News Staff posted on March 14, 2013 15:27
In a hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, the Department of Transportation Inspector General (DOT-IG) identified the implementation of NextGen as among its top ten focus areas.
The IG recommended that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) establish a master schedule for the changeover, and ensure that cost estimates for the billion-dollar-a-year program are “comprehensive and regularly updated.”
Related to air safety, DOT needs to “fine-tune how it collects, verifies, and uses safety data” as well as beef up its oversight of aircraft maintenance and pilot training. The IG has previously recommended that the FAA collect and analyze data on pilots’ “commuting” time – many pilots travel across country before starting their workday – to find ways to reduce pilot fatigue.
The IG told the committee it compiled the list with a focus on projects that would improve safety quickly, with largest impact per dollar spent. Rather than identifying a traditional top ten, however, the report outlines five long-term and five short-term needs.