MaxSez: Out with the Old in with the NEW, The GA Community is up in arms and is fighting the change over to a GPS based System due to new avionics requirement costs. FYI:
The Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) is a new National Airspace System due for implementation across the United States in stages between 2012 and 2025.[1] NextGen proposes to transform America’s air traffic control system from a radar-based system with radio communication to a satellite-based one. GPS technology will be used to shorten routes, save time and fuel, reduce traffic delays, increase capacity, and permit controllers to monitor and manage aircraft with greater safety margins.[2] Radio communications will be increasingly replaced by data exchange and automation will reduce the amount of information the air crew must process at one time.[3]
As a result of these changes, planes will be able to fly closer together, take more direct routes and avoid delays caused by airport “stacking” as planes wait for an open runway.[4] To implement this, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will undertake a wide-ranging transformation of the entire United States air transportation system. This transformation has the aim of reducing gridlock, both in the sky and at the airports. In 2003, the U.S. Congress established the Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO) to plan and coordinate the development of the system. (WIKI)