First, free flight can be defined as "a concept for safe and efficient flight operational capability under IFR in which pilots have the freedom to select their trajectory and speed on time real" (Wells and Young, p.168). Free flight takes control away from the air traffic control center and allows pilots to determine for themselves which path and speed are best for their flight. The development of this process would include the transition from air traffic control to air traffic management. The development of air traffic management would include many concepts that differ from air traffic control such as “the greater scope of collaboration between users and air traffic managers, greater flexibility for users in making decisions to achieve their specific operational objectives and the replacement of large air traffic management systems”. restrictions with user-determined limits and targeted restrictions only when required” (Wells and Young, p. 168). Free flight “will also shift greater responsibility for flight route decisions to the pilot in command, with the ultimate goal of providing pilots with greater flexibility to fly from city to city on user-preferred routes, rather than being limited to fixed routes” (Report, 2002, par. 6). Although pilots would have some flexibility in choosing a flight path, landing congestion, blackouts and computer failures would still require an ATC to be on duty at all times. The technological developments fully support the concept of free flights being implemented and are advances I support, but not without serious reservations. With the news lately flooded with reports of air traffic controllers falling asleep on the job or away from their control center, pilots need to have more control over their own destiny. In a perfect world the two concepts would work hand in hand to streamline overworked ATC towers and enable a cohesive link between pilots and ATC centers. There should be a reasonable period of time in which this concept is fully tested and exposed to ATC managers in a direct comparison with fixed routes well before it is fully converted. When an ATC employee is under trained, under paid and over worked errors tend to increase, the same goes for pilots. Even though in some areas technology can only go so far, I believe that it actually contributes to increasing safety in aviation. That said, security is the main issue. What will keep passengers, crew and people on the ground safer?