Posted by John Keller

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J., 16 Jan. 2011. Officials of the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in Washington will establish an Air Transportation Center of Excellence (COE) for General Aviation this year to advance general aviation technology, and are asking colleges and universities to submit proposals to become members no later than 5 March. Eligible for membership in the FAA Air Transportation Center of Excellence for General Aviation are accredited institutions of higher education.

Officials will establish this FAA Center of Excellence at the William J. Hughes Technical Center in Atlantic City, N.J. The center will concentrate on improving general aviation flight safety, human factors, weather prediction and support, airport technology, propulsion and structures, continued airworthiness, and system safety management.

The goal is to create a cost-sharing partnership between academia, industry, and that government focusing on general aviation safety. General aviation refers to all flights other than military, scheduled commercial passenger service, and scheduled cargo flights.

 

 

Over the next decade, FAA officials intend the Air Transportation Center of Excellence for General Aviation to create a consortium of the private and public sectors to perform general-aviation research, analyses, development, and prototyping.

The FAA operates five centers of excellence: Research in the Intermodal Transport Environment (RITE); Joint Center for Advanced Materials Research (JAMS); Aircraft Noise and Aviation Emissions Mitigation (PARTNER); General Aviation (CGAR); Airport Technology (CEAT); Operations Research (NEXTOR); and Airworthiness Assurance (AACE).

FAA officials say they plan to award indefinite delivery indefinite quantity contracts (IDIQ) to the successful Air Transportation Center of Excellence for General Aviation team. The FAA enters into a cooperative agreement with each selected educational institution to enable scientists to perform long-term research, education, and training.

Send proposals to become members of the FAA Air Transportation Center of Excellence for General Aviation no later than 3 p.m. on 5 March 2012 to Patricia Watts, Ph.D., Centers of Excellence Program Office, 4th floor, Federal Aviation Administration, William J. Hughes Technical Center, L-28, Atlantic City International Airport, N.J, 08405.

Those interested may contact the FAA Centers of Excellence office online at (www.faa.gov/go/coe. E-mail questions or concerns to the FAA's Patricia Watts at patricia.watts@faa.gov.

More information is online at https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DOT/FAA/WJHTC/12-C-GA-P/listing.html