More Potentially Deadly Moves by Bush’s FAA

[Omaha Steve]

http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/04/29/more-potentially-deadly-moves-by-bushs-faa/

by Mike Hall, Apr 29, 2008

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)—under fire for failing to meet inspection deadlines for the nation’s passenger air fleet—is now putting off inspections of equally vital ground-based equipment such as radar and instrument landing systems.



The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) says that in March, the FAA relaxed certification and maintenance requirements and removed the time element for the inspections. Appropriate maintenance and certification that the equipment is operating correctly is a critical function in ensuring passenger safety, says NATCA.


Larry Ihlen, a senior engineer, 30-year veteran FAA employee and NATCA Alaska local union president, says:

The engineers of the agency have continued to warn management officials that removing the time element between checking the equipment will compromise the safety of the National Airspace System.


The approach the FAA is taking with its own systems is like saying that you will drive your car across the country without ever checking the oil; it worked yesterday, so it will work tomorrow, unless it quits. Unfortunately, when the agency’s equipments quit, the loss of life is a very real possibility.

Meanwhile, the FAA continues to ignore the growing safety problem controller fatigue poses to the flying public. The agency even disciplined a controller for calling in sick because he was incapacitated for duty from fatigue due to the long hours and increased workloads the controller staffing crisis has created.


Says Edward Wytkind, president of the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department:

Congress must step in and address important safety, security and labor issues that have been left unresolved for too long. Restoring collective bargaining at the FAA, ensuring one standard of aircraft repair whether done in-house or at foreign repair stations, providing health and safety protections to flight attendants, increased staffing for air traffic control and safety inspectors, updating firefighting standards at airports, and addressing flight crew fatigue are critical issues that can’t wait.

FULL story at link.

[williesgirl]

1. This criminal misadministration has ruined everything they've touched. rec'd