Mismanagement

BEB over at The FAA Follies has been having a really good week with his writing. Today’s post is about something that has been going on for years in the FAA. Most managers in the FAA (not all) are barely qualified to work traffic. It was that way most of my career. The problem is, it’s getting worse. Take a look.

Many, many pilots assumed when they heard a voice change -- when a new controller started talking on the same frequency -- that it was a supervisor. It’s possible, but highly unlikely. Most supervisors are sitting at their desks (doing something or other) and aren’t even close to a radar scope -- much less wearing a headset.

The voice change pilots normally hear is a controller taking over from a trainee. And trust me, trainees hate it when an instructor has to take charge. They hate it almost as much as a certified controller would hate a supervisor talking on his frequency. Seeing as the supervisor probably isn’t even certified on the position, the supervisor isn’t real eager to start talking either.

Don Brown
December 3, 2008