tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34690855.post4848802944913571574..comments2024-03-24T10:57:10.838-04:00Comments on Get the Flick: Fareed's Take -- NextGenDon Brownhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10219887691182501386noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34690855.post-28529487667245768602013-01-12T20:26:12.353-05:002013-01-12T20:26:12.353-05:00Don:
Great blog, long time reader, first time com...Don:<br /><br />Great blog, long time reader, first time commenter, I think.<br /><br />As a former FAA civil servant I worked on the Brown Book programs and my job was to speak truth to power. I was one of 3 engineers that made up the Administrator's program review staff and in those days each program was reviewed quarterly by the Administrator. Our official job was to find out what was going on on programs and make sure the Administrator knew before the program manager and his reporting chain got to tell too many fairy tales. The unofficial and really more real job was to keep the OST staffs from helping too much, make sure the different programs knew what the policies were and which ones could be waived or pencil whipped and which ones were real, and finally transfer lessons learned across the organization. Since we got to see all the major programs we got to see all the things that went right and went not so right and tried to get the programs to learn from other peoples mistakes. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't.<br /><br />The FAA today is not what it was, and that is not just an old fart POV. In 1985 you could get a decision in FOB 10A by getting the right few people and doing it. Today there are staffs of people that don't know the pointy end from the blunt end of an airplane who form working groups and review programs to make sure the policy is followed. To them it is a matter of following policy or their little power structure or process they are in charge of. They aren't evil people (mostly) or stupid, just ignorant. And the worst part is they don't know how ignorant they are. You can't have an intelligent conversation with someone reviewing the program to discontinue VOR service who doesn't know what VORs do and that no VOR means no Victor airway. But they sure can have meetings, send emails, etc. Not a one of them have ever read anything on how the common system in the U.S. was developed after WW II or have even read 49 USC and know that the Administrator is in charge, not the Secretary of Transportation. Doubt that the current Administrator has read it either and if he has wouldn't dare to speak truth to that power because...of something. The official agency histories are mainly organizational and political, not technical or operational. Though they are factually correct and well written they don't do the people inside any good in trying to figure out what works and what doesn't. And programatic lessons learned reports etc that I have seen are usually written to conform to someones preconceived notions or what they want the story to be. The true, useful history of things like Advanced Automation System hasn't been written, and may never be, because nobody kept the information or wants to lay it all out for analysis and let the conclusions happen as they will. Different people will each have their point of view based on what they saw and experienced, so we maybe each have our own truths. The current agency historian is very good but can only work with what she has and must fit generally within a bureaucratic space.<br /><br />Keep up the good work and the excellent blogIron Cityhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01582579281154856635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34690855.post-36889806241287010902013-01-12T20:23:40.840-05:002013-01-12T20:23:40.840-05:00This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.Iron Cityhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01582579281154856635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34690855.post-77549101029435828102013-01-12T17:32:01.379-05:002013-01-12T17:32:01.379-05:00Please consider devoting some coverage to the prot...Please consider devoting some coverage to the protections (and pitfalls) available to federal civil servants who decide to speak out.MSPB Watchhttp://mspbwatch.netnoreply@blogger.com