FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION

FLIGHT PLAN 2004–2008
THE LARGEST AND MOST COMPLEX 

AVIATION SYSTEM IN THE WORLD, WITH 

A SAFETY RECORD SECOND TO NONE.
TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION 3

INCREASED SAFETY 8

The Goal: Achieve the lowest possible 

accident rate and constantly improve safety.

GREATER CAPACITY 20

The Goal: Work with local governments 

and airspace users to provide capacity 

in the United States airspace system 

that meets projected demand in an 

environmentally sound manner.

INTERNATIONAL LEADERSHIP 29

The Goal: Increase the safety and capacity 

of the global civil aerospace system in an 

environmentally sound manner.

ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE 35

The Goal: Ensure the success of the FAA’s

mission through stronger leadership, a 

better trained workforce, enhanced costcontrol measures, and improved decisionmaking based on reliable data.

ACRONYMS 41

2
3

INTRODUCTION

FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA) EMPLOYEES MAINTAIN,

O P E R ATE, AND OVERSEE THE LARGEST AND MOST COMPLEX AV I AT I O N

SYSTEM IN THE WORLD, WITH A SAFETY RECORD THAT IS SECOND

TO NONE. WE NOT ONLY SET THE REGULATORY AND OPERATIONAL

STANDARDS FOR THE UNITED STATES, WE EFFECTIVELY SET THE BAR

FOR AV I ATION SAFETY AROUND THE WORLD—AND HAVE FOR ALMOST

A HALF-CENTURY.

AT THE TURN OF THE 20TH CENTURY, ONLY VISIONARIES IMAGINED

AIR TRAVEL AS A DRIVING FORCE BEHIND PHENOMENAL ECONOMIC

GROWTH, BUT BY CENTURY’S END, AVIATION WAS A KEY CATALYST

FOR FUELING ECONOMIC GROWTH. NOW, AS WE ENTER THE 21ST

C E N T U RY, AV I ATION FINDS ITSELF FACING THE EFFECTS OF TERRORISM,

STRUCTURAL CHANGE, AND A WEAK GLOBAL ECONOMY.

THE FAA IS ALSO AT A CROSSROADS. 

Drawing by Louis P. Christman; Wright 1903 Flyer NASM Drawing no. A-1.

©1950 National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institute (SI 2000-4488).
4
INTRODUCTION (continued)

We are confronted with the challenges of

reducing an already low commercial accident

rate, building an air traffic control system capable of efficiently meeting future demand, and

modernizing our own organization.

The FAA has met many challenges in the past.

From 1926, when President Calvin Coolidge

started federal oversight of air safety in the

United States by signing the Air Commerce

Act, to the creation of the FAA in 1958, to our

modern-day role in the U.S. Department of

Tr a n s p o rtation (DOT), the FAA and the aviation

community have grown together. We’ve shaped

an industry that—like shipping and rail before

it—conquered distance, lowered transportation costs, and created new opportunities that

transformed the way the world does business. 

Today, the challenges facing aviation demand

nothing less than transforming the system.

Securing safe air travel, navigating industry

uncertainties, and managing new technologies

require that we embrace change as never

before. Our Flight Plan is how we propose to

do this. 

The Flight Plan lays out the following four

goals:

Increased Safety 

Safety is not only a top public-interest priority;

it is also an economic necessity. People will fly

only if they feel safe and will return to the skies

only if they trust the system.

Greater Capacity

Aviation capacity is the backbone of air travel.

Aviation can grow only if capacity grows. As we

increase capacity, we will make sure we do so

in an environmentally sound manner.

International Leadership

Aviation safety is a vital national export. We will

enhance America’s leadership role by sharing

our expertise and new technologies with our

international partners.

Organizational Excellence

To fulfill our mission, the FAA must be a worldclass organization. This requires greater fiscal

responsibility, stronger leadership, more cooperation, and performance-based management.

With the right tools and training, our employees

will bring this Flight Plan to life. 

MANAGING THE PLAN

The Flight Plan is linked to the FAA’s budget

requests for 2005-2008. It will be used along

with detailed business plans from all FAA organizations to align performance and ensure

accountability at all levels of the agency.

Senior management will regularly review

progress against the performance measures

contained in the plan. These measures may

evolve over time as we work with our employees and external stakeholders to develop new

ways to measure our actions. Our website,

www.faa.gov, contains detailed explanations of

the perf o rmance measures contained in this plan.

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INTRODUCTION (continued)

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LOOKING AHEAD

The Flight Plan charts our course to 2008. Beyond

that, the Operational Evolution Plan, our curr e n t ,

ten-year rolling plan to increase capacity, sets out

the aviation community’s strategy to increase

capacity by 31% by 2010. Looking farther into

the future, the aviation community needs to

develop a shared vision for the future of aviation. This is the assignment of the FAA’s Joint

Planning Office, which is currently developing

a national plan through the year 2025 with the

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

(NASA), the Department of Defense (DOD),

the Department of Homeland Security (DHS),

and the Department of Commerce (DOC). 

CHALLENGES TO IMPLEMENTATION

Successful implementation of the Flight Plan is

dependent on many factors, some of which are

outside the control of the FAA. They include:

The Economic State Of The Industry

The financial difficulties facing airlines and manu f a c t u r e r s affect their ability and willingness to

equip aircraft with new technologies to increase

safety and capacity. The financial difficulties

facing the industry also affect the FAA, which is

funded primarily by the Aviation Trust Fund from

taxes on airline tickets, fuel, and air freight. As

long as airline travel remains depressed, so too

will the revenues available to the FAA.

The Fiscal Priorities Of The Nation

Large capital investments in facilities, infrastructure, and staff will in part depend on the

ability and willingness of Congress to fund

those investments.

Cooperation With State, Local, and

International Agencies

The FAA’s ability to increase safety and expand

capacity also depends in part on authorities at

the local, state, and international levels collaborating with the FAA to build new airports, to expand

runways, and to implement new technologies. 

National Security

The FAA works closely with and supports agencies such as DOD, DHS, and its Transportation

Security Administration (TSA), that address

security risks. We will coordinate closely with TSA

and key stakeholders on security issues and

activities related to aircraft design and operations. The FAA will also work to ensure that the

roles of FAA, TSA, and DOT, along with other

g o v e rnment and industry stakeholders, are clearly

understood. Should new threats arise, priorities

may need to shift to counter them.

We, at the FAA, recognize that there are many

potential challenges to implementing the

Flight Plan and we will do everything we can to

meet them.

READY FOR TAKEOFF

This Flight Plan lays out the steps we will follow

to maintain and improve the safety of the aviation

system and increase capacity, without hindering

the aviation industry’s recovery. Our goals are

not easy to attain, but then, we have a long history

of meeting big challenges. The safety record

and the air travel system that the FAA and the

aviation community have built together are not

only the envy of the world, but also a model for

our collective future. Working together, we will

exercise leadership in setting standards and

expectations so the global aviation industry

can flourish.

The FAA’s Goals Support

DOT’s Strategic Plan 

DOT has consistently won

a w a rds for strategic plans

developed under the requirements of the Govern m e n t

Performance and Results Act

(GPRA).

The FAA’s goals support DOT’s

2003–2008 Strategic Plan. We

s h a re safety as the top priority.

