Senator Durbin & Air Traffic Controllers to FAA … Hello!
Now that Senator Dick Durbin (D)IL has demanded action from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Inspector General we can only hope acting FAA administrator Bobby Sturgell is listening.
The problem at hand is not really a tough one and is something I talked about with then NATCA VP Ruth Marlin for a magazine story two years ago.
(U.S. Senator Dick Durbin)
FAA plans for having enough trained bodies in the right ATC facilities at the right time simply didn’t then and still doesn’t have much to do with the reality of the air traffic situation at hand.
The recent GAO report warned everyone – ding, ding, ding red lights flashing and all – that the number of really close calls is not simply some academic issue, but a real problem, especially for those of us either in front where we can watch the action up close, or in the back where we can only feel the results. Tired controllers make more mistakes than well-rested controllers, just like pilots.
As a consumer and a pilot, I don’t want to hear a spokesperson from FAA tell me abo
ut the great progress the agency is making toward its goal of … blah, blah, blah. If controllers are working mandatory overtime and or six-day weeks folks … you don’t have enough people.
Over to you Bobby .
Technorati tags: FAA, Senator Dick Durbin, runway incursions, Bobby Sturgell, NATCA, air travel, pilots, airline
In Aviation, A Little Change Can Be Good
