It is my great pleasure to be here to address the aero club

Aero Club Luncheon

“Nex= tGen: The Cu℞e for Ch℞onic Congestion”

William DeCota

March 30, 2009

It is my great pleasu= re to be here to address the Aero Club.

I am incredibly impre= ssed with the huge turnout…I have to say that as a Board member of the Win= gs Club in NY, I am really impressed with the Aero Club. This huge turnout also proves that= you actually give credibility to the airport director as an important figure in= the aviation industry – you ask guys like me to speak and you even make an airport director your club president.

In most of the aviati= on world, and I think Jim Bennett can attest to this, the airport director is a lot like Rodney Dangerfield… he gets no respect!

At the Wings Club, for example, in the last two years we had 22 luncheon speakers and all of them = were airline CEO’s. Finally, in January, my own Wings = club board came to me and said, we have an opening for a luncheon speaker this m= onth and we need someone who can give an intelligent perspective on issues confr= onting aviation from the airport perspective.&nbs= p; I was so excited until they added, “Can you find someone for us?”

It wasn’t easy convincing them that I should be the one to give the speech even though I r= un the largest airport system in the world.&n= bsp; I kind of understand why they struggle… the Wings Club Board is made up of 23 people – only one of which is an airport director. To quote Rodney Dangerfield: “If I played hide and seek, they wouldn’t even look for me.”

But they finally agre= ed to let me speak when I made two very persuasive arguments. One was that none of them could la= nd a plane without an airport, and two, I am their landlord, their financier and their utility company.

The Aero Club, though= , I see is different. You actually ha= ve an airport guy as your club president – Jim Bennett of MWAA. And you have invited me back to sp= eak twice. You are discerning enough to see t= hat although there was no such thing as an airport in 1909 when this club was founded 100 years ago – only a plane – that as the technology of aircraft evolved from a 605-pound single-person craft that could land on a sandy beach or a farm field to a 1.1 million-pound superjumbo, that airports have a degree of importance in the entire industry’s ability to promo= te trade, travel, commerce and tourism.

Of course, if the tru= th be told, I think the only reason why you allow me and Jim to be such a central part of your aviation lives traces back to the old adage, “Misery lov= es company.” In fact, the = only time you guys ever invite me here is to tell the sad story of life as an airport director. The last ti= me was back in 2000 when the Air 21 Bill opened up slots at LGA and we became the poster child for the delays that caused backups across the country. Now I am here to talk about nation= wide airport delays and the failure of our air traffic control system to keep pace.

You never ask me to c= ome here to talk about our $15 billion capital program. You don’t ask us about our customer service measurement and monitoring program. You don’t ask me to speak ab= out our successful challenge against the previous administration’s wrongf= ul attempts to auction capacity at my airports…You asked me to come here= to speak about chronic congestion, something that impacts all of us in the aviation business.

I call this the pain and suffering complex. I learned a long time ago, the aud= ience always wants you to talk about pain and suffering that they can identify with. What most audiences can relate to, whether it’s in dramas or comedies or cinema verite, is the troubles of the character that is on stage. In effect the character on stage must suffer. Look at the clown…most of th= em never smile...they have a tear painted down their face. Everything hurts…Everybody&#= 8217;s got troubles of some kind…

So what hurts the mos= t for this group? In our case, you = asked me to come here and speak about something you can relate to…it’s delays and gridlock where we share the troubles.

So as long as I am go= ing to talk about our shared pain and suffering, I am going to take on another per= sonality –that of a doctor, the person we normally think of when we discuss suffering and distress and the need to find a remedy.

For most speeches that I am asked to give, I like to take on a different persona…it’s the mask or façade that I present= to satisfy the demands of the situation, the public personality if you will th= at can best put things in perspective.

&nbs= p;

The scary= thing is that I have been told that I have multiple personality disorder…at t= he Wings club for example I told you I pretended to be Rodney Dangerfield. Sometimes I pretend so well that I think I am that person. But sometimes it has its advantages. When the doctor w= ho diagnosed me with multiple personalities gave me a bill for $100 for the diagnosis, I gave him $50 and told him, “Get the other $50 bucks from= the other guy.” =

The biggest problem I= have with having multiple personalities is that it takes me forever to fill out nametags at events like this. But I have filled out my name tag for this event as “Dr. Bill” today.=

So I am going to be a= doctor today… and all of you will be patients… because you are all suffering from the symptoms of this disease called chronic congestion. I am going to ask you to open up y= our bathrobes and trust me – don’t get excited; that’s a meta= phor for candor – and I am going to give you my perspective on the Cure for Chronic Congestion…

And it is only costin= g you $50 for this medical appointment – group therapy rate if you willR= 30; and you get lunch thrown in.

