Whats up with FAA controller staffing?

[BE400]

I thought the FAA was going to change the way they did things after the Lexington, KY accident. While taxiing out at RDU the controller was working ground and tower freqs. Yesterday it was around 7 am and it was busy. I can't imagine this single dude focusing on landing and taxiing aircraft with low visibility. I have noticed this a lot lately and sometimes the single controller seems overwelmed. I guess the controller shortage is for real!

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

In case you haven't noticed Corp America is running just about every sector and industry, including gov't.

The dollar rules baby!

 

[HAZ-MAT]

Miami Center is supposed to be staffed at 266 currently have about 203 controllers employed, 50 retired Jan 1st. New hires in OKC for Miami center are about 12 people that should be reporting to MIA around the 2nd week of Feb. Takes about 24 months for those to get qualified in their assigned sector. Thats just one example, think about all the other centers nationwide and there staffing issues. www.natca.org is a good website to reference for the latest news, including a possible hiring freeze of new controllers effective March 31,2007.
:beer:

 

[StopNTSing]

Sadly, it's probably going to get a lot worse before it gets better. Typical f'd-up FAA. They can waste BILLIONS of our tax dollars on closing the mid-continent LORAN-C gap (just in time for GPS), the micro-wave landing system, WAAS/LAAS, or a host of other money-pits. Yet they can't seem to scrape up enough coin to prevent many controllers from having to cover 3 or more frequencies after 7 pm at night. No reduction in safety there, eh?

Isn't it nice to know our industry's future is largely dependent on an agency that can barely find it's collective arse with both hands?

 

[maru657]

Control centers are understaffed all across the USA. Work rules and a contract imposed by our current fearless leaders are pretty bad too. If not for the lessons of 81, I suspect we'd already have job actions. It didn't help when the president said he was going to privatize the ATC system either. A lot of senior controllers grabed their pensions and ran. Yes, it will get worse before it gets better.

 

[~~~^~~~]

What I don't understand is how we fund several dozen TSA guards at airports like Brunswick, which is served by small RJ's. On some days the number of passengers is exceeded by the number of guards.... and most of the passengers out of Brunswick are higher level law enforcement who go there to train and who travel well - I can't say - but let me advise against trying to hi-jack a Brunswick flight.

But, the Feds can not find money for one controller to keep us coordinated with the busy General Aviation operations in the area.

The risk of a mid air is substantial at this airport and many others. ....coordinating with a remote ground station and Jacksonville Center, IFR departures into airspace filled with Gulfstreams doing maintenance test flights, rich GA pilots on their golf trips, families in C182's going to the Beech and a 200 knot RJ with pilots flipping frequencies is all risky. A whole lot more risk that prevented by excessive staffing of a dozen Federal security guards, supported by another 5 or 6 airport cops, a dozen government operations folks plus a few local mounties there for good measure.

I think the only reason this happens is that the airport is such a cush law enforcement job. A whole lot better than responding to domestic disturbances and going in meth labs. I've noticed the cush government jobs are always overstaffed....

IMHO, we need to puch ALPA to push a regulation that simply states "Airports served by 121 scheduled air service require an operational control tower." ALPA's "legit" reason for being is safety. Our union should take the moral high ground on this issue.

 

[XJohXJ]

In case you haven't noticed Corp America is running just about every sector and industry, including gov't.

I agree, but I have to change just one letter:

In case you haven't noticed, Corp. America is ruining just about every sector and industry, including gov't.

 

[payton]

The OKC city training center cant fill classes. You only make $8 an hour training and the new contract is crap. The last class was suppose to have over 20 students and only 4 showed up.
Two years from now it should be very interesting. My area at Kansas City Center should have 50 controllers. We are down to 35 and have 5-10 retiring next year with only 4 replacements.
I think they call it fuzy math.

 

[Rez O. Lewshun]

IMHO, we need to puch ALPA to push a regulation that simply states "Airports served by 121 scheduled air service require an operational control tower." ALPA's "legit" reason for being is safety. Our union should take the moral high ground on this issue.

So how much do you give to ALPA-PAC?

 

[Morning Wood]

Exactly why we're seeing flow in ORD on days when they claim the runways are wet from evaporation under the pavement or because of "wind". 9 times out of 10 SFO can't do SOIA because the controllers postions can't be staffed.

 

[LarryinTN]

I thought the FAA was going to change the way they did things after the Lexington, KY accident. While taxiing out at RDU the controller was working ground and tower freqs.

Nothing wrong with local and ground being combined. The second controller in LEX was supposed to be working the radar positions, not one of the tower positions.