ATC Safety Review Team: NEED MORE CONTROLLERS NOW; Mr. Whitaker here are some suggestions for immediate throughput.
Mr. Administrator, and it’s quite a pleasure to address one who has been advised and consented, the National Airspace System Safety Review Team has delivered a daunting report1 addressing the ATC mess that you inherited. The collection of union leaders (3) and former government leaders (3)2 has pointed at the URGENT NEED TO INCREASE THE HUMAN CAPACITY AT ARTCCs, TRACONs and ATCTs.
Certified air traffic controller workforce grew by just 6 in the last year, union says
The nation’s understaffed and overworked air traffic controller workforce has grown by only six fully trained controllers over the last year, the workers’ union president told Congress.
National Air Traffic Controllers Association President Rich Santa told a Senate subcommittee Thursday GROWTH IN THE THOUSANDS IS NEEDED. The FAA’s controller ranks are ABOUT 3,600 SHORT of the 14,000-plus controller staffing goal, he said. It would take more than a decade of hiring at maximum levels to catch up, he noted.
Your team has issued a response (see below) which includes the following answers to the staffing shortfall:
- PROVIDE ADDITIONAL SUPPORT TO COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES IN THE AIR TRAFFIC-COLLEGIATE TRAINING INITIATIVE (AT-CTI) PROGRAM.
- KEEP FILLING EVERY SEAT AT THE FAA ACADEMY AND INCREASE OUR CLASSROOM CAPACITY BEYOND CURRENT LIMITS.
There is a short-term3 deficit in human capacity in the FAA facilities; after a surge in qualification of ATCers, the training classes should flatten out. As your November 17 statement recognizes, it makes no sense to expand the FAA ATC Academy in Oklahoma City for once all the positions are filled the additional classrooms would be underutilized. Further, as the report clearly indicates, Congress would take years to authorize and budget ant capital spending.
That said, there are existing educational resources that could ramp up the qualification throughput beyond your points. Added educational resources exist and they include4:
- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is located in Daytona Beach, Florida. They have three labs that are included in the program, which emulate the En Route, terminal radar, and control tower domains. The labs are high-fidelity, integrating controller interactions in all three domains. The air traffic control labs use state-of-the art air traffic control simulation environment that is designed to enable STUDENTS TO DEVELOP, maintain and enhance skills related to air traffic control. In each of the air traffic control courses, the labs are used to introduce students to the terminal radar, En Route Radar and non-radar, and control tower environments and procedures and minima prescribed in FAAH 7110.65. Each course builds upon knowledge gained in previous courses, all in a simulated environment. Training includes the vertical, lateral, and longitudinal separation of aircraft in the departure, en route, and arrival phases of flight. Phraseology, strip marking, instrument and visual approaches and the coordination procedures necessary to complete these functions are included in simulated ATC scenarios, along with the associated keyboard commands. The university also offers a Bachelor of Science in Air Traffic Management.
- The University of North Dakota has an air traffic control laboratory. The university offers a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautics with a major in Air Traffic Management. The program is designed to prepare students to be part of the next generation of air traffic controllers. The university’s facilities offer an air traffic control training experience that is second to none, including the most technologically advanced control tower and radar simulators. The university operates advanced control tower and radar simulators to prepare students for a career in air traffic control. An Adacel 225° Tower Radar Simulator System (TRSS) occupies two adjacent rooms. One room contains a virtual “tower cab” with a wrap-around visual system that simulates the view from the control tower. The second room houses simulated radar terminals. Students can train on the Adacel 360° MaxSim® ATC Tower/Radar System, which consists of a 360° Tower view with four synchronized radar positions. The university also offers specialized advanced courses in radar, tower operations, aviation safety management, and more. Graduates will request a letter of recommendation from the Department of Aviation. Use the letter to apply for an Air Traffic Control Specialist position with the FAA, as a CTI (Collegiate Training Initiative) graduate. CTI graduates can apply in POOL 1, granting them preferential consideration by qualification category (Best Qualified, Well Qualified, and Qualified), which is determined by their Air Traffic Skills Assessment (ATSA) result.
- Auburn University has a Department of Aviation that offers a Bachelor of Science in Aviation Management with a concentration in Air Traffic Control. The program provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary to become air traffic controllers. The university has several labs that are included in the program, which emulate the En Route, terminal radar, and control tower domains. The labs are high-fidelity, integrating controller interactions in all three domains. The air traffic control labs use state-of-the art air traffic control simulation environment that is designed to enable students to develop, maintain and enhance skills related to air traffic control. In each of the air traffic control courses, the labs are used to introduce students to the terminal radar, En Route Radar and non-radar, and control tower environments and procedures and minima prescribed in FAAH 7110.65. Each course builds upon knowledge gained in previous courses, all in a simulated environment. Training includes the vertical, lateral, and longitudinal separation of aircraft in the departure, en route, and arrival phases of flight. Phraseology, strip marking, instrument and visual approaches and the coordination procedures necessary to complete these functions are included in simulated ATC scenarios, along with the associated keyboard commands.
All of these universities have extensive aviation, ATC research and controller training records. The quality of their graduates is likely to provide controllers prepared to meet the IMMEDIATE needs with little or no additional training at Mike Monroney. There may be need for immediate educational funds from the FAA.