Medicine is the perfe= ct metaphor for fixing the delay situation.&n= bsp; Medicine arose out of the primal sympathy of person with person; out= of the desire to help those in sorrow, need and sickness. It arose out of the instinct of self-preservation.

This aviation industr= y we are a part of has had a history of self-preservation. It has adapted. =

I mentioned that back= in 1909 when this club was founded, there was no such thing as an airport. In fact, there was no such thing as air traffic control. As the potential for planes to car= ry people and mail became more known, visionary people in places like NY and Washington began to see the need for places for planes to land and take off. Back in 1927, the PA wro= te a report on the need for an airport in the NY region… we were a little = off on our calculations of what a modern airport should entail as we could not completely foresee the evolution of the technology, so our idea back then o= f an airport was something 250 acres in size with a grass airstrip 1000 feet lon= g.

Likewise, government = began to organize the arrival and departure of planes in a more orderly fashion using radio communication between pilots and the ground, and red lights and green lights to tell planes when to land or not.= While primitive by today’s standards, the fact is the cure was= right for the problem.

Medical science has e= volved in its curative abilities and so has aviation. Both observed cause and effect. Me= dicine had its rise from the experience of recovery. And so did airports and air traffic control as they tried new ways to fly, land and direct traffic. For example, in the 1940s, r= unways became paved and lighted, radar was invented for air traffic control, and aircraft technology advanced for both passenger and cargo transport thanks = to the necessity of flight in World War II, and began to move into the jet age.

But today, our aviati= on system is suffering from the same problem that medical science has diagnosed for a lot of us that are overworked -- fatigue. As you know, in human health, fati= gue robs us of our defense mechanisms against disease. Quite frankly, our aviation system= is once again infected by disease that robs us of our capacity. It suffers from chronic congestion.

It’s no secret = that our air traffic control system is not up to peak and is terribly infected by delays… NY has the worst of the disease but the fact is that this is a nationwide problem… And worse still is that air travel suffers from <= u>inefficiency – from friction – from a condition where normal force is impeded. It’s the opposite of traction – the thing that aircraft need to land safely!

Last year, the U.S. Department of Transportation reported the worst flight delays in 13 years.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Nationally, 2008 was the worst yea= r for flight delays in aviation history. These delays cause substantial harm to our national economy – = each year Americans lose over $9 billion in productivity from flight delays. And honestly, that is probably a conservative number. If the nation’s flight delay problems are left unaddressed, the air system w= ill fail to provide for air travel needs of passengers and stymie US econ= omic growth.

In our own region, th= e NYC Partnership – our chamber of Commerce -- has put a number on a problem. And it’s staggering. Their recently released study was= a wake up call to why the business community should care about delays –= $80 billion loss to the New York<= /st1:place> region if no action is taken. An additional $130 billion loss to the region for all the passengers who want to come there cannot get there. =

We’d been heari= ng from the business community about what delays were costing business travelers and businesses. During the Port Authority’s Flight Delay Task Force, Accenture representatives told us that due to the frequency of delays, that depending upon the criticality of a meeting they would direct staff to leave the night before – thus incurring the additional cost of hotel, food = and expenses, loss of productivity, and what cannot be calculated: loss of family time. That’s just one company. There are countless more across the region that are forced to do the same thing. And when you t= hink about the 40 million passengers that we will turn away, these are peop= le who desire to travel to and from the NY area and they won’t be able to.

Frankly, all of us in= this room have probably experienced vexing delays from time to time… We may have been like that Howard Groak character from the movie “Network”: “They are mad as hell, and they’re= not going to take it anymore.” If you’ve ever been on a plane sitting on the tarmac and you hear the engines turn off, you know thi= s is a problem, a problem all over the country.= The best on-time major airport still has flights delayed 15% of the time.

If this was a medical= issue, I think it would be safe to say that the problem is becoming infectious and epidemic and in some parts of the world pandemic. It affe= cts many people all at the same time and is spreading from locality to locality= and has become extremely prevalent and widespread throughout our country.<= /o:p>

Lots of things have b= een pointed to as the cure of this disease called delay… some have said it’s the capacity of our nation’s airports, some have said it is airline scheduling practices, and some say its air traffic control. When you have so many issues that = are interrelated, a good doctor has to isolate each one to pinpoint the cure.

