RTCA NextGen Advisory Committee Converges on Embry-Riddle; Holds Meeting at Florida NextGen Test Bed
Daytona Beach, FL, February 3, 2012
The NextGen Advisory Committee (NAC) with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Acting Administrator Michael Huerta, Lockheed Martin Information Systems Global Solutions–Civil president John Mengucci and JetBlue Airways President/CEO Dave Barger toured the NextGen Test Bed facility and convened its first meeting of the year today in Daytona Beach.
“As we modernize our national airspace, collaboration and partnership with the aviation community is key, but we must also inspire and engage future generations of leaders,” Huerta said. “NextGen and Embry-Riddle are delivering just that with innovative research and a state-of-the-art Test Bed.”
The NAC, a public-private federal advisory committee of industry executives was formed in 2010 to advise the FAA on policy issues facing the aviation community in implementing NextGen, or the Next Generation Air Transportation System.
Today's NAC meeting, hosted by Lockheed Martin, was held at the Florida NextGen Test Bed at Daytona Beach International Airport.
“I am honored to chair the FAA’s NextGen Advisory Committee, and there is no more appropriate setting for us to convene than here on the campus of the world’s leading aviation university,” said Barger, who serves as NAC’s Chair.
Prior to Friday’s NAC meeting, Lockheed Martin hosted a special presentation of NextGen Air Traffic Management capabilities for NAC members.
“Lockheed Martin is at the forefront of developing and testing next generation improvements for our nation’s air traffic control systems,” Mengucci said. “We are thrilled to host the first NAC meeting of 2012; our collaborative work with the FAA will lead to NextGen success – and ultimately transform flying for the American public.”
On Thursday, several of the NAC members participated in a CEO/Student Roundtable at Embry-Riddle’s Willie Miller Center on the Daytona Beach campus to discuss emerging trends in aviation, managing an increasingly crowded airspace, and why those seeking careers in aviation will contribute to global economic growth.
NextGen encompasses the transition from ground- to satellite-based navigation and surveillance with goals of reducing fuel consumption, carbon emissions, noise footprint and improving air travel. Opened in November 2011, the NextGen Test Bed is an FAA facility that hosts research by Embry-Riddle and various research partners including Lockheed Martin, The Boeing Company, General Electric and Harris Corp. The FAA administers the Test Bed and provides guidance for NextGen proof-of-concept programs. Embry-Riddle manages the facility, conducts research there and coordinates the work of engineers from industry and government agencies. It is one of only three in the country, and the only one at an academic institution.
“We are proud of the Florida NextGen Test Bed and happy to have the opportunity to share our facilities and research efforts with others,” Embry-Riddle President John P. Johnson said.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world's largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, is a nonprofit, independent institution offering more than 40 baccalaureate, master's and Ph.D. degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business and Engineering. Embry-Riddle educates students at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., and through the Worldwide Campus with more than 150 locations in the United States, Europe, Asia, Canada and the Middle East. The university is a major research center, seeking solutions to real-world problems in partnership with the aerospace industry, other universities and government agencies. For more information, visit http://www.embryriddle.edu, follow us on Twitter (@EmbryRiddle) and facebook.com/EmbryRiddleUniversity, and find expert videos at YouTube.com/EmbryRiddleUniv.