For its surface modes, DOT’s

goal is mobility, while the FAA

adds capacity for the more

efficient movement of people

and products. The Department

identifies the environment as a

p r i o r i t y, and the FAA addre s s e s

environmental concerns in its

capacity goal. DOT aims for

global connectivity, while the

FAA strengthens its international leadership by pro m o t i n g

safety and efficiency around the

world. We also share organizational excellence as a goal.

The Department’s security goal

is interwoven across FA A’s activi t i e s and objectives.

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INCREASED SAFETY

G O A L➜ To achieve the lowest possible accident rate and 

constantly improve safety.
O V E RV I E W

Safety is the FA A’s primary mission. It is a responsibility we have to the people of America.

Our continued dedication to keeping the skies safe is also the single most important

commitment we can make to help revive an economically troubled industry. If passengers

do not feel safe—if they do not have confidence in the system—they will not fly.

While aviation accident rates are at their lowest levels ever, the FAA understands that

complacency will undermine our gains and will prevent future progress in safety.

Continuous improvement is not just a good approach; it is essential. 

The FAA will continue to develop technologies that will utilize the United States’

airspace in safer, more efficient, and more environmentally sound ways. We will impro v e

our risk management practices by collecting and analyzing data to identify problems and

prevent accidents from occurring. We will continue to partner with industry to reduce

the commercial accident rate, improve runway safety, and extend the excellent safety

record of commercial space transportation. 

We are also making a special commitment in Alaska, where heavy reliance on air transportation in a difficult operating environment has led to an unacceptably high aviation

accident rate. For this reason, we are targeting innovative safety solutions that will re d u c e

the number of accidents. Success in Alaska will lead to safety improvements thro u g h o u t

the national airspace system. 

The FAA is also committed to moving the United States from a ground-based navigation

system to one located within the aircraft itself. Through the use of onboard technology,

pilots will be able to navigate aircraft to any point in the world using only geographical

coordinates. 

R e q u i red Navigation Performance (RNP) is an important step in this direction. Because it

can establish a high degree of precision, RNP allows for more efficient use of the airspace.

In addition, RNP will assist in the development of constant angle descent approaches,

increasing safety during approach and landing. Simply put, RNP will allow us to fly more

planes, closer together, more safely than ever before.

The FAA will continue to improve our oversight of air carriers, manufacturers, and airport

operations, while enforcing our safety regulations with a targeted focus on those areas

that pose the greatest risk to safety. Within the FAA, we will implement a Safety

Management System that will help reduce operational errors and improve the safety of

FAA’s air traffic systems. 

We will also refine and implement a prototype index to help measure the overall safety

of the U.S. civil aviation system. This safety index will measure aviation fatalities and

injuries in all segments of civil aviation. Once finalized, this new, composite tool will

serve as a vital indicator of trends, helping us assess the effectiveness of many of our

safety initiatives.

Safety will remain the FA A’s top priority as the aviation industry readjusts itself to a world

transformed by terrorism and economic challenges. Safety is the key to public confidence

in the system; it is the key to the future of aviation.

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10

OBJECTIVES

1: Reduce the commercial airline fatal accident rate.

2: Reduce the number of fatal accidents in general aviation.

3: Reduce accidents in Alaska.

4: Reduce the risk of runway incursions.

5: Reduce cabin injuries caused by turbulence.

6: Measure the safety of the United States civil aviation system

with a composite index.

7: Ensure the safety of commercial space launches

8: Enhance the safety of FAA’s air traffic systems.
STRATEGY

Continue the evolution toward a performancebased National Airspace System (NAS) by using

onboard technologies that allow aircraft

greater flexibility to navigate airspace more

safely, more efficiently, and in a more environmentally sound way than the current groundbased navigation system.

Initiatives

● Set up the RNP program office.

● Implement the RNP road map, including Local

Area Augmentation System (LAAS), Wide Area

Augmentation System (WAAS), and Precision

Approach Implementation (PAI).

STRATEGY

Expand FAA-industry partnerships and datadriven safety programs that prioritize and address

risks before they lead to accidents. 

Initiatives

● Implement Phase II of the Fuel Tank Safety

Assessment for SFAR 88.

● Promote cooperative and voluntary disclosure

programs, such as Flight Operational Quality

Assurance (FOQA), Aviation Safety Analysis

Program (ASAP), and Continued Operational

Safety Program (COSP). 

● Continue implementing the Air Transport

Oversight System (ATOS). 

● Continue implementing Commercial Av i a t i o n

Safety Team (CAST) initiatives and pursuing

joint identification and analysis of safety issues

within CAST.

● Take all actions necessary to resolve open

National Tr a n s p o rtation Safety Board (NTSB)

recommendations.

● Ensure that safety oversight keeps pace with

the dynamic changes occurring in the aviation

environment by better targeting our inspection

resources; improving our oversight systems,

especially for repair stations; and providing

training for safety-critical employees in a timely

and efficient manner.

● Using a data-driven approach to identify highrisk areas, pursue a targeted enforcement and

oversight program that focuses the agency’s

limited resources in these areas. 

● Share hazardous materials data within DOT

to prioritize and coordinate inspections and

outreach visits and to assess and identify

needed changes to policies and rules.

● Continue research to identify human factors

that may cause accidents and develop strategies, methods, and technologies that will

reduce those accidents.

● Develop and implement airport design standards, surface movement strategies, surface

movement procedures, infrastructure, and

training that enhance the efficiency of aircraft

movement and reduce the risk of commercial

aircraft collisions. 

● Where practical, upgrade runway safety areas

to meet standards. 

PERFORMANCE TARGET

● Reduce the airline fatal accident rate by 80%

from the 1994-1996 baseline by Fiscal Year

FY 2007 and maintain this low rate in FY

2008.

OBJECTIVE ONE: REDUCE THE COMMERCIAL AIRLINE 

FATAL ACCIDENT RATE.

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Vi Lipski

Manager, Transport Airplane

Directorate, Northwest

Mountain Region

Any time big commercial planes

need a safety upgrade, Vi ’s team

goes into action. Under Vi ’s leade rs h i p , the Transport Airplane

D i rectorate works with companies

like Boeing and Airbus to make

s u re planes meet new standard s ,

whether that means new technologies or safer fuel tanks. These

developments are helping re d u c e

the airline fatal accident rate.
12

Craig Harryman

Controller, Oklahoma City,

Southwest Region—

Outstanding Flight Assist

Award for 2002

Reducing accidents in general

aviation is critical to improving

overall safety in the national

airspace system. Craig guided a

pilot whose plane had caught

fire to a nearby Oklahoma highway for an emergency landing.

The plane had two passengers

in the back seat, including a sixyear-old. All survived thanks to

Craig’s quick judgment.

OBJECTIVE TWO: REDUCE THE NUMBER OF FATAL ACCIDENTS

IN GENERAL AVIATION.

STRATEGY 

Implement technologies and systems that will

help pilots operate aircraft as safely as possible.

Initiatives

● Provide Visual Flight Rule (VFR) pilots with

Instrument Flight Rule-like (IFR) environments by achieving full operational capability

of WAAS and delivery of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B/TIS-B) at

key sites.

