For Zaphod

The President of the United States of America
unveiled plans to completely modernize the
countries Air traffic Control System.

Specifically mentioned was the American
pioneering effort in Aviation,
and yet in 2017, billions have been spent,
and the flight systems are still obsolete.

How about that!
Perfect Timing!
www.foxnews.com...

thehill.com...

www.flyingmag.com...

Enjoy

a reply to: Wildmanimal

From the comments section below the Aviation week link...

"Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this: a modern brick school in more than 30 cities. It is two electric power plants, each serving a town of 60,000 population. It is two fine, fully equipped hospitals. It is some fifty miles of concrete pavement. We pay for a single fighter plane with a half million bushels of wheat. We pay for a single destroyer with new homes that could have housed more than 8,000 people. This is, I repeat, the best way of life to be found on the road the world has been taking. This is not a way of life at all, in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron. … Is there no other way the world may live?"
- Dwight Eisenhower, "Cross of Iron" speech
This defense increase will buy us no more security and secure no more peace. It will cost us much.
It may be good for business, but it is bad for America.
More of enough is too much.

a reply to: intrptr

True, I should change the link to Air traffic Control
rather than philosophical opinion.
Thanks for the beating,
I deserved it on that sausage of a link.


Note : It was a fair article, the words you posted
refer to a subscriber reply to the article.
Not the magazine, or author of the actual article.

a reply to: Wildmanimal

Not directed at you Major Kong, the notion that more 'defense spending' is going to make things better.

a reply to: intrptr

This is not "Defense Spending",

rather, it is a modernization of

our Aviation Infrastructure.

The increase in defense even though
intertwined, is another topic altogether.

I do not know your position,
but mine is efficient results. This would be mil Avi : www.popularmechanics.com...
www.intelligent-aerospace.com...

Thanks for the reply my ATS
fellow.

a reply to: Wildmanimal

This is not "Defense Spending",

rather, it is a modernization of

our Aviation Infrastructure.

Oh, I see you changed your link...

'modernizing' as in, to handle military aircraft 'heavy lifters'?

a reply to: intrptr

And then some.
To be fair though,
this is about Aviation Modernization
on a Grand Scale.
No pun intended.

a reply to: intrptr

This is not directed at you either.
Zaphod is an expert credit to this site.
These current events deal with aviation.

Which happens to be Zaphods" specialty.
Simple as that.

Finest Regards,

originally posted by: Wildmanimal
a reply to: intrptr

This is not directed at you either.
Zaphod is an expert credit to this site.
These current events deal with aviation.

Which happens to be Zaphods" specialty.
Simple as that.

Finest Regards,

I'm detecting a hint of man crush here..

a reply to: Misterlondon

Woman here.

Can confirm I am a fangirl of these Zaphod admirations. I trust his input and ruminate on his words. I would very much ike to see his interpretation of the OP.



In Zaph We Trust.

That red glow just over the horizon??

That's Zaph blushing!! Y'all are too cute....

It's time and past for the aviation infrastructure, and other infrastructure, to be modernized. This is a good thing. Now they just have to spend the money in the right places.

a reply to: seagull

As I said to someone earlier, short term this is a Bad Thing. Long term, this is a Good Thing. They won't have to worry about the FAA not getting a budget anymore, or falling years behind on their modernization program because Congress won't get off their ass and fund it.

They've got some of the new system in place, but even with that, it could be so much better than it currently is. They still have a ways to go to get the planned ATC system in place. I hope to hell they do privatize, so we can finally get rid of the crap system we have.

a reply to: Zaphod58

I remember you mentioning that.

Sooner begun, sooner the pain is over, and the less money needed.

a reply to: seagull

They're right that our current system is one of the safest in the world, but it's one of the less efficient in the world as well. They're only just retiring something like 285 VOR units in favor of GPS navigation instead. Privatization, in the long term will get it done.

a reply to: Zaphod58

What about any pitfalls of privatization?

originally posted by: auroraaus
a reply to: Zaphod58

What about any pitfalls of privatization?

Exactly. I operate on a daily basis in the worldwide air traffic control system. I have operated in the US system and the privatized systems of Canada, Germany and other countries. Privatization will turn over control to the major airlines. Money will be spent on the major hubs like New York, Chicago and Atlanta, while neglecting the rest. Trump's only experience with aviation is Trump Airlines, which, of course, went bankrupt. And privatization adds one more element of cost to the consumers, that of the private company's profit. ATC now is a non-profit entity. Do you want the equivalent of Comcast or Verizon in charge of your costs and your safety, and in charge of customer service?

a reply to: Wildmanimal

Who is Zaphod?

a reply to: F4guy

As opposed to "we don't take action until people are dead" organizations like the FAA? Yes there are pitfalls, just as there are advantages to it.

a reply to: auroraaus

There are pitfalls to anything. As it stands now, they've been trying to modernize for 20+ years, and have gotten a fraction of the system done, because they can't get the budget for it through congress.

I've been hearing about NextGen for decades and have basically written it off. My concern about the privatization is that the civilian company botches it and goes away.

I'm not too sure how many companies can even take on such a massive project. Raytheon? Siemens?

Would love to see a better system, one that integrates the aircraft data with navigation data. Could save millions on fuel and safety measures. If you integrate winds and weather, the system could possibly reduce weather related delays and further maximize fuel burn.

I'm an optimist about what can be done, but a pessimist that it will actually happen.