It has been estimated that air traffic will double within the next ten years. Maintaining our current accident rate, with double the traffic, would mathematically lead to twice as many accidents as we currently experience every year. That prospect is unacceptable (UK and International Press). There has been obvious growing concern with our airspace due to the anticipated expected growth in air traffic in the years to come. These concerns are not unwarranted with technology increasing at a furious pace and sophisticated equipment becoming more and more available. This paper will discuss what is currently being done to meet the demanding needs of future air travel. The main focus will be on the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) in association to the concept of free flight, with respect to the Global Positioning System (GPS), and Air Traffic Control (ATC) automation. The ATC automation portion of this report will give specific attention to datalink applications, conflict probe, and next generation aviation safety.
             Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS)
             The Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) WAAS is being developed as the next generation aviation navigation system. It will provide en route coverage through Category I precision approach capabilities by increasing the accuracy, availability, and integrity of signals from the U.S. Department of Defense's Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites ( Raytheon 1998). Category I precision approaches are a decision height of 200 feet and a runway visual range of 2,400 feet (1,800 feet with touchdown and centerline lighting). Before the WAAS can be fully understood, knowledge of the GPS system must be addressed. The information provided on GPS will be brief and its purpose is to supplement the understanding of the WAAS. GPS is constellation of 24 satellites that was declared operational in December 1993 and is used for navigation and mapping purposes by a wide varie...