THE CLOCK is Ticking
THE CLOCK IS TICKING
by Jane F. Garvey
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December 31, 1998,
In 365 days it will be January 1, 2000. Just a few years ago little
did the global aviation community realize how much difference a day could
make, but today we know more than ever just how much we need to do to get
ready for that New Year's Day. The clock is ticking !
Will the FAA make it? Can we assure that air traffic
safety is not compromised in the slightest starting at 12:01 a.m. Greenwich
Mean Time on January 1, 2000? The answer is "yes." Aviation safety will
not be compromised on that day or any other day.
I want to bring
you up to date on what the FAA is doing to get ready for January 1, 2000.
I also want to share some of the lessons we've learned. Throughout this
article I will stress the importance and the urgency of dealing with the
Y2K-Year 2000-issue in your companies and communities. None of us can solve
the Y2K problem by ourselves, but by working together we can solve it at
the same time we achieve the less tangible, yet still important, goal of
mutual assurance that aviation will operate safely and that capacity will
be maintained.
What the FAA is Doing: I must be candid-the FAA was initially behind
in addressing the Y2K issue, but we have energized and accelerated our
program. We know that clock is ticking. Ensuring that all FAA computer
systems properly recognize the year 2000 is one of my highest priorities. |
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In February of this year, I changed FAA's approach
to the Y2K problem. FAA's Air Traffic Services had developed an approach
that involved centralized management, with a clear plan and process. I
made that the model for the rest of the agency and created a Year 2000
Program Office reporting directly to me. The Air Traffic Services did not
miss a single Y2K deadline.
The Y2K Program Office is using the five-phase
approach recommended by the U.S. General Accounting Office and the Office
of Management and Budget to ensure that all systems are Y2K compliant.
The five phases are awareness, assessment, renovation, validation, and
implementation. As of January 31, 1998, we completed the second,
or assessment phase. This means that each line of code in all 655 systems
was examined to determine which ones needed to be fixed in order to be
Y2K compliant. Of those, there are 433 mission-critical systems. These
include the operational systems that provide airlines with air traffic
control and navigation services.
On September 30 of this year, the FAA completed
the third, or renovation, phase. All lines of code that needed to be fixed
have been fixed. As a result of the renovation phase, all mission-critical
systems that required renovation were repaired.
Testing and re-testing of renovated systems is
the fourth or validation phase, and that will be completed by March 31,
1999. Our validation process tests components and individual systems. In
addition to this process of testing the individual systems in the field,
we are planning end-to-end tests. An end-to-end test is when you test the
interrelationships of systems, not just the individual system itself. This
is how the systems operate, and this is how we must test them.
These end-to-end tests will be conducted between
our Technical Center in Atlantic City, which can simulate any of our air
route traffic control centers, and a test approach control facility in
Denver. These end-to-end tests will reinforce our assurance that individual
system fixes will not compromise safety. We have also begun staff level
meetings with NavCanada to discuss testing between our systems. NavCanada
is also discussing testing with the United Kingdom's National Air Traffic
Service. The last of the five phases is implementation.
Our implementation deadline is June 30, 1999. This is the date by which
all FAA systems will be certified and operational as Y2K compliant. The
FAA is looking to move the March 31 validation and June 30 implementation
deadlines up. As for the Host computer, which drives displays
at the nation's 20 en route centers, we are taking a two-track approach.
For one, renovation of the Host's lines of code were completed by the end
of July 1998, with validation and implementation to follow the timelines
for the other systems. At the same time, we are working to replace the
Host computer by January 1, 2000.
During this five-phase process, we have a team
reviewing contingency plans. We already have contingency plans in place
for 20th century issues, such as weather, equipment failures, power or
communications outages, and the like, but contingency planning for the
21st century and the Y2K issue presents its own challenges. Spares don't
cut itóthey could have their own Y2K bugs.
The cost estimate for the entire FAA Y2K effort
is $185.6 million. Not factored into this cost estimate are the travel
expenses for the trip I plan to take with Ray Long, the director of the
FAA's Y2K Program Office, on the evening of December 31, 1999. To celebrate
New Year's Eve, we will board a plane shortly before midnight Greenwich
Mean Time and fly west through all four continental time zones to demonstrate
our confidence to the flying public that the nation's airspace system is
safe.
Ray says he expects this to be an utterly normal
but deeply satisfying trip.
This "midnight ride" leads me to my next point,
and that is lessons learned. There are two key lessons. One, Y2K needs leadership from the top. That is
where the direction and deadlines must come from. After all, this is a
project with a due date that will not slip.
Two, in an industry as visible as ours, and one
that attracts so much public attention, you need to assure the public that
you have the Y2K issue under control. Public perception and confidence
is vital to aviation.
I want the aviation industry and the public to
have the assurance that it will be business as usual on January 1, 2000.
The clock is ticking.
Three hundred and sixty-five days to goóminus
about 15 minutes for reading this article.
Y2K is an urgent issue. The FAA has a sense of
urgency. We have a clear plan and program, and we have the confidence that
we will be ready for January 1, 2000.
