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Executive Summary
Kevin Kollman, Dispatch Network Manager, USAirways
Chris Pear, Manager of Flight Dispatch Operations, United Airlines
Mike Wambsganss, Vice President, Metron, Inc.
Airline Dispatchers Federation
before the
National Civil Aviation Review Commission

Accurate and timely information and effective and rapid communication are essential to the safety and efficiency of aviation. The commission should focus on FAA efforts to improve aviation information and communication.

Collaborative Decision Making (CDM) is a major component of the Free Flight effort which offers many of Free Flight's benefits in the near term without major technological or infrastructure investment. The benefits are not only to the efficiency of the system. CDM can provide major safety benefits by improving the accuracy and availability of safety related information.

ASOS as an aviation weather reporting systems has problems reported by air carrier pilots, controllers, and dispatchers. The commission should review the GAO report on ASOS and take whatever steps are necessary to insure accurate and timely weather reports are available to all aviation interests. This may well include requiring and funding weather observers at every commercial airport.

The FAA must inspect and oversee dispatchers and airline operational control facilities to insure safety and compliance. Currently there are no experienced licensed aircraft dispatchers on the FAA inspection force. We should follow the lead of Transport Canada and have a few experienced dispatchers serving as Principal Dispatch inspectors who can be a resource for Principal Operating Inspectors and others.

The commission should review currently funded projects to ensure that parallel efforts by separate groups are not wasting resources and manpower.