link to ap article. Are these guys unionized? How in the world does he still have a job after all the previous infractions - - tardiness, abscenteeism, and a previously unreported DUI? Not to mention he apparently sucks at controlling.....?
Look on the bright side- the fact that this story is out in the open vindicates the democratic principle of transparency in government. I saw this story yesterday when one of my friends showed it to me. Just like you, I'm kinda shaking my head at the situation.
Same controller led to a near mid air at GPT last year. It's ridiculous. 1/3 of controllers are trainees right now and shit is seriously unsafe. FAA doesn't want to hear it. Fucking sucks.
is there something i'm missing that is causing the FAA to look the other way? is it labor union politics? is there some new fangled safety management system that needs a proof of concept (more fed $ for FAA)? i mean, there's got to be an explanation why to how this story makes it out and the dude still has a job?
I'm guessing they're "looking the other way" because of numbers. A few years ago the FAA was already worried about having enough qualified controllers and how it would take a while to fix the problem, assuming they had enough accessions, which they didn't. I'm guessing the same issue is still there. Not saying it's right or wrong, but just what I'm guessing is the issue.
There's still a union (evan after the strike), NATCA, they have quite a few of radio commercials in the DC market. Not sure how much juice they have with the FAA.
The folks hired after the '81 PATCO strike are all retiring. This is leaving a huge experience gap and it takes up to 5 years for a controller to be fully trained and qualified. The FAA has a "plan" but I contend that the FAA failed to act in anticipation of a known problem and the system will be paying the price for the next 5-10 years.
The experience gap is real and directly impacting ops along the Gulf Coast. Latest numbers are 1/3 of controllers are trainees, with everyone getting up to speed in about a year.
To add they made the training much tougher at Oklahoma City for new controllers. The pass rates are at an all time low (which I guess is good), but it's leaving them short on controllers. Someone will have to give, the FAA or NATCA; we'll see who can flex their muscles the longest...
