航空控制系统全新升级

Well I think we've moved a long way here over the last few years to implement a GPS-based system called NextGen, which is the air traffic management system that's rolling out across the United States with complete implementation by the end of 2011 and into early 2012.

So that means all US air planes, all planes flying in the US will be based on GPS, not on radar or will there be some time when they both be used.

Well I think, you know, the roll-out of the system and the capability which ITT corporation is responsible for will occur between now and early 2012. The complete implementation of the equipage across all the airlines will take a longer period of time and that will be based on their arrangements that are made to try fully equip every craft that's in the fleet.

Those also use GPS, you know, the benefit of it for our cars. But what would be the benefit for passengers? What would be different about the way we fly and how easy or how hard it is to fly?

Well I think, you know, there are numerous benefits to going to a GPS-based system including better-controlled ascents and descents, savings of fuel and the economies that result from that, less carbon dioxide emissions and safer overall, general capabilities in terms of understanding where all the planes are at every single point in time and it gives, just a different dimension of capability to our Federal Aviation Administration in the air traffic controllers.

That's one of the things, I think, that surprises me, maybe other people as well. I read that it helps pilots know where the other planes are now. I kind of thought the pilot would know where the other planes are, but that's not the case with radar.

Well you know with the GPS-based system, the pilots will actually have a better situation awareness in the cabin. They'll have more air traffic information and climate information that's rendered available to them in the cabin. And I think it's gonna make a difference in terms of their total situational awareness which is a good thing for everybody.

Now that's just the US, but now Europe and US,could now be able to, the two systems will be able to speak to each other, is that correct? And we will see a more seamless global, one day, GPS use for airlines?

Well I think that will be the ultimate outcome of this implementation in the United States. There's already a system that is up and running in Europe. We are using common standards between the two. At the show here we are having an air traffic management panel, where we'll bring together European and American leadership to talk about the future in the way ahead and how this will be better basically for the consumers as well as for the flying public.