Old Dopey Me

I give you a press release from NATCA and don’t tell you where to find it on line. You can always get them here.

Don Brown
July 31, 2007

A Press Release

I don’t think I’ve ever put a NATCA press release on my blog. At least it isn’t a habit. I believe everybody knows I’m partial to NATCA by now. I’ll disagree with them from time to time but I still think of them as my guys.

Anyway, it’s an interesting press release in of itself but I (of course) have my own purposes for posting it. Look for the highlighted part.



”BUDGET-DRIVEN FAA AT WORK AGAIN: LACK OF ATTENTION, MONEY TO LOCAL CINCINNATI RADAR NEEDS COSTS AGENCY DURING OUTAGE SUNDAY THAT DELAYED SCORES OF FLIGHTS


07/30/2007

CONTACT: Jason Hubbard, 859-512-3099

CINCINNATI – For the second time in six months, a primary radar failure Sunday morning at Cincinnati Tower (CVG) and Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) and lack of appropriate secondary radar feeds severely delayed scores of flights into and out of the nation’s 14th-busiest airport at the beginning of a morning rush hour period. It also exposed again the lack of Federal Aviation Administration action to give local CVG management the radar feeds necessary to keep the airport running efficiently in the event of power interruptions.

The outage began at 7:36 a.m. EDT Sunday and by the time it ended at 10:30, 29 departing flights were delayed between 28 and 39 minutes each. Controllers instituted a first-tier ground stop, meaning Cleveland Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC, or “center”) and Indianapolis Center put flights to CVG into holding patterns.

There are only two long-range radar feeds into CVG, meaning that when controllers have to rely on secondary radar, they cannot “see” planes on their radar scopes that are below 5,000 feet. In those situations, such as on Sunday, Cincinnati air traffic controllers were forced to use non-radar procedures, which are based on time and distance measurements and result in 10-mile gaps between departing flights. The normal arrival rate into CVG is 108 aircraft per hour. During Sunday’s outage, that was cut to 32.

“We need other radar feeds,” said Jason Hubbard, the CVG facility representative for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. “The FAA has the ability to bring others in, but it appears to be a cost problem.” Simply put, local FAA management officials’ calls to senior FAA officials to fix the problem have been ignored.

            Hubbard said the FAA termed a similar radar outage in January “unprecedented” and the likelihood of one happening again was “rare.”

(emphasis added)

Interesting that those numbers match (exactly) isn’t it ?

Don Brown
July 31, 2007

FAA History Lesson -- July 31

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

”Jul 31, 1968: General William F. McKee resigned as FAA Administrator effective this date (see Jul 1, 1965). On Aug 1, 1968, Secretary of Transportation Alan S. Boyd designated FAA Deputy Administrator David D. Thomas as Acting Administrator. No one was named to the FAA Administrator post during the remaining months of the Johnson Administration. (See Mar 24, 1969.) ”

There’s a precedent for it. Maybe we’ll get lucky and the next President will get to choose the next FAA Administrator.

By the way, do you even know who the current FAA Deputy Administrator is ?

Don Brown
July 31, 2007

The News on News

In Getting Serious I tried to gather my thoughts about the special place that the media occupies in America and how important its role is. I recognize that my interest in this subject was sparked by Al Gore’s new book The Assault on Reason (yes, I’ll do a review soon.)

I also recognize that in the greater scheme of things, my writing ability pales in comparison to the professionals. A case in point: James Fallows’ blog today. Moving the Bancroft/Murdoch choice to the moral level

Mr. Fallows is on the same general subject but his knowledge is much deeper, his research more thorough and...well, he just plain writes better than I do. For instance, just take this one sentence;

”The fundamental problem with today's American press is a mismatch between its economic basis and its public function.”

There you have it. The institution that we depend upon for information has to compete in a market where titillation pays more than illumination.

Do yourself a favor if you have the time. Make sure you click on the links that Mr. Fallows’ provides. They provide important information that will further your education. One such link is to The Wall Street Journal riddle by Eric Boehlert. In it you will find:

”But therein lies the Wall Street Journal riddle. While cheering each anti-Murdoch statement from the families, I'm left perplexed by the fact that the Ottaways and the Bancrofts are so (admirably) focused on maintaining journalistic integrity at the Journal that they are willing to leave Murdoch's billions on the table, yet they're the same trustees who allowed the newspaper's right-wing editorial page to practice, and perfect, a noxious brand of misinformation that doesn't even qualify as journalism. If owning the newspaper remains such a deep public trust for the families, why have they allowed the editorial page to stain the entire Journal news operation?”

