Guess Who ?

Can you guess who said this ?

” Let me make one thing plain. I respect the right of workers in the private sector to strike. Indeed, as president of my own union, I led the first strike ever called by that union. I guess I'm maybe the first one to ever hold this office who is a lifetime member of an AFL - CIO union. “

That would have been President Ronald Reagan on August 3, 1981 -- the first day of the PATCO strike.

I have no idea why The Virginia Gazette published this transscript of a 1981 press conference today. But they did. Maybe they’re as amused as I am about the continuing efforts to canonize Reagan.

Don Brown
May 18, 2008

Fitting in Phraseology

My thoughts keep turning to phraseology -- even in retirement. The subject keeps coming up in various places. The FAA Follies had a post about it yesterday, I’ve had a couple of readers mention it and I’ve been trying to develop a new lecture on the subject. The problem I keep coming back to again and again is that there aren’t any realistic ways of teaching the subject to pilots and letting them practice. I should rephrase that. The methods for teaching and practicing phraseology lack realism.

Controllers get to master phraseology by doing. We talk all day -- everyday. Virtually everything controllers do requires communication on a telephone or radio and 90% of that has formal phraseology attached to it. Pilots, on the other hand, only talk on the radio at random intervals. Except in rare cases, it is sporadic. Airline pilots use phraseology on a more consistent basis than most and even that amount is miniscule in comparison to controllers. A general aviation pilot might not talk on the radio for weeks at a time. Proficiency will always be a problem for pilots but most of the problems start at the very beginning -- learning proper phraseology to start with.

I’ve already touched three major problem areas (and I’m just getting started.)

1) Learning proper phraseology

2) Practicing phraseology in a realistic environment

3) Remaining proficient in using proper phraseology

I spent a little time reading one of my old articles on AVweb this morning. I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how well most of my articles have stood up over time. Trust me, it’s mostly beginner’s luck. Anyway, while I’m thinking out loud (which is what I’m doing in case you haven’t noticed), I thought it would be as good a place as any to review what has already been done.

Say Again? #20: Communications — The Top Ten

You’re welcome to read the whole thing of course but a summary of the list is...

10) Format -- saying the proper words in the proper sequence
9) Questions -- There are no question marks (?) in phraseology
8) Direct vs. "Cleared to" -- “cleared to” does not mean “cleared direct”
7) Ride Reports -- a primary cause of frequency congestion
6) Key Words -- omission of key words
5) Mumbling -- just what it says
4) Call Signs -- improper use of, or omission of
3) Requests -- another primary cause of frequency congestion
2) Clipping -- “clipping” off the first word of a transmission
1) Frequency Congestion -- the number one bottleneck of ATC

As you can see from the list, once you start talking about phraseology it’s hard not to delve into other areas of communication. Which brings me to what I believe is the most critical part of phraseology -- learning correct phraseology from the very start. We need to instill good habits in students before they know enough about aviation to start asking “Why ?”.

As it stands now, people learn to fly and then proper phraseology is tacked on as an afterthought (if at all.) I’m sitting here trying to remember being taught proper phraseology -- and I can’t. (Current FAA academy students are welcome to refresh my memory.) I know it was taught at the academy but it was such an integral part of ATC that you take it for granted. One thing I’m certain of though, improper phraseology was corrected on the spot -- before you developed any bad habits.

Oh well, that’s enough for today. It’ a beautiful day outside and I have flower beds to rearrange. I’ll think while I dig, weed and plant. We’ll spend more time on the subject soon.

Don Brown
May 17, 2008

FAA History Lesson -- May 16

Here is something new for today’s history lesson -- a political two-for-one.

From the FAA Historical Chronology, 1926-1996...

