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REMARKS FOR
THE HONORABLE NORMAN Y. MINETA
SECRETARY OF TRANSPORTATION
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL ASSOCIATION
WASHINGTON, D.C.
NOVEMBER 1, 2004
8:30 A.M.
Thank you, Frank Frisbie, Chairman of ATCA and VP for Civil Aviation, Federal
Enterprise Solutions, Northrop Grumman, for that kind introduction, and for all
your years of service at FAA. I distinctly remember those years from 1981 to
1987, when I chaired the Aviation subcommittee, working with then-FAA
Administrator Lynn Helms and you and many others on development and logistics
and NAS issues.
Thank you all for that very warm welcome. It’s great to be back among friends at
the Air Traffic Control Association. I want to congratulate Frank and Bo -- Paul
Bollinger, President of ATCA -- for their strong leadership at ATCA.
I’ve had the good fortune of knowing Bo for about 20 years. In fact, so long
that I remember changing his diapers. Of course, he was about 26 then! But
seriously, both of you carry on the proud tradition begun by Andy Pitas, the
first President of ATCA, nearly half a century ago. Andy, you’re a great
American, and it’s wonderful to have you here with us. We wish you continued
good health and Godspeed.
Before I share some thoughts of my own with you this morning, I have a very
special message.
“I send greetings to those gathered for the 49th Annual Conference of the Air
Traffic Control Association as you celebrate your theme ‘Global Airspace System:
Turning Vision into Reality.’ The pioneering work of the Wright Brothers turned
the dream of flight into a new way of life and spawned an industry that reflects
the universal values of ingenuity, adventure, and progress. Today, our Nation
continues to be a world leader in aviation, aerospace, science, and technology.
Through educational programs that promote aviation safety and air traffic
control innovations, the ATCA strengthens our transportation infrastructure and
the aviation industry.”
“I commend your members and participants and all those committed to excellence
in aviation. Your efforts uphold the legacy of America’s air and space pioneers.
Laura joins me in sending our best wishes…. George Bush.”
As the President notes, through the past five decades, the ATCA and the
professionals in this room have played a key role in shaping an industry –
aviation – which has transformed virtually every aspect of American life.
There are many areas that illustrate the truth of that statement, but let’s
focus on one that is particularly topical today, the presidency. It’s remarkable
to reflect back on the fact that Theodore Roosevelt was the first American
President ever to fly in an airplane, and he had already completed his
presidency in 1910, when he took that four-minute ride on the Wright Flyer.
Not until the second President Roosevelt, FDR, did we have a Chief Executive
actually use an aircraft while in office. In 1943, he flew to Casablanca for a
summit with Winston Churchill, and celebrated his 65th birthday on the flight
home. President FDR clearly appreciated how air travel could shrink distances.
In fact, he changed the course of campaigning when he flew from Albany, where he
was Governor of New York, to Chicago, to accept the nomination at the 1932
convention. Until then, presidential nominees usually sent their acceptance
speech for someone else to deliver.
By the 1950s, the whistle stop tour was giving way to the campaign plane, and
today, candidates log tens of thousands of miles as they jet around the country,
giving millions of Americans a first-hand look at their choices.
Candidates are not the only ones who have taken to the skies. America has become
the most mobile society on earth. More than 12 million commercial air flights in
the United States carry more than 628 million passengers across the Nation
annually, and those numbers are growing. Our tireless efforts on both the safety
and the security front over the past three years have enabled us to regain the
faith of the traveling public.
Passengers are returning in record numbers. By the end of the year, we expect to
be back at pre-9-11 operating levels at 15 major U.S. airports, including eight
of the top ten. As we look ahead, the growth that is expected in aviation is
staggering. This is true by virtually any measure – from passengers, to
operations, to air cargo. We are looking at three-fold increases in the next 25
years.
Each of us here has a stake in ensuring the system’s wherewithal to accommodate
whatever increases in demand our growing and robust economy places on it.
Shortly after I took the oath of office as the Secretary of Transportation, I
spoke to this organization about the challenges facing our aviation system, and
of the need for the aviation community to work in partnership to address them.
We met some unexpected turns along the road over the last four years, the most
significant being the horrific terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Yet,
even as we took unprecedented steps to address the security demands of the
post-9-11 world, we maintained our focus on making sure that Americans have a
safe and efficient air system with the capacity to meet demand, now and into the
future.
