The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) operates the busiest and most complex airspace in the world with more than 45,000 daily flights operating to over 5,000 public use airports. The United States is now experiencing the limits of what the current system was designed to handle and maybe the limit of what any human-centric system can achieve.
Air traffic modernization or NextGen, FAA’s multi-decade program launched in 2007 to transition from a ground-based air traffic control system that uses radar to one that relies on satellite navigation and digital communications, has faced delays, most notably during COVID-19. How the United States and the aviation industry are collaborating to support modernization takes center stage at the upcoming 2025 AIAA AVIATION Forum in Las Vegas. Not surprisingly, presentations will center on the role autonomous systems and digital technologies will play going forward.
Eliminating Bottlenecks
“The future airspace system is one that will be less dependent on bottlenecks like air traffic controllers to manage the airspace,” says Jeremy Wang, member of the AIAA AVIATION Forum’s Guiding Coalition. “Autonomous systems fielded in the future will be able to follow the same visual and instrument flight rules used today but be able to make decisions independently without requiring that sort of centralized coordination.”
As co-founder and COO of Ribbit, a Toronto-based startup developing dual-use autonomous aircraft, Wang is committed to proving that planes no longer require humans in the cockpit.
With legacy flight rules reaching their limits, NASA has proposed a new set of Digital Flight Rules (DFR), enabled by digital electronics revolution, that would introduce more automation on board the aircraft so that each individual aircraft can have more autonomy and be less dependent on Air Traffic Control.
Brandon Suarez, Vice President, UAS Integration at Reliable Robotics, shares Wang’s passion for autonomy. The Mountain View, Calif.-based company is advancing navigation and aircraft autonomy, including auto-land, auto-taxi, and auto-takeoff capabilities to make flying safer.
“We’re living through a golden age in aviation,” says Suarez, noting, “the drone revolution has really opened aviation up to a new generation of people who are more interested in the tech aspects of the industry. All the new interest in urban air mobility and electric air taxis has brought aviation back into the public view in a cool, technological way.”
He explains that Reliable Robotics is bringing that high-power computing long enjoyed in commercial aviation into general and business aviation, which will expand aviation’s reach to more communities.
Making Aviation Safer
“We’re focused on getting aviation into more rural areas. But to take advantage of the tremendous public (air transportation) infrastructure in this country we have to make aviation safer. And the first step is we need an aircraft that can fly itself. Just doing that alone eliminates the loss-of-control accidents that we see in the national airspace system today at a pretty alarming rate,” Suarez says.
Recognizing today’s movement to modernize air traffic equipment and the airspace, Suarez believes the bigger emphasis needs to be on putting technology on the aircraft itself. He says automation could prevent many small aircraft accidents.
AIAA AVIATION Forum Preview
Automation advances will take center stage during the 2025 AIAA AVIATION Forum, coming to Las Vegas 21–25 July. Sessions will tackle global air traffic management concepts envisioned for 2050, as well as recent advances in computing that could simultaneously increase safety, capacity, and the economics of flying. Three highly anticipated sessions include:
- Aviation Concept Visions for 2050 – Moderated by Jan de Regt with the Flight Safety Foundation, this session will explore various global air traffic management concepts envisioned for 2050, featuring insights from key industry stakeholders. Panelists from NASA, Netherlands-based Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation, and SESAR, the technological pillar of the EU’s Single European Sky Policy, will present their respective system concepts, highlighting core elements and innovations.
- Connective and Collaborative Airspace – We are on the verge of adding a myriad of new vehicles and operations into the National Airspace System. From small autonomous drones to eVTOLs to large remotely piloted cargo aircraft, the solution for airspace integration will not be a “one-size fits all” and will challenge the norms of a human-centric/piloted airspace system. ATC, drone operators, pilots, and autonomous systems can share real-time information within an integrated digital and physical environment. Hear from the state and federal governments and industry entities using these test sites and learn about how the sites are uniquely outfitted for collaboration.
- AI Certification: Busting the Myth – Recent advances in computing have made the prospect of simultaneous increases in safety, capacity, and the economics of flying possible. As with many dramatic innovations, confusion surrounds the assurance and approval of these new technologies collectively known as AI. This session, featuring panelists from NASA, Collins Aerospace, Joby Aviation, and aviation startup Merlin, will challenge the most prevalent misconceptions, grounded in conceptual, scientific evidence as well as practical, operational experience.
To hear from dozens of expert speakers and join us in the conversation, register now for 2025 AIAA AVIATION Forum, 21–25 July, Las Vegas.
