Analysis of Cost at FAA’s En Route Centers: An Empirical Perspective

In this paper, an empirical framework is developed using economic theories to examine the relationships between variable costs and levels of activities at the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) en route centers. Using data for three fiscal years and employing time-series pooled cross section econometrics, we have found that the Air Traffic Organization's (ATO) service provisions in the en route centers have some economies of scale. Furthermore, we have found that while controllers' wage is important, it is not statistically significant in unit cost measured in aircraft flight operation counts. However, it is statistically significant when unit variable cost is measured and estimated in terms of aircraft flight operation hours. We have also found that degree of complexity, a measure of service attributes, does not impact cost. These findings, combined with on-going policy discussion on users' fees, imply that ATO may be well positioned to implement average cost pricing if cost is to be fully recovered for en route services. The implementation of marginal cost pricing may require external funding, perhaps from general funds of the U.S. Treasury

Analysis of Cost at FAA’s En Route Centers: An Empirical Perspective

In this paper, an empirical framework is developed using economic theories to examine the relationships between variable costs and levels of activities at the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) en route centers. Using data for three fiscal years and employing time-series pooled cross section econometrics, we have found that the Air Traffic Organization's (ATO) service provisions in the en route centers have some economies of scale. Furthermore, we have found that while controllers' wage is important, it is not statistically significant in unit cost measured in aircraft flight operation counts. However, it is statistically significant when unit variable cost is measured and estimated in terms of aircraft flight operation hours. We have also found that degree of complexity, a measure of service attributes, does not impact cost. These findings, combined with on-going policy discussion on users' fees, imply that ATO may be well positioned to implement average cost pricing if cost is to be fully recovered for en route services. The implementation of marginal cost pricing may require external funding, perhaps from general funds of the U.S. Treasury

New Technologies for Weather Accident Prevention

Weather is a causal factor in thirty percent of all aviation accidents. Many of these accidents are due to a lack of weather situation awareness by pilots in flight. Improving the strategic and tactical weather information available and its presentation to pilots in flight can enhance weather situation awareness and enable avoidance of adverse conditions. This paper presents technologies for airborne detection, dissemination and display of weather information developed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), industry and the research community. These technologies, currently in the initial stages of implementation by industry, will provide more precise and timely knowledge of the weather and enable pilots in flight to make decisions that result in safer and more efficient operations

Air traffic control

Federal government role in present civil aviation- air traffic control stat

Proceedings of the 2nd Annual Workshop on Meteorological and Environmental Inputs to Aviation Systems

The proceedings of a workshop held at the University of Tennessee Space Institute, Tullahoma, Tennessee, March 28-30, 1978, are reported. The workshop was jointly sponsored by NASA, NOAA, FAA, and brought together many disciplines of the aviation communities in round table discussions. The major objectives of the workshop are to satisfy such needs of the sponsoring agencies as the expansion of our understanding and knowledge of the interactions of the atmosphere with aviation systems, as the better definition and implementation of services to operators, and as the collection and interpretation of data for establishing operational criteria, relating the total meteorological inputs from the atmospheric sciences to the needs of aviation communities

The US aviation system to the year 2000

The aviation system of the U.S. is described. Growth of the system over the past twenty years is analyzed. Long term and short term causes of air travel are discussed. The interaction of economic growth, airline yields, and quality of service in producing domestic traffic is shown. Forecasts are made for airline and general aviation growth. Potential airline scenarios are presented

Electronic Database Support Systems for Strategic Planning Activities in the Hospitality Industry

An electronic database support system for strategic planning activities can be built by providing conceptual and system specific information. The design and development of this type of system center around the information needs of strategy planners. Data that supply information on the organization\u27s internal and external environments must be originated, evaluated, collected, organized, managed, and analyzed. Strategy planners may use the resulting information to improve their decision making

Bibliography of NASA published reports on general aviation, 1975 to 1981

This bibliography lists 478 documents which relate to all heavier-than-air fixed wing aircraft exclusive of military types and those used for commercial air transport. An exception is the inclusion of commuter transport aircraft types within the general aviation category. NASA publications included in this bibliography are: conference publications (CP), reference publications (RP), technical memorandums (TM, TMX), technical notes (TN), technical papers (TP), and contractor reports (CR). In addition, papers and articles on NASA general aviation programs published by technical societies (AIAA, SAE, etc.) are included, as well as those listed in NASA's Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports (STAR) Journal. Author and subject indexes are also provided to facilitate use of the bibliography

Human Fatigue Predictions in Complex Aviation Crew Operational Impact Conditions

In this last decade, several regulatory frameworks across the world in all modes of transportation had brought fatigue and its risk management in operations to the forefront. Of all transportation modes air travel has been the safest means of transportation. Still as part of continuous improvement efforts, regulators are insisting the operators to adopt strong fatigue science and its foundational principles to reinforce safety risk assessment and management. Fatigue risk management is a data driven system that finds a realistic balance between safety and productivity in an organization. This work discusses the effects of mathematical modeling of fatigue and its quantification in the context of fatigue risk management for complex global logistics operations. A new concept called Duty DNA is designed within the system that helps to predict and forecast sleep, duty deformations and fatigue. The need for a robust structure of elements to house the components to measure and manage fatigue risk in operations is also debated. By operating on the principles of fatigue management, new science-based predictive, proactive and reactive approaches were designed for an industry leading fatigue risk management program Accurately predicting sleep is very critical to predicting fatigue and alertness. Mathematical models are being developed to track the biological processes quantitatively and predicting temporal profile of fatigue given a person’s sleep history, planned work schedule including night and day exposure. As these models are being continuously worked to improve, a new limited deep learning machine learning based approach is attempted to predict fatigue for a duty in isolation without knowing much of work schedule history. The model within also predicts the duty disruptions and predicted fatigue at the end state of duty