● Provide text and graphical data (for example,

weather, wind shear alerts, temporary flight

restrictions, and notices to airmen) to the

cockpit through flight information services

broadcast (FIS-B) on an ADS-B link. 

● Increase situational awareness by improving

the capabilities of small aircraft with integrated

displays, WAAS, data-link, and ADS-B/TIS-B

aircraft position. 

STRATEGY 

Establish standard procedures and guidelines

for general aviation operators. 

Initiatives

● Ensure that safety oversight and regulatory

compliance keeps pace with changes in the

general aviation environment.

● Publish RNP/Area Navigation (RNAV )

approaches.

● Continue to implement General Av i a t i o n

Joint Steering Committee (JSC) initiatives

and pursue joint identification and analysis

of safety issues within JSC.

● Continue applied human factors research to

identify human factors in accidents and to

develop strategies and methods for reducing

such accidents. 

● Develop and implement airport design standards, surface movement strategies, surface

movement procedures, infrastructure, and

training to enhance the efficiency of aircraft

movement and to reduce collision risk. 
OBJECTIVE TWO (continued)

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● Develop policies, procedures, and approval

processes to enable operation of unmanned

aerial vehicles (UAV).

● Develop streamlined processes for certifying

and approving communications navigation

surveillance (CNS) equipment, basic cockpit

displays, electronic flight bags (EFB), and

other safety related flight technologies.

STRATEGY 

Improve general aviation flight training while

maintaining or lowering cost.

Initiatives

● In partnership with general aviation associations and the training community, develop

and implement FAA and Industry Training

Standards (FITS).

● Improve the quality of the pilot examiner

program.

PERFORMANCE TARGET

● By FY 2008, reduce the number of general

aviation and nonscheduled Part 135 fatal

accidents to no more than 325 (from 385,

which represents the average number of

fatal accidents for the baseline period of

1996-1998).

Mark Petersen

Controller, Seattle,

Northwest Mountain

Region—Outstanding Flight

Assist Award for 2002

Mark coached a nervous pilot

who was low on fuel to a safe

landing. The pilot was only quali f i e d for visual flight rules but

found himself on top of a cloud

layer. Mark helped reorient the

pilot, resulting in a safe landing

at Wakonda Beach State Airport.

Controllers like Mark and new

technologies will continue to help

reduce general aviation accidents in the future.
14

Nancy K. Schommer

Capstone Program

Coordinator, Alaska Region

Alaska presents unique challenges

for pilots, including rough terrain

and extreme weather. Through

Capstone, Nancy makes sure

Alaskan pilots and passengers

benefit from new and emerging

technologies. In addition, Nancy

c o o rdinated the first Intern a t i o n a l

Advanced Aviation Te c h n o l o g i e s

C o n f e rence, which drew 150 peop l e f rom seven countries last year.

OBJECTIVE THREE: REDUCE ACCIDENTS IN ALASKA.

STRATEGY

Expand and accelerate the implementation of

safety and air navigation improvement programs in Alaska.

Initiatives

● Achieve full operational capability of WAAS.

● Expand the Capstone Program through a

three-phase approach starting with Bethel,

Southeast Alaska, and, finally, the entire state.

● Expand the use of weather cameras and

explore alternative technologies to provide

similar data and real time images to air carriers and general aviation pilots.

● Strengthen the Medallion and Circle of Safety

programs. 

● Approve RNP avionics for small aircraft that

support the development of an improved

en-route and approach infrastructure.

● Where practical, continue improving rural

airports by building standard runways and

safety areas and improving airport lighting.

PERFORMANCE TARGET

● Reduce accidents in Alaska for general aviation and all Part 135 operations by 20% by FY

2008 (from the 2000-2002 average of 130

accidents per year to no more than 104 accidents per year).
STRATEGY

Continuously evaluate, analyze, test, and improve

procedures, training, and certification. 

Initiatives 

● Improve training, procedures, evaluation, analysis, testing, and certification to reduce the risk

of runway incursions resulting from errors by

pilots, air traffic controllers, and airport author i z e d pedestrians, vehicle operators, tug opera t o r s , and mechanics conducting aircraft taxi

operations.

STRATEGY

M o d i fy and improve existing surface movement

infrastructure. 

Initiatives

● Finish installing Airport Surface Detection

Equipment (ASDE-X) and retrofit of ASDE-X

equipment capability into selected Airport

Movement Area Safety System (AMASS )

installations. 

● Finish developing, testing, evaluating, and

deploying runway status lights at AMASS and

ASDE-X airports. 

STRATEGY

Use advanced modeling and simulation tools to

design and develop new equipment, procedures,

and training.

Initiatives

● Develop a proof of concept that leads to a prot o t y p e ground- movement safety infrastru c t u r e

to provide direct warning capability to pilots,

drivers, and controllers. 

● Evaluate the effectiveness of airport design simu l a t i o n s and improve operational perf o rm a n c e

of future runway and taxiway projects.

● Evaluate the effectiveness of air traffic tower

simulation training to help air traffic controllers

recognize errors, take corrective action, and

communicate with pilots.

● Evaluate potential runway safety enhancements to pilot performance by integrating

cockpit and tower cab simulation facilities.

● Finish developing, testing, evaluating, and

deploying a model for categorizing runway

incursion risk.

● Develop and evaluate runway and taxiway

risk modeling tools that integrate aircraft arr i v a l

and departure risk modeling tools.

PERFORMANCE TARGET

● Reduce the number of most serious ru n w a y

incursions (Categories A and B) at towered

airports by at least 48% by FY 2008 (from the

2000-2002 baseline average of 52 per year to

no more than 27 per year).

Steve Jarrett 

Coordinator, System Support

Center, Central Region 

Steve helps implement new radar

surveillance systems that make

sure air traffic controllers know

where planes and vehicles are

moving on runways at busy airports. With a systems specialist

b a c k g round, Steve brings a thorough understanding of how new

technologies, such as ASDE-X,

can be well maintained in order

to successfully reduce runway

incursions. 

OBJECTIVE FOUR: REDUCE THE RISK OF RUNWAY INCURSIONS.

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16

Denise Hudson

Cabin Safety Inspector,

Certification, Standardization

and Evaluation Team,

Northwest Mountain Region

Denise is part of a new workgroup charged with finding the

best ways to reduce turbulencerelated injuries to all cabin occupants, passengers, and cre w m e mb e r s . She originated the idea of

a brochure to discourage unruly

passenger behavior, which was

adopted by United Airlines in a

joint government-industry campaign.

OBJECTIVE FIVE: REDUCE CABIN INJURIES CAUSED BY 

TURBULENCE.

STRATEGY 

Encourage and expand the use of best practices to prevent turbulence injuries.

Initiatives

● In partnership with air carriers, ensure the

development of standard operating procedures (SOPs) to reduce cabin injuries caused

by turbulence.

● Improve training in SOPs to reduce injuries. 

● Improve dissemination of pilot reports and

timeliness of weather forecasts to identify air

turbulence areas. 

STRATEGY 

Develop and evaluate new technologies that

will lessen the impact of turbulence and other

weather-related issues. 

Initiative

● Continue to evaluate new airborne weather

radar and other technologies.

