Well, it's not NASA per se, but the technology NASA is developing with a coalition of business and aviation technology experts that could deliver a substantial business travel boost to our airport, and many other regional ones like it nationwide.
The technology focuses on relief in two areas of the transportation system in our nation. The first goal is to get more cars off our interstate highway system. The second involves using general aviation more efficiently. General aviation means all categories except military and commercial operations.
The Southern California freeway system is operating at peak capacity. The time we spend stuck in traffic creates an ever increasing burden on business in terms of many millions of dollars wasted annually in lost productivity. In fact, traffic woes have become such a problem, that many business people now schedule meetings during off-peak traffic hours in order to minimize the delays associated with gridlock.
Added to the productivity problems are the recent major freeway closures in San Diego due to catastrophic events such as falling power lines across freeways, overhead signs falling on the freeway (not to mention the cars underneath) and the like. When traffic stalls on our local freeways the ripple affects are costly in financial and human terms. Our freeway transportation grid can cripple the community when it shuts down. Who amongst us would not support relief in this area of our daily lives?
Turning to the skies, for decades the commercial airline industry has relied on the 'hub and spoke' system for the timely and efficient routing of passengers around the nation. In this model passengers are picked up at outlying airports and deposited at a central hub. From there they are flown out to their eventual destination. Some aviation experts say there is room for improvement. Being able to fly nonstop to a destination is generally the preferred option for business and leisure travelers if it is reasonably affordable.
A better model could include on demand point to point general aviation transportation from small, regional airports like ours. Think of it as a new taxi in the skies.
This point to point model has been the subject of intense focus by NASA and aviation industry leaders. Their research and recommendations are contained in a NASA initiative called SATS, the Small Aircraft Transportation System.
Why is this important for business in Carlsbad? Because on demand aviation in the new model could take a business person to three cities within 750 miles in one day, depositing the executive home again in time for dinner. All this for about the same price of a commercial ticket. The advantages, of course, are saving time and increased efficiency. In the old hub and spoke system, an attempt to hit three cities in one day may have actually ended up as a two and a half day trip. Imagine the expense. There are 5,400 public use landing facilities in the country and according to NASA, about 98% of the national population lives within 20 miles of these airports.
In the NASA/SATS model, the aircraft are smaller, safer, have refined navigation and air collision avoidance capabilities and can fly in bad weather. How does NASA help in all this? By funding new research on safety, navigation, collision avoidance technology and more efficient aircraft systems.
What does that mean for business? Faster, cheaper, safer business travel is the payoff. And that's the bottom line for many business travelers these days.
Where did NASA come up with all this and how did it get started? An excellent question. How would it be implemented at a small, regional airport like Palomar? Let's take a little closer look.
SATS began as a $69 million research program in 2000 at the Langley Research Center in Virginia. It is a public/private partnership with the FAA, Department of Transportation and the National Consortium for Aviation Mobility. This last group is made up of more than 130 privates businesses and public entities. The list includes airport operators, aviation electronic companies, flight schools, research groups and universities.
SATS hopes to use advanced communication technologies to reduce or eliminate the need for control towers at small, regional airports and certain ground-based radar systems. They will be replaced with a new generation of safe, affordable aircraft that are emerging as a result of this new technology. Advancements include revolutionary propulsion systems, improved cockpits, synthetic vision screens, new communications systems and real-time weather data.
McClellan Palomar could be a very likely candidate for SATS aircraft and technology eventually given our high concentration of traveling business people in Carlsbad and our proximity to major population centers like Los Angeles, The Bay Area, Phoenix and Las Vegas. But think about this benefit also?the air taxi could just as easily be brining new business people into Carlsbad who might consider our location for establishment or expansion of facilities as well. The route goes both ways.
NASA may be primarily in the rocket and Star Trek business, but they have a very promising new technology that could benefit many Carlsbad Chamber members in the not too distant future.
The technology focuses on relief in two areas of the transportation system in our nation. The first goal is to get more cars off our interstate highway system. The second involves using general aviation more efficiently. General aviation means all categories except military and commercial operations.
The Southern California freeway system is operating at peak capacity. The time we spend stuck in traffic creates an ever increasing burden on business in terms of many millions of dollars wasted annually in lost productivity. In fact, traffic woes have become such a problem, that many business people now schedule meetings during off-peak traffic hours in order to minimize the delays associated with gridlock.
Added to the productivity problems are the recent major freeway closures in San Diego due to catastrophic events such as falling power lines across freeways, overhead signs falling on the freeway (not to mention the cars underneath) and the like. When traffic stalls on our local freeways the ripple affects are costly in financial and human terms. Our freeway transportation grid can cripple the community when it shuts down. Who amongst us would not support relief in this area of our daily lives?
Turning to the skies, for decades the commercial airline industry has relied on the 'hub and spoke' system for the timely and efficient routing of passengers around the nation. In this model passengers are picked up at outlying airports and deposited at a central hub. From there they are flown out to their eventual destination. Some aviation experts say there is room for improvement. Being able to fly nonstop to a destination is generally the preferred option for business and leisure travelers if it is reasonably affordable.
A better model could include on demand point to point general aviation transportation from small, regional airports like ours. Think of it as a new taxi in the skies.
This point to point model has been the subject of intense focus by NASA and aviation industry leaders. Their research and recommendations are contained in a NASA initiative called SATS, the Small Aircraft Transportation System.
Why is this important for business in Carlsbad? Because on demand aviation in the new model could take a business person to three cities within 750 miles in one day, depositing the executive home again in time for dinner. All this for about the same price of a commercial ticket. The advantages, of course, are saving time and increased efficiency. In the old hub and spoke system, an attempt to hit three cities in one day may have actually ended up as a two and a half day trip. Imagine the expense. There are 5,400 public use landing facilities in the country and according to NASA, about 98% of the national population lives within 20 miles of these airports.
In the NASA/SATS model, the aircraft are smaller, safer, have refined navigation and air collision avoidance capabilities and can fly in bad weather. How does NASA help in all this? By funding new research on safety, navigation, collision avoidance technology and more efficient aircraft systems.
What does that mean for business? Faster, cheaper, safer business travel is the payoff. And that's the bottom line for many business travelers these days.
Where did NASA come up with all this and how did it get started? An excellent question. How would it be implemented at a small, regional airport like Palomar? Let's take a little closer look.
SATS began as a $69 million research program in 2000 at the Langley Research Center in Virginia. It is a public/private partnership with the FAA, Department of Transportation and the National Consortium for Aviation Mobility. This last group is made up of more than 130 privates businesses and public entities. The list includes airport operators, aviation electronic companies, flight schools, research groups and universities.
SATS hopes to use advanced communication technologies to reduce or eliminate the need for control towers at small, regional airports and certain ground-based radar systems. They will be replaced with a new generation of safe, affordable aircraft that are emerging as a result of this new technology. Advancements include revolutionary propulsion systems, improved cockpits, synthetic vision screens, new communications systems and real-time weather data.
McClellan Palomar could be a very likely candidate for SATS aircraft and technology eventually given our high concentration of traveling business people in Carlsbad and our proximity to major population centers like Los Angeles, The Bay Area, Phoenix and Las Vegas. But think about this benefit also?the air taxi could just as easily be brining new business people into Carlsbad who might consider our location for establishment or expansion of facilities as well. The route goes both ways.
NASA may be primarily in the rocket and Star Trek business, but they have a very promising new technology that could benefit many Carlsbad Chamber members in the not too distant future.