It reminds me of the = story of a young woman who went to her doctor complainin= g of pain all over.

"What do you mean, all over?" asked the doctor, "be a little more specific."

The woman touched her right knee with her index finger and yelled, "Ow= e, that hurts."

Then she touched her left cheek and again yelled, "Ouch! That hurts, too."

Then she touched her right earlobe, "Ouch, even THAT hurts," she cried.

The doctor thought for a moment and told her his diagnosis; "You have a broken index finger."

We know our system hurts all over… and there are a lot of things that need to be done. Many of them= have been done but some still need to be done.

So what’s been done? Over the years airports= and airlines have continued to advance along the same pace as modern medicine.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> Airlines and Airports have taken s= teps to increase capacity and meet air travel demand. Over the past ten years they have invested billions in upgrades to infrastructure such as runway access improvements, upgrading navigational aids and rehabilitation and improvemen= ts of taxiways. Last year three = new runways – a combined 40 years in the making – opened, but more investment is needed.

At the Port Authority= , we continue to make investment in the airports a high priority. Adding to the $16 billion in inves= tment over the previous ten years, last year we embarked on a $150 million JFK de= lay reduction program, planning for the rehabilitation of our critical runways, upgrades for the Navigational Aids at Newark, continued planning efforts for our terminals at JFK, EWR and the Central Terminal Building at LGA, worked = with the FAA to advance 77 measures that were developed by the Port Authority’s Flight Delay Task Force, advanced the first installation = of a Ground Based Augmentation System at a major airport, EWR, in conjunction wi= th Continental Airlines, and accommodated the first regular service of the A-3= 80 at JFK. In 2009, we have more capital investments that will advance all with an eye to reducing delay and improving the passenger experience.

But more needs to be done… we need to fund the cure. ACI recently u= pdated its comprehensive capital needs survey, providing data on capital developme= nt costs for approximately 3,400 airports from the largest commercial service airports to general aviation airports.&nbs= p; For 2009 to 2013 these airports need over $94 billion.

Airlines have likewise invested in new equipment with the latest technologies. For example, a flight management system i= s a fundamental part of a modern aircraft in that it controls the navigation. T= he flight management system (FMS) is the avionics that holds the flight plan, = and allows the pilot to modify as required in flight. The FMS uses various sens= ors to determine the aircraft's position. Given the position and the flight pla= n, the FMS guides the aircraft along the flight plan.

Unfortunately, air tr= affic control has not kept pace… It’s the disease that affects us all, and where progress in the cure has lagged even though the cure is known. We have improved some since the ea= rly biblical days of the three kings or Magi who found their way to Bethlehem by foll= owing a star from the east where they came from.&n= bsp; But we have only advanced as far into the future as 1940 -- ATC is s= till guided by radar. And radar su= ffers from a lot of limitations… Is there anyone among you that doesn’= ;t think we need to upgrade the air traffic control system? We have progressed to using radio = waves! Radio waves were first predicted by mathematical work done in 1865 by James Clark Maxwell. In 1887 Heinri= ch Hertz demonstrated the reality of Maxwell's electromagnetic waves by experimentally generating radio waves in his laboratory. Guglielmo Marconi = is credited with inventing systems to allow radio waves to be used for communication shown here at the turn of the century.

Many inventions follo= wed, making practical use of radio waves to transfer information through space including radar which is used today to navigate planes. RADAR is a term coined in 1941 as = an acronym for radio detection and ranging.

Essentially, radar us= es radio waves and navigational beacons that aircraft follow and use to identify the location, altitude, direction, and speed of moving aircraft.

While the National Ai= rspace system is extremely safe, the Air Traffic Control system that manages large number of aircraft that fly’s within the nation’s air system is= very inefficient. The ATC system inefficiency is caused by technology limitations, weather impacts, and dema= nds far exceeding the available capacity of the runways. Due to radar technology limi= tation in determining the exact location of the aircraft, large aircraft separatio= ns must be built into each air travel route to assure safety. Radar is a= lso limited by where you can install equipment and by its range. For example, radar signals cannot = be used over the ocean. Also navigational equipment that is currently used in ILS conditions such as localizers are sensitive to obstructions like buildings and hangars, or nat= ural terrain. Glideslope systems are limited by terrain in front of the antenna.=

It is critical to und= erstand why radar is inefficient. You have to understand not only the limitations of the technology… you also have to understand that it relies on people-to-people communications. It is based on radio communications between pilots in aircraft and the air tra= ffic controllers in the tower using radar at airports.

