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By Greg Bartlett

In only ten years, every airplane in the sky will be required to use the new GPS navigation system known as NextGen. This high tech tracking system uses global positioning satellites to pinpoint a plane’s location and send it to receivers on the ground as well as receivers in other planes. Once every aircraft has this system, air travel safety is expected to increase with the increase in communication. Another benefit of NextGen is the greater accuracy of this technology in predicting the locations of planes. With the current radar system, air traffic controllers or pilots sometimes make costly and even tragic mistakes. But with the new gps tracking system, air carriers hope to avoid the mistakes of the past.

GPS & Airliners

Although this new system has many benefits, many airlines and private jet owners are concerned about the huge cost of implementing this new technology. The cost for a major airline to install gps navigation systems in each of their planes is staggering. Some estimate that the total cost of NextGen could be in the billions. Although many agree that the current sixty-year-old radar tracking system needs to be replaced, airlines are concerned about the huge cost of this new technology. Some airlines have decided to get a head start on replacing their outdated radar systems. Airlines such as Southwest and American Airlines have already started using this new gps technology. Their success with the new navigation system has caused others to notice the many advantages this system has. However, the expense of putting the new system into operation will continue to be an issue.

Obviously, gps is rapidly becoming an essential part of life today. Soon gps technology will dominate the transportation system. In only thirty years, gps has gone from being only for U.S military use to being used in every part of life today, public and private. Pet owners use gps to keep track of their dogs and cats, businesses use gps technology for theft prevention, and law enforcement uses gps to track criminals. Use of this remarkable satellite system has spread so rapidly partly because of its reliability. Unlike other tracking systems, gps units cannot break down. Only weather or atmospheric conditions can affect the accuracy of gps satellite signals. Also, because of the fourteen satellites positioned around the globe, gps signals can be received anywhere – in a busy city or deserted wilderness. This cutting edge technology will undoubtedly be used in many areas of life in the future.