"The FAA in coordination with industry will begin equipping all commercial and general aviation planes in Alaska and Hawaii with advanced avionics," Gore said yesterday.

The vice president made the remarks at the conclusion of a three-day conference on aviation organized by George Washington University and the White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security, which he heads.

The technology would let pilots choose their own flight pattern with the help of satellites, rather than following predetermined mapped out fights.

"This is probably the leading edge of change to the whole air traffic control system," said Tom Rea of the Federal Aviation Administration in Honolulu.

The technology will be used in about 600 local airplanes. Hawaiian Airlines has added one component of the technology, the global positioning system, to one of its DC-10s.

The equipment will be installed in the rest of the airline's fleet of DC-10s by May, Hawaiian Airlines spokesman Keoni Wagner said.

When the new aviation technology is placed in planes in Hawaii and Alaska, consumers could end up saving time while they are traveling.

Currently, airplanes that take off from the same location on the same flight path must leave 22 minutes or 100 miles apart from each other. The new technology would let the planes take off at the same time with the help of satellites to plan routes.