The pilot guides the = aircraft from Point A to B to get travelers to their destination. To do that, the pilot has visual o= f his surroundings and certain controls and gauges available in the cockpit that provide basic situational awareness. However, that information is limited. The pilot relies significantly on instruction from Air Traffic Control to guide the plane through various segments of airspace, and negotiate air traffic in that area. The pilot also navigates along spe= cific fixes in the airspace – flying point to point on an inefficient but s= afe and reliable navigation system.

To assure maximum saf= ety, the ATC systems must ensure adequate separation between aircraft in 3 dimension= s: lateral, vertical and longitudinal. They also organize and expedite the flo= w of traffic and provide information and instructions to pilots. They also provi= de ground control in taxiways and runways and other areas of the airport. ATC provides similar support along= the whole route of a single aircraft.

To do this, ATC, pilo= ts and airports rely on radar and voice communications. Radar is used to keep track of the location of aircraft, they do this by sending signals out to locate aircraft, those readings then go back to the ATC facility for processing. This provides information displays to the controller show= ing the position of all aircraft in the area. In addition, voice communication is critical.

There is also voice contact between the tower controller and every flight g= oing through the airport. That communication is all via radio and it is how controllers provide information and instructions to pilots for arrival, departure and on the ground for taxiing to and from the terminal.

Air traffic control, like medicine, needs to evolve. But in the last administration, the federal government’s response has not been to meet airport and airline invest= ment with its share of investment in air traffic control upgrades. There is a technology that has been around for a long time that can solve the delay problem. There is a cure… a remedy… that has been around for a long time… in fact since the early 1950s.

The means of correcti= ng and relieving this problem is called the satellite.

Satellites were first conceived before medicine entered the modern preventative stage. There were fictional depictions of objects being launched into orbits around the earth just like the sun and s= tars as far back as Jules Verne in the 1880s and even proposals to launch them f= or communication in the early 20^th century. Sputnik was launched in October 19= 57 and satellites are now used for a wide range of uses we rely on every day…. Yet they have not= been deployed widely in commercial aviation…

NextGen Systems rely = on more accurate satellite based technologies to replace inefficient radar systems.

We all know that sate= llite based technologies are in widespread use – we rely on it for cell pho= nes, internet access, television, and Global Positioning Systems in cars that provide us with instantaneous driving instructions wherever we want to go. Satellite technology also has multiple applications for the military, for scientific research and for a variety of commercial industries. One of the most significant advant= ages of satellites is that they can be used to transmit information anywhere in = the world, including over the ocean, where the infrastructure that supports rad= ar systems cannot be built. That= means that satellite communications systems allow the user to access information = all over the world, at any time. =

However, while we rel= y on these technologies everyday, we are only beginning to have conversations ab= out integrating these technologies for widespread use in automated navigation. = The most advanced discussions in using them for automated navigation are the driverless car concept. There= have been lots of automobile tests of driverless cars, often called fully autono= mous vehicles, that use sensors, electronic throttle controls and other devices along with satellite signals. The University of California successfully demonstrated driverless cars on an urban freeway more than a decade ago.

For aviation, we need satellite technologies bundled in a system that has become known as NextGen. So how does NextGen change the nat= ional airspace system? It transform= s the way things work, updating the way the airspace is managed. In short, NextGen completely changes the current system of radar- and voice-based communicati= on and the ground-based navigational systems. Fundamentally, it makes improvem= ents in four basic areas: navigation and surveillance, communication, backbone information systems, and weather management.

First, though, satell= ite-based surveillance and navigation system improvements are made to the situational awareness of both the pilot and the controller, with reliable, accurate and real-time information on the location of aircraft. It introduces digital non-voice communication for routine communication, reducing “chatter.” It improves the computer net= work systems that are used to transfer information along the entire national airspace system, making for faster, more streamlined and more accurate exch= ange of information. And finally it addresses the single most significant cause = of delays: weather. It provides = better flight planning that incorporates real-time weather information and provides new technologies that allows for aircraft operations to continue in low visibility conditions that currently cause flight delays.