”May 16, 1940: President Roosevelt called for the production of 50,000 airplanes a year. Since there were only about 30,000 pilots in the country, CAA subsequently announced that it would expand the Civilian Pilot Training Program to provide pilots for the increased number of planes. In 1940, the CPTP graduated 9,885 pilots, and in the 18 months before the United States entered the war, the number of pilots in the country rose from 31,000 to over 100,000, primarily throught the CPTP. (See Jun 27, 1939, and Dec 12, 1941.) ”

Dang ! If only I had finished that piece about Billy Mitchell bombing hillbillies I could really tie all this in. Alas...

The important thing to note -- Roosevelt knew he had a war coming and he knew how he wanted to fight it. Airpower. You’ll have to read your history to understand his brilliance. Remember, at this time the U.S. was in a depression and dead-set against becoming involved in the war. It was a good thing -- in that we were a third-rate military power.

From the FAA Historical Chronology, 1926-1996...

”May 16, 1972: President Nixon signed into law the Air Traffic Controllers Career Program Act (Public Law 92-297). The act, an outgrowth of a Corson Committee recommendation (see Jan 29, 1970), authorized controllers to retire after 25 years of active duty, or at age 50 if they had 20 years of active service. The new law also established a mandatory age for retirement at 56, with exemptions at the discretion of the Secretary of Transportation up to age 61. (Normal voluntary retirement for Federal employees came at age 55 after 30 years service, or at age 60 after 20 years; mandatory retirement came at age 70.) The act also provided for a “second career program” of up to two years of training at government expense for controllers who had to leave traffic control work because of medical or proficiency disqualification. The act became effective on Aug 14 and was implemented by FAA on Sep 8.”

As NATCA enters it’s 621st day without a contract, I wanted to remind the newer generation that Republicans haven’t always been crazy. They’ve never been friendly to unions but they were, once upon a time, at least practical.

Don Brown
May 16, 2008

Fix On Fail

There is something I’ve been meaning to get off my chest and this press release from PASS (Professional Aviation Safety Specialists) will serve as well as any other excuse.

33 SENATORS CALL FOR FAA ACTION REGARDING INADEQUATE STAFFING OF TECHNICIANS

”Some facilities are staffed at less than half of what the facility’s workload generates, making daily operations difficult and resulting in more unplanned outages and longer restoration times. According to the Government Accountability Office (GAO), there has been an increase in unscheduled outages from an average of 21 hours in 2001 to about 40 hours in 2006. Despite falling below the minimum number of technicians, the FAA has not requested additional staffing in its proposed budget for FY 2009.“

The shortfall in technicians has been met with a new maintenance philosophy that has been called “Fix on Fail.” In short, the FAA doesn’t have the manpower to keep up with preventative maintenance anymore so they don’t. They fix it when it fails. We could get bogged down in all the details within that issue but I have a different angle I want to pursue.

My long-time readers know that I have real issues with the system called URET that was used to replace flight progress strips. The backup to URET is flight progress strips. The backup to radar is non-radar. There is a huge difference between seeing what is on a radar scope and “seeing” what in your head when you’re working in non-radar conditions. If you don’t practice “thinking” non-radar you won’t be any good at it because in the vast majority of day-to-day operations in air traffic control it isn’t required.

Each of these subjects -- URET, flight progress strips, non-radar, etc. -- are extremely complicated in of themselves. I’m asking the impossible of non-controllers but I need you to think of them all together and how they interact. Even worse, I need you project forward in time and think about where we are headed.

It all goes back to my lame joke about non-radar. “What did they call non-radar before radar ?” Answer: Air Traffic Control. Non-radar is the foundation of all air traffic control. Flight progress strips allowed controllers to “think” non-radar and incorporate that thought process when using radar. URET was used to replace flight progress strips in the Centers. URET doesn’t allow you to “think” non-radar (there is no fix/time displayed) nor does it allow controllers to practice the mechanical skills needed with flight progress strips, i.e. strip marking. Yet, the backup to URET is flight progress strips. Furthermore, URET isn’t certified for use in non-radar conditions. In other words, if the radar is out, using flight progress strips is required.

And the FAA is cutting back on preventative maintenance ?!?

