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NIA Releases Report on Research for Small Community Air Service |
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February 23, 2006 - The National Institute of Aerospace (NIA) today announced the release of a new report titled “Research and Development for Safe, Secure and Affordable Air Transportation for Every Community in America.” The report provides a national research strategy to develop and demonstrate technologies that will enable small aircraft using existing underutilized community airports to provide a viable air service option for travel between communities separated by 200 to 800 miles.
This is companion to the NIA report “Responding to the Call: Aviation Plan for American Leadership” that was delivered to the United States Congress in April 2005. That report documented a comprehensive plan for federal investment in civil aeronautics research, developed by a national team of industry and academic experts.
“The United States has an exciting opportunity to develop and implement a new generation of air service that can link thousands of communities in America that do not have commercial air service today,” stated Dr. Robert E. Lindberg, NIA President and Executive Director. “New aircraft are being designed today to provide such service, and new service providers are just beginning revenue-generating operations. However, continued research is critical to overcoming the remaining impediments to achieving this vision of the future. Direct flights of small aircraft between existing small community airports could spur new economic growth in the same way that growth was driven by railroads in the 19th century and by major airport hubs in the 20th century.”
In the fall of 2005, NIA assembled a national team of industry and academic experts in small aircraft systems to define a comprehensive research and development strategy, including roadmaps and budgets, to enable such a new transportation capability for America. This report is the product of that effort. Copies of this report are being delivered to key decision makers within the Executive and Legislative branches of the Government, to industry leaders, and to government agencies responsible for research in aeronautics.
NIA is a research and graduate education institute initiated by NASA Langley Research Center to ensure a national capability to support NASA’s mission by expanding collaboration with academia and leveraging expertise inside and outside NASA. NIA performs research in a broad range of disciplines including air traffic systems, aviation safety, flight systems, materials and structures, space exploration, and atmospheric sciences. The institute’s graduate program offers M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in the fields of engineering and science through its university partners: Georgia Tech, Hampton University, North Carolina A&T State University, North Carolina State University, the University of Maryland, the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, Old Dominion University, and the College of William & Mary.
The "Research and Development for Safe, Secure and Affordable Air Transportation for Every Community in America" report is available on NIA's website at http://www.nianet.org/pubs/community_air_transport.php.
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