Performance Target 

● Reduce serious injuries from turbulence

accidents by 33% by FY 2008 (from the FY

1996–2000 average of 18 serious injuries per

year to no more than 12). 
Bob Matthews

Safety Analysis Team Leader,

Office of Accident

Investigation, Headquarters

I t ’s not easy to measure and unders t a n d overall trends in the safety of

the airspace system. Bob, though,

helped bring all the variables

together to create the Safety Index.

OBJECTIVE SIX: MEASURE THE SAFETY OF THE U.S. CIVIL 

AVIATION INDUSTRY WITH A COMPOSITE INDEX.

STRATEGY

Develop an aviation safety index that measures

the relative risk and perf o rmance of the U.S. civil

aviation system.

Initiative

● Build consensus with representatives from academia, the aviation industry, and govern m e n t .

PERFORMANCE TARGET

● By FY 2006, implement a single, comprehensive index that provides a meaningful measure

of the safety performance of the U.S. civil

aviation system.

THE SAFETY INDEX 

The prototype safety index is an emerging approach to assessing risk. By measuring the frequency and

outcome of all civil aviation accidents, the safety index surveys the entire civil aviation system and quantifies

the risk to people onboard aircraft, as well as on the ground. This tool complements other measures and

may help provide a more robust indicator of the state of U.S. civil aviation safety. The current calculation

includes:

● Commercial accident rates

● GA accidents

● Injuries caused by turbulence

The following graph indicates the trend in the safety index as currently calculated.

● Injuries to aviation and ground personnel

● Cabin injuries

● Runway incursions

‘How are we doing?’ FAA is taking a large step towards asking

and answering that question

with its new safety indicator. The

statistic will in essence summarize recent death and injury risks

over various forms of aviation.

Of course, no one indicator is

perfect: Some up-and-down movements over time will reflect little

m o re than sheer luck, while some

growing menaces might elude

the statistic because they have not

yet caused any accidents. But, while

the indicator isn’t everything, is

there any other place to start a

serious appraisal of system safety

besides a clear “bottom line”

statement about how well we’re

doing now? Happily, FAA thinks

not, and thus we will be gaining

a more penetrating view of what

has been achieved and what

remains to be done.

Arnold I. Barnett

George Eastman Professor of

Management Science at

Massachusetts Institute of

Technology, Sloan School of

Management

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STRATEGY

Continue developing tools, guidance, and regulations for reducing the safety risks for commercial space launches. 

Initiatives 

● Issue a licensing and safety requirements

rule for launches from non-federal and federal

launch sites. 

● Issue guidance on acceptable ways to verify

safety methods for Reusable Launch Vehicles

(RLVs). 

● Improve methods for determining like l y

launch vehicle failure rates and resulting

casualties.

● Complete a mishap investigation agreement

with the United States Air Force and the

NTSB to ensure that the commercial space

community identifies and understands factors that may lead to launch accidents.

PERFORMANCE TARGET

● No fatalities or serious injuries to the uninvolved public during commercial space

launch or reentry activities.

● No significant damage to property that is not

associated with the flight during commercial

space launch or reentry activities.

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Shelia Helton-Ingram

Industry Analyst, Commercial

Space Transportation,

Headquarters

Shelia works with pro p o s e d

launch site developers to ensure

that safety is never compro m i s e d

in commercial space launches.

She uses her past experience in

a i rcraft testing and missile

launches to help the FAA maintain

a zero accident rate in this area.

OBJECTIVE SEVEN: ENSURE THE SAFETY OF COMMERCIAL

SPACE LAUNCHES.

Photo courtesy of Lockheed Martin
STRATEGY

Reduce air traffic control operational errors by

implementing initiatives in the Three-Year Plan

for Operational Error Prevention.

Initiatives

● Utilize the JANUS technique, developed by

the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute, to better

understand the causes of operational errors

and to facilitate development of appropriate

training.

● Develop and implement Pe rf o rmance Enhancement Based Training.

● Conduct Airspace Complexity Studies at

selected, high-incidence facilities to identify

measures of airspace complexity and develop

recommendations to reduce errors.

STRATEGY

Design, develop, and implement a Safety

Management System (SMS) that complies with

I C AO requirements and applies a system

safety approach to the FA A’s delivery of air

t r a ffic services. 

Initiatives 

● Implement a safety risk-management program

within Associate Administrator for Research

and Acquisition (ARA) for selected new system

acquisitions (through FY 2008).

● Implement SMS using a phased approach

with initial implementation focusing on targeted NAS changes.

● Introduce SMS processes FAA-wide to assess

risk and to monitor effectiveness of risk-mitigation strategies.

● Expand the collection, consolidation, and

analysis of safety data to enhance reporting

and assessment.

● Expand SMS to include all safety-significant

changes to the NAS. 

PERFORMANCE TARGET

● Apply safety risk management to all significant changes in the NAS.

● Reduce the number of most serious air traffic

control operational errors (Categories A and B)

by 15%, to no more than 563 by FY 2008. 

Joseph Souza

Course Manager, Mike

Monroney Aeronautical

Center, Oklahoma City

The building blocks for a comprehensive Safety Management

System start with ideas from people like Joseph Souza. Joe thought

safety courses should be opened

to more than just aviation safety

inspectors, so he pushed to open

the course to the airline commun i t y. An American Airlines off i c i a l

lauded his eff o r t s , saying, “The

System Safety Course provided a

clear understanding of the FAA’s

renewed focus on enhancing

overall system safety.”

OBJECTIVE EIGHT: ENHANCE THE SAFETY OF FAA’S 

AIR TRAFFIC SYSTEMS.

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GREATER CAPACITY

G O A L➜Work with local governments and airspace users to 

provide capacity in the United States airspace system that meets

projected demand in an environmentally sound manner.
O V E RV I E W

Capacity, like safety, is both a priority and a necessity. Air travel will continue to grow

only if the aviation system’s capacity grows with it. Passengers will seek to travel by air only

if they can move through the system safely, seamlessly, and eff i c i e n t l y. Increased capacity

is the vital link to meeting their demand and realizing the full power and potential of

aviation. Over the past few years, air travel demand has decreased, and current industry forecasts suggest that it will not fully rebound until at least 2006 at the earliest. 

While the airlines struggle to reinvigorate their industry, the FAA will use this window

of opportunity to prepare for a return to heavy demand. We will work with local governments and airspace users to improve the design and performance of both aircraft

and ground systems to ensure that they meet the capacity demands of the future.

These improvements will accommodate more traffic while easing delays; increase safety

and security while addressing noise and air quality; and foster efficient, predictable, and

flexible domestic and international air travel. 

More specifically, the FAA will ease congestion over eight metropolitan areas; improve

overall capacity at the nation’s top 35 airports by 30 percent; to allow an increase in

the number of flights build new runways; enhance access to reliever airports for general aviation operations; and increase traffic coordination and communication by using

new technologies. By 2006, the FAA, with industry, intends to create further collaborative measures that enhance on-time performance and increase our ability to predict

and minimize disruptions to the system. The result will be a national aviation system

that is more efficient, more cost-effective, safer, and meets projected demand in an

environmentally sound manner.

21
22

OBJECTIVES

1: Increase airport capacity to meet projected demand.

2: Make air traffic flow over land and sea more efficient.

