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If a Government can claim any mandate, it is the
mandate to protect the SAFETY and SECURITY of its citizens. |
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An "inherently governmental function"
is a function that is so intimately related to the public interest as to mandate
performance by Government employees. |
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The FAA is preparing to sell Aviation SAFETY
& SECURITY to the lowest bidder. |
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Their bottom line: �Who can do the job cheaper?� |
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The FAA has decided Flight Service functions are
not inherently governmental. |
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Weather |
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NOTAMs (Notices
to Airmen) |
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Emergency Services/Search & Rescue |
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Security |
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Gather, interpret and relay critical weather
information to pilots. |
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Provide recommendations and alternatives to
ensure a safe flight. |
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Monitor changing conditions and provide
up-to-the-minute weather to airborne aircraft. |
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Collect and disseminate Pilot weather reports. |
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Work with National Weather Service to update
weather forecasts. |
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Compile, formulate and disseminate NOTAMs. |
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Relay information on: |
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Critical outages. |
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Airspace restrictions. |
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Airport/runway closures. |
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Procedural changes. |
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Service changes. |
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Provide assistance to pilots in trouble. (Lost,
hazardous weather, equipment failures, etc.). |
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Initiate search and rescue procedures for
overdue or missing aircraft. |
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Provide services to air ambulance flights. |
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Work with local authorities to expedite rescue
operations. |
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Advise pilots of military training activity |
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Assist pilots avoid security sensitive areas |
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Assist the military: |
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Flight planning |
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Weather |
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Assist DEA with flight tracking |
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Primarily: Pilots and Crew. |
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Secondly: Passengers and Cargo , ensuring their SAFETY
& SECURITY. |
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Thirdly: Citizens living and working beneath the
flight path. |
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Like the fire department protects homes
surrounding a fire, Flight Service protects the public from weather related
accidents. |
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Ensuring pilots overhead are able to avoid
hazardous weather. |
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A Contract employee OR a Government employee can
be dedicated. |
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Difference is the employer. |
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Employees can only perform with the tools
provided. |
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Like the Post Office, a Contract Flight Service
would be a monopoly looking to make a profit. |
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Government |
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Funded from taxes |
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Driven by safety |
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Congressional Oversight |
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Answerable to the Taxpayer |
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Contractor |
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Paid for services |
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Driven by profits |
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BOD Oversight |
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Answerable to the Investors |
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Fee for service works at gas stations but, in
aviation, the alternative to getting service can be disastrous. |
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Even with the present system, weather continues
to be the single largest contributing factor to aviation accidents. |
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User fees would cause more pilots to fly with
incomplete information. |
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Government seeks to do the job with minimum risk
to safety. |
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Contractor must balance �acceptable risk�� against profits � �Risk/Benefit
Analysis.� |
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Combining positions to save salaries. |
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Inferior equipment to save expenses. |
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Consolidate facilities to save overhead. |
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FAA is overseen by Congress - answers to the
taxpayers. |
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Contractor - answers to its investors, who are
in it to make money. |
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If a contractor loses money, services will be
cut and fees will be raised to satisfy investors. |
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Airservices Australia � Controllers went on
strike because of: |
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Poor working conditions |
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Unsafe scheduling |
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Low wages |
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National Air Transport Services, Great Britain �
Requesting additional funds from Parliament |
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Increased user fees |
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NavCanada. |
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Closing Flight Service Station at Buttonville
Airport, Toronto, Ontario, Canada�s busiest GA airport. |
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�It is
cheaper to operate out of London Ontario. |
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Weather briefings are automated and provided by
zones. Pilots indicate which zones they will fly through and receive an
automated briefing for each zone.
No human discussion available |
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Europe � Weather briefings limited to country of
origin and weather radar not available for surrounding countries. Service
provided over a system similar to our 900 services at a rate of $3-4 per
minute. |
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Canada � The latest to switch to a contract
service, is slowly being whittled away as NavCanada seeks to lower costs
and increase profits. |
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Pilots from all three areas say �Don�t do it in
the US� |
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Only the rich fly private planes in Europe |
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Students come to the U.S. to learn to fly
because it is affordable |
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Recreational pilots come to the U.S. to fly
because it�s affordable |
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Safety will suffer for profits. |
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Accident rates will increase. |
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Insurance costs will rise. |
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Cost for services will rise. |
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GA WILL SUFFER. |
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Consolidation? |
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Limited access to face-to-face briefing. |
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Reduced FS Controllers from over 4000 in the
late �70�s to less than 2400 today. |
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Increased areas of responsibility so less
specific area knowledge. |
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Short staffing = longer delays. |
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FAA�s solution? No Help! |
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AWOS/ASOS |
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Less information than human observations. |
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Paying for augmentation because the machine is
not sufficient for �busy� airports. |
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�Looks� straight up for the ceiling and at an 18
inch �tube� of air for visibility. |
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FAA�s solution? No Help! |
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NOTAM�s |
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The limitations of the NOTAM system have been
obvious for years - no solution in sight. |
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Too much data with limited sorting capability. |
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A single brief (DEN-ORD) can include 55+ pages
of NOTAM�s (Model 1 holds 55 pages) |
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TFR�s often vague and poorly defined. |
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FAA�s solution? No Help! |
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SUA/ISE � Inflight Service Enhancement. |
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FSS Controllers not given access to radar data
showing aircraft location in relation to weather. |
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The technology is available to allow Flight
Watch to give precise headings to avoid hazardous weather, yet the FAA is
dragging their heels in providing the equipment. |
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FAA�s solution? No Help! |
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OASIS � FSS Computer upgrades. |
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Model 1 became unsupportable in the mid to late
�90 |
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OASIS is presently installed in two facilities
and is working fine. |
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The last installation is not scheduled until
2005 at the earliest. (Budget cuts will cause delays.) |
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FAA�s solution? No Help! |
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The FAA would like to sell it all to a private
contractor. |
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Put your Safety & Security in the hands of
the lowest bidder. |
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Instead of addressing the
problem, we�ll pay a
contractor to take it away. |
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The ostrich approach to
fixing the system. |
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Let your representatives know that Aviation Safety
and Security ARE inherently governmental. |
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Let the FAA and Congress know that they can�t
sell GA to the lowest bidder. |
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Tell Congress to make the FAA responsive to ALL
the users� needs � not just the air carriers�. |
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Only you can keep it there. |
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Contact your representatives and let them know
what you want. |
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www.congress.com will give you names, email and
regular mail addresses for your representatives, based on your zip code. |
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It�s up to YOU! |
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Contact the White House |
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Contact Congress |
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Contact AOPA |
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Contact the FAA |
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Contact your State DOT |
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Tell the FAA what you think about this idea.
It hasn�t worked elsewhere, we don�t want it here. |
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Tell your State DOT, Congress, and the White
House, �Aviation Safety and Security are NOT for sale in the U.S.� |
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Stop the A76 Study. |
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Declare all Air Traffic Control Functions
Inherently Governmental. |
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Fully fund much needed OASIS equipment. |
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Staff AFSS facilities to meet demand. |
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Tell AOPA |
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To fight the sale |
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-- |
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They represent |
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YOU. |
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National Association of Air Traffic Specialists |
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Representing the Air Traffic Controllers
of Flight Service |
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www.naats.org |
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www.congress.com
For political
addresses/ fax/email information |
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