Federal Aviation Administration Talks New Airline Tech in Orlando
Thursday, September 20, 2012
By: Nicole Creston

Sept 20, 2012 | WMFE - FAA officials held a press conference in Orlando Thursday discussing new technology on its way to Orlando International Airport.

[Image: Mayor Buddy Dyer is flown in the cockpit of a NextGen flight simulator at JetBlue headquarters in Orlando]

Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and airline officials were on hand to tout the new flight control system called NextGen.

Acting Federal Aviation Administrator Michael Huerta says NextGen is a much-needed update to the country’s air traffic control system, which is still using radar to guide planes as it has since the 1950s. NextGen uses GPS, which Huerta says makes radar look like an Impressionist painting.

“You can see where everything is – a little bit blurry, a little bit fuzzy, but you know exactly what’s going on,” says Huerta. “What GPS gets us is 3D HDTV. A much more precise, real-time look at what’s happening in our national airspace system.”

Huerta says that precision will lead to less fuel consumption, safer flights and lower costs. NextGen is expected to make its debut at Orlando International Airport in about three years.