Notice to Airmen

Here’s the scoop. On Wednesday, June 11, 2008 at 2 PM, the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure will hold a hearing on air traffic control facility staffing.

The schedules on Capitol Hill are always in flux so events are always subject to change. But for right now, you can go to this page and check the schedule. Currently, “Air Traffic Control Facility Staffing” is about the eighth from the top. You can click on that link and download a .pdf file for the full background on the hearing. Also, on the same page provided by the link, you’ll see a green button in the top left quadrant of the page that says “Live Webcast”. I’m pretty sure that will be the button to click at 2 PM on Wednesday to watch the hearing.

As I said, things change. Hearings start late. I’ll keep you up to date as best I can. I haven’t heard anything about C-SPAN covering the event and didn’t see anything on their website.

I don’t have any inside information to pass along to you -- just the general consensus. Every air traffic controller in America will be watching this hearing very closely. Their patience is wearing thin. If these hearings don’t produce any hope, expect those “sitting on the fence” to jump. Decisions will be made. Controllers that can, will stay or retire based on what they see in these hearings. Supervisors will decide to stand up to FAA upper management or continue to cower in fear, based on what they see in these hearings. Trainees will decide to stay or quit and find a decent career elsewhere.

I sense that tomorrow will be a turning point. It’s nothing but a feeling -- instinct -- but I’ve had to trust my feeling on more than one occasion. I don’t expect any action will be taken -- it’s a hearing -- but I think history will be made. The stage will be set.

Worthy of note, the first panel will be the regular bigwigs but the second panel will be three air traffic controllers. No one else, just the NATCA Facility Representatives from Philadelphia, Southern California TRACON and Miami Center.

Don Brown
June 10, 2008