FAA looks to crack IT 'sound barrier'

Information technology at the Federal Aviation Administration is at a crossroads, analogous to when pilot Chuck Yeager cracked the sound barrier in 1947, according to the agency’s chief information officer.

“Once the sound barrier was broken, aircraft were able to move rapidly to a much higher dimension of performance – to twice, three and four times the speed of sound with relatively little additional effort,” FAA CIO David Bowen said in a speech March 31. “We need to do the same with our IT efforts at the FAA.”

According to the transcript of the speech, titled “Breaking the Sound Barrier,” Bowen said the FAA needs to eliminate duplication in systems, applications, data centers, and operations. He also said the agency needs to break down “line-of-business silos.”

“The sound barrier for us lies in our willingness to break through the current model of operations and move to a new dimension,” Bowen said. “That dimension is one of cooperation, one of a willingness to break through our barriers of history, culture and self-interest that are holding us back.”