A recent FAA estimate forecasts the demand for air travel to increase by 71 percent over current levels by 2027. Because current human-centric air traffic control (ATC) methods are not capable of accommodating the additional traffic with current systems, the Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO) was given the task of designing a new way to manage the nation’s skies. Their solution is a system of systems, dubbed NextGen, and the cornerstone of that solution is ADS-B (Automatic-Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast). The use of radios in aircraft to broadcast aircraft information including location and type and the ground systems that collect and rebroadcast the information along with traffic and weather information are the most well known capabilities of ADS-B and NextGen. The FAA now has the responsibility of implementing NextGen to meet America’s aviation growth needs.
Virginia's Flight to 2025: An Aviation Vision for the Commonwealth is a strategic plan that presents the vision for Virginia’s future aviation system as we move forward to take advantage of these new technologies to provide better access and more economic opportunities to Virginia communities.
