Says Controllers Conceal Mistakes

Representative James Oberstar (D-8-MN) has released the following endorsement of the controllers' union position:

Dear Aviation Subcommittee Colleague:

At tomorrow's [Wednesday's] hearing on contracting out of FAA's air traffic control facilities, the Subcommittee will consider a recent report of DOT's Inspector General (IG), which evaluates data on the safety of existing contract towers compared to towers operated by FAA controllers. I have been doubtful that the data discussed by the IG provides a basis for comparing the safety of the two types of towers.

A major concern is that the only data evaluated by the IG was "operational errors;" that is, instances which controllers permit aircraft to get closer than established standards for aircraft separation. The only way that this data becomes available is for the controller who makes the error to report it. There is no basis for determining whether contract towers or FAA towers report all the errors, or whether one type of tower may be more inclined to under-report than the other type. This raises serious questions as to the usefulness of the data for making comparisons.

Because of my concerns, I asked the General Accounting Office for its opinion on whether comparisons of operational errors among different types of air traffic control facilities can be used to compare their safety. In the attached report, GAO concluded that:

"We identified several potential limitations with FAA's data on operations errors based on our review of issued GAO and DOT reports and applications of best methodological practices."

"Comparisons of operational errors among types of air traffic control facilities, such as FAA-staffed facilities versus contractor-staffed facilities, cannot be used alone to provide valid conclusions about safety. based on standard methodological practices and our understanding of FAA's data."

"The determination of real differences in the rate of operational errors between different types of air traffic control facilities is difficult, and comparisons of operational error rates alone are not sufficient to draw conclusions about the relative safety records of air traffic facilities."

I strongly urge you and your staff to review this GAO report in preparation for tomorrow's hearing.

Sincerely,

James L. Oberstar (above, with TSA boss James Loy, at AOPA forum)
Ranking Democratic Member, COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE

Sens Lautenberg and Daschle Flip-Flop on 'Privatization' Issue
Then, It Wasn't 'Safety' or 'Politics,' You See; It Was Just a Good Idea

Jeff Gannon, of Talon News, noted that, "[Senator Frank] Lautenberg (D-NJ) was quoted in the Washington Post in 1994, saying, 'The [Clinton] administration's proposal to privatize the air traffic control system is consistent with the desire to bring more efficiency and reform to government and should be reviewed seriously.'" Gannon dug up a 1993 Capitol speech by that same senator: "I strongly endorse the FAA's contract tower program for level 1 (the smallest) control towers. ... The use of contract towers is an example of how we can reduce the costs of Government services and achieve savings over the long run."

You see, in those days, when Lautenberg was endorsing privatization, the idea was part of then-VP Al Gore's 'Reinventing Government' program. Gore's a Democrat; Lautenberg's a Democrat...

Sen. Daschle (D-SD), then the Senate Majority Leader, was full of kudos for Lautenberg at the time: "I would like to compliment the Senator from New Jersey for once again doing a masterful job in providing the Senate with an appropriations bill that recognizes the importance of our transportation systems to the health of our economy and fairly balances the competing demands for improved transportation services throughout the United States."

Gannon correctly points out that now-mega-lobbyist Linda Hall Daschle, the senator's wife, was a Deputy Administrator of the FAA at the time. Now, both senators are threatening to nuke FAA funding if the union's wishes [against privatization] aren't included.

Administrator Blakey pointed out at the hearing Wednesday that 99% of the controllers are former FAA or former military, anyway.

FMI: www.faa.gov