3: Increase or improve airspace capacity in the eight major

metropolitan areas and corridors that most affect total 

system delay: New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago,

Washington/Baltimore, Atlanta, Los Angeles Basin, and 

San Francisco.

4: Increase on-time performance of scheduled carriers.

5: Address environmental issues associated with capacity 

enhancements.
OBJECTIVE ONE: INCREASE AIRPORT CAPACITY TO MEET

PROJECTED DEMAND. 

23

STRATEGY 

Evaluate existing capacity levels and set investment and infrastructure priorities. 

Initiatives

● Complete an evaluation by December 2003

of the 35 OEP airports to determine whether

they will meet future demand levels. 

● Establish priorities for infrastructure investments to maintain existing capacity in a costeffective manner.

● Establish financial benchmarks to evaluate

whether initiatives are successful. 

● S u p p o rt new runway construction and airf i e l d

improvements to permit increased use of

airports in IFR conditions. 

STRATEGY

Improve access to existing capacity through

operational and procedural changes. 

Initiatives

● Create an intra-agency team to coordinate

standards, procedures, and policies to improve

airport capacity.

● Improve the quality of updates to airport air

traffic acceptance rates to ensure the most

efficient use of existing capacity.

● Increase access to high-demand metropolitan

areas for non-scheduled operations by adding

new routes. 

STRATEGY

Improve bad weather departure and landing

capacity with new technologies and procedures.

Initiatives

● Capitalize on Spring/Summer Plan data to

improve traffic flow in bad weather.

● Develop and implement RNP/WAAS approach

procedures to increase airport and runway

use when visibility is restricted. 

● Develop technology and procedures to

increase the use of parallel runways in adverse

weather conditions (for example, RNP, Precision Runway Monitor (PRM), ADS-B/CDM,

and FMA). 

● Increase airport capacity under IFR conditions through the use of Traffic Management

Advisor (TMA). 

PERFORMANCE TARGETS

● Achieve an airport arrival efficiency rate of

96% at the 35 OEP airports by FY 2008.

● Increase the Airport Arrival Capacity at the

35 OEP airports from 50,550 arrivals per day

the 2000-2002 baseline, to at least 53,600 per

day by FY 2008. 

● Open as many as nine new runways, while

increasing the annual service volume (ASV)

of the 35 OEP airports by at least 1% annually, measured as a five-year moving average,

through FY 2008. 

● Sustain operational availability at 99% for the

reportable facilities that support the 35 OEP

airports.

Rob Williams & Debbie

Rooney

Automation Systems

Program Managers, Free

Flight, Headquarters

New technology and advances in

s o f t w a re can mean big incre a s e s

in capacity, especially at the nation’s

busiest airports. Rob and Debbie

lead the launch of the traffic

management advisor (TMA),

which will smooth the flow of

airport operations at these high

volume locations. 
24

John McCarron

Product Team Leader,

Advanced Technologies and

Oceanic Procedures,

Headquarters

John has worked with centers in

New York, Oakland and Anchorage to modernize oceanic air

traffic management systems for

i n t e rnational flights. This gro u n d -

breaking technology results in

more efficient routes that save

both fuel and time.

OBJECTIVE TWO: MAKE AIR TRAFFIC FLOW OVER LAND AND

SEA MORE EFFICIENT.

STRATEGY 

Restructure airspace to ensure efficient traffic

flow between oceanic and domestic airspace.

Initiatives

● Redesign the airspace of eight major metropolitan areas: New York, Philadelphia, Washington/Baltimore, Boston, San Fr a n c i s c o ,

Chicago, Atlanta, and Los Angeles Basin. 

● Use new equipment and technology to reduce

en-route congestion. 

● Implement high-altitude airspace redesign

to reduce congestion.

● Provide communication infrastructure to make

airspace restructuring feasible. 

STRATEGY

M o d i fy separation standards and procedures to

allow more efficient use of congested airspace.

Initiatives

● Implement time-based metering at air traffic

control centers in Los Angeles, Oakland,

Miami, and Houston. 

● Implement real time use of special use airspace. 

● Enhance VFR flight operations to improve the

ability of general aviation flights to gain greater

access to metropolitan areas and other constrained airspace.

● Redesign oceanic airspace to improve capacity. 

● Implement new oceanic procedures for greater

access to requested altitudes and routes.

● Implement Reduced Ve rtical Separation

Minimum (RVSM). 

● Increase arrival and departure rates through

w a ke turbulence monitoring, operational proc e d u r e s , and controller spacing tools.

STRATEGY 

Improve technologies and procedures to make

traffic flow more efficient during periods of

adverse weather.

Initiatives

● Develop and implement enhanced systems

and techniques to improve Collaborative

Decision-Making (CDM). 

● Analyze and disseminate weather inform a t i o n t o

controllers and pilots through new autom a t e d

s y s t e m s.

PERFORMANCE TARGET

● Maintain average en-route travel times among

the eight major metropolitan areas.

● Beginning in FY 2005, increase to 80% the

number of oceanic en-route altitude change

requests that are granted through the end of

FY 2008.
STRATEGY 

Identify airport improvements that are most

likely to reduce the major causes of system

delay.

Initiatives

● Support master plans for airfield improvements at airports in major metropolitan areas. 

● Work with the user community to establish

the most feasible capacity-enhancing policies. 

STRATEGY 

Redesign the airspace and traffic flows.

Initiatives

● Redesign terminal airspace and change

p r ocedures. 

● Complete the redesign of the congested

airspace in New York. 

● Redesign airspace to reduce runway constraints and support RNAV procedures

where feasible. 

PERFORMANCE TARGETS

● Achieve an increase in the Airport Arrival

Capacity for the eight major metropolitan

areas from 21,290 arrivals per day from the

2000-2002 baseline to at least 22,000 per day

by FY 2008. 

OBJECTIVE THREE: INCREASE OR IMPROVE AIRSPACE CAPA C I T Y

IN THE EIGHT MAJOR METROPOLITAN AREAS AND CORRIDORS

THAT MOST AFFECT TOTAL SYSTEM DELAY: NEW YORK,

PHILADELPHIA, BOSTON, CHICAGO, WA S H I N G T O N / B A LT I M O R E ,

ATLANTA, LOS ANGELES BASIN, AND SAN FRANCISCO.

Janel Showalter

Technical Writer, Airport

Safety and Standards,

Headquarters

Janel coordinates a team across

the regions to make sure that

information on the FAA’s Office

of Airports websites is accessib l e

and understandable. Thro u g h

the websites, airports officials are

able to clearly understand how

they can use FAA grant money

to improve capacity. Also, Janel

has volunteered to be on the

FAA website redesign team and

workforce planning committee.

25
26

Ardyth Williams

Air Traffic Liaison, Free

Flight, Headquarters

Ardyth is making sure air traffic

controllers get the newest softw a re available in order to re d u c e

congestion at our nation’s busiest airports. She works with the

Free Flight office in its goal to

increase capacity and on-time

flights at major airports. As a

former controller and pilot with

4,000 hours of flight time, she

understands the capacity needs

of the airspace system.

OBJECTIVE FOUR: INCREASE ON-TIME PERFORMANCE OF

SCHEDULED CARRIERS. 

