Air-traffic expert: Major reforms needed to fix the industry

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

Several recent reports of near misses by commercial airplanes have focused attention on the health of the country's air-traffic control system, but a Purdue University aviation expert says near misses are just one symptom of what's ailing an overburdened industry.

"Anytime you have humans involved in any process, there is a chance of error," said Michael Nolan, a professor of aviation technology and director of Purdue's air-traffic control program. "Ultimately, the real problem is not with the controllers but with the constant battle between capacity of the system and increased demand."

Nolan, a former air-traffic controller who wrote a book on the system's history, says that with the number of passengers growing at about 5 percent a year, near misses, delays and airport congestion will continue until the system is overhauled.

"Air travel in this country is extremely safe, and we haven't had a major fatal crash in several years," he says. "The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) has been told that safety is first priority, and it is doing its job. But in terms of making changes to the system, what incentive is there?"

Nolan says reform would take new, bold ideas and a monumental and costly effort.

"President Eisenhower was frustrated by the fact that driving across the U.S. was nearly impossible, so he initiated the idea for the interstate system in the 1950s," he says. "It's going to take a similar effort to truly change the problems we have in the airline industry."

Nolan says even in the busiest cities, there is still room in the sky for more airplanes, so reducing the space between planes could be safely done, although navigation and other systems would have to be modified. Current FAA guidelines state that airplanes should be 1,000 feet apart vertically and 3 miles apart horizontally.

"However, the major problem is not so much room in the skies, but crowded hubs," he says.

Nolan says no new airports have been constructed in the last two decades, and new proposals prompt concerns about noise and pollution, not to mention cost.

"Unfortunately, it may take an instigating event, such as a major accident, for someone to look at a permanent solution," Nolan says. "Americans love to fly, and they want to fly on big, commercial jets into major hubs. But we must keep in mind that as the number of flights increases, so does the amount of work for the air-traffic controllers, making accidents more likely. There are solutions, but there is no quick fix."

Source: Purdue University

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Time Stamp: 2/5/2008 at 1:30:52 PM CST