The current airway system relies on a huge network of VCR stations that was and is, I think, a logical method to direct aircraft around the country, but the advent of modem navigation technology, such as the GPS and the Inertial Navigation System, now permit aircraft to operate completely independent of ground-based VCR stations.

More importantly, these technologies allow aircraft to operate point to point instead of relying on the current maze of airways, saving both time and fuel.

While the term free flight suggests point-to-point service, the term embraces a series of technological and procedural changes that, if we take them all together, fundamentally affect the current proven method of safely separating and guiding aircraft across the system. It really does represent a rather dramatic change in current practice.

In my mind, the question of the hour is how and if FAA should shift from the current air traffic control regime to an advanced and more efficient system without undermining safety, and that, I think, has to be the bottom line in any conclusion in this area. The implications

Tag it: