Next Century Aerospace Traffic Management: The Sky is No Longer the Limit

Abstract

About 100 years ago, on 17 December 1903, Wilbur and Orville Wright first flew the Wright Flyer and so began the first century of powered flight. Unfortunately, no one thought to invent an airspace management system to manage all of the aircraft flights that ensued from the Wright’s invention! As new aircraft were designed, improved, and built, the need soon arose to have some kind of order, management, and direction in how these aircraft were operated in the air and on the ground. Thus began the air traffic control system, born out of necessity, and evolving through reactions to aviation incidents and events. The paradigm of air traffic management has never changed: the safe, expeditious flow of air traffic through the airspace. The evolution of aviation over the past 100 years has been phenomenal, but much of the air traffic management vision took place over 50 years ago. As we enter the next century of flight, we see a vision for aeronautics that is even more spectacular than the changes we experienced during the first century: aircraft that can change shape, heal themselves, and fly (maneuver) like a bird as well as personal air vehicles allowing people to fly “door-to-door.” Such remarkable advances in vehicle technology will completely change the air traffic management problem. Highways in the sky are already congested, and the significant addition of air vehicles with the envisioned operating characteristics will create a very complex airspace volume. Although there is surely enough air space to use, air traffic will require significant management to maintain safety, security, order, and efficiency that will provide enough flexibility to allow people and goods to be moved at will. We now have the opportunity to utilize technology to fix the airspace management system of today providing adequate capacity to meet demand during the early part of this century. Moreover, we have the opportunity to set the stage for the aerospace management system of the future that will keep safety, security, capacity, and efficiency paramount and allow the growth of aviation to continue unimpeded. Now is the time for the United States to set the course for the future of aeronautics and continue to maintain world leadership in aeronautics. The sky is no longer the limit.