Our progress together is remarkable.
Aviation entered its second century with an enviable safety record. By working
together, we have succeeded in driving down an accident rate that had been
stubbornly stable for twenty-five years. The commercial accident rate in the
United States over the last three years has averaged less than one quarter per
million departures, the lowest that it has ever been.
We are investing aggressively in facilities, such as runways and towers, and in
technology that is expanding capacity while further enhancing safety. Airports
across the United States are being equipped with a new digital radar system
called STARS -- standard terminal automation replacement system -- that helps
air traffic controllers to better manage the traffic in the skies around them.
This year, four airports will deploy a ground-breaking runway safety system
called airport surveillance detection equipment - version X, or ASDE-X.
Technological advances are enabling us to change how we design the use of
airspace. Beginning in January, for example, the vertical separation between
aircraft flying in the upper reaches of our airspace will be cut in half, from
2,000 feet to 1,000 feet.
While continuing to maintain safety, the new standard will open up six
additional flight levels in the airspace above 29,000 feet. Those new levels
translate into greater flexibility for air-traffic controllers and more
fuel-efficient routings for our customers.
The Air Traffic Organization (ATO), led by Russ Chew, its COO, today is well on
its way to operating like a business, enhancing our focus on customer service.
Our programs at the Federal Aviation Administration are guided by a strategic
plan, and they are oriented toward measurable performance goals. President Bush
insists on results, and we are delivering. One reason behind our progress is the
extraordinary level of cooperation across aviation.
We saw it in the way the airlines came together to adjust schedules and cut
peak-hour operations to address delays at Chicago O’Hare Airport. These delays
were choking travel in the Midwest and causing back-ups throughout the aviation
system.
We saw the spirit of cooperation on a broader basis operate at the Growth
without Gridlock conference. The result was an innovative plan that, for the
first time, gave us express lanes to clear out the backlog created by weather or
other delays. Cooperation at the international level has produced 11 new open
skies agreements over the last four years, and a landmark agreement with China.
Our new vertical separation standard will include our NAFTA partners, Canada and
Mexico.
In 2005, we will expand use of the FAA’s Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS)
throughout North America’s airspace, and, recognizing the importance of
satellite-based navigation systems being compatible and interoperable, the
United States and Europe have joined in an agreement calling for the
interoperability of our Global Positioning System (GPS) and the Galileo system.
What we have accomplished is impressive, but our work is not finished, and we
will need this same spirit of cooperation across aviation to succeed in an
initiative whose implications for aviation and our air traffic control system
are perhaps greater than any assignment I have seen in my 30-year career. I am
speaking of the Next Generation Air Transportation System.
Even while we are modernizing the current system, we are planning for the
future, and while no crystal ball can tell us where this dynamic industry will
be in 20 years, we do know that profound changes lie ahead. Our challenge is to
be ready with the infrastructure and capacity to accommodate whatever level and
type of demand the future may bring.
That is why, in January, I launched the Next Generation initiative. I am
impressed by the spirit of ingenuity and the unprecedented cooperation that has
infused the work of our “braintrust,” the Joint Planning and Development Office
(JPDO).
I am very encouraged by our progress to date. Last week, I chaired a meeting of
the Senior Policy Committee, a Cabinet level inter-agency membership of top
officials from each of the agencies involved in the initiative – DOD, DOC, NASA,
and DOT. We have a commitment across government to provide the necessary
resources, and to deliver a national plan for the Next Generation system to the
Congress in December of this year.
With our vision defined, we will be on track to ensure that America is ready for
the future, with a modern, agile air transportation system in place by the year
2025 that is safe, efficient, reliable, and flexible.
On September 3, 1908, Orville Wright made his first public flight. Theodore
Roosevelt’s son was on hand to watch, and described what he had witnessed to his
father:
"When the plane first rose," he reported, "the crowd's gasp of astonishment was
not alone at the wonder of it, but because it was so unexpected."
I suspect that what lies ahead in aviation will be just as exciting, and just as
unexpected, as those early flights, and with your help and cooperation, our air
traffic control system will be equipped to handle this wondrous future, safely
and efficiently.
Thank you for allowing me to share these thoughts with you today, and for all
you do to keep America, and the world, traveling safely. I want to thank you for
taking time from your own busy schedules to be here for this 49th annual
conference and its myriad of plenary and breakout sessions.
God bless each and every one of you, and may God continue to bless the United
States of America.
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