The bottom line on the 60,000-plus Southwest Airlines flights in 2006-2007 and the many cracks in the airplanes used in those flights, called by Rep. Oberstar as “one of the worst safety violations” he has ever seen:

(1) the FAA let it happen, and thereby callously and malevolently put us all in harm’s way;

(2) it happened under Bobby Sturgell’s watch as well as Marion Blakey’s watch;

(3) the FAA looked the other way when first apprised of it happening - so that now, the only question is how high in the FAA did that cover-up go, just like we asked about the Watergate burglary and Sturgell’s namesake Frank Sturgis a few years ago; and

(4) the FAA is now fining Southwest, to give itself, the FAA, political cover; not to mention likely to try to subsidize the now-spendthrift FAA’s extensive litigation defense-costs brought about by 13-and-counting litigations and the FAA’s mismanagement and trampling of the rights of innocent Americans.

This is the FAILED AVIATION AGENCY. The American public must hit the “Eject” button on Bobby Sturgell, and replace him with an Administrator who is actually competent. NOW.

Well Alan, although I am taking your words a bit out of context, I think this is precisely the problem.

I’d actually like to believe the FAA is aware of the problems, but I’m honestly not sure.

A few posts ago, someone else brought up a very intersting question. If FAA is doing something to counter the effects of a controller shortage and a rising number of near misses, wouldn’t you think it would make sense for them to go out and psread the word in places like this?

I would think so, but then I’m not an FAA communications person.

Thanks very much for your thoughts.

Looks like C Bowers was addressing previous poster WG, not you, in the question of “what makes you an expert” — you’ve demonstrated that you’ve been there and do have a good understanding of the situation. WG hasn’t listed any creds, which leads one to think he/she is an observer, not an industry worker.

Great blog, great job in generating discussion.

But after having spent 40 years flying as a charter and airline pilot, as well as 25 years writing about the industry, I think I’ve been around long enough to have an opinion.

I honestly am not sure which part of these posts you’re reacting too, because I think I’ve pretty much taken the side of ATC here, as John Carr mentioned in his column at the Main Bang - http://themainbang.typepad.com/ - last week.

Be that as it is, you make a very important point when you state again that FAA believes there is no correlation between fatigue and a deterioration of safety.

We have been through the same thing for years on the cockpit side. It won’t be until there is a crash that is clearly linked to fatigue and the FAA runs out of arguments that it will decide to do something.

But now that I think of it, wasn’t the controller in LEX labeled as a contributing factor in that crash because he was tired?

I also agree that we need to be talking about this topic somewhere in addition to Jetwhine, hence my comment about targeting a bulletin board at AARP, a place where I know there are people who travel quite a bit.

They’ve so far been very interested in listening.

Thanks for your note.

I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW WHAT IT IS THAT MAKES YOU AN EXPERT ON THE CURRENT AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL SITUATION. I AM AN ATC (AIR TRAFFIC CONTOLLER) SO I FEEL THAT I HAVE PARTICULAR KNOWLEDGE AND INSIGHT.

I ALWAYS FIND IT INTERESTING WHEN UNINFORMED INDIVIDUALS WANT TO CRITISIZE ATCS AND MAKE DISPARRAGING REMARKS ABOUT HOW MUCH MONEY WE MAKE AND HOW WE ARE ALWAYS WHINING FOR MORE. HOPEFULLY THIS WILL HELP YOU UNDERSTAND WHY WE ARE PAID WHAT WE ARE PAID AND FEEL WE DESERVE TO RETAIN THAT PAY AND HAVE QUALIFIED INDIVIDUALS COMING IN AS REPLACEMENTS. KEEP IN MIND IN OUR LAST CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS NATCA DID NOT ASK FOR PAY INCREASES, ONLY TO CONTINUE ON OUR CURRENT PAY AND BENEFIT SYSTEM FOR CURRENT AND INCOMING CONTROLLERS.

AS ATCS WE ARE EXPECTED TO BE RIGHT 100% OF THE TIME. WE MAKE QUICK JUDGEMENT DECISIONS THAT CONSTANTLY HAVE AN EFFECT ON MANY PEOPLES LIVES. WE AS ATCS ARE PAID FOR WHAT WE KNOW HOW TO DO WHEN IT HITS THE FAN. WE ARE NOT ALWAYS CONTOLLING 20 AIRPLANES AT ATIME BUT WE ARE CAPABLE OF CONTOLLING 30 OR MORE IF WE HAVE TO.

DOES ANYBODY EVER COMPLAIN ABOUT FIREFIGHTERS MAKING 40-60K A YEAR, AND HOW OFTEN ARE THAY ACTUALLY FIGHTING FIRES? HECK THEY EVEN GET PAID TO SLEEP FOR A THIRD OF THEIR SHIFT AND HAVE 14 DAYS OFF A MONTH. DO THEY EARN IT? I THINK SO BECAUSE OF THE KNOWLEDGE AND SKILLS THEY POSSESS TO REACT WHEN NECESSARY. ARE THERE REPLCEMENTS PROPERLY TRAINED AND COMPENSATED WHEN THEY TAKE OVER FOR RETIRING INDIVIDUALS? A WHOLE LOT BETTER THAN IN ATC.

