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THOMAS DASCHLE |
January 16, 2003 |
320 South
First Street, Suite 001 |
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The
Honorable Marion Blakey Dear Administrator Blakey: For nearly as long as I have served in Congress, the FAA, has been working to consolidate and modernize its national network of flight service stations. As a pilot and a legislator from a state that has been directly affected, I have followed these changes with interest and occasionally intervened to ensure South Dakota experiences no degradation of safety or air service. Recently, two new concerns have come to my attention: the prospect of further consolidation, possibly leading to termination of our state's last remaining station, and a Bush Administration initiative to consider whether the government could cut spending by hiring a low-cost vendor to provide flight services. My concern with consolidation is that it may leave pilots no possibility for human assistance while flying over one of our country's larger states. Already, the FAA has closed four flight service stations in South Dakota, and I am concerned that closure of our last station, located in Huron, would leave pilots too isolated from vital assistance in the form of weather updates, emergency assistance, and notices to airmen. The scale of South Dakota is sometimes difficult to grasp for those living on the East Coast, but I offer a few reference points. Our land area exceed the combined size of the six New England states and is about equal to the total area of Virginia, West Virginia, arid Maryland. In addition, Great Plains weather conditions are notorious for their extremes and rapid changes. A key function of flight service stations, as delineated in the FAA Flight Service Manual, is to provide pilots with weather briefings. According to the National Transportation Safety Board, 697 fatal flight accidents in the United States from 1995 to 2000 were weather-related. Furthermore, while pilots can obtain automated weather information, the majority of pilots in areas such as South Dakota would rather talk to someone in the area in person. Our nation could also be adversely affected by efforts to turn over flight services to the lowest bidder. The FAA took the initial step in this process in August, launching a review of whether spending could be reduced by offering private vendors the opportunity to submit bids for low-cost provision of flight services. Although this process, known as an A-76 review, is scheduled to be finished in late 2004, I understand that the Bush Administration is pursuing government-wide plans to accelerate such reviews. I worry that this particular review is being undertaken - and accelerated - at the behest of those with a political agenda, rather than those who best appreciate the needs of the aviation community. Just last summer, the aviation community received an important caution about privatization and cost-cutting. Some observers believe that the underlying cause of a deadly mid-air collision was inadequate staffing and investment in equipment at Switzerland's privatized air-traffic control company. When it comes to aviation, I think you will agree that flight safety should, take precedence over political ideology or cost. Please provide me with a report on FAA discussions about further consolidation of flight service stations. In addition, I ask you to apprise me of developments related to the ongoing A-76 review, including your evaluation methods and any preliminary findings. I hope you will agree that keeping our skies safe, assisting with emergencies, and disseminating information to pilots is a function best performed by the FAA itself, with a South Dakota station. With best wishes. I am
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