FAA's Staffing Plan "Wal-Mart Solution In A Tiffany Box"
Not everyone is
happy with the FAA's plan to hire new controllers. There's this
from NATCA...
Confirming what controllers have been saying for years, the
Federal Aviation Administration Tuesday released its long-awaited
report to Congress stating that there is a looming air traffic
control staffing crisis. The fact is that in some cities, the
shortage is already occurring. Consequently, if you are flying to
or through one of these cities, there are already too few
controllers watching the skies.
That's why it was critical that the Congressionally-mandated FAA
report not be a public relations document to make the public feel
better, but, instead, be an honest and realistic account of both
the current and future needs of the system. At first glance,
it seems the FAA has tried to have it both ways.
"This staffing plan is a Wal-Mart solution in a Tiffany's box.
The FAA has acknowledged that there is a problem, but solutions are
not in the cards for the flying public. It's gratifying that the
FAA has joined us in stating that we need to hire thousands and
thousands more controllers, but we remain concerned about the
shortage that has already hit cities across the country. While
drafting this long-awaited plan, the FAA lost over 500 controllers,
but hired only 13. The FAA acknowledges that it takes three years
to train a replacement, but the FAA's report promises no
substantial hiring for two years, meaning relief is over five years
away. As Abraham Lincoln once said, "You cannot escape the
responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today," stated NATCA
President John Carr.
"Equally troubling is that the FAA seems to be making promises
about training and staffing that simply won't hold up under the
microscope. For example, the FAA has been saying that it wants to
provide more tower simulators but didn't fight for funding in
Congress to make this happen. Wishing and hoping are no substitutes
for action.
"The truth on staffing may not be pretty," he continued, "but it
is a reality that the FAA, the Bush Administration and Congress
must face to ensure that we have enough trained eyes watching our
skies. The flying public deserves more than page after page of
promises that can't be kept. They want to hear that the FAA is
working with Congress to make sure that an adequate number of
controllers are properly trained to ensure safety.
"NATCA was not provided the opportunity to see the report before
it was publicly released. However, given that controllers are on
the front-lines each and every day, we know first-hand what the
problem is and will be if action is not taken. While we welcome the
plan, with all due respect, the time for planning and window
dressing is long overdue."
Carr added, "With this report the FAA is basically admitting
that they were asleep at the wheel. They did not plan, they did not
prepare, they did not budget, they did not anticipate, and now,
with relief years away, they expect today's flying public to put up
with congestion, delays and a reduced margin of safety due to their
incompetence."
Carr (right) said the
American people need to know the facts:
An Aging Controller Workforce jeopardizes safety: The FAA stated
in its Flight Plan that one of the main reasons that safety errors
increase is the aging controller workforce.
Flight delays are increasing at alarming rates: The
Transportation Department's Inspector General has admitted that
flight delays are reaching record levels. There were 1.34 million
arrival delays in the first ninth months of this year, with the
average length of the delay reaching almost 52 minutes.
You can't train controllers overnight: It takes up to five years
to train a controller, and not everyone makes the cut. And
controllers hired today will replace those retiring three to five
years from now because it takes that long to fully certify them.
There are currently not enough controllers in the pipeline to
replace those leaving in the coming years.
Cutting corners on training cuts corners on safety: You can't
simply simulate on the job training. Just like you don't want a
pilot flying a plane who hasn't been in an airborne cockpit - or a
driver behind the wheel who hasn't been tested on a road - you
don't want a controller landing a plane who hasn't had on-the-job
training. And it's also tough to simulate training if the FAA fails
to provide simulators at training sites.
The FAA has failed to address the EXISTING shortage: From
October 2003 until September 2004, the FAA lost more than 500
controllers, but hired only 13.
The FAA has inflated its staffing numbers by hiring supervisors
instead of controllers: The FAA is taking controllers to fill
numerous vacant supervisor positions, leaving fewer controllers to
work traffic and further reducing the margin of safety. Many large
en route centers have lost more than a half dozen veteran
controllers to supervisor positions just this year alone.
Washington Center, for example, has seen 19 controllers in 2004
become supervisors. We need more eyes watching the skies, not
watching controllers watching the skies.
While the FAA has offered some band-aid solutions, band-aids
aren't sufficient when surgery is required Fortunately, real
solutions are available that Congress and the FAA can put into
action that will help address this crisis. Our policy makers
must:
Permit Transfers
Allow experienced controllers to transfer to higher-level
facilities to make room for trainees at lower-volume facilities.
Controllers transferring from other FAA facilities certify in half
the time needed to certify trainees from other sources. By allowing
seasoned controllers to move to facilities with identified
vacancies - it makes room for trainees to receive
on-the-job-training at lower-volume facilities.
Provide Funding
Provide sufficient funding so new controllers may be brought
into the system, allowing known vacancies to be filled while plans
are developed to identify future vacancies.
Increase Eligibility Increase the length of time a graduate from
one of the FAA identified College Initiative Training (CTI) schools
can remain eligible for hire as a controller. Under the current CTI
program, eligibility expires after two years The consequences of
inaction are too great. Below are examples of the controller
staffing situation facing many of our nation's air traffic control
facilities:
Chicago Tracon, authorized for 101 controllers, but only 66 are
certified.
Los Angeles Center, where 309 are authorized and only 219
certified controllers are on hand.
Philadelphia Tower, where 109 controllers are authorized but
only 88 are at the facility, and only 65 of these are fully
certified.
"This report is a political wolf in sheep's clothing. The
Administration acknowledges the problem, and promises that the next
Administration will fix it. With all due respect, the time to build
the ark is before it starts raining. I feel raindrops right now,
and it's going to be raining on travelers for the next ten years,"
said Carr.
"The ball is in the FAA's court," he continued. "It must work
with the White House and Congress and make staffing a priority. We
have the safest and most efficient air traffic control system in
the world. Why? Because of productive air traffic controllers whose
only mission is to get passengers home safely. Controllers
will do all we can to guide Santa's sleigh this Christmas, but
we're all counting on the FAA to make sure that there are enough
trained eyes watching the skies next Christmas and every day of the
year,"Carr concluded.