Just in case you thought I’d forgotten I’d written this.

=============

”From Saturday’s Wall Street Journal editorial.

” If Congress decided instead to privatize the whole system, as Britain, Canada, Germany and other countries have done in whole or part, we'd hardly object. But it seems more likely that our Solons in Washington will bring it down to the wire over union givebacks and the like.”

As I told you earlier, I’m in the middle of a lot of travel so I don’t have time (at the moment) to give this editorial the thorough thrashing it deserves. But I don’t want you to forget to see the forest for the trees.”

===========

I will get back to the WSJ’s editorial. But right now, I have to face reality and mow the yard. Which reminds me, I need to work on my post; “Top Ten Reasons I Hate Summer.”

Don Brown
July 30, 2007

Report Card Update

If you’ll remember, on July 19 I posted that AVweb was taking a poll about Marion Blakey’s performance as the FAA Administrator. At the time, 87% of the respondents had given her an “F”.

Now it’s 92%. Ten days later and only 23 people are willing to give her a “A”. I don’t know about you, but for me, that says something. And it ain’t good.

Check it out. (You may have to vote to see it.)

Don Brown
July 29, 2007

Getting Serious

Michelle Ku, a reporter with the Lexington (Kentucky) Herald-Leader has written an article that may interest you. The specifics might not interest you but what the article demonstrates should. This is how the good old U.S. of A is supposed to work. Well, it’s almost how it’s supposed to work. It’s still refreshing to see. It’s been awhile.

You see, the article is actually about a subject that the majority of the masses won’t read. It deals with an important subject (aviation safety) in a manner that is sadly lacking in today’s media -- with fairness and a willingness to tackle the complexity of the issue.

”Common abbreviations such as TWY, RWY and UFN (taxiway, runway, and until further notice) are easy to understand. Others such as DCMSND, HAA and MALSR (decommissioned, height above airport and medium intensity approach light system with runway alignment indicator lights) are not.

"It assumes that everybody knows the acronyms, and generally the pilots do," said Paul Czysz, a retired aeronautics professor at St. Louis University. "But if you haven't seen an acronym for a month or two, it doesn't register all the time."”

While this issue (aviation safety) -- in of itself -- is important, I want to highlight the bigger issue. The First Amendment of the Constitution guarantees a Free Press. As Thomas Jefferson pointed out in so many ways, a well-informed electorate is necessary for a democracy to survive. A Free Press is one that informs the electorate. It is their function to cover and highlight the stories that you -- The People -- don’t have have the time and/or technical expertise to find. In short, freedom of the press was designed to ensure that the electorate was “well informed.” Informed citizens make informed decisions about how they govern themselves.

I applaud Ms. Ku and the Lexington Herald-Leader for doing their part and doing it well. My praise is tempered though. It is tempered by the knowledge of why they have suddenly “found religion.” A planeload of people -- 49 people -- had to die before we woke up. And I do mean “we.”

It isn’t the Lexington Herald-Leader’s job to ensure air safety anymore than it is yours. But it is yours and theirs. You are a citizen and it is still “We the People...” The Lexington Herald-Leader is part of the Free Press. We -- collectively -- do have a duty to fulfill. The fact that it is a shared responsibility cannot excuse us from our duty. I submit that if you are responsible enough and intelligent enough to have read this far -- you have an even greater duty to this country. Your less-informed fellow citizens look to you for help and advice in deciding the course of this country. To whom much is given, much is expected.

As important as aviation safety is -- as passionate as I am about it -- it does not approach the significance of many other issues we, as U.S. citizens, face. We have invaded Iraq and made a mess of it. We were poorly informed (if not downright misled) by our government. The Press did not completely fail to fulfill it’s role and inform the electorate prior to this momentous decision but much of it did. Much too much of it. The national press is now trying to catch up to the issue just as the Kentucky press is now trying to catch up to the issue of air safety.

One accident and 49 people paid with their lives. One war and 3,500+ soldiers have paid with their lives. We can’t afford to play “catch up” too often. The United States is the most powerful nation the world has ever known. We cannot afford to be (or even perceived to be) a loose cannon in the world. “We the People of the United States” must form a more perfect Union. The world will demand it.