To put it in even mor= e simple terms: it’s as if you upgrade from an AM radio in your car and to XM radio.

NextGen promises huge benefits to the air traveler. First, it will significantly improve the efficiency of air traffic control. It will provide more information to pilots and better information in the ATC facilities, resulti= ng in a sharing of decision-making between the ground and the cockpit.

The improvements to t= he accuracy of the information will translate into significantly more overall efficiency throughout the system, helping airlines to develop flight schedu= les, airports to manage aircraft at their facilities and air traffic controllers= to respond to traffic demands better.

All of this translate= s into the ability to shorten the spacing between aircraft. Spacing, which is typically over 3 miles, is necessary because of the current inefficiencies in the system. With new accuracy this spacing can= be shortened, which will translate into big capacity gains, while maintaining safety as the number one priority. <= /span>

It is highly problema= tic that there has been a significant delay in implementation by the FAA of moderniz= ed air traffic control technologies. In February 2007, the FAA announced its long anticipated NextGen program, which will use satellite-based technologies across U.S. av= iation for the first time, an important advance in technology that will provide significant improvements to efficient air traffic movement over time. However, federal funding has not b= een allocated for the $22 billion cost and the timeframe for completion is estimated to be 20 years away. This will mean that the technology managing the 3,288,000 square mil= es of domestic airspace will be 80 years old!=

The last administrati= on missed their opportunity to advance US aviation into the 21^s=
t century. The US DOT squandered their opportunity and instead used the delay situation in the New York area= as a way to promote their ideologically based economic theorems and proposed to limit air service to NY rob air carriers of long-held, hard fought-for slot= s, and redistribute them via an auction. They are now looking for way= s to pull back and the FAA has asked the Court of Appeals to suspend its briefin= gs in the case filed by the Port Authority and the Air Transport Association w= hile they look for ways to suspend the formerly proposed rule.=

We were all disappoin= ted by the lack of investment in Next Gen ATC modernization projects in the Stimul= us Bill. The Air Transport Assoc= iation had pushed for $4 billion in Next Gen Funding. The final bill only included $150 million in funding through NASA. FAA’s facilities and equipment account got $200 million. In testimony before the House Aviation Subcommittee, Jim May expressed the airlines’ disappointment and emphasized that modernization of the nation’s airways must be at the top of the list of stimulus investments.

President Obama’= ;s budget outline for the year 2010 and beyond emphasizes plans to modernize, providing $800 million for Next Gen. But near-term, the Omnibus appropriations bill that provides funding= for DOT, FAA and other federal departments has little earmarked for fiscal 2009 other than a 10% increase in the FAA’s facilities and equipment budge= t.

The multi-year FAA re= authorization bill, which was supplanted by short-term extension, lacked a significant funding component for NextGen. We cannot let this legislative cycle be yet another missed opportunity for full funding for NextGen initiatives in Appropriation bills.

Frankly, with a $1.5 = trillion federal budget deficit we need a way to pay for it. That has not been without controve= rsy among the aviation interests that foot the bill. The Obama administration is looking to substitute new user fees for taxes that would presumably reflect= the costs to deliver these systems and the benefits conferred on various classe= s of users.

It’s also troub= lesome that since September 2007, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has be= en operating without a congressionally confirmed administrator. The good news is that Randy Babbit= t has been appointed and is a recognized leader on many fronts, including pilot, member of the National Commission to Assure a Strong Competitive Airline Industry, and a safety expert. A first priority of Congress must be to appoint and confirm the administrator= to oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the United States.

The FAA has been oper= ating under a series of extensions since its authorizing legislation expired in September 2007. Congress must quickly reauthorize the taxes, fees, and prog= rams associated with the daily operations of the FAA on a long-term basis and increase the PFC to $7 so we can do more projects at airports. Even that le= vel is below the $8.33 that the charge would have to be raised just to maintain purchasing cost parity compared to when PFCs were originally authorized.

But none of this will= mean much if Congress doesn’t work with the FAA to transform our nation's aviation system through air traffic control modernization to meet the proje= cted growth in passengers and freight.

Advancing NextGen is something the Port Authority has begun to aggressively advocate for by brin= ging stakeholders together to bring this issue to the forefront of the discussion about the future of = US aviation. At a Symposium we h= eld in late February, a coalition of aviation interests including AAAE, ACI, the A= TA and 400 other people urged full funding of Next Gen initiatives to upgrade = the nation’s air traffic control system to reduce delays.