Senators and Representatives are VERY LIKELY to sponsor and pass legislation for (1) in state education institutions (2) aviation safety and (3) good jobs. Emergency funding to expand the graduations from these four states and perhaps to provide students’ financial support would receive expedited Congressional Action.
FAA Takes Actions to Address Independent Safety Review Team’s Recommendations
Friday, November 17, 2023
WASHINGTON — The Federal Aviation Administration is taking immediate action to enhance air traffic controller training and safety reporting following the release of the National Airspace System Safety Review Team report.
“Aviation is safe because we are continuously looking for ways to improve,” said Administrator Mike Whitaker. “The independent safety review team made some excellent recommendations and we are adopting some of them immediately.”
The independent safety review team completed a thorough assessment and presented its recommendations this week on enhancing safety and reliability in the nation’s air traffic system. The team examined the FAA’s internal safety processes, STAFFING LEVELS AND PRACTICES, as well as needs for facilities and equipment and how the agency’s air traffic budget is funded. The FAA commissioned the panel of aviation experts following the agency’s Safety Summit in March.
The FAA is taking immediate action on the following items:
- PROVIDE ADDITIONAL SUPPORT TO COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES IN THE AIR TRAFFIC-COLLEGIATE TRAINING INITIATIVE (AT-CTI) PROGRAM5. The FAA will work with AT-CTI programs to ensure that graduates from these programs have the necessary skills to begin on-the-job training at a facility. These graduates still must pass the Air Traffic Skills Assessment (ATSA) exam and meet medical and security requirements. Previously, these graduates were required to attend the FAA Air Traffic Controller Academy prior to being assigned to a facility.
- Announced a year-round hiring track for experienced controllers from the military and private industry.
- KEEP FILLING EVERY SEAT AT THE FAA ACADEMY AND INCREASE OUR CLASSROOM CAPACITY BEYOND CURRENT LIMITS.
- Expand the use of advanced training across the country. The agency has new facilities in Chicago and San Diego, and will be adding them in Nashua and Phoenix in the spring.
- Finish deploying tower simulator systems in 95 facilities by December 2025. The FAA will deploy the first system in Austin6 by January 2024.
- To strengthen our safety culture, provide reports from the Air Traffic Safety Oversight Service to the FAA Administrator and Aviation Safety Associate Administrator.
Since the Safety Summit, the FAA has undertaken a series of safety initiatives to reach its commitment to pursue a goal of zero serious close calls.
Air-Traffic Safety Threatened by Staffing, Funding Woes, Report Says
FAA Warned on Air-Safety Risks from Short Staffing, Aging Tech© Provided by The Wall Street Journal
The nation’s air-traffic-control system faces increasing hazards from short staffing, outdated technology and chronic underfunding, according to a federal report that examined safety issues following a string of close calls at U.S. airports over the past year.
STAFFING SHORTAGES AT FACILITIES that manage airplane traffic are leading to significant flight delays as the Federal Aviation Administration shuffles personnel to maintain safety at the expense of efficiency, the report said.
The abrupt changes needed to slow operations because of staffing can require rerouting flights and boosting spacing between aircraft, sharply increasing chances for mistakes in communication, the report said.
The National Airspace System Safety Review Team report, commissioned earlier this year by the FAA, didn’t say American airspace was unsafe. The authors, including former top U.S. government aviation and industry leaders, said the FAA’s problems are eroding safety protections and are unsustainable over the long-term.
The FAA on Wednesday released the report, details of which The Wall Street Journal had earlier reported. It called for a series of changes to how Congress and the White House approve FAA funding, and issued various recommendations.
“The confluence of the issues we identified results in an erosion of safety margins that must be urgently addressed,” the report’s authors wrote.
The agency said it has taken several actions to end serious close calls since an industry summit it hosted earlier this year. Former FAA Administrator Michael Huerta, who led the review team, said during a press briefing that many of the FAA’s problems relate to its budget. “That’s why our recommendations focus so much on ensuring adequate and stable funding,” he said.
Air travel’s rapid bounceback from the Covid-19 pandemic has at times strained U.S. air-traffic and airline workforces, raising safety worries. The FAA and industry have taken steps to promote vigilance and IN SOME CASES ADDED TRAINING. Next week, the U.S. air-travel system will be tested again with heavy air traffic anticipated over the Thanksgiving holiday.
The report comes as the agency has a new Senate-confirmed leader, Mike Whitaker, after more than 18 months of temporary bosses.
The report identified other shortcomings within the FAA. It said the agency’s air-traffic-control organization lacked a robust system to ensure controllers had completed required training or were proficient. In one serious incident, which the authors didn’t detail, a controller involved “was delinquent in completing over 24 training items.”
The air-traffic-control staffing shortage has also hobbled the FAA’s own internal systems for managing safety risks related to pilots, near midair collisions and other incidents, the report said.
Aging equipment and facilities pose their own risks. The FAA struggles to find parts for ground-based safety systems at airports, for example, and replacement antennas are no longer available for beacons used to track aircraft. A breakdown of the FAA’s antiquated technology led to a nationwide flight halt earlier this year for the first time since the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
The 52-page report makes various recommendations. Among them: exempt the FAA from government shutdowns, which the report said have set back training and staffing levels for air-traffic controllers.
Write to Andrew Tangel at andrew.tangel@wsj.com\
NATCA worries about throughput–https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/natca-wants-oversight-of-controller-training-changes/