”For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more.”

Don Brown
July 29, 2007

FAA History Lesson -- July 28

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

”Jul 28-31, 1976: A slowdown by PATCO-affiliated air traffic controllers disrupted traffic around the country. PATCO president John F. Leyden had ordered the slowdown to protest the U.S. Civil Service Commission's delay in completing a pay reclassification study for controllers. Leyden had also protested a Civil Service proposal to downgrade controllers at certain low-activity facilities. The slowdown ended when the Civil Service Commission agreed to reconsider its position and expedite the review, while FAA Administrator John L. McLucas publicly confirmed his support of upgradings at certain facilities. FAA took no disciplinary action against PATCO. (See May 7, 1975, and Nov 12, 1976.) ”

(emphasis added)

Wouldn’t you like to know the rest of that story.

Don Brown
July 28, 2007

FAA History Lesson -- July 26

I’m a day late (and probably a dollar short) but I thought this too important to skip.

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

Jul 26, 1985: FAA announced the award of a contract for replacement of the IBM 9020 computers at the nation's 20 air route traffic control centers (ARTCCs) as part of the agency's Advanced Automation Program. IBM won the replacement contract in a competition with Sperry Corp. under a pair of contracts that had been announced on Sept 22, 1983. The new installations were designated the "Host" Computer Systems (HCSs) because of their ability to run the existing 9020 software package with minimum modifications. Using the IBM 3083-BX1 computer as its key element, the Host system would provide greater speed, reliability, and storage capacity. Each installation would consist of two units, one serving as the primary processor and the other providing support and backup. (See Mar 22, 1983, and May 29, 1987.) In addition to installing the Host systems at the ARTCCs, IBM agreed to supply the systems to teams working on the other major element of the Advanced Automation Program, the Advanced Automation System (AAS). Under a pair of contracts announced on Aug 16, 1984, IBM and Hughes Aircraft Co. were engaged in a competition to produce the best AAS design (see Jul 26, 1988). Among the key elements of AAS were controller work stations, called "sector suites," that would incorporate new display, communications and processing capabilities. AAS would also include new computer hardware and software to bring the air traffic control system to higher levels of automation. Once the full AAS system was operational, FAA planned to begin the integration of en route and terminal radar control services at the ARTCCs, which would be renamed Area Control Facilities (ACFs) and expanded to handle the new functions (see Apr 19, 1993). Among the planned future enhancements to AAS was Automated En Route Air Traffic Control (AERA), which would automatically examine aircraft flight plans to detect and resolve potential conflicts.

In July of 1985, I’d been in the FAA for less than 4 years. I distinctly remember a guy (that had sipped the kool-aid one time too many) saying that AAS (Advance Automation System) would replace half the controllers in the country and that we’d just “monitor” the air traffic. Nothing much changed in my entire career. The FAA kept trying to replace us with computers and controllers kept doing what they do best --controlling air traffic.

In case anyone is still wondering why I post these history lessons, it’s the old saying -- those that don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it. The FAA’s efforts to automate control were doomed for my entire career and will continue to fail with NextGen. The FAA culture continues to go down that path the kool-aid-drinking gentleman I mentioned above took. Humans make lousy monitors. Humans make decisions. They must be engaged. Take them “out of the loop” and their decisions become faulty. Until the FAA learns to design the technology to fit the human instead trying to make the human fit the technology, the FAA will continue to fail. AAS was one of the biggest technology failures in government. It has become a textbook case on how a project fails. The figures vary but 2.5 billion dollars wasted is the figure most often used. And that was back when a billion dollars was real money.

Lest you forget, that was your money.

Don Brown
July 27, 2007

Some People Claim...

There’s a woman to blame. It figures. After all, we are talking about pink shirts. My friend Michelle read my blog and clued me in about the history behind the “pink shirts.”

It came about as these things usually do. The leaders of the controllers working the airshow at Oshkosh (OSH) wanted their members to be easily recognizable. Every year, they’d get the entire crew the same color shirt to wear. Gray, blue, whatever. It would change from year to year. Then one year, they picked a green that they thought would provide high visibility.

They’d already determined over the years that some colors just didn’t work for them. Working OSH is a very “visual” business and some of the colors worn by the controllers at the approach end of the runway just melted into the background. Although the green was carefully chosen to contrast with the grass surrounding the runways, the grass had other ideas. By the time of the show it changed to match the shirts. The controllers were -- effectively -- now camouflaged. Not a good thing when airplanes are landing mere yards (pardon the pun) away.

