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I don't know, I don't get it. I mean, I don't see an airport, and we're nowhere near any water.

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Okay, Van, this one is your turn. How about you go in and check to see if this is the right location?

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Okay.

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Well, there's a positive sign.

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Van Hughes?

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Yes. How do you know my name?

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Well, I watch NASA Connect all the time. I'm Jane Garvey, head of the Federal Aviation Administration.

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Oh, wow. Nice to meet you.

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Nice to meet you.

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Are you part of the road rally?

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Yes, I am. I'm your next to last stop on your navigational tour.

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I'm here to learn about how early aviators and today's pilots navigate through the air. Can you help?

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Yes, I can. Just as Garrett A. Morgan improved roadway navigation and sailors built on early successes in nautical navigation,

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early aviators and the federal government worked hard to make air travel safer and more efficient.

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In the beginning, after the Wright brothers' successful flights at Kitty Hawk, the first pilots had no navigational aids.

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They simply watched for landmarks and followed roads, rivers, and railroad tracks.

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This approach to navigation obviously had its shortcomings. It only worked in daylight and in clear weather.

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In 1921, pilots for the U.S. Post Office conducted a daring experiment for night flying.

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Bonfires lit by helpful citizens helped to aid pilots flying the mail across the country.

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This approach was followed by airways marked by a series of light beacons.

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As technology developed, the government introduced still better navigational aids using radio.

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By listening to radio signals, pilots could stay on course even when bad weather kept them from seeing lights on the ground.

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Today's pilots draw on the advantages of GPS to guide aircraft along highways in the sky.

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The FAA and its partners, such as NASA, are working to build tomorrow's air traffic control system,

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which will draw on the benefits of the global positioning system.

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Well, it sounds like I can do anything. How about the weather?

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Van, everybody talks about the weather, but not even GPS can do anything about it.

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Weather is also a major factor with aviation accidents.

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But along with NASA, the FAA is developing several tools to give pilots more and better information on hazardous weather conditions.

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Well, it looks like I've collected what I need. Do you have a clue for my next stop?

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Well, your last stop will lead you to one of our partners who's working with us on GPS navigation. Good luck.

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Well, thanks. Bye.

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You know, the more I learn about GPS and its everyday applications,

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the more I'm convinced that I should get one of these for when I go on the road with my band, The Noodles.