If you project this mess forward in time the consequences are even more frightening. As more and more senior controllers retire, there will be fewer and fewer controllers left that have even seen flight progress strips much less know how to use them effectively. As the FAA defers more and more maintenance, the more likely it is that something will fail and controllers will be forced into a situation where they will have to revert to flight progress strips and non-radar.

To sum it all up simply, the FAA has no viable backup plan. Without extensive training (something that is virtually impossible to do when your ATC system is already understaffed), the controller workforce will become less and less capable of handling a serious equipment outage (radar site, URET , radar scope, telecommunications or computer). Without an adequate number of technicians, a serious equipment outage becomes more and more likely.

The only semi-irrational plan I can think of -- that the FAA might use -- is the extensive use of “ATC Zero.” “ATC Zero” is where an air traffic control facility determines it can no longer provide ATC service and closes. It then transfers its airspace to another control facility. It is an unbelievably complex and completely flawed process that hasn’t worked well yet. The first 10 minutes of the event are usually unrestrained chaos. You can read about one instance (and see an enlightening picture) here.

These facts are well known inside the controller community. Ask any controller anywhere if they’ve ever witnessed “ATC zero” in action and even the ones that haven’t will roll their eyes. It’s the ATC version of a “Hail Mary” pass in football. Back in the days when the FAA at least tried to excel, the system was designed to “fail gracefully.” Now it’s just designed to fail.

Don Brown
May 14, 2008

Internet Insight

The power of the internet continues to amaze me. As I said yesterday, I see an interesting map displayed, in a floor speech from the Senate, and it only takes about five minutes to find the map on the internet. When I think about days gone by, traveling to the library to do some research and having to order materials from other libraries...well, it’s amazing.

Today’s post is much the same. Last month I mentioned an article in The Atlantic written by James Fallows. The article is about the use of Very Light Jets (VLJs) as air taxis and focuses on a company called DayJet. I was surprised that air traffic control wasn’t mentioned in the article and in his blog today, Mr. Fallows mentioned (as I have on several occasions) that only so much fits into one article. The part about DayJet’s interaction with ATC had been edited out for space limitations.

Also in his blog today, Mr. Fallows provides more insight into the subject from others, including John Schubert. In the piece, Mr. Shubert says,

”They (the airlines) have shamelessly and dishonestly blamed general aviation for their own scheduling delays. They even filmed a commercial which showed a bunch of fat cats in a private jet getting priority over an airliner. “

In case you don’t remember those commercials (I do) you can find them here. I believe the Air Transport Association (the industry’s lobby group) understands the power of the internet all too well. And unlike the citizens, they have millions of dollars to exploit that power -- year after year after year.

Don Brown
May 14, 2008

Who Has the Oil ?

While watching C-SPAN yesterday, this map caught my attention.



I thought it might catch yours.

(Click on the image to enlarge. Sorry the resolution isn’t any better.)

Don Brown
May 13, 2008

FAA History Lesson -- May 13

From the FAA Historical Chronology, 1926-1996...

”May 13, 1946: President Truman signed the Federal Airport Act establishing the Federal-aid airport program (FAAP), the first peacetime program of financial aid aimed exclusively at promoting development of the nation's civil airports. Sen. Pat McCarran (D-Nev.) and Rep. Clarence F. Lea (D-Calif.) had introduced the legislation. The Act authorized appropriations of $500 million for the contiguous United States and $20 million for Alaska and Hawaii over a period of seven years, beginning Jul 1, 1946. Federal allotments were to be matched by local funds. For fiscal year 1947, Congress appropriated $45 million for construction and nearly $3 million for preliminary planning and surveys. (See Appednix VIII and Oct 8, 1946.)”

Over 60 years later, I have to wonder just how far our leaders could see into the future back then. Was the path clear to them ? Or was it just as foggy back then as it seems today -- but they acted anyway ?

The Las Vegas airport is named for Senator McCarran. I wonder what Las Vegas would be like without an airport ?

