NIA Calls For Renewing American Leadership In Aviation

The National Institute of Aerospace (NIA), along with the Commerce, Justice, and Science Subcommittee of the US Senate Appropriations Committee, is out with a new report to Congress called, "Responding to the Call: Aviation Plan for American Leadership." Recognizing that the US is losing its dominance in aviation technical and market leadership, Congress tasked NIA to conduct an industry- and academia-wide study to determine a five-year plan and budget for US aeronautics research. More than 250 of the nation's top aviation experts contributed to the study that provides an integrated approach to regain world leadership in the aviation industry.

The industry/university study team focused on six key national needs: US economic competitiveness, freedom of air travel, flight safety, securing and defending the nation, protecting the environment, and educating the future workforce. The plan builds on NASA's FY 2005 aeronautics budget and recommends an annual increase to return it to 1998 levels.

"Industry and academia have made an extraordinary effort to provide Congress a comprehensive strategic plan for the future of aeronautics," said Dr. Robert Lindberg, NIA President and Executive Director. "Aviation is a critical component in the US balance of trade, and our capabilities have been eroding. The investments recommended by the study will restore the ability of the US to compete successfully in the world market."

The full report, well over 1,000 pages, provides detailed investment plans, budgets, and needs assessments for seven aeronautics sectors. The sectors addressed are airspace systems, aviation safety and security, subsonic aircraft, supersonic aircraft, hypersonic technologies, rotorcraft, and workforce and education. The milestones within each sector establish how the budget augmentations will affect our national needs. The full report details how an increase in each sector will benefit our aeronautics research as a whole and provides details of the team's proposed NASA five-year budget plan.

Congress appropriated $5,000,000 within NASA's 2004 budget for NIA to lead a non-partisan industry-university team to conduct this study. NIA received authorization to proceed with the study in August 2004, and tapped over 20 industry and university partners to complete the plan documented in the report released today.

FMI: www.nianet.org