It just so happened that Michelle and a couple of other ladies were in charge of the next year’s planning. They discussed what they could do about the situation. Red shirts were out. The EAA was using it to identify their people. Yellow was out for the same reason. The ladies settled on “neon pink”. And yes, there was a certain gleam in their eyes at the thought of telling their fellow male controllers that they would have to wear a pink shirt this year.

It worked so well -- it was highly visible and nobody else was wearing pink -- that it stuck. And the rest (as they say) is history.

On a more serious note, this is just a lighthearted example of what I call “institutional memory.” It’s this kind of knowledge -- knowing the history behind a procedure that works -- that is lost when a large percentage of the workforce leaves at once. A lot of controller knowledge was lost in the PATCO strike in 1981. That knowledge had to regained -- rediscover -- at a painful price. That is the reason I and many other controllers get so upset about the current condition of the FAA. We know the cost of relearning these lessons -- firsthand.

For the FAA to purposely drive their senior controllers out of the profession is morally reprehensible. It degrades the safety of the system -- needlessly. It is reckless. It’s just plain wrong.

Don Brown
July 27, 2007

Early to Bed

That’s the problem with going to bed early. You wake up early. Like 4:30 AM early. Maybe it’s just age but I’ll blame it on 25 years of screwed up shift work as a controller. I can’t seem to sleep more than 5 hours at a stretch.

Oh well. It gives me time to run through my presentation again (and again.) I’ll be giving my favorite talk today: Filing an IFR Flight Plan (Correctly). I feel like a preacher on Sunday morning. I know I won’t convert many people but it’s important, so I’ll give it my best shot.

Most people want to think of airspace as just a blank slate. You go from Point A to Point Z and there’s nothing in between. It’s actually a complicated maze full of sector borders, Special Use Airspace, Restricted areas and mountains. Navigating it can be quite complex. But with the near universal radar coverage we are blessed with in the U.S., radar monitoring and vectors have replaced careful route planning. On most short trips within Terminal areas, it’s not unusual to be on a radar vector from takeoff until joining the Final Approach Course. Oh well.

It’s supposed to be as hot here in Wisconsin as it is at home in Georgia today. Yuck. I guess it was bound to happen. Every time I’ve been here before the weather was just delightful. I’ll just have to grin and bear it. The grin part won’t be hard -- after all -- it is the EAA’s AirVenture.

Don Brown
July 26, 2007

When You’re Hot You’re Hot

And I’m hot ! As I told several people today, I could have stayed in Georgia if I wanted to be hot. Don’t pay any attention to me. I’m just whining for no apparent reason. Yes, it was a bit warm today but it really hasn’t dampened my enthusiasm. This is still a great place to be.

After the interview on EAA Radio this morning I did my usual stint at the NATCA tent. Mostly “meet and greet.” We get a lot of people dropping by and an even wider variety of questions. Many have technical questions they’d like answered and others are just getting a general feel on how controllers feel about the issues of the day. The big topic is User Fees. NATCA is against them like virtually every other organization and individual here. Everybody knows they’re wrong -- except the people that stand to make the money off of them.

We do our best to give all the visitors the best answer possible. I’ve got 25 years at Atlanta Center, Darren is an Air Safety Investigator for NATCA, Jesse is the “young gun” and does a great job with the “How do I become a controller” crowd. Grant is a legislative rep. for NATCA and Michelle used to work OSH (back when the FAA ran it) and has several OSH “pink shirts” in her closet. Bob manned the very first booth for NATCA at OSH (and I think every one since) and then my friend Chuck should be here tomorrow and he has a few “pink shirts” in addition to being one of the finest people I know.

As you might notice, NATCA doesn’t really need me. They have a wealth of talent to choose from and I am incredibly flattered that they asked me to come back even though I retired last year. I can’t begin to tell you how proud I am of this organization and the people that make it work. Speaking of which, my (cowboy) hat is off to Kelly from the National Office. He is the Ring Master of this circus. How he pulls it off every year is beyond me but he always does -- and every year it’s better.