Don Brown
May 13, 2008

See Bob Run

Make no mistake about it, when it comes to having the flick on Presidential politics -- I don’t. Still, I was tickled pink to read this:

Barr announces Libertarian presidential bid

In my little corner of the world -- a “red” county, in a “red” state -- I’ve seen more “Vote Ron Paul” signs than “Vote John McCain” signs. During the last election, I feel certain that my pick-up truck was the only one in the county with a Kerry/Edwards sticker on it. My wife wouldn’t put one on her car -- she’s scared of the rednecks. In that I are one -- I ain’t. My wife knows that they’re mostly church-going, God-fearing people but she saw Deliverance and took it to heart. I keep telling her that the movie was typical over-the-top Hollywood stereotyping -- and besides -- the bad guys were hillbillies instead of rednecks. The distinction seems to be lost on her.

Speaking of churches, that is where many of them get their political views. It’s nothing new. I find it odd that my wife believes the boogey man lurks down every lonely dirt road but fails to appreciate the political power of the churches on the corner of virtually every main street down here. But like we say, she ain’t from ‘round here.

Between listening to their preachers and Neal Boortz on WSB, a run for President by Bob Barr will definitely keep life entertaining down here. And here I was, worried that Texas was going to surpass Georgia in the number of wacky political figures we can offer to the nation. Good Lord I miss Molly Ivins.

Don Brown
May 12, 2008

FAA History Lesson -- May 11

From the FAA Historical Chronology, 1926-1996...

”May 11, 1996: A ValuJet DC-9 crashed into the Everglades shortly after takeoff from Miami, killing all 110 persons aboard. The crew’s loss of control was due to an intense fire caused by activation of one or more oxygen generators carried in the forward cargo compartment. In a report released in Aug 1997, the National Transportation Safety Board found the accident’s probable cause to be: the failure of SabreTech, a Valujet contractor, to properly handle and identify the chemical oxygen generators before presenting them to the airline for carriage; Valujet’s failure to properly oversee its contract maintenance program; and FAA’s failure to require smoke detection and fire suppression systems in cargo compartments of the type (Class D) in which the fire had started.

On the day after the crash, FAA announced an expansion of its ongoing review of Valujet (see Feb 20, 1996). On May 23, DOT’s Research and Special Projects Administration issued an immediate temporary ban on the the transportation of chemical oxygen generators as cargo on passenger airlines. (See Jun 17 and Dec 30, 1996.) ”

As I mentioned in a previous post, Valujet was the poster child for airline deregulation and the cost to safety. Below is a sample of the most serious safety lapses, in time sequence. The cites with links are from the NTSB. The cites in italics are from the FAA Historical Chronology.

June 8, 1995 -- Valujet 597 -- An engine explodes, pieces pierce the fuselage and start a fire on the runway in Atlanta, GA

December 12, 1995 -- Valujet Flight 224 -- Another engine disintegrates after takeoff but it is contained in the engine housing.

January 7, 1996 -- ValuJet Flight 558 -- Landed short of the runway at Nashville, TN after the crew reset circuit breakers they had disabled earlier and the spoilers deployed prematurely while the aircraft was on final.

February 1, 1996 -- Valujet Flight -- The right main landing gear collapses on landing at Nashville, TN.

”Feb 20, 1996: FAA began a 120-day special emphasis safety review of ValuJet Airlines, an innovative low-cost carrier that had grown rapidly since its certification on Oct 21, 1993. Factors prompting the review included a series of incidents and nonfatal accidents. (See May 11, 1996.) “

May 11, 1996 -- Valujet Flight 592 -- After an in-flight fire, the aircraft crashed into the Everglades killing 110 people.