IN ATC, THE FAA HANDBOOK, REGULATING ATC RULES, STATES THE #1 PRIORITY FOR ATCS IS THE SAFE, ORDERLY, EXPEDITIOUS HANDLING OF AIR TRAFFIC. HOWEVER, THE FAA AND THE FAA HANDBOOK, WITH A GLOSSARY OF DEFINITIONS, DO NOT DEFINE THEM. SAFE AND EXPEDITIOUS ARE PRETTY MUCH SELF EXPLANATORY. ORDERLY IS A LITTLE DIFFERENT STORY, YET IM EXPECTED TO INTERPRET IT AND BE 100% RIGHT. MY EMPLOYER WONT EVEN TAKE THE TIME TO DEFINE THE EXPECTIONS I AM TO ADHERE TO 100% OF THE TIME.

IM EXPECTED TO SEQUENCE AIRCRAFT TO THE RUNWAY AND HAVE THE FAA HANDBOOK REQUIRED SEPARATION. IF IT’S 3 MILES AND I HAVE 2.99 BETWEEN THEM THE FAA SAYS IM NOT SAFE. IF I HAVE 3.01 THEY SAY I’M NOT EXPEDITIOUS. HOWS THAT FOR AN EXPECTATION? THERE ARE SEVERAL THOUSAND DIFFERENT KINDS OF AIRCRAFT WITH DIFFERENT CHARACTERISTICS AND APPROACH SPEEDS, WITH CONSTANTLY CHANGING WINDS AT ALTITUDE, THAT VARY IN DIRECTION AND VELOCITY EFFECTING THE AIRCRAFT PERFORMANCE DESCENDING ON FINAL APPROACH, AND ATCS ARE EXPECTED TO BE 100% ACCURATE 100% OF THE TIME.

THE FAA SAYS THAT THERE IS NO CORRELATION TO FATIGUING CONTROLLERS AND DETERIORATION OF SAFETY. IN FACT THAY ARE SAYING THAT THE RISE IN OPERATIONAL ERRORS (LOSS OF STANDARD SEPARATION) HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH STAFFING SHORTAGES AND CONTROLLER FATIGUE. OH BY THE WAY, THE FAA HAS CHANGED THE OPERATIONAL ERROR CRITERIA. SOME SITUATIONS THAT USED TO BE OPERATIONAL ERRORS ARE NOW CALLED PROXIMITY EVENTS. INTERESTING THIS RECLASSIFICATION JUST CAME OUT A FEW MONTHS AGO, SO THE FAA CAN LIE TO CONGRESS AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC. NOW THE FAA DOESN’T HAVE TO EXPLAIN TO EVERYONE ABOUT HOW MANY OPERATIONAL ERRORS ARE ACTUALLY OCCURRING.

HOW IS THAT FOR AN EMPLOYER AND THE ORGANIZATION TASKED WITH AVIATION SAFETY? THEY ARE CONSTANTLY CRITISIZING A FATIGUED AND AGING WORKFORCE, BUT TELLING EVERYBODY ELSE HOW WELL THE SYSTEM IS WORKING WITH NO COMPROMISE TO SAFETY.

CURRENTLY ATCS ARE WORKING FOR AN EMPLOYER THAT EXPECTS NOTHING LESS THAN 100%, CONSTANTLY CRITISIZING THE JOB THEY ARE DOING, FORCING THEM TO WORK UNDER CONDITIONS THAT VIOLATE THEIR HUMAN RIGHTS (WE DID NOT HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO RATIFY A CONTRACT), WHILE CUTTING PAY AND RETIREMENT BENEFITS. ALL THIS WITHOUT THE SAME RIGHTS AS A COMMON CRIMINAL. WE HAVE SAID IT, WE HAVE DONE IT, AND IT WILL BE USED AGAINST US IN A COURT OF LAW.

WHY, BECAUSE WE ARE DILIGENT, HARD WORKING, CARING PROFFESSIONALS WHO ARE MORE CONCERNED WITH THE SAFETY OF THE FLYING PUBLIC THAN THE ORGANIZATION THAT IS TASKED TO GUARANTEE THAT SAFETY.

THIS PROFESSION WILL VOID ITSELF OF THESE TYPES OF INDIVIDUALS UNDER THE CURRENT WORKING CONDITIONS. SO IF YOU WANT TO KEEP ON BELIEVING THAT THE CURRENT ATC SYSTEM, HANDLING APPROXIMATELY 5 TIMES AS MANY FLIGHTS (JUST A STAB, DON’T HAVE EXACT FIGURES) AS THE PATCO CONTROLLERS WITH LESS PEOPLE, CAN SURVIVE ANOTHER MASS EXODUS, YOU ARE SORELY MISINFORMED.
MY ADVICE TO YOU IS TO STOP CRITICIZING ATCS AND GET INFORMED. GET ACTIVE TO STOP THE DETERIORATION OF YOUR AIR TRAFFIC CONTOL SYSTEM, ISTEAD OF TEARING IT APART. IT IS YOUR RIGHT AS A FLYING PASSENGER AND A TAXPAYER, TO CONTINUE TO HAVE A SAFE, ORDERLY, EXPEDITIOUS AIR TRAFFIC CONTOL SYSTEM.

You are absolutely right in saying the public needs to be the ones out there helping to tell the story. In fact, I noticed that everyone kind of backed off this entire post when I suggested that controllers needed to go out and start doing just that … talking to non-aviation people.

I tried that up at the AARP site and garnered almost 150 views to my post.

So believe me Bill … controllers do need to get out there and talk to the public.

I was actually making reference to the risks in the ATC system for the public while NATCA and FAA battle it out.

Good post. Thanks for taking the time.

Rob

You are not a Reagan replacement controller from the PATCO strike of 81, only a casualty of what happened when the strike was broken by others for profit and personal gain.

The foundation was laid by the Reagan controllers and history is finally catching up with them. The FAA is an agency of the US Government that also runs the contract towers, and they will survive.

I wish you the best