The Federal Aviation Administration Plan for Research, Engineering and Development, 1994

The last few years have clearly demonstrated the rapid changes and growing challenges that the aviation industry and the Federal Aviation Administration FAA must face. To meet these challenges, the FAA cannot proceed with a business as usual attitude. We must develop innovative, cost-effective solutions to problems in the National Airspace System NAS that meet the aviation industrys needs in a timely manner. Also, we must take a total system approach when developing new systems so that we do not create a new problem in our attempt to solve an existing one. The 1994 FAA Plan for Research, Engineering and Development R,ED describes the FAAs efforts to develop technologies that address both current and projected NAS issues so that our Nation can maintain a competitive, robust aviation infrastructure. Just as new systems must be integrated to achieve a total systems approach, the R,ED Plan must be integrated with other FAA plans to create a system development and implementation pipeline. Also, the R,ED Plan must be as dynamic as the aviation industry so that the FAA can respond in a timely manner to new requirements from its customers in every segment of the aviation community.