Airport radar soon a blip in history

LOUISVILLE -- There's an unusual hush in the cockpit of the hulking UPS Boeing 767 as it begins its descent 127 miles and 35,000 feet above the airport here.

Instead of a cacophony of air-traffic radio calls instructing the pilots which way to turn, the jet's computer-navigation system is following a programmed path to the runway with barely a word from controllers. The jet's engines are quiet, too, idling as the nearly 300,000-pound aircraft glides to within 10 miles of the runway.

The pioneering flight plan, demonstrated for a USA TODAY reporter, is made possible by a suite of new technologies that the Federal Aviation Administration hopes will become the foundation of air-traffic improvements over the next decade. This week, the FAA plans to award a $1 billion contract for the centerpiece of these new technologies, a system known as Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B).

ADS-B will create a nationwide system to replace radar with a far more accurate aircraft tracking system based on the Global Positioning System. It also will build a high-speed data network that will allow aircraft to transmit information to one another and the ground as if they were on the Internet.

These new technologies may be the only way to save the aviation system from the growing stranglehold of record flight delays, according to federal officials and aviation experts. The system could eventually allow jets to fly much closer together while lowering the risk of plane collisions, they say.

At UPS, the goals are more immediate. The procedure saves money by burning less fuel, reduces noise and pollution and improves efficiency at the massive package sorting hub here.

"Still pretty much in power idle," says Capt. Christian Kast as he prepares to take control of the plane to land after nearly 20 minutes of the steady, fuel-saving descent. "That's beautiful."

A hefty investment

The new technology has been embraced by many in the aviation world, but that hasn't stopped criticism. Airlines are concerned they will have to spend millions of dollars for new equipment but must wait years to see efficiency gains. Private pilots say they see few benefits for themselves. And the companies seeking the contract disagree over the best way to build it.