”Jun 17, 1996: FAA announced that ValuJet Airlines would cease operations, as of midnight on the same day, pending safety improvements required under a consent decree (see Aug 29, 1996). The agency based its action on an intensified inspection of the carrier undertaken since the recent crash (see May 11, 1996). FAA stated that this heightened scrutiny had revealed serious safety deficiences in the areas of airworthiness, maintenance, quality assurance of contractors, and engineering capability. The announcement sparked renewed criticism of DOT and FAA because it appeared to contrast with statements, made following the accident, assuring the public that the airline was safe. The next day, Secretary of Transportation Peña and Administrator Hinson described steps to improve safety oversight and address public concerns. Peña stated that he would urge Congress to make safety FAA’s single primary mission (see Sep 30, 1996). Hinson outlined improvements to FAA’s examination of airlines, such as ValuJet, that relied heavily on contractors for maintenance and training. He stated that Deputy Administrator Daschle would lead a review of pertinent regulatory issues (see Sep 16, 1996). Hinson also announced the retirement of Anthony J. Broderick, Associate Administrator for Regulation and Certification. (See Jul 15 and Nov 14, 1996.)“

This list is by no means exhaustive. I didn’t list all the incidents in the NTSB’s database. If you’re interested (and have a lot of time) go to the database, fix the “date range” to something appropriate (starting in 1990 will do), scroll down to “Enter your word string below” and type in Valujet. The story it will tell is bad enough but it still isn’t the whole story. According to the Wikipedia entry on Valujet,

“ValuJet planes made fifteen emergency landings in 1994, fifty-seven in 1995, and fifty-seven from January through May of 1996.“

The airline only had 56 airplanes at its peak.

One of my readers gently chastised me for giving the impression that Valujet actually went out of business in my previous post. Guilty as charged.

”Aug 29, 1996 FAA returned ValuJet’s operating certificate to the airline, stating that the carrier had completed the safety improvements outlined in the consent order that grounded it (see Jun 17, 1996). The action cleared ValuJet to renew operations, subject to a DOT fitness ruling subsequently granted on Sep 26. The airline resumed flying on Sep 30. FAA imposed a limit of 15 aircraft, subject to review, in contrast to the 51 aircraft that the carrier had operated before its grounding. “

Again, that isn’t the whole story. From Wikipedia:

”After the large amount of negative publicity surrounding the Flight 592 incident, ValuJet suffered serious financial problems. On July 11, 1997, ValuJet announced it would merge with the much smaller Airways Corporation, parent of AirTran Airways. The merged company would retain the AirTran name, although ValuJet was the senior partner and nominal survivor of the merger. In November 1997, the company announced it would move its headquarters from Atlanta to Orlando. On November 17, 1997, AirWays Corp. and ValuJet completed their merger, and the ValuJet name passed into aviation history. “

More information can be found under Wikipedia’s AirTran Airways entry:

”In July 1997, AirWays Corporation announced a merger with ValuJet Airlines. In one of the U.S. airline industry's first reverse mergers, ValuJet was re-named AirTran Airways in 1997. This was done because the firm's public image never recovered from the crash of ValuJet Flight 592. On September 24, 1997 the parent company became AirTran Holdings Inc, and operations under new management began on September 1, 1998. “

(Emphasis added)

If you’ll conduct the same search of the NTSB’s database that I detailed above on AirTran, you’ll find less entries than you found on Valujet -- despite the fact that AirTran has been in business longer and has a fleet well over twice the size Valujet ever had. In addition, if you dig deep enough, you’ll notice that 4 out of the 7 incidents found for AirTran lead you back to Valujet.

If you take enough time to research the whole sordid mess that is deregulation, you will find people and machines taken out of a stable, profitable airline industry and thrown into deregulation’s race to the bottom of the barrel. Literally tens of thousands of good-paying jobs were lost, pensions tossed aside for the government to pick up (if you were lucky) and lives ruined (if you were “lucky”) or snuffed out (if you weren’t).

And for what ? A cheap ticket so you can be stuffed into a torturous seat on yet-another-delayed flight ? An initial public offering on stock for an airline that won’t even be in business for 5 years ? Another golden parachute for an endless list of CEOs at bankrupt airlines ?

