NBC Nightly News recently aired a report on the FAA’s Next-Generation Air Traffic System that featured the pioneering application of that system’s backbone, Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B), for helicopter operations in the Gulf of Mexico.

“The FAA is touting a revolutionary system that it says will overhaul air traffic control across America, making the nation’s airspace safer. It’s already being tested,” said anchor Kate Snow in introducing the Christmas Eve report.

Correspondent Tom Costello recounted the Gulf of Mexico’s activity as “one of the heaviest helicopter traffic areas,” with thousands of flights transporting workers to and from nearly 4,000 offshore rigs each day. Costello then explained how the FAA is using ADS-B capabilities to take safety to a higher level for flights in that region through improved communications between pilots and ATC (and company dispatch centers), reliable real-time weather reporting, and increased surveillance capability. He noted that added benefits include fuel savings (and a lower environmental impact) from direct routing. His report included video provided by HAI of some of those flights.

The FAA fielded ADS-B in the Gulf of Mexico based on a 2006 agreement with industry whose negotiation was led by HAI. That pact provided in-kind industry support, estimated at more than $100 million, for the design, engineering, site surveys, rulemaking, logistics, field-testing, installation, and support of ADS-B and Automated Weather Observation System stations on rigs in the Gulf. That support included complimentary flights for FAA personnel and contractors to install and maintain those stations and real estate on rigs for their placement.

Visit MSNBC.com for the full report, and learn more about ADS-B’s application in the HAI Video Library.