I guess the non-aviators might be interested in knowing about a “pink shirt.” Somewhere back in the past, someone had the idea to put all the controllers working OSH in the same color shirts. I assume that this particularly shocking version of pink was chosen for it’s high visibility out near the runways. Whatever the real reason, it stuck and everyone here knows what it means. The only down side to wearing one is a sore right hand from all the hand shakes they get from pilots thanking them. It’s an honor to get one. And well deserved. Alas -- a poor, ignorant Center guy like me will never get one. This gig is for the Tower folks only.

I had this list of things to tell you today but like everything at OSH -- it’s overwhelming. Just the number of old friends I bumped into -- Bruce with ASF, Harry from LGB, Eric from ProPilot, Cole and Geoff from AVSIG -- the new friends -- the guy that became a mechanic in 1947 (add that up), the young lady (all of 16) that has enough moxie to be the next Administrator -- it’s just crazy fun.

I’ve got to quit so I can get up and do it again tomorrow.

Don Brown
July 25, 2007

The Radio Show

Did you catch me on the radio this morning ? No ??? Oh well, there’s always tomorrow.

People that have never been to the EAA’s AirVenture at Oshkosh have a hard time comprehending just how big an event it really is. It’s BIG. So big that they even have their own radio station.

Check it out.

To listen on your computer, just click on the EAA radio icon like the one below.



If all goes according to plan, I’ll be on tomorrow morning (7-25-07) again, at 9 AM Central Time. You can check the schedule here. I really enjoy these interviews and I hope you will too.

Don Brown
July 24, 2007

Goodnight Ladies

Well, I’m safely tucked away in Oshkosh, WI and I am bushed. I wasn’t too tired to go eat at my favorite restaurant though. Who knew German cooking was so good (not to mention the beer) ?

It’ll be a long day tomorrow so I’ll say goodnight. See you tomorrow at the show.

Don Brown
July 23, 2007

By the Numbers

I was just looking at some numbers for the Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson (ATL) airport -- the world’s busiest.

From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

”1 million — The number of takeoffs and landings the airport will experience this year.

3,000 — The average number of daily takeoffs and landings at Hartsfield-Jackson.

218 — The record hourly number of takeoffs and landings the airport experienced on Wednesday from 7 to 8 p.m.

3,103 — The record number of daily takeoffs and landings Hartsfield-Jackson experienced in a single 24-hour period earlier this month.”

Then I went to Flight Aware and looked at the arrivals between 8 PM and 9 PM today (7-22-07.) There were 110 arrivals in that hour.

I then went to one of those FAA Traffic Management pages I found not long ago. VAPS stand for “visual approaches.” In essence, it means good weather in which the airport can operate at it’s most efficient. The best weather and the best runway configuration gives you an 88-96 airport arrival rate.

Those numbers don’t exactly jibe do they ? If your “best” rate is 96 an hour but you’re landing 110 an hour then something isn’t exactly right. I don’t see the fifth runway that recently opened at ATL listed so I guess that is it. But let’s look a little deeper while we’re here anyway.

Suppose the weather wasn’t good. That takes the arrival rate (even with the preferred runway configuration) down to 68 arrivals per hour. I’ll give you 32 extra arrivals on the “fifth” runway and make it an even 100 arrivals per hour in bad weather. (Quickly, ATL has 4 “main” runways. Two for arrivals and two for departures. The “fifth” runway was recently added.)

According to the AJC, the record was set between 7-8 PM. Half of 218 (arrivals and departures) is 109 arrivals. With a 100 an hour airport arrival rate you’ve got 9 arrivals left over. They get pushed into the 8-9 PM hour. But that hour has 110 scheduled. Add 9 and you’ve now got 119 -- or 19 more than can the airport can handle.

Imagine what happens if the airport arrival rate goes down to 55 per hour. It isn’t just weather you have to worry about. Imagine what happens to the airport arrival rate when an aircraft blows a tire and gets stuck on the runway. Or a hundred other little glitches.

You’ve got to ask yourself some questions. Is scheduling an airport at 100+ percent of capacity worth that super-duper deal you got on your last airline ticket ? Or would you rather leave a little “give” in the system to allow for an occasional glitch ? Is that “cheap” airline ticket worth a 2 hour delay ? 4 hours ? 9 hours ? You may not realize it but it really is your choice. It’s your National Airspace System. You paid for it.

Don Brown
July 23, 2007

Wall Street Weighs In

In case you’ve forgotten, the goal is to privatize the United States’ National Airspace System. The Bush Administration wants to sell your airspace system -- the one you’ve bought and paid for with your taxes -- to the next Enron.

