In the next ten years, exciting new technologies will be
implemented to help ease air traffic congestion, add to
system capacity, and enhance safety. Some of these
changes will be invisible to pilots and will be made
seamlessly. Others will entail changing some old habits
and learning new procedures. New aircraft equipment
will bring powerful new capabilities, but will require
training and practice to master.
FLEET IMPROVEMENT
Airlines and other operators will continue trying to find
more efficient ways to use the National Airspace System
(NAS). More and more users are working with federal
agencies to write new policies and develop exchanges of
real-time flight information, all in the interest of improving
their service as well as their bottom lines. As new
business strategies emerge, there also will be changes in
the aircraft fleet. For example, as regional jets continue to
increase in popularity, they have significant potential to
reduce traffic at major airports as well as on the most
crowded airways. Providing service along underused area
navigation (RNAV) routes directly between smaller city
pairs, they can bypass congested hubs and avoid airborne
choke points. The number of regional jets is forecast to
increase by more than 80 percent in the next decade.
Compared to the turboprop airplanes they will replace,
RJs fly at similar speeds and altitudes as larger jets, so
they mix into traffic
streams more smoothly,
making en route traffic
management easier for
controllers. [Figure 6-1]
At the other end of
the spectrum, larger
airplanes capable of
carrying over 500
passengers are now
flying. These “superjumbos”
have the
potential to reduce
airway and terminal
congestion by transporting
more people
in fewer airplanes.
![AvStop.com](images/6-1.jpg)
This ability is especially valuable at major hubs, where the
number of flight operations exceeds capacity at certain
times of day. On the other hand, some of these airplanes
have a double-deck configuration that might require
extensive changes to terminals so that large numbers of
passengers can board and deplane quickly and safely.
Their size may require increased separation of taxiways
and hold lines from runways due to increased wingspans
and tail heights. Their weight also may require stronger
runways and taxiways, as well as increased separation
requirements for wake turbulence. [Figure 6-2]
Other innovative airplanes include the turbofan-powered
very light jets (VLJs), which are relatively small turbo-
![AvStop.com](images/6-2.jpg)
fan-powered aircraft with 6 to 8 seats, with cruising
speeds between 300 and 500 knots, and with a range of
around 1,000 nautical miles (NMs). [Figure 6-3] If initial
orders are an accurate indicator of their popularity,
they will soon form a significant segment of the general
aviation fleet. The FAA predicts that the business jet
fleet will nearly double over the next ten years,
approaching 16,000 airplanes by 2016. At least eight
manufacturers are planning VLJs, several prototypes
are flying, and the first new airplanes are being delivered
to customers. Most are intended for single-pilot
operation, and most will be certified for flight up to
FL410. All will be technically advanced aircraft, with
advanced glass cockpit avionics, digital engine controls,
and sophisticated autopilots. These new airplanes
will be capable of RNAV, required navigation performance
(RNP), and reduced vertical separation minimum
(RVSM) operations, and will operate mostly point-topoint,
either on Q-Routes or random off-airways routes.
With prices well below other business jets and competitive
with turboprop singles, VLJs will appeal to many
customers who could not otherwise justify the cost of a
jet aircraft. VLJs have the potential of providing air
taxi/air limousine services at costs comparable to commercial
airlines, but with greater schedule flexibility,
relatively luxurious accommodations, faster travel
times, and the ability to fly into thousands more airports.
![AvStop.com](images/6-3.jpg) |