The Crisis in U.S. Aeronautics

A critical issue facing the aerospace community is the reality that the U.S. is losing its leadership in aeronautics, with resulting impacts on the national economy, aviation safety and security, industrial competitiveness, and military superiority. It has been called “the most serious crisis in aeronautics that the U.S. has faced in the last 75 years.” The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) has drafted its first policy paper on aeronautics since 1987.

Aviation is the single largest contributor to a positive balance of trade, but this has significantly decreased over the past 15 years. Eurocopter now builds most of the civil turbine helicopters sold in America, Airbus now has the majority of the world civil transport market and the new Presidential helicopter was designed overseas. The planned NASA aeronautics funding has been reduced to record lows, ramping down to little more than $700M in FY2007 – just 4% of NASA's overall budget – while the European Union has unveiled a detailed investment strategy for the next 15 years, with research increasing by 65% to 165 billion Euros (over $200B), funded by 1/3 public and 2/3 private (academia and industry) investment – this amounts to nearly 4 times the annual government funding in the U.S!

The National Institute of Aerospace (NIA) has developed a similar aeronautics roadmap and submitted it to Congress in April 2005. This has now been released. The 1000+ page report provides detailed investment plans, budgets, and needs assessments for: airspace systems, aviation safety and security, subsonic aircraft, supersonic aircraft, hypersonic technologies, rotorcraft, and workforce and education. The plan builds on NASA’s FY 2005 aeronautics budget and recommends an annual increase to return it to 1998 levels.

Additionally, Rep. Mark Udall (D-CO), has introduced the Aeronautics Research and Development Revitalization Act of 2005, since the U.S. “is in danger of losing its leadership in aeronautics and aviation to international competitors.”

If you would like to write to Congress and tell your elected officials what you think, here is the contact information.

Forum

We have set up a Forum for discussion. Click on the “Aerocrisis” Forum on the left center of the page. Read the comments to date, then create an account and post a response! (To be anonymous, use “Guest” for username and “password” for password.) Tell us what’s on your mind!

Contact

If you have comments or questions, or would like to provide input, contact Mike Hirschberg at info@aerocrisis.net.

Resources

American Helicopter Society (AHS) International: www.vtol.org

• The Crisis in U.S. Aeronautics: The Gauntlet Has Been Thrown, Vertiflite magazine, Summer 2005.
• The 2006 NASA Budget Request and Broken Promises, Vertiflite magazine, Spring 2005.
• FY 2006 NASA Budget: Aeronautics Request, Letter to Rep. Frank Wolf, April 2005.
• Public Policy Information

American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics: www.aiaa.org

• Revitalizing United States Aeronautics Research and Development Funding, 14 April 2005.
• Top Issues for 2005.
• Wanted: A vision for aeronautics, Aerospace America, February 2005.
• For aerospace programs, the crises continue, Aerospace America, May 2003.
• Airplane Design—Past, Present, and Future, AIAA Journal of Aircraft, Jan/Feb 2002.
• A Mandate For The New Administration, Aerospace America, Jan 2001.

Aerospace Industries Association (AIA): www.aia-aerospace.org

• NASA Aeronautics Research Funding: The Wrong Direction, Space News, March 28, 2005.
• Top Ten Issues for 2005: Advocate U.S. Government Policies that Foster a Robust U.S. Civil Aviation Industry.
• Testimony to the House Transportation & Infrastructure Aviation Subcommittee, April 14, 2005.
• Aerospace Statistics

American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME): www.asme.org

• The Crisis in U.S. Aviation Research and Technology statement.
• Aeronautics & Aviation Research & Development page.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA): www.nasa.gov

• Budget Information
• NASA Aeronautics Directorate Overview
• NASA Aeronautics Programs

Congressional Testimony

NASA Hearing: House Committee on Science, Subcommittee on Space and Aeronautics, March 16, 2005

• Statement By Dr. J Victor Lebacqz, NASA Associate Administrator for Aeronautics
• Statement By Dr. John Hansman, Director, MIT International Center for Air Transportation
• Statement By Dr. John Klineberg, Chair, Committee to Review NASA’s Aeronautics Technology Program, National Research Council
• Statement By Dr. M J Benzahein, Chair, Aerospace Engineering, The Ohio State University

This site was created on 1 May 2005. Last updated 19 May 2005.

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