At the symposium we s= tarted the National Alliance to Advance NextGen, which now is 152 members strong a= nd growing and represents organizations from 16 states. These businesses, civic associatio= ns, governmental entities from California to= Florida, have jo= ined together to urge that NextGen be advanced now. Our members represent a wide range= of stakeholders who depend on the aviation industry from a globally known Accenture, to a family-owned construction business like Gilbane Constructio= n; from the Los Rios Community College District to the Meadowlands Chamber of Commerce …in fact several members of the Alliance from the NY area - = John Fitzpatrick and Sharon DeVivo, from Vaughn College; and Ken Dircks from Accenture, have come down today to show their support.

We are planning a crusade…. The National Alliance to Advance Next Gen is asking for a long-term, multi-year commitme= nt from Congress and the administration. Total funding required is at least $8 to $10 billion for the first 10 years and $15 to $22 billion through 2025.= And the FAA will require resources for the technology and staff supp= ort to implement the necessary changes to the air traffic control systems.=

We are asking you to = sign up.

Frankly, this is an i= ssue that we all should worry about… sometimes I think the people who shou= ld worry aren’t. It reminds me of the story about the two psychologists who meet at their 20th college reuni= on. One of them looks like he just graduated, while the other psychologist looks old, worried and withered. The older looking one asks the other, "What's your secret to looking so yo= ung in such a tiring profession? Listening to other people's problems every day, all day long, for years on end, has made an old man of me." The younger-looking one replies, "Who listens?"

&nbs= p;

The fact = is we need to make people listen. We can master the art of healing. We can master preventive medicine&= #8230;

The government has sp= ent billions on LAAS, WAAS, ADSB, ASDEX, RNAV, RNP, etc. Yet our air traffic control system= still hurts...it still has not been cured. Someone once told me the story about a d= octor who entrusted his practice to his son who was a recent medical school gradu= ate. When the father returned, the son told him that he had cured a chronically = ill patient of her maladies. &quo= t;My boy," said the father, "I'm proud of you, but her chronic ailment= is what put you through college and medical school.”

&nbs= p;

Thank goo= dness the medical field doesn’t really think this way… the desire of mankind to help those in sorrow, ne= ed and sickness combined with the instinct of self-preservation has made tremendous advances in medical science like nuclear medicine, the branch of medicine a= nd medical imaging that uses radioactive isotopes in the diagnosis of disease. Satellites are as ol= d as the concept of nuclear energy, yet they have still not been put into practi= cal use in aviation navigation in the US. Other places, like Europe, are far ahead of us.

Frankly, the Air Traf= fic Control system is sick because the systems are broken and air traffic controllers deserve the proper tools. That’s why we know that to cure the system the FAA needs to en= gage with all partners that are necessary to ensure the successful implementatio= n of NextGen technologies and procedures. We urge the FAA to involve the air traffic controllers, to include t= he Flight Dispatchers and to talk to airport operators in order to create a better, more efficient, and effective system. That is how real gains will be rea= lized.

Looking to the new administration, we hope that enhancing air travel capacity will become a priority on the transportation infrastructure agenda. To that end, I look forward to see= ing you all next month at the joint meeting of the Aero Club and Wings Club whe= re Secretary LaHood will be speaking. Former Congressman Ray LaHood is good news for aviation. In the past he gave support for ra= ising the amount airports can collect from PFCs.= His 14 years in Congress offers great perspective for his new position. He cited priorities= in his confirmation hearing, which included economic health, sustainability, a focus on people and communities, and safety. We should applaud his commitment to invest in infrastructure and his emphasis on his commitment to the end user= of the aviation system - the passenger. To quote him, “An aviation system that focuses on the safety, convenience and confidence of the traveling public will be a successful system.” He is also foc= used on addressing the air traffic controller contract dispute, is keenly intere= sted in how the air traffic control system is funded and is opposed to slot auct= ions at the New York airports, which he said would defeat the purpose of eliminating the slots.<= span style=3D'mso-spacerun:yes'> He also noted that the administrat= ion is dedicated to finding funding for Next Gen.

Let me close by sayin= g that we have superiority over modern medicine.&= nbsp; In modern medicine a patient can still succumb to a genetically predisposed disease. Next Gen= is something well within our reach and our ability to implement.

Please don’t fo= rget to sign up and join our National Alliance to Advance Next Gen. Make sure you wear your Next Gen buttons!