From Saturday’s Wall Street Journal editorial.

” If Congress decided instead to privatize the whole system, as Britain, Canada, Germany and other countries have done in whole or part, we'd hardly object. But it seems more likely that our Solons in Washington will bring it down to the wire over union givebacks and the like.”

As I told you earlier, I’m in the middle of a lot of travel so I don’t have time (at the moment) to give this editorial the thorough thrashing it deserves. But I don’t want you to forget to see the forest for the trees.

The name of this game -- the end game -- is privatization. And the Bush Administration is going to sell it to you the same way they sold the Iraq War to you. They are going to create a crisis (WMD/Gridlock) for which they already have the solution (Invasion/Privatization.)

I and many others have been detailing the FAA’s destruction for you. It isn’t “just happening.” It is deliberate. When it fails (not if but when) you’ll be more than ready to privatize the whole thing. Imagine how a passenger that just spent 9 hours trapped on an airplane with no food, no water and overflowing toilets would jump at any “solution” offered. Trust me, it can get worse. Much worse. When fear sets in -- real fear -- reason will go out the window.

Don Brown
July 22, 2007

Didn’t Learn Much Did We ?

From history that is. Remember this ?

””Jul 19, 1968: Air traffic congestion reached critical proportions when a total of 1,927 aircraft in the vicinity of New York City were delayed in taking off or landing, some for as long as three hours.”

You might be interested in these numbers.

”Number of Flights Delayed on July 18, 2007 -- 2,364 -- according to the FAA”

That message was brought to you by your favorite public servants, the air traffic controllers of NATCA . Check it out at Avoid Delays.

It really is a cool site. And you don’t have to take my (biased) word for it.

” Book non-stop flights whenever possible, and before you book that flight use the information found on the incredibly useful Avoid Delays Web site, which is maintained by air traffic controllers, to fine-tune your travel plans.”

That’s from Fodor’s.

I love it when my guys do the right thing and do it well. And they usually do. They aren’t perfect. But then again, they are. At least 99.999997% of the time. And that’s as close to perfect as any humans you know.

Don Brown
July 20, 2007

Travelin’ Man

If you’re traveling, you’ve got to have some Bob Segar music. I knew there was something else I needed at the iTunes Store.

Anyway, I’ve got some traveling to do for the next few days. So things might slow down a little. I’ll post what I can, when I can.

After a few long distance errands, I’ll be headed to OSH for a week. It’s amazing how many people don’t know about the EAA’s AirVentrure. Lots of people do, of course. I mean LOTS of people. I’m just surprised at the ones that don’t.

If you’re going, be sure to drop by the NATCA tent and say hi. We’re normally located between the Tower and the FAA hangar. Right across the road from the Cannon Camera building.

And be sure to put me on your schedule. Our schedule is tentative (aren’t they all ?) but I’ll be there and speaking at most of the NATCA sponsored events.

Don Brown
July 20, 2007

FAA History Lesson -- July 19

You’d be forgiven if you thought this history lesson was from today’s date; 7-19-07. It isn’t, of course. It’s from almost 30 years ago. (Whoops...make that almost 40 years ago.)

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

”Jul 19, 1968: Air traffic congestion reached critical proportions when a total of 1,927 aircraft in the vicinity of New York City were delayed in taking off or landing, some for as long as three hours. The jam, which spread to other major transportation hubs, was exacerbated by PATCO's decision to conduct a slowdown. (See Jul 3, 1968, and Jan 15, 1969.) At the root of the problem, however, was the inability of an inadequate and long-neglected air traffic control and airport system to accommodate the heavy tourist season traffic. The jam was symptomatic of conditions that forced FAA to develop schedule restrictions for certain airports. (See Jun 1, 1969.) ”

I just think I will (see June 1, 1969.) But before I do, a comment. Imagine if the controllers of today ran a slow down. As we used to joke back when I was a controller, “We’d have to advertise it. Otherwise nobody would know.” Today’s “slowdown” is brought to you by your friendly FAA and the 800 lb. gorilla in aviation -- the airlines. Watch this. Jump to June 1, 1969.

