On November 18, 2020, RTCA was proud to present its sixth in a series of Webinars, this time exploring aspects of global aviation with Steve Creamer of ICAO.  Creamer, who spent more than three decades with the FAA, is a familiar face within RTCA Standards Roundtables.

Creamer began by looking at the global priorities of ICAO and its 193 member states.  The first:  recovering from COVID-19, which is expected to cause far-reaching negative economic impacts to aviation for the next several years.  The second:  extending its work to all countries, including those without many resources.

The most important considerations when thinking of the future of aviation are innovation, connectivity, adaptability and optimism, according to Creamer.

Innovation starts with those using the tools of our trade, namely the flight deck, air traffic controllers and the engineering bay, said Creamer.  This informs the process and helps with standards.

Connectivity, from the pilot to air traffic controller to the system at large, is coming.  It results from trust and it must be diligent against bad actors.  Its goal is a safe, single digital sky.  Its vision is a common one shared by all and its challenge is quicker adaptability.

Adaptability means imagining future capabilities and developing standards that are safe and accepted by credible regulators.  The future also requires identity management, performance standards, resiliency and fallback capability, collaboration with cyber security and identifying risks.  As technology is rapidly advancing, all parties involved need to be involved early in the process to help with innovation and standards.

Finally, though the industry has some difficult years ahead, it is important to be optimistic.  Challenges to the workforce will likely mean professionals may work across several areas of the industry, which will mean more people will be learning the system framework rather than one specific area, allowing them to have more marketable skills.

To view the full Webinar, please click here.