Aviation Week article on AAS

[berman@umbc.edu (Mike Berman)]

There is a synopsis article on the FAA Advanced Automation System (AAS)
problems in the 3/15 issue of Aviation Week (p. 35).

There is no mention of the Ada progrmming language as being a factor in
the problems encountered. Software development is not even identified as
a current problem area, except by virtue of its placement late in the
life cycle.

From the article:

	"... unresolved issues still haunt current efforts to modernize
the U. S. air traffic control system. These issues resulted from
indecisiveness at the Federal Aviation Administration and were important
factors in the previous schedule problems, according to Allen Li, a GAO
associate director."

	"Another problem area was resolving questions of the human
factors interface...incorporating those recommendations [from air
traffic controllers] into the ISSS baseline was a difficult and
time-consuming process, which used up a significant portion of IBM's
engineering and management resources and delayed the software
development, according to Gerald W. Ebker, chief executive officer of
IBM's Federal Systems Co., and the new AAS program manager."

Noted was one example where an existing operation went from a turn of a
knob in the 1960's equipment, but required 16 keystrokes and diverted
the controller's attention away from the display in the ISS mock-up.

FYI. Draw your own conclusions.

-- 
Mike Berman
University of Maryland, Baltimore County	Fastrak Training, Inc.
berman@umbc.edu					(301)924-0050