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

Jun 1, 1969: In response to growing congestion, FAA implemented a rule placing quotas on instrument flight rule (IFR) operations at five of the nation's busiest airports between 6 a.m. and midnight. The rule assigned the following hourly quotas:

Kennedy International, 80 (70 for air carriers and supplementals; 5 for scheduled air taxis; 5 for general aviation);

(Chicago)O'Hare, 135 (115 for air carriers and supplementals; 10 for scheduled air taxis; 10 for general aviation);

La Guardia, 60 (48 for air carriers and supplementals; 6 for scheduled air taxis; 6 for general aviation);

Newark, 60 (40 for air carriers and supplementals; 10 for scheduled air taxis; 10 for general aviation);

Washington National, 60 (40 for air carriers and supplementals; 8 for scheduled air taxis; 12 for general aviation).

The rule did not charge extra sections of scheduled air carrier flights (such as hourly shuttle flights) against the established quotas, except at Kennedy; this airport, however, was permitted 10 extra air carrier operations per hour during the peak traffic period between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. IFR flights were required to make advanced reservations for each operation. Pilots obtained IFR reservations by contacting the Airport Reservation Office (established May 30, 1969) in Washington, D.C., or any FAA flight service station. Aircraft under visual flight rules (VFR) made arrival reservations in the air when approximately 30 miles from their intended destination. Departure reservations for such aircraft were handled by the air traffic control facilities serving these five high density airports. Originally implemented for a six-month period, this "High Density Rule" was subsequently extended to Oct 25, 1970. On that date, the hourly limitations on operations were suspended at Newark, where peak operations during fiscal 1970 had averaged 18 less than the assigned quota of 60. At the same time, the quotas were extended for another year at the other four airports. In taking this action, FAA noted that the percentage of aircraft delays at the five airports had decreased substantially since the rule was put into effect.

On Aug 24, 1971, FAA published an amendment extending the High Density Rule until Oct 25, 1972. Flight limitations remained unchanged at La Guardia and Washington National, but at O'Hare and Kennedy the quotas were now in effect only between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. The relaxation was due in part to a decline in aviation activity during a general downturn in the U.S. economy.

An amendment published on Oct 25, 1972, extended the High Density Rule until the same date in 1973, when another amendment was published giving it an indefinite extension. At the same time, FAA eliminated the requirement that pilots operating under visual flight rules at all five airports file a flight plan. FAA believed this requirement was no longer necessary since these airports were now operating under the terminal control area concept, which required pilots to establish radio communications with the tower and receive permission to enter the terminal airspace. (See Mar 23, 1978, Nov 3, 1980, and Mar 6, 1984.)

(edited for emphasis and clarity)

Did you notice that ATL (Atlanta - Hartsfield) wasn’t on that list ? You know, the busiest airport in the world ? Or number 3 (DFW) or 4 (LAX) or 5 (LAS) ? And while we’re here, just in case you’re curious, LGA is number 19 and DCA is number 41.

(Check it out. You can get the entire listing in the FAA Administrator’s Fact Book. I used the Dec. 2006 version.)

I did not pull those two airports (DCA and LGA) out of a hat.

And if one of you guys that works for the people that buy ink by the barrel doesn’t figure it out...I’ll have to write the story myself and charge you for it. We know what works. The FAA just won’t implement it (unless they’re told to by somebody more powerful than the airlines.) (Wink-Wink)

Here’s a hint. Two words. Concrete and Concrete.


Don Brown
July 19, 2007

Report Card Time

If the post below (detailing how Congress is displeased) wasn’t bad enough, those wacky guys at AVweb (disclaimer: I used to write for them) have gone and added insult to injury. Their “Question of the Week” is a report card for Marion Blakey. Can you say “Ouch !” ? As of this morning, 87% had given her an “F”.

For a more serious view, go read this excellent piece of work from my friends over at The FAA Follies.

Government by the airlines, for the airlines, of the airlines

I won’t spoil the surprise but I will say it is truly a cut above for a blog. They put some real effort into this one.

Don Brown
July 19, 2007

Buried Gems

What’s the quip ? Making laws is like making sausage ? Maybe so but there’s some interesting gems buried in all that ground up meat. Speaking of ground up meat, I wonder how the FAA’s feeling about right now ?

This is from a Senate Report (No. 110-131) Don’t ask me what that means. (I was the safety guy, not the legislative guy.) I just know what it says.


AIR TRAFFIC ORGANIZATION

The Committee recommends $6,964,813,000 for the Air Traffic Organization to operate and maintain the national air traffic control system. The recommended level is equal to the budget estimate, and equal to the fiscal year 2007 enacted level. The Committee is confident that the recommended funding level is sufficient to continue safe and efficient management of the National Airspace System [NAS].