STRATEGY

Promote use of automated systems that provide more accurate and timely information for

all system users. 

Initiatives

● Share information seamlessly between Flight

Operations Centers and Air Traffic Controllers

( ATCs) by using System Wide Information

Management (SWIM). 

● Improve operator and passenger access to

flight information (for example, Traffic Flow

Management/Collaborative Decision Making

(TFM/CDM) capabilities). 

● Validate and analyze statistics from the DOT’ s

Delay Reporting System to identify and remedy causes of delay within the FAA’s control. 

● Improve modeling and forecasting techniques to better anticipate and react to volume

constraints and to achieve greater conform i t y

between expected and actual flight times. 

PERFORMANCE TARGETS

● Through FY 2008, increase the percentage of

all flights arriving within 15 minutes of schedule at the 35 OEP airports by 7%, as measured

from the three-year FY 2000-2002 baseline.
STRATEGY

Develop better technologies and analytical

tools to evaluate aircraft noise and emissions.

Initiatives

● Conduct research and develop analytical

tools to understand better the relationship

between noise and emissions and different

types of emissions.

● Along with stakeholders, increase aircraft

noise and emissions mitigation activities at

the new environmental Center of Excellence

(COE). 

● Improve data on environmental effects,

technology maturity and feasibility, and costs

of technologies and operational measures to

ensure cost-effective decision-making.

STRATEGY

Increase aviation capacity while mitigating the

environmental impact.

Initiatives

● Implement low-altitude airspace redesign,

increasing efficiency to take account of environmental impacts.

● Develop tools to reduce airborne delays.

● Complete the Continuous Descent Approach

(CDA) prototype program.

● Apply new streamlining provisions in the

Executive Order 13274 on Environmental

Stewardship and Transportation Infrastructure Project Reviews to OEP projects.

● Develop best practices for airport and airline

community relations to educate and inform the

public about aviation and the environment.

topics include, compatible land use, noise

disclosure, and FAA web site information.

● Foster voluntary agreements with the aviation

i n d u s t ry to reduce various aviation emissions.

PERFORMANCE TARGETS 

● Reduce the number of people exposed to

significant noise through FY 2008, as measured by a three-year moving average, from

the three-year average for calendar year

2000-2002.

● Improve aviation fuel efficiency per revenue

plane-mile by 1% per year through FY 2008,

as measured by a three-year moving average,

from the three-year average for calendar

year 2000-2002.

Jackie Sweatt-Essick 

Environmental Program

Manager, Southern Region 

Jackie works to make sure that

improving the capacity of the

airspace system is accomplished

in an environmentally sound mann e r. She has been involved in highp rofile projects in Cincinnati,

Miami, and Atlanta, and has won

several awards as a result. Also,

she chaired the publication of

Land Use Compatibility and Airports—A Guide for Effective

Land Use Planning.

Isidro Ruiz

Safety and Environmental

Compliance Manager,

Southwest Region

Isidro is critical to making sure

FAA activities are enviro n m e n t a l l y

sound. He works with the EPA,

and local and state authorities

to maintain a safe, clean aviation

system through the Rio Grande

System Management Office in

Albuquerque.

OBJECTIVE FIVE: ADDRESS ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES 

ASSOCIATED WITH CAPACITY ENHANCEMENTS.

27
REIGNITING THE POWER AND POTENTIAL

OF AVIATION FOR THE 21ST CENTURY.
29

INTERNATIONAL

LEADERSHIP

G O A L➜ Increase the safety and capacity of the global civil

aerospace system in an environmentally sound manner.
O V E RV I E W

The United States has long been a leader in the global civil aviation system. The FAA

operates the largest and most complex aviation system in the world, controlling almost

half of the world’s air traffic. We certify more than 70 percent of the world’s large jet

aircraft and provide direct or indirect aviation assistance to 129 countries. Over 120

domestic and 90 international air carriers serve the United States on a daily basis. U.S.

industry is continuously developing and implementing new technologies to create a

safer, more efficient, global airspace system. The United States is also the largest contributor of technical and financial support to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), which represents 188 of the world’s civil aviation authorities.

As a leader, the FAA must promote safety by broadening our international network of

partnerships with civil aviation authorities around the world. This goal requires us to

work with key bilateral aviation partners as well as the ICAO to adopt common international safety standards and to help harmonize air traffic procedures and technologies. We will also work with organizations and through programs such as the European

Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), Safe

Skies for Africa, the Third Boarder Initiative, Cooperative Development of Operational

Safety and Continuing Airworthiness Project (COSCAP), the North American Aviation

Trilateral (NAAT), and University Consortium Safety Summits. 

Our ultimate objective is to make air travel as safe and efficient abroad as it is at home.

30
31

OBJECTIVES

1: Promote improved safety and regulatory oversight in cooperation with bilateral, regional, and multilateral aviation partners.

2: Promote seamless operations around the globe in cooperation

with bilateral, regional, and multilateral aviation partners. 
Third Border Initiative Team

(Clockwise) Dawn Flanagan,

Policy Leader, Dawn Veatch,

Jay Rodriguez, Emily White

Dawn drives FAA support of a

new safety organization for several Caribbean countries. Her team

p rovides technical assistance,

promoting harmonization of the

various laws and regulations in

the region. Also, they implement

training, personnel licensing

and a new airport certification

course—an ICAO requirement.

32

STRATEGY

Provide technical assistance and training to key

foreign civil aviation authorities.

Initiatives

● Focus political, technical, and financial

resources to provide training and technical

assistance to help foreign civil aviation

authorities meet international standards.

● Develop a structure that increases intellectual

and financial assistance from U.S. Government organizations, multilateral banks, and

industry to support projects that enhance

the infrastructure of global aviation. 

STRATEGY 

Work with key international partners to enable

the transfer of aeronautical products, technologies, and services.

Initiatives

● Work with the European Community, primarily through EASA, to ensure the highest

level of safety and a more efficient exchange

of products between the United States and

Europe.

● Set priorities and focus FAA and U.S. resources

on finalizing bilateral agreements that recognize

safety certification and approval systems. 

STRATEGY

S u p p o rt ICAO and regional aviation authorities. 

Initiatives

● Focus resources to promote global compliance with safety oversight standards by supporting new and existing regional aviation

authorities and organizations. 

● Strengthen bilateral relations with Western

Hemisphere partners to increase regional

s a f e t y, while sharing proven safety techniques with the rest of the world.

● Support expansion of ICAO’s Safety Oversight Audit Program to air traffic services,

accident investigation, and airports. 

● Increase recruitment of qualified U.S. technical personnel to fill positions at ICAO.

OBJECTIVE ONE: PROMOTE IMPROVED SAFETY AND 

REGULATORY OVERSIGHT IN COOPERATION WITH BILATERAL,

REGIONAL, AND MULTILATERAL AVIATION PARTNERS.
33

STRATEGY

Work with global partners and industry to

develop and implement technologies and processes that enhance safety.

Initiatives

● Encourage adoption of aviation safety and

aircraft security initiatives and interventions,

such as Safer Skies, to reduce the dangers of

Controlled Flight Into Terrain and weather

related events. 

● With the worldwide aerospace community,

develop tools and processes for collecting,

analyzing, and sharing information and data. 

