NEXTGEN

NextGEN brings new technology and new systems to both pilots and airports.  It is modernizing how airports function and how aircraft operate.  Using new satellite and digital technologies airports and aircraft will be safer.  Part of NextGEN's purpose is to provide airports with a safer, more efficient, and economical process that will be able to accommodate the increasing air traffic at airports.  As the aviation industry grows, including general aviation, NextGEN will be able to help make the air and airport environment safer for all.

NextGEN is a series of programs that help create a better, faster, more effective aviation infrastructure.  This is a revolutionary program that will get ride of aging technologies and create more of a technologically advanced system that will be easily accessible and standardized for the aviation community.  ADS-B will be mandated in most controlled airspace by January 1, 2020.  Most all of the other programs in the NextGEN series will be implemented by 2017-2020.

http://www.faa.gov/nextgen/
http://www.faa.gov/nextgen/ga/
http://www.faa.gov/nextgen/qanda/airports/

This program seems to have a lot more positives than negatives.  One major positive for commercial aviation is that it is more efficient and so air carriers can get more flights out, in turn, making more money.  On the other side of that a negative is due to an increase in air traffic airports may not be able to accommodate capacity wise.  For GA a positive is that flying smaller less equipped aircraft will become safer and able to be accommodated by larger airports, so long as they have the required equipment.  Pilots also will be able to fly safer and be aware of the surrounding traffic before it becomes a danger.  Lastly, the biggest negative their is, is the fact that NextGEN is going to be very expensive.

Personally, I believe that the fees and taxes should be applied to air carriers and other on airport companies.  General Aviation is already a very costly hobby/endeavor, so to tax any and all aircraft would be hard on general aviation pilots.  Now, on the flip side I could see the major airports such as O'Hare or JFK taxing any and all aircrafts some sort of airport use fee. 

From every thing I read and understood about the FAA's NextGEN it will not apply to the Military.  Being that I want to be a Marine Corps pilot I could see some sort of effect on the Military aviation communities, but I don't believe this will effect it that much.