Winds of change: ATCA 53rd Annual Conference and Exposition

ALEXANDRIA, VA – In every way, the country is on the verge of change. We hear campaign promises of change every day, our economy and environment are in constant flux and the country’s leadership will have a new face. The 53rd Annual ATCA Conference and Exposition takes an in-depth look at the view of the future of air traffic control. As industry-thought leaders, ATCA intends to continue to make its annual Conference the premier forum for industry professionals. The event will be held November 2-5, 2008 and will be held at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel in Washington DC.

Peter Dumont, ATCA president explained, “We are seeing a change in the leadership at FAA. A new administrator is imminent, and the organization is restructuring on many levels. The FAA workforce is turning over rapidly with the retirement of veteran controllers, and they are being replaced with new air traffic controllers that are being trained on different skill-sets. We have changed the way we view NextGen – we are no longer looking at just 2025. We are looking at 2008 and identifying existing technologies and many innovative ways to exploit those technologies in an effort to yield NextGen results now. With more than 80 exhibitors showcasing the latest in technology, and an open forum of the ATC industry’s leaders and policy-makers, the ATCA conference offers a unique opportunity to bring together all the facets necessary to implement NextGen successfully.”

The Conference has a very deliberate focus on current strategies for NextGen implementation. It features sessions on a holistic view of airports’ role in NextGen, Network Enabled Operations, increased capacity in Airborne Operations, Environmental Responsibility & Operational Efficiency and many more topics that will further the forum for change. The country should know the face of its new administration on the last day of the Conference (November 5). A panel will discuss the transition process from that day forward, in addition to how this change will affect the FAA funding, staffing and projects.

Past conferences and seminars have discussed what has led up to where we are. There is consensus that NextGen is the right way to go, but what can we do now? What will it look like when we get there? What will define success? This conference will set a new agenda for the future. It will encompass all aspects of the future ATM system, including technical and institutional, and across all regions of the world.

More information can be found on the event website: http://www.atca.org/