● Work with developing states to encourage

the use of FAA’s Safety Management System

as a model for their air traffic management

programs.

● S u p p o rt implementing English language

proficiency training for air crews and air traffic controllers.

● Work with international service partners to

develop a standard definition of ru n w a y

incursion, a common categorization system,

and a runway incursion database. 

PERFORMANCE TARGETS

● Provide new or expanded technical assistance

and training to 30 key countries or regional

authorities.

● Conclude new bilateral agreements recognizing safety certification and approval systems with ten key countries or regional

authorities.

● Secure a 100% increase, over FY 2003 levels,

in intellectual and financial assistance for

i n t e rnational aviation activities from the

United States and international government

organizations, multilateral banks, and industry. 

● Support creating at least four new regional

aviation authorities or organizations capable

of meeting globally accepted safety and efficiency standards.
Safe Skies for Africa Team

(Clockwise) Angela Conley,

Acting Manager, Kelley Ann

Szalkowski, Lou Alvarez,

Lorna John

Angela plans and coordinates

initiatives to improve aviation

safety in Africa. She leads a team

from across the FAA lines of

business to help African countries meet international safety

standards. Her team is involved

in training, international conferences, facility assessments, and

regional navigation development.

STRATEGY 

Ensure the global implementation of a shared

concept of operations, technologies and processes to enhance capacity and interoperability.

Initiatives

● Promote commercial proliferation and interoperability and use of the Global Navigation

Satellite System (GNSS) and GNSS augmentation systems internationally.

● Develop ADS-B and other capacity enhancing

applications, necessary standards, equipage

requirements, and operational procedures

for global implementation. 

● Develop tools and processes for exchanging

flight data, surveillance information, and trafficflow management data to improve and harmonize global air navigation services.

● Establish new and update existing operational

agreements between the FAA, Mexico, and

Canada that support requirements for air traffic

control communication and coordination.

● Implement reduced separation standards.

● Promote harmonizing and implementing RNP

globally and developing international air traffic

routes to take advantage of enhanced aircraft

equipment.

STRATEGY 

Ensure the harmonization of U.S. and global

technological standards.

Initiatives 

● Promote NAS technologies and the development of Standards and Recommended Practices

in ICAO.

● Support U.S. aviation interests at the World

Radio Communication Conference and other

regional and international forums.

STRATEGY 

Work within the ICAO Committee on Aviation

Environmental Protection (CAEP) to develop

and adopt global environmental standards, best

practices, and written guidance.

Initiatives

● Work with CAEP members to develop and

adopt ICAO guidance material on the Balanced

Approach to Noise Management consistent

with ICAO Resolution A33-7.

● Build on work already done within CAEP to

develop industry best practices for emissions

reductions as a basis for future voluntary

agreements.

● Gain acceptance of the System for Assessing

Aviation’s Global Emissions (SAGE) to be used

as a global emissions model within CAEP.

PERFORMANCE TARGETS

● Ensure the United States, ICAO, and other

international partners implement new techniques and key operational procedures in a

consistent and timely manner.

● Implement RVSM in the North American

Region by January 2005.

● Ensure that international environmental

standards, recommended practices, and

guidance material adopted by ICAO are globally and uniformly applied, reflect the best

available technology, provide real environmental benefit, and are economically sound.

34

OBJECTIVE TWO: PROMOTE SEAMLESS OPERATIONS

AROUND THE GLOBE IN COOPERATION WITH BILATERAL,

REGIONAL, AND MULTILATERAL AVIATION PARTNERS.
35

ORGANIZATIONAL

EXCELLENCE

G O A L➜ Ensure the success of the FAA’s mission through stronger

leadership, a better trained workforce, enhanced cost-control

measures, and improved decision-making based on reliable data.
O V E RV I E W

To achieve the ambitious goals outlined in the Flight Plan, the FAA must become nothing less than a world-class organization. This will re q u i re s t rong leadership, performancebased management, and improved fiscal responsibility.

The people of the FAA are the key to achieving our mission. We are committed to finding and eliminating barriers to equity and opportunity at the FAA, for we strongly

believe that fairness and diversity at the agency directly relate to the strength of our

organization. Furthermore, we will give our people the tools and resources they need

to overcome the challenges we face and to become more accountable and cost efficient. In turn, employee compensation and salary increases should be performancebased, allowing the agency to pay for results and reward success.

The Pre s i d e n t ’s Management Agenda (PMA) tasks the FAA with setting targets, measuring our performance, and being accountable for our results. The PMA is also designed to

make the government more “citizen-centered, results-oriented, and market-based.” To

achieve this, the PMA directs us to undertake six initiatives:

● Strategic management of human capital

● Competitive sourcing

● Improved financial performance

● Expanded electronic government

● Budget and performance integration

● Better research and development

The PMA and FA A’s Organizational Excellence goal both seek to instill greater governmental accountability, while providing important services in a responsible and cost eff e ctive manner. Moreover, our employees must clearly understand the agency’s mission

and faithfully execute their duties.

Controlling costs is essential. Working with our employees and industry partners, the

FAA must continue to invest in programs and services that perform, while ending those

that are redundant or ineffective. We will establish an agency-wide cost-control program to identify where costs can be cut and reinvested to meet the initiatives outlined

in this plan. The agency will also accelerate the development of data and analytic tools

that will help us make management decisions based on sound business principles. Our

commitment to meeting the initiatives of the Flight Plan will shape our future policies. 

36
37

OBJECTIVES

1 : Make the organization more effective with stronger leadership,

increased commitment of individual workers to fulfill organization-wide goals, and a better prepared, better trained, diverse

workforce.

2: Control costs while delivering quality customer service.

3: Make decisions based on reliable data to improve our overall

performance and customer satisfaction.
STRATEGY 

Build stronger leadership to achieve strategic

goals and manage resources effectively.

Initiatives

● Implement an executive development program.

● Put in place a management workforce planning

and development program.

● Undertake a timely and effective approach to

conflict management.

STRATEGY 

Increase the commitment of all employees to

fulfill organizational goals.

Initiatives 

● Use multiple channels to communicate the

goals of the Flight Plan and help employees see

the link between their jobs and these goals.

● Implement the new Pe rf o rmance Management

System for all employees.

● Directly link all employee performance plans

to FAA strategic goals and line of business

and staff office performance plans. 

STRATEGY 

Improve our ability to acquire, develop, and

retain a diverse, highly skilled workforce.

Initiatives 

● Undertake and sustain agency human capital

planning and measurement processes. 

● Put in place a corporate and employee training and development program. 

● Implement corporate recruitment initiatives.

PERFORMANCE TARGETS

● Increase Employee Attitude Survey scores in

the areas of management effectiveness and

accountability by at least 5%.

● Directly relate 100% all employee perf o rm a n c e

plans to FAA strategic goals and their organization’s performance plans.

● Reduce the time it takes to hire mission critical

positions by 20% over the FY 2003 baseline.

Bill E. Traylor

Superintendent, Mike

Monroney Aeronautical

Center

Investing in employees is key to

c reating the strongest workforc e

at the FAA. Bill develops and

guides the courses taught to FA A

employees at the Oklahoma City

facility and online. These courses,

in turn, directly help the FAA

achieve strategic goals and object i v e sin U.S. aviation. In addition,

the Academy has trained 12,400

international participants from

more than 150 countries.

