATC agencies in Iceland and the Netherlands also won awards; these have been ‘corporatized,’ turned into independent, government-owned entities…”
“If the airports were privatized, they could sell landing slots to the highest bidders. But few in Congress are willing to let their perqs [sic] be subject to the uncertainties of the free market.”
Is the Antiplanner conflating the free market with corporatism? Or is he simply advocating corporatism over government operation?
Is the Antiplanner conflating the free market with corporatism? Or is he simply advocating corporatism over government operation?
There are degrees of deregulation, decontrol and privatization. Both of these options would be superior to the current structure.
The Antiplanner wrote:
In contrast, Canada’s privatized air traffic control recently won an award from the International Air Transport Association for being the world’s best system. ATC agencies in Iceland and the Netherlands also won awards; these have been “corporatized,†turned into independent, government-owned entities that are not dependent on their governments for funding or reauthorizations.
Sweden has started to put its ATC on the block for privatizing as well. Read this article (English) for details.
The Antiplanner also wrote:
But the system is run by the federal government, which for more than 20 years has promised to update it with a Next Generation system.
Randal, more than 20 years!
Back in the mid-1980’s, I worked (as a contractor) on the FAA’s Advanced Automation System, AAS for short. Most frustrating experience of my professional career.
You can read more about the software, hardware and systems engineering disaster that was the AAS here on the Baselinemag site.
This paragraph from that article sums-up much of the ugly reality of AAS pretty well (emphasis added):
The overambitious agenda was aggravated by excessive faith in new technologies. Among other things, AAS was supposed to be a showcase for Unix-based distributed computing and for development in Ada, a programming language created by the Air Force that became the state-sponsored religion in object-oriented technology, itself a relatively young methodology for writing code in self-contained, reusable chunks. IBM tried to use Ada to enforce discipline on the project by making developers outline a design in high-level code, then fill in the blanks. But this was no match for an environment of where the FAA kept changing its requirements.
For even more on the FAA’s failed Advanced Automation System, read this GAO report from 1994:
ADVANCED AUTOMATION SYSTEM: Implications of problems and Recent Changes
A $200 Android tablet for each pilot. Add 20 high school kids who make Android apps and a little science of distributed navigation. Bingo, no more air traffic control, seriously. You have GPS, communications, Google maps, display, and computing power.
Matt makes an interesting point. Not sure I’m ready to hand my life over to google, but we may be outsmarting ourselves here.
Years ago not long after St Ronnie acted out of spite, I studied for the ATC test but never followed through. Surely computing power would help but I’m not 100% convinced it would be best in an emergency or bad weather or multiple airport delays. And I’m not convinced corporate-fed politicians will let this go, either.
DS
Dan claimed:
Years ago not long after St Ronnie acted out of spite, I studied for the ATC test but never followed through.
I am very proud to say I never voted for Ronald Wilson Reagan for anything. I consider his administration to be one of the worst of the 20th Century. That’s right – worst.
But even though I did not like Reagan or many (probably most) of his policies, I agreed with the decision to fire the federal air traffic controllers who went out on strike. Why? Simple. Like most United States Government employees, they took jobs where it was made clear to them (and they had to agree prior to taking the job) that they would never go out on strike.
They broke that agreement, and deserved to lose their jobs.
Surely computing power would help but I’m not 100% convinced it would be best in an emergency or bad weather or multiple airport delays.
One of the only parts of the FAA’s Advanced Automation System that could be deemed a success was the replacement of the old (1960’s vintage) IBM 360/65-9020 mainframe computers with current (for the time, mid- to late-1980’s) IBM 3083 systems. That brought a large increase in computing power, but the old applications software was re-hosted with minimal change.
Convince the Antiplanner to take an executive position and the Venture firms would likely fund an air traffic control company.