Good afternoon, Chairman Olver. It is a pleasure to testify
before you, Congressman Knollenberg, and the members of the
Subcommittee. We appreciate the opportunity to discuss the
Administration’s budget request for the FAA in Fiscal Year
2009.
As the operators and regulators of the safest aviation system in
the history of the world, we believe that our 2009 budget request
of 14.6 billion dollars will provide adequate funding to support
all our critical priorities — the priorities on which the
flying public and the taxpayer depend.
Mr. Chairman, you have maintained many times that safety must be
the FAA’s primary concern. That concern has been evident in
your unwavering support of our critical safety staffing
initiatives. Funding provided by the committee over the past two
years is allowing us to increase our controller workforce by more
than 500, and our safety staff by more than 400. Our budget request
continues that emphasis, with more than two-thirds of our funding
dedicated to our safety mission. This Subcommittee has been very
clear that our industry’s already remarkable safety record
today must be not just maintained but improved in the future. And I
agree. We have to avoid complacency and strive for continuous
improvement.
We’re being particularly aggressive in ratcheting up the
level of safety, on our runways especially. Last year, only eight
runway incursions involved commercial aircraft. That’s eight
in more than 61 million operations. Even though the numbers are
small, we are pushing to make a small number even smaller still.
Just six months ago, I issued a Call to Action, a challenge to our
industry partners that we need to step up our actions to make
runways safe.
Together, we are answering that call.
We’ve had an incredibly positive response. The airlines
and the airports have really stepped up to the plate in terms of
focusing on quick turnaround solutions that have the potential to
significantly improve safety. The call to action starts with things
as simple as improving the markings and paint on taxiways at
hundreds of airports around the country. That’s already taken
place at 71 of the 75 airports that were mandated to do so, with
more than 300 others committed to making the upgrades
voluntarily.
But the call to action also involves more sophisticated
activities, such as simulator training for scenarios from pushback
through taxi.
As a former airline pilot, I’d also like to commend the
chief pilots and chief safety officers. Our senior Flight Standards
personnel have met with each of them. Frankly, without that type of
cooperation, that urgency, that willingness to interrupt schedules
that already are too busy, the Call to Action wouldn’t have
been nearly as successful.
As this Subcommittee is well aware, we’re also using
technology, specifically, runway safety lights, to make a
difference as well. We’re testing them at DFW and San Diego.
LAX wants them so quickly that it agreed to pay the full six
million dollar cost to have this technology early next year. The
bottom line: they work. They’ve already averted one
potential tragedy at DFW.
I think it’s fair
to say that the very same push for technology with a focus on
people is emblematic of our efforts with NextGen. In many ways, the
linchpin for NextGen is the buy-in from stakeholders —
industry and our employees. We’ve made sure that our
stakeholders have a seat at the table. There will be no surprises
as new technology and procedures are put in place. As you can see,
the critics who’ve been saying "There is no NextGen”
haven’t been doing their homework. We have a plan in place
and participation from stakeholders and at all levels from seven
different governmental organizations, including the White House. We
have regular meetings to make sure that participation and
collaboration are still in place.
We’re especially careful to use subject matter experts
from the controller workforce. NATCA participates in four
committees shaping NextGen. They are one of 16 members on the
Institute Management Council, established by Congress with the
specific intent to make sure that stakeholders have a say in the
future of aviation. Controllers also are part of the Air Traffic
Management Advisory Committee, the Air Traffic Procedures Advisory
Committee and the Operational Evolution Partnership.
To be ready as our controller workforce retires, we have a major
recruiting effort under way. Our most recent job posting drew more
than 4,500 applications. We hired more than 1,800 controllers in
’07 and we’ll hire over 1,800 more in ’08.
In closing, I feel it appropriate to underscore that our 2009
request provides strong support for our staff hiring goals, safety
and capital programs and NextGen activities. With respect to AIP, I
understand the concerns about the funding levels, but our program
proposal is designed to strategically target federal dollars to the
airports where they will have the most impact. Further, the
proposed PFC increase will add another 1.5 billion dollars revenue
to the airport community.
But I must also say, that in the long run, without finance
reform, a reliable revenue stream, each of these activities will be
in a year-to-year state of flux. The constant need for short term
extensions of our funding authorities does not serve the taxpayer
or the flying public.
Thank you for your time, and I’d be pleased to answer any
questions you may have.