Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiments
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The Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiments (AGATE) project is a consortium of NASA, the FAA, the general aviation industry and a number of universities. Its goal is to create a Small Aviation Transportation System (SATS) as an alternative to short-range automotive trips for both private and business transportation needs. The SATS will make many time-sensitive short-haul trips more affordable for business, medical, public safety and recreational pursuits.
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[edit] Consortium creation
The creation of the AGATE Consortium in 1994 was born out of an effort to stem the gradual decline of general aviation in the United States, and it played an instrumental role in the forging of new alliances between government and interested parties, including vital non-profit contributors.
The AGATE Consortium is a unique partnership between government, industry, and academia established to develop new ways of reviving the troubled general aviation industry. The partnership is the product of two years of government-industry collaboration. The consortium, comprised of representatives from each partnership sector, has been formed to give the revitalization effort formal structure. It will also leverage and focus resources for higher risk efforts with higher payoffs.
[edit] The decline of general aviation
General aviation (GA), defined as all flying except the military services and commercial airlines, has fallen from its position of economic prominence in the late 1970s to record lows today. American GA aircraft production numbers are down from 18,000 in 1978 to 954 in 1993, an all-time low.
Regulatory restrictions and liability claims have also taken their toll on the industry, driving up prices and causing some businesses to file for bankruptcy. GA manufacturers have spent $3 billion over the past 15 years on product liability claims alone.
[edit] The prescription for change
Approximately 70 U.S. aviation-related organizations and companies including NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), private industry, academia, and non-profit organizations are striving to reverse these negative trends. Together, this consortium works to develop safer, more affordable aircraft and user-friendly flight systems that promise to improve pilot training and simplify operations in and near congested airports.
A significant first step toward an effective partnership was taken in the spring of 1995, with the first meeting of the AGATE consortium. The consortium is directed by the head of the general aviation office at the NASA Langley Research Center, Dr. Bruce A. Holmes. Langley has been designated as the lead NASA research center for the general aviation program.
[edit] AGATE structure
The AGATE consortium consists of three categories of members from 31 states, 40 principal members from industry, 6 associate members from industry and universities, and 30 supporting members from universities, industry and non-profit organizations. A total of 10 universities have joined AGATE. It is one of the larger membership consortia in the United States.
The purpose of AGATE is to enable market growth for inter-city transportation in small aircraft. AGATE aims to make single-pilot, light airplanes more safe, affordable and available as a viable part of the nation's transportation system. AGATE targets trips of 150 to 700 miles - round trips that are too far to complete in a day and too short to efficiently use the hub-and-spoke system.
The consortium resulted from a meeting between NASA administrator Daniel S. Goldin and industry representatives at the Experimental Aircraft Association Convention in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, in AGATE management, as a joint government-industry effort, was initiated in response to the Clinton Administration and Congress' commitment to "reinventing government." The AGATE members share resources and risks to make the market "pie" bigger for everyone. Leadership is also shared. Costs are shared 50/50 between government and industry. The focus is on commercializing advanced concepts through joint ventures in order to produce greater results.
The forming of the consortium, which has 76 Members in 31 States, is also welcomed by the FAA. "General aviation is an integral part of the air traffic system architecture. AGATE is in the right place at the right time to support modernization of the system for GA," said Dr. George F. Donohue, FAA associate administrator for research and systems acquisition.
The consortium operates under a unique Space Act process called the Joint Sponsored Research Agreement (JSRA). Research conducted under a JSRA eliminates many of the burdensome and time-consuming operations of the federal acquisition regulations. The consortium, according to Holmes, is unique in the sense that it serves as a "blueprint" to map out the GA revitalization effort. It provides industry with more flexibility and gives it the opportunity to take greater risks with higher payoff, faster speed of technology transfer, control of proprietary and shared technologies, and reduced cost and more efficient use of scarce research and development resources.
AGATE was intended to foster revenue growth and job creation in the areas of manufacturing, sales, training, service, support and operations industries within the U.S. small airport infrastructure. The program focuses on the development of new GA technologies including bad weather flight and landing systems, complete with graphic displays of weather and guidance information; emergency coping and avoidance measures that use on-board systems to support decision-making; traffic avoidance systems; systems that reduce the flight planning workload and enhance passenger safety; and systems designed to improve passenger comfort, aircraft performance and efficiency. The success of AGATE will be measured in terms of increases in pilot population, flight hours, airport utlilization and new aircraft deliveries.
[edit] An Olympic Challenge
The 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta provided a rare opportunity to evaluate technologies developed as part of AGATE and, in the process, help transport goods and provide public safety services by helicopter during the July 19 through August 4 Games.
AGATE consortium members contributed to a government-industry initiative known as the Atlanta Short-haul Transportation System (ASTS), (now called Operation Heli-Star). The ASTS program is responsible for fostering both air and ground transportation during the Olympics and integrating the two into one efficient transportation system.
AGATE is providing the special airborne equipment and ground monitoring stations that enable the ASTS program to operate safely and efficiently. AGATE's participation in the Atlanta Olympics is managed by the AGATE flight systems industry team led by NASA Langley Research Center.
Up to 50 helicopters equipped with AGATE-designed avionics will participate, proving communications, navigation and surveillance concepts, some integrated in flight for the first time. It is expected that more than 1,400 hours of flight data on operational use and human factors will be collected during the Olympic Games.
Most of the critical flight operations will be conducted in "uncontrolled" air space outside Atlanta's radar coverage area, hence the need for predetermined flight pathways. While flying over concrete highways on the ground, selected helicopters will fly electronic "highways in the sky," shown on an onboard computerized map of the Atlanta area. The composite image will be generated on the helicopter using an onboard database and replicated on ground consoles. The pilot sees GPS-based position updates provided via digital radio data links.
This technology effort will aid participating pilots in the safe and efficient conduct of their missions and additionally benefit ground personnel by indicating the precise location of aircraft to facilitate their timely deployment to satisfy high priority transportation and emergency response needs during the Olympics.
[edit] NASA and small businesses integration
NASA recognizes the role that small, entrepreneurial general aviation (GA) business can provide to the revitalization of GA in the United States. NASA's Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Program and Small Business Technology Transfer Pilot Program (STTR) play a major supportive role to AGATE. The programs offer small businesses the opportunity to transfer NASA and other government funded research and technology into the marketplace. Projects that lie within the NASA mission and that can be deployed and commercialized in the marketplace compete for funding. The SBIR/STTR GA programs seek technical innovations that support the NASA GA mission, serve the nation's efforts in revitalizing the GA industry, and lead to the economic benefits for the United States. Since 1993, NASA has awarded 65 Phase I and 22 Phase II SBIR/STTR awards related to GA in excess of $18 million to approximately 50 GA companies. The NASA GA office encourages companies that are awarded NASA SBIR or STTR contracts to discuss partnering with the AGATE consortium associate members.
[edit] University participation
In presenting the awards for the first General Aviation Design Competition in 1995, NASA Administrator Dan Goldin cited the value of engaging U.S. engineering students in "innovative design education in general aviation" and encouraging universities to be partners in creating "a small aircraft transport system for the nation."
[edit] References
- This article contains material that originally came from a NASA website. According to their site usage guidelines, "NASA material is not protected by copyright unless noted". For more information, please review NASA's use guidelines.
- AGATE fact sheet