Air Traffic Controller Contract- Last year, after failing to reach an agreement on a new contract through the collective bargaining process, the Administrator used questionable statutory authority to impose a new pay structure and work rules on the air traffic controller workforce. Several issues regarding the imposition of these terms are unresolved and tension between the controllers and FAA management remains at its worst point since the PATCO strike. The Committee believes that the current tenor of labor-management relations at the agency is not at all in the best interest of the FAA safety mission and the ability of the agency to tackle its most vexing challenges. As such, the Committee expects the Administrator to work aggressively to resolve the conflict over the controller's contract immediately.

Air Traffic Controller Staffing- The bill includes a provision that requires the FAA to submit to Congress its annual air traffic controller workforce plan by March 31 of each year. The original controller workforce plan was submitted to Congress in December 2004. Although the agency promised that the plan would be updated annually, the Committee had to wait until June 2006 before receiving any update to that plan. Since that time, the Committee has not received the 2007 update. The Committee directs the FAA to submit its 2007 plan immediately. The Committee also directs the FAA to include in each update to the controller workforce plan annual information on the total number of air traffic controllers that the agency projects for its workforce in addition to providing the estimated losses and planned hires to the controller workforce. Under the terms of the provision in the bill, the agency's budget will be effectively fined for each day after March 31 that the report is not submitted.

The Committee believes that a fully staffed controller workforce is critical to maintaining the safety of the air transportation system. However, the Committee is concerned that the FAA will not be able to reach its staffing goals for the current fiscal year, placing the goals for fiscal year 2008 in further jeopardy. As illustrated by the table below, the FAA expected to lose 1,197 air traffic controllers this year, and it hopes to hire 1,386 controllers in order fill those vacancies and increase its total staff level to 14,807. However, a little over halfway through fiscal year 2007, the FAA had already lost 900 controllers, or 75 percent of the total number of controller losses that the agency had projected for the entire year. The FAA also underestimated the number of controller losses to the workforce for both fiscal years 2005 and 2006. If controller losses continue to occur at this rate, the FAA will have to hire a total of 1,732 controllers this year in order to meet its workforce goal. That hiring total is 346 more controllers than the FAA had planned to hire before the end of the fiscal year. While the agency insists that it can still meet its end-of-year on-board strength goal for this year, the Committee will continue to monitor this situation carefully. The safety of our skies makes it essential that the FAA's hard hiring targets be viewed as a mandate on the agency, not as some amorphous goal that can slip from year to year.

(emphasis added)

Don Brown
July 18, 2007

FAA History Lesson -- July 18

You probably won’t ever see this in an FAA history book.

FAA chief should get the ax, senator says”

Don Brown
July 18, 2007

Serendipity

Serendipity

–noun
1. an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.
2. good fortune; luck:

It’s been a serendipitous day. This morning I was visiting James Fallows’ blog. I bumped into Mr. Fallows in cyberspace (he’s a pilot, I was a controller) and found him to be an unusually thoughtful fellow. Much to my chagrin, I didn’t really know who he was. (or is that “is” ?) I, of course, checked him out and went “Whoa !” That led me to his blog and I’ve been reading him ever since. But back to today.

Mr. Fallows’ blog today was about a graph that appeared in the Wall Street Journal’s editorial page. The economist crowd is having a field day pointing out the error of the WSJ’s ways. Mr. Fallows points his readers to the same site I’ve been pointing you towards; the Economist’s View.

If you take the time to look at the chart, take the time to compare it with this chart that I tried to steer you towards a while back. Norway, Iceland, Australia, Ireland. An interesting correlation.

Later in the day, I went to get a haircut. I thought it strange, but the girl cutting my hair wanted to talk politics. Fine by me. She let on that she no longer considered herself a Republican (that’s saying something in my county of Georgia) and I told her about about my quote from George Burns in this morning’s post. “Too bad that all the people who know how to run the country are busy driving taxicabs and cutting hair." She thought that was hilarious. I don’t get many laughs, especially when I’m talking politics. It was nice.

When I got home, I had a nice “thank you” waiting for me from my friend John Carr over at The Main Bang. To be honest, I had to go read his blog entry to see what he was going on about. John has a lot more connections than I do and he obviously knows something else that I don’t. I’m used to that. And I can live with serendipity.

Don Brown
July 17, 2006