Aviation Coalition Faces Industry Challenges

by George F McClure

In the 100 years since the Wright brothers’ first flight, we have enjoyed a continual succession of advances in aviation. We have also come to take for granted the availability of a safe, convenient, and sophisticated aviation transportation system.

For decades, the United States has dominated the civil aviation marketplace. But in the past decade, both the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Department of Defense (DOD) have cut aeronautics research and technology (R&T) budgets dramatically. At the same time, tens of thousands of skilled workers have left the aerospace field. And since 1990, numbers of U.S. graduates in aerospace engineering and related disciplines have dropped — by 47 percent and 39 percent at the bachelor and master degree levels respectively.¹ Amid the budget cuts and reduced number of workers, the heightened terrorist threat has added a new dimension to the need for unprecedented levels of security in our air transport system.

Aviation and the Economy

According to a 2002 study based on a computer model of the entire U.S. economy³, the civil aviation industry accounts for about nine percent of the total U.S. gross domestic product. This percentage amounted to about $900 billion and 11 million jobs in the year 2000. The same study also found that airport runway and infrastructure improvements either underway or proposed could save 64 million man-hours per year.

The U.S. aviation industry has been the strongest contributor to the U.S. trade balance in the past. To continue competing internationally, we must be able to develop the next generation of passenger aircraft. NASA’s aeronautical research program has played a key role in past advances in aviation, and a strong national commitment for continued support is essential for U.S. global competitiveness.

While U.S. government support for aviation research has declined, foreign government funding is increasing. The European community and Asian countries have recognized the value of the aviation industry and its quality jobs to national economies. For the first time, Airbus Industrie has eclipsed Boeing in sales of large commercial aircraft, both in numbers and value. Leading-edge technology will determine the winners in this global competition; in turn, technology advances depend on national will, available capital, and specific investments.

Commission Makes Recommendations for Future

Last November, after a year of investigation, the Presidential Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry issued its final report, in which it recommends that:

• The United States boldly pioneer new frontiers in aerospace technology, commerce and exploration
• Transformation of the U.S. air transportation system be a national priority
• The United States create a space imperative
• The nation adopt a policy that invigorates and sustains the aerospace industrial base
• The federal government establish a national aerospace policy and promote aerospace by creating a government-wide management structure
• U.S. and multilateral regulations and policies be reformed to enable the movement of products and capital across international borders on a fully competitive basis and establish a level playing field for U.S. industry in the global marketplace
• A new business model be designed to promote a healthy and growing U.S. aerospace industry
• The nation immediately reverse the decline in and promote the growth of a scientifically and technologically trained U.S. aerospace workforce
• The federal government significantly increase its investment in basic aerospace research to enhance U.S. national security, enable breakthrough capabilities, and foster an efficient, secure and safe aerospace transportation system

Help from Beyond the Government

Numerous trade groups and engineering societies, including IEEE-USA, have formed the U.S. Aviation Research and Technology Coalition to work to reverse the decline in our aerospace industry. The Aviation Coalition points out that in the past, government research establishments have conducted essential fundamental and applied research projects that were high-risk, high-cost and long-term before becoming commercially profitable. The private sector alone cannot undertake the uncertainty and risk inherent in revolutionary concepts. U.S. leadership in both aircraft and rotorcraft technology can foster developments that strengthen and ensure national security, while offering other benefits, including:

• Advanced vehicle technologies for civil and military applications
• Increased safety and security for civil aviation
• Efficient air traffic management systems to reduce delays
• Reduced air transportation costs and travel time
• Increased fuel efficiency
• More environmentally friendly aircraft

The Coalition has made several recommendations for bolstering the aviation industry. Among them are:

• Providing stable and robust long-term funding for NASA, DOD and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) aviation and aeronautics R&T
• Coordinating NASA and DOD R&T efforts in areas of common need
• Developing a national strategy to focus public attention on aerospace workforce needs by stressing the importance of and opportunities for aerospace industry careers
• Developing and implementing a new, secure, highly automated U.S. air traffic management system to meet the nation’s growing civil and military aviation needs
• Establishing a national aviation R&T policy to plan and provide resources for continued, sustained U.S. world leadership in civil and military aviation

References

1. A 95-page record of testimony on civil aeronautics R&D from a hearing in March 2002, held by a subcommittee of the House Science Committee, is available online.

2. The Presidential Commission on the Future of the United States Aerospace Industry Final Report. The full, 300-page Final Report is divided into chapters that concentrate on critical aerospace matters: an industry vision, national security, air transportation, space, government reform, trade business, the workforce, and research and innovation. Available online, with state-by-state analyses of the economic impact of the aerospace industry.

3. The National Economic Impact Of Civil Aviation, July, 2002, by The Hill-Campbell Aviation Group and DRI-WEFA, Inc., a Global Insight Company. Go to www.aia-aerospace.org/issues/subject/impact_study.cfm

---

George F. McClure is chair of IEEE-USA’s Career and Workforce Policy Committee and IEEE-USA's Technology Policy Editor.