38

OBJECTIVE ONE: MAKE THE ORGANIZATION MORE EFFECTIVE

WITH STRONGER LEADERSHIP, INCREASED COMMITMENT OF

INDIVIDUAL WORKERS TO FULFILL ORGANIZATION-WIDE

GOALS, AND A BETTER PREPARED, BETTER TRAINED, DIVERSE

WORKFORCE.
39

Jan Lebovitz

Regional Program Specialist,

Great Lakes Region

Jan received the Aff i r m a t i v e

Employment Aw a rd for 2003 for

her efforts to increase awareness of people with disabilities

in the FAA workforce. She helps

to identify, recruit, and retain

employees from diverse backgrounds.

OBJECTIVE TWO: CONTROL COSTS WHILE DELIVERING 

QUALITY CUSTOMER SERVICE.

STRATEGY 

Improve organization-wide commitment to

fulfilling customer needs.

Initiative 

● Annually review our customers’ requirements to better align products and services.

STRATEGY 

Develop and implement ways to better control

costs.

Initiatives 

● Finish implementing the new FAA financial

management system (DELPHI), Cost Accounting System (CAS) and Labor Distribution

Reporting System (LDR).

● Put in place an agency-wide cost control program using CAS and LDR, including:

➜ An executive-level review process

➜ Identification of cross-organizational initiatives focused on controlling operations

costs starting with information technology (IT) expenditures. Savings identified

will be used to fund unfunded aspects of

the Flight Plan.

➜ A program to create incentives for FAA

organizations to identify and implement

cost savings initiatives

● Refine and update financial systems to ensure

they provide data that supports management decision-making.

● Implement the FAA Te l e c o m m u n i c a t i o n s

Infrastructure (FTI) program and provide

cost savings over existing systems.

● Improve the overall management of costreimbursable contracts.

PERFORMANCE TARGETS

● By putting cost controls in place, and having a

more efficient, effective workforce, the agency

expects to fund at least 75% of the currently

unfunded portion of the Flight Plan.

● Complete the closeout of 100% (FY 2001

baseline) of cost reimbursable contracts by

end of FY 2004 and maintain timely closure

of future contracts.
Melinda Mercado

Management Analyst,

Budget and Program

Analysis, Southwest Region

Melinda is an expert advisor acro s s

the lines of business in the Southwest Region. She is critical to

guiding leadership to new levels

of excellence, including impro v e d

cost controls, better training,

and customer service.

STRATEGY 

Better prepare managers to use cost and performance data in making decisions.

Initiatives

● Provide tools and training to all current executives and managers on using cost data (for

example, CAS and LDR information) to make

management decisions and reinforce the

use of these skills as part of the agency-wide

cost control program. 

● Use automated software to track and report

progress on Flight Plan initiatives and to establ i s h the appropriate linkages and accountability for supporting initiatives in each line

of business and staff office.

● Integrate lessons on using cost and performance data in all levels of supervisory and

management training conducted at the Center

for Management Development (CMD). 

● Expand the use of professional certification

programs for managers and employees in

key decision-making positions that impact

major acquisitions.

STRATEGY 

Find faster, more efficient ways to collect and

measure customer feedback and satisfaction.

Initiatives

● Develop a process to measure customer satisfaction for a wider range of customer segments.

● Use the Flight Plan web site as a way to communicate progress and collect feedback

from internal and external customers on the

initiatives contained in the plan. 

STRATEGY 

Improve the security of our data.

Initiative

● Update and implement an agency security

plan to protect our information assets.

PERFORMANCE TARGETS

● Make sure 80% of critical acquisition programs are both on schedule and within 10%

of budget. 

● Achieve 90% of all perf o rmance targets in the

Flight Plan.

● Increase agency scores on the American

Customer Satisfaction Index.

● Achieve 90% of the milestones for the

agency information security plan by FY 2008.

40

OBJECTIVE THREE: MAKE DECISIONS BASED ON RELIABLE

DATA TO IMPROVE OUR OVERALL PERFORMANCE AND 

CUSTOMER SATISFACTION.
41

ACRONYMS

ADS-B/TIS-B Automatic

Dependent SurveillanceBroadcast/Traffic Information

Service-Broadcast

AMASS Airport Movement Area

Safety System

APEC Asia Pacific Economic

Cooperation

ARA Associate Administrator for

Research and Acquisition

ASAP Aviation Safety Analysis

Program

ASDE-X Airport Surface Detection

Equipment

ASR-WSP Airport Surveillance

Radar Weather System Processor

ASV Annual Service Volume

ATCs Air Traffic Controllers

ATOS Air Transport Oversight

System

ATS Air Traffic Services

CAEP Committee on Aviation

Environmental Protection

CAS Cost Accounting System

CAST Commercial Aviation Safety

Team

CDA Continuous Descent

Approach

CDM Collaborative Decision

Making 

CMD Center for Management

Development

CNS Communications Navigation

Surveillance

DHS Department of Homeland

Security

DOC Department of Commerce

DOD Department of Defense

DOT Department of

Transportation

EASA European Aviation Safety

Agency

EFB Electronic Flight Bags DELPHI

FAA Federal Aviation administration

FIS-B Flight Information Service

Broadcast

FITS FAA/Industrial Training

Standards

FMA Final Monitor Aid

FOQA Flight Operational Quality

Assurance

FTI FAA Telecommunications

Infrastructure Program

FY Fiscal Year

GNSS Global Navigation Satellite

System

GPRA Government Performance

and Results Act

ICAO International Civil Aviation

Organization

IFR Instrument Flight Rules

IT Information Technology

JSC Joint Safety Committee

LAAS Local Area Augmentation

System

LDR Labor Distribution Reporting

System

LLWAS Low Level Wind-shear

Alert System

MIAWS Medium Intensity Airport

Weather Service

NAAT North American Aviation

Trilateral

NASA National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

NAS National Airspace System

NOTAMS Notice To Airmen

NTSB National Transportation

Safety Board

OEP Operational Evolution Plan

PAI Precision Approach

PMA President’s Management

Agenda

PRM Precision Runway Monitor

RLV Reusable Launch Vehicle

RNAV Area Navigation

RNP Required Navigation

Performance

RVSM Reduced Vertical

Separation Minimum

SAGE System for Assessing

Aviation’s Global Emissions

SFAR Special Federal Aviation

Regulation

SMS Safety Management System

SOPs Standard Operating

Procedures

SWIM System Wide Information

Management

TDWR Terminal Doppler Weather

Radar

TFM Traffic Flow Management

TFM/CDM Traffic Flow

Management/Collaborative

Decision Making

TMA Traffic Management Advisor

TSA Transportation Security

Administration

UAV Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

US United States

VFR Visual Flight Rules

WAAS Wide Area Augmentation

System

41

White Knight with Spaceship One.
A C K N O W L E D G M E N T S

This Flight Plan is the result of the hard work and sustained

commitment of everyone involved in the planning process.

We would like to acknowledge and convey our sincere

thanks to all of our employees, Members of Congress and

their staff, our industry partners, and stakeholders.
800 Independence Avenue, SW

Washington, DC 20591

www.faa.gov