- STATEMENT OF
- WALTER W, PIKE, PRESIDENT
- NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF AIR TRAFFIC SPECIALISTS
- ON THE PROPOSED FY 2001 FAA BUDGET
- SUBMITTED TO
- UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
- COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
- SUBCOMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION
- WASHINGTON, D, C,
- MARCH 31, 2000
Chairman Wolf and Members of the Subcommittee:
Thank you for allowing me to present this testimony to you.
My name is Walter W. (Wally) Pike. I have completed three fourths of my first term as President of the National Association of Air Traffic Specialists (NAATS). I have been a union official since 1979. Last year, I detailed my r�sum� for the Subcommittee.
Briefly, I was born in Oklahoma, and educated there, attending the University of Oklahoma. I served In the Army during the Vietnam War and have worked for the Federal Aviation Agency since 1969, and in air traffic control continuously since 1973.
NAATS is one of the nationally recognized federal labor unions representing FAA workers. Since 1957, NAATS has been the exclusive bargaining agent for the Flight Service controllers.
Our members work for a unit of the FAA known as the Flight Service, at 61 Automated Flight Service Stations (AFSS) sited throughout the United States, generally away from large population centers, and at 14 non-automated Flight Service Stations (FSS) scattered about Alaska, some of which operate seasonally or part-time. Additionally, NAATS represents approximately 95 automation specialists at the air route traffic control centers.
Flight Service controllers receive much the same training as commercial air traffic controllers (who are represented by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA)), but, in addition, NAATS controllers are specifically trained to provide information to help pilots avoid weather-related hazards, including thunderstorms, turbulence and icing. Training a journeyman Flight Service controller takes about three years.
NAATS controllers receive and electronically file flight plans; provide preflight and inflight weather briefings; monitor air navigation aids and conduct en-route communications with pilots to relay air traffic control clearances; originate Notices to Airmen; broadcast aviation weather and National Airspace System Information; aid pilots who are lost, in emergency situations, or other distress; and conduct vital search and rescue missions.
General aviation pilots are the most frequent users of these services, but commercial and military pilots can, and frequently do, use them. Our task, then, is to keep aircraft separated from the weather risks around them.
While flying continues to be a relatively safe mode of transportation, and has shown modest safety gains in recent years, the nearly constant increase in air traffic and the inability of the FAA to keep pace with technology developments in timely fashion continue to put general aviation pilots and their passengers at some risk.
According to the National Traffic Safety Board (NTSB) between 1989 and 1997 there were 15,289 accidents Involving general aviation aircraft, of which 3,510 (23.0%) were weather-related. These accidents involved aircraft used for personal, instructional, business/corporate executive, and agricultural (crop-dusting) flights. Weather related factors included wind, visibility or ceiling problems, and icing.
For several years, NAATS has testified about the foot-dragging approach taken by the Administration in the procurement of new technology to replace equipment that was no longer reliable and had long outlived its usefulness. Much of our previous testimony focused on the pace of procurement of the Operational and supportability implementation system (OASIS), which, when fully installed, will replace the main equipment with which our controllers work
Although the pace of installation has not improved -- the first installation of OASIS now is expected to take place by June, 2002 at Seattle, Washington -the Administration finally seems committed to the program. The extra time and effort for further development of this system will improve it substantially.
We are delighted to note that in this year's budget request, "the Administration supports full-funding of multi-year fixed asset projects as part of an ongoing attempt to improve the cost and performance of agency procurements. To implement the Administration's full-funding policy, advance appropriations are requested for ... OASIS."(Appendix, Budget of the United States Government, FY 2001, p. 754) NAATS strongly concurs with this recommendation.
The President's budget submission for the FAA also notes "Flight service facilities must be upgraded and improved on a continuing basis to provide the level of service required by users and to meet current and future operational requirements. New equipment must be installed or existing facilities and equipment must be improved, expanded, or relocated to assure the continuance of high quality navigational and landing aids." (Federal Aviation Administration, FY 2001 President's Budget Submission, p. t81),
Again, NAATS strongly supports this recommendation, which will help keep the National Airspace System facilities efficient and up-to-date.
Finally, the Administration's budget requests $6 million In FY 2001 and $39.4 million in the future for Flight Service Station switch modernization. The AFSS program provides pilots with significantly improved access to flight planning, weather, communication and emergency services essential to the conduct of safe and efficient flight. In the course of providing services, the AFSSs receive about 35 million contacts annually. The integrated FSS voice switch provides the means through which voice communications paths are selected and established. All of the voice switch systems currently operational at FSS were deployed under 1982 contracts. All are now aging technology with limited supportability. Replacing the switches with modern equipment will significantly improve the operational and maintenance aspects of Flight Service operations.
The budget proposes replacing six voice switch systems in FY 2001, and the remaining 56 in the future. NAATS believes that the reliability of communications between pilots and Flight Service controllers is vital for safe and efficient flight. The switch to modern digital systems will ensure long-term supportability and significantly reduce support costs. The union strongly supports this budget request.
On the personnel side, we are pleased that this year's budget request omits the ill-considered and dangerous proposal to reduce by 90 the number of Flight Service controllers, which this subcommittee and Congress soundly rejected last year. However, the number of controllers in the Flight Service system remains dangerously low. Especially critical shortages of personnel exist at DeRidder AFSS, Louisiana, at San Angelo AFSS, Texas, at Greenwood AFSS, Mississippi, and at Oakland AFSS, California, to name Just four.
The administration has begun to try to turn this situation around by hiring new "developmentals", but these trainees will not be ready to work as controllers for 3 years. Meanwhile, the limited number of training slots available at the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center at Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, through which all trainees must pass, creates a bottleneck which limits the pace at which new hires can become working Flight Service controllers. Under current FAA practice, fourteen developmentals per class are trained at one time, with seven classes taking place in a year, a total of 98 trainees per year. This is insufficient to meet even the annual rate of attrition in the controller work force, which is running at about 158 per year. The hiring and training of developmentals at this pace will eventually slow, but not stop, the attrition of the controller work force, which we believe is presently dangerously below an acceptable minimum.
The FAA partially masks this situation, by combining the number of trainees (from the date that they are hired) with the number of controllers, operation supervisors, other than controller work force -- mostly administrative personnel, and data processing system operators, to reflect a total Flight Service Work Force. Congress has required that this work force be maintained at 3,000. but it is presently at 2,980 and dropping.
NAATS believes that the number of working Flight Service controllers needs to be restored to and maintained at a minimum of 2,850. Because the quality of the training must be maintained, this can only be eventually accomplished if the training course is double-tracked, with a second set of training courses run at night. While this approach will undoubtedly require some additional funds, it is the least expensive alternative we can imagine which will solve the problem.
In general, though, we are pleased to support the budget request of the Administration for the FAA, and to urge the subcommittee to fund it. Again, we thank the subcommittee for the opportunity to testify.
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This page was last updated on 24 November, 2000