Pilot's Guide to Avionics 2013-2014 - 86

NEXTGEN STATUS REPORT
Continued from page 85

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En Route Automation Modernization.
The current system used at the FAA’s en route centers,
known as the host computer, is some 40 years old. As
its replacement, ERAM is designed to increase capacity
and improve efficiency by tracking 1,900 aircraft at a time
instead of the current 1,100, and by processing data from
64 radars instead of the current 24.

Cash And Calendars
Because of the interdependence of many NextGen components with each other – before Program B can be completed,
Program A must be operational – determining the extent to
which NextGen itself is on track and on budget can be like
trying to nail Jell-O to a wall. In addition, progress reports prepared by the Joint Program Development Office – the multiagency body created by Congress to manage NextGen’s implementation – are heavy on program descriptions and business
cases but light on milestones and metrics.
For example, the most-recent JPDO progress report covers
fiscal year 2011 and was released in May 2012. More than
half of fiscal year 2013 is behind us, and the five major programs highlighted above are well underway or nearing their
scheduled completion. An apples-to-apples list of initial project completion dates and budgets compared with their actual
outcomes over time would be nice to have but isn’t available,
at least from the JPDO. Thankfully, the U.S. Government
Accountability Office took a snapshot of NextGen program
progress last summer and presented the results in testimony
before Congress. The conclusion? The FAA “faces implementation challenges.”
For example, as of July 2012, the ADS-B program was $45
million over its projected cost, according to the GAO. Ground
stations supporting ADS-B already are in place at many locations throughout the U.S., and complete coverage is on schedule for September 2014. By Jan. 1, 2020, all aircraft wishing
to operate in specified U.S. airspace must be equipped with
avionics meeting the ADS-B Out standard.
The SWIM program is slightly more problematic. Work
on SWIM’s first segment began in 2009. It is on track for its
scheduled completion in September 2015, according to the
GAO, and is not over budget. Meanwhile, the second segment began in July 2012, with a scheduled completion date
of December 2017. It, too, is considered within its budget, but
has been underway for about one year. Also underway is the
data communications program, having formally begun in May
2012. It’s due for completion during fiscal year 2019. According to the GAO, it’s on schedule and within budget. Thus far,
so is the TBFM program. It began in April 2010, and is slated
for completion in November 2014.
And then there’s the ERAM. According to the GAO, it
was to conclude in December 2010, at an estimated cost of
$2.155 billion. Instead, it’s still underway, with a completion

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date currently set for August 2014, a 44-month delay. As of
September 2012, it’s $330 million over its projected cost. According to 2011 Senate testimony given by the Department of
Transportation’s Inspector General Calvin Scovill, “that $330
million might be only the start” of cost overruns with ERAM.
Scovill expects the FAA’s installation difficulties with ERAM
“will continue.”
What about those implementation challenges the GAO
identified? In an October 2011 report, it noted the rippling
impact of delays with ERAM: “The long-term result of this
decision is not yet known, but it could delay certain SWIM
capabilities and hinder the progress of other capabilities that
depend, in turn, on the system integration that SWIM is intended to provide. Thus, looking more broadly, the implementation of NextGen – both in the midterm (through 2018)
and in the long term (beyond 2018) – will be affected by how
well the FAA manages program interdependencies.”
Avionics: A Critical NextGen Component
While there certainly are new hardware and software
technologies under development or being re-purposed for
NextGen, one of the program’s additional challenges is ensuring all the data available in its networked environment
are usable by ATC and operators alike. This means additional capabilities in avionics.
The JPDO’s Avionics Roadmap, Version 2.0, provides
stakeholders “a view of the far-term avionics-related capabilities required for operations envisaged for NextGen.”
It asserts, “The timeline for development of new avionics
systems typically extends out 15-20 years from initial concept development to aircraft equipage. If this work is not
started now, any future enhancements to the NAS would
be delayed, thus further delaying the potential benefits of
NextGen.”
The good news is much of what the Roadmap depicts
as necessary is already available in cockpits. The JPDO
identifies six “building block” operational capabilities enabling future avionics to maximize use of NextGen data,
including:
Published Routes and Procedures. This capability already exists among current-generation avionics, but isn’t
real time. NextGen will make available the data necessary
to dynamically define required navigation performance
routings.
Negotiated Trajectories. Builds upon the capabilities
of precision navigation by adding datacomm capabilities to
enable dynamic negotiation of preferred routes. To be truly
functional, “vertical navigation capability, time of arrival
control and flight management systems” must incorporate
higher fidelity than presently available.
Delegated Separation. “Improved flight deck displays,
avionics and broadcast positional data will allow the flight
crews of properly equipped and approved aircraft to manage their own separation when authorized.”
Low Visibility/Ceiling Approach/Departure. This capability exists today and has for some time, albeit with some

Pilot's Guide to Avionics 2013-2014

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