It is insane. Almost insane as a government agency that can’t keep pace in this race to the bottom. Valujet grew faster than the FAA could inspect them. The FAA couldn’t adapt fast enough to regulate Valujet’s contractor SabreTech. If that makes you worry that the FAA can’t adapt fast enough to oversee the proliferation of airlines using foreign repair stations -- then good !

While you’re thinking about it, see if you can come up with a good reason that we’re even running in this race. I -- for one -- can’t.

Don Brown
May 10, 2008

Making Sausage (or Hurricanes)

”People who love sausage and respect the law should never watch either of them being made. “

Author Unknown

I assume most of you know that Congress is currently trying to grind out a bill to reauthorize the FAA. Under current law, this happens every five years and it presents lawmakers with an opportunity to tweak how the FAA runs. Among the many changes being sought by various entities this year, the National Air Traffic Controllers Association is trying to fix the language that allowed the Bush Administration to impose a “contract” on air traffic controllers.

The bill in the House is done. It’s been done for several months. The House is waiting on the Senate to pass its version of the bill so the separate bills can go to conference to have the differences worked out. And then there is President Bush. Sooner or later he has to sign something -- or not. He is trying to influence the bill already -- threatening to veto it if it contains this or that.

It’s a long, drawn-out, confusing process that has driven many people around the bend. And controllers (in general) don’t have that far to go. I’ve always thought that this is one of the greatest sources of angst for controllers. Their job requires decisive action within seconds. Their employer deals in ambiguous trends that play out over years.

Controllers aren’t the only ones that have issues they want addressed in this bill (S1300 in the Senate, HR 2881 in the House.) Anybody that has anything to do with aviation wants something. Which means everybody.

In short, the controllers want a third party involved (mediation and/or binding arbitration) if contract talks break down. During the last contract, the Administration drove the contract talks to impasse and then just imposed their rules on the controller workforce -- cutting entry pay 30% and virtually freezing the pay of senior controllers. That of course has given us the current situation where controllers are quitting in record numbers. The FAA “won” the battle and is now busy losing the war. It’s a funny thing about being the boss. You feel all powerful when you’re bossing everyone around. But when there’s no one left to boss around and do the work, you feel (and look) kind of stupid.

I’m not paying real close attention to all the maneuvers but I think they can be summed up in three views. The House bill would reopen the contract negotiations between the FAA and NATCA. President Bush has (of course) threatened to veto that. The moderate Republicans don’t want negotiations reopened but are willing to allow binding arbitration for the next contract. The right-wing Republicans like things just the way they are.

Me ? Well, I voted with my feet. I retired. Every single day the Congress delays addressing this issue costs the system more controllers. Soon, when no one is left to do the work, somebody is going to look (and feel) pretty stupid.

The FAA has already had to reinstate the housing allowance they used to pay trainees at its academy in Oklahoma City. They couldn’t attract enough people to fill the jobs. Because controllers are retiring faster than the FAA projected, they still can’t hire people fast enough and are now offering bonuses for senior controllers to stay. That doesn’t seem to be working either. Just as an example, here’s an interesting story about two controllers retiring and going to work in Dubai.

If that isn’t strange enough for you (would you pick Dubai over Tampa ?) I have a friend from Tampa that just retired too. We’ve known each other since attending the FAA academy together in 1981. His boss wouldn’t let him go to lunch despite having plenty of people on the shift. When my friend offered to take vacation time to go to lunch, the boss approved. During lunch, my friend decided he’d had enough of the foolishness. He ordered a drink, called up his boss and said, “I retire.” Well, I’m pretty sure he said something I’m not going to print but he retired all the same.

Congratulations America. We’ve managed to turn a great career into a Jimmy Buffet song.

” I ain't had a day off now in over a year
My Jamaican vacation's gonna start right here
Get the phones for me
You can tell 'em I just sailed away “

(written by Jim "Moose" Brown and Don Rollins)

You might want to call your Senators and tell them to hurry up. It’s five o’clock somewhere.

Don Brown
May 10, 2008