New FAA Trend Monitors Overall Performance, Not Individual Components

The FAA has seen what critics term a 'philosophical' shift in its maintenance of the nation's air trafrfic control infrastructure. Instead of focusing attention on 45,000 individual pieces of air traffic control equipment, the new trend is to evaluate overall system performance.

The Associated Press reports that shift has its fans, but also its detractors.

FAA officials say the change is aimed at making agency inspectors more efficient, and is made possible by the fact that modern radar and other communications equipment is more reliable.

Sid McGuirk is a former air traffic controller and FAA manager who now serves as coordinator of the air traffic management program at Embry-Riddle. He says the new FAA policy makes sense to save taxpayers money and, "I see no degradation of safety with this policy shift."

Among those on the other side of the argument is Tom Brantley, president of Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, the union that represents the technicians and inspectors who work for the FAA. He says problems are often fixed during planned outages after being caught during preventative checks, checks the FAA wants to eliminate.

"Down the road, this will lead to major (flight) disruptions," Brantley states.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association filed a grievance against the FAA earlier this month for failing to brief, and then bargain, with its members over the changes. The complaint asks that the FAA immediately stop implementing the new policy.

A NATCA spokesman acknowledged to the AP, however, "the only way they will stop is with public outcry or congressional action."

FMI: www.faa.gov