NASA’s small aircraft transportation system (SATS), a five-year, $69 million project aimed at maximizing the benefits of light aircraft and small airports, announced at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh that it selected four teams to participate in its initial research and development phase. The Maryland team will focus on evolving existing flight procedures, integrating new technology and studying human factors. The North Carolina-Upper Great Plains team plans to implement a three-tier air transportation system in North Carolina by 2003, focusing on synthetic vision, highway in the sky (HITS) and advanced flight controls. The Southeast consortium will conduct a series of experiments and demonstrations at a network of airports throughout the southeast. Finally, the Virginia team, hopes to prove that single-pilot, small aircraft can be safely sequenced at high-volume airports in IMC without terminal radar control.