Detailed List Of Possible Research Projects
2008-2009

• Issues and procedures for implementing a practical Safety Management System (SMS) to meet the requirements of FAA advisory circular, Introduction to Safety Management Systems—AC 150/5200-37, February 2007. Note: this AC is a precursor to a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. It only introduces the concept of SMS but does not yet formally require it.
  
  

  This research problem would require review of content of ACRP Report No. 1—SMS for Airports, and Synthesis No. 3

• Re-examining requirements to protect airspace in and around airport approach patterns in light of changing performance and design requirements (i.e. Part 77 obstruction requirements, security, radio navigation).

  Coordinate with work under way for ACRP 03-13—Understanding Airspace Analysis Tools for Airport Planning

• Development of a methodology to apply risk assessment to security expenditures at general aviation airports.



• Issues relating to airport finance and economic development impacts: examine innovative approaches to analysis and application.



• Financial health of general aviation (GA) airports: economic analysis of the role of GA airports both in terms of the National Plan for Integrated Airport Systems (NPIAS) as well as local and regional economies. Of particular interest is the potential impact of expanded use of Very Light Jets (VLJs), including change in the GA market and implications for airspace and airport congestion.



• Changing air traveler demographics and impact on airport terminal design and accessibility



• Impacts of changing security regulations and technology—effect on terminal design and response to changing processing rates.



• Impacts of changing advanced landing technology, precision approach requirements, and related airport capital costs.



• Privatization issues with respect to financing options and opportunities.



• Congestion pricing issues and approaches, including public versus private implementation. Revenue diversion is another issue that could make a good research problem.



• Design of a regulatory structure and process focused on privatization of major metropolitan airports. Issues might include defining the appropriate level of government for effective implementation, legal, administrative, and economic issues.



• Examination of the current effectiveness of grant assurance programs. Are there other creative ways to deal with these issues?



• Air cargo connections to intermodal surface transportation, restrictions on funding mechanisms and how these restrictions impact freight movements.



• Intermodal transportation hubs—designing innovative mechanisms for bypassing federal funding restrictions or state barriers to integrated transport services.



• Defining security and logistic requirements for off-airport passenger, baggage, and freight processing to improve accessibility, efficiency, and security.

  Review output of TCRP Report 83: Strategies for Improving Public Transportation Access to Large Airports

• Development of best practices and benchmarking metrics for evaluating airport environmental performance opportunities.



• Should fiscal effort or natural endowment be a factor in the allocation of federal airport improvement or community air service funds? Should such policies differentiate by community or airport size or class?



• Development of best practice guides addressing various environmental issues such as sustainability, emissions issues, runoff issues, local air-quality issues, energy use, etc.



• Airport safety issues: airport design, human factors, and other conditions with potential impact on operational safety such as the following:
  
  
  • Interface between airfield safety requirements and FAA flight standards. Redefining how airfield markings and standardization are integrated into flight training to improve airfield safety and operations.
  
  
  
  • Improving airfield design to minimize taxiing wayfinding issues.
  
  
  
  • Incorporation of human factors into aircraft wayfinding for airfield operations.
  
  
  
• Diversification of international gateways harmonizing the impact of changing requirements as they relate to customs, security, cargo, and other components to provide a common understanding by travelers, airport authorities, airlines, etc.



• Strategies for coping with full employment security screening and its impact on terminal design and redesign.



• Review and evaluation of U.S. DOT’s Essential Air Service and Community Air Service programs and lessons learned. Is there a new role for VLJs?



• Developing criteria and estimation of level for establishing the proportion of government funding to be generated from general revenues for funding the aviation trust fund and FAA functions.



• Redesigning airport functions and processes in light of “lean enterprise” principles gleaned from the best practices in private industry.



• Institutional lessons learned from industry and government in how to change from reactive to proactive modes of learning and practice for safe, efficient, and secure airport and airline operations.



• Cross-industry review of innovative approaches to controlling greenhouse gases and the applicability of these approaches to the aviation sector.



• Case studies of success factors and impediments to speedy adoption and implementation of new technologies for improved airport operations (i.e., environmental emissions, operations, building and energy technologies, etc.).



• Case study of the implementation of “Required Navigation Performance” (RNP) procedures. Examination of impediments to and prescriptions for accelerating implementation.



• Redesign the federal reliever airport designation to achieve systemwide air service improvements.



• Development of national planning criteria and processes for the evaluation of and investment in secondary supplementary airports.



• The federal non-primary airport entitlement program provides $150,000 per year for routine airport maintenance needs. Does this formula achieve national airport system objectives effectively?



• Development of metrics and indicators for allocation of governmental funding of airport improvements.

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