Point #1: Airway congestion is a myth. The skies are not crowded. A
few big airports that serve the major airlines are overcrowded with airline
traffic. Hub congestion is a fact and is the airline industry's
making. Point to point navigation that frees aircraft from using ground
based navigation aids and its attendant airways has been around for a long time.
GPS has been around for over ten years. I file and fly GPS direct almost every
flight I make and I know your crews often ask for "direct to destination"
to cut flight times. General aviation got onboard with GPS long before the
airlines did. Delays experienced by airlines are their own making. Hub and spoke
operations constrict the NAS system into a few major bottlenecks like O'Hare,
Atlanta and New York. These airports are generally avoided by general aviation
users who prefer smaller closer relievers. You can only fit so many airplanes
onto the same piece of concrete. Southwest knows that better than any other
airline. New airport construction is sadly lacking in this country. All aviation
users need to get onboard together and demand new airport construction-- and not
just at a few major hubs.
Colyn,
I have never, repeat... NEVER been delayed because there is an aircraft on
Victor 138 ahead of me going slower. I have experienced delays at Dulles
because a thunderstorm was clobbering Hartsfield and the FAA ATC put a
ground stop in place between those city pairs. I have had delays at St. Louis
Lambert on American Airlines because the boarding gate had another
aircraft and we had to wait for 40 minutes on the tarmac but I have
NEVER been delayed because Spirit of St. Louis airport GA ramp was full. The
skies aren't crowded-- the few major airports are. Its not about airspace, its
about concrete.
I had a GPS in my Bonanza before Delta had it in their 757's -- ask any
airline pilot what equipment they are flying with and when they got it.
Regards,
Jeff