Issue: The number of men and women comprising the Flight Service Controller Workforce has steadily declined since 1981, although the workforce's productivity has steadily improved. In fact, the number of FS Controllers at the end of 1995 was 997 fewer than in 1981, while the number of management/supervisory/support staff lost since then is only 6. Further, many current FS Controllers are nearing retirement eligibility but no new ones are in the FAA's training pipeline. In the next few years, FAA projects increases in all types of aircraft operations addressed by flight service. As these highly-trained experienced men and women leave the FAA, there is no cadre of replacements ready to take their place.
Proposal: The FAA should immediately implement specific programs through the agency's Academy in Oklahoma City to train new FS Controllers. Congress also should closely examine the ratio of management to controllers as it looks for additional ways to conserve scarce resources.
2. OASIS Program Implementation
Issue: Much of the equipment in use at the nation's 61 Automated Flight Service Stations is based on 1970s technology and is increasingly susceptible to local outages and system-wide failures. The FAA has developed a replacement hardware/software suite (OASIS) to replace and upgrade all 61 AFSS facilities. Although OASIS was selected by the agency as one of three procurements to be the first to use its new acquisition system and the FAA is prepared to begin purchases, additional funding is necessary.
Proposal: Congress should appropriate funds sufficient to sustain this multi-year procurement as the FAA prepares to implement OASIS and install it in AFSS facilities beginning in 1999.
3. Proposed Incoming 1-800 Telephone Line Cuts At AFSSs
Issue: The FAA has proposed to eliminate half of all incoming 1-800-WX-BRIEF telephone lines at the 61 AFSSs. These lines provide pilots with their primary means of contact with an AFSS for pre- and post-flight information. This proposal would save the FAA only about $390,000 annually, while severely restricting access to an AFSS, especially during times of inclement or hazardous weather. [Note: NAATS has prepared a separate "Fact Sheet" on this issue.]
Proposal: The FAA should abandon this ill-conceived proposal, which could easily and adversely impact aviation safety. The minuscule cost-savings involved are strongly outweighed by the potential for unsafe operations by pilots unable to obtain current and accurate pre-flight information.
For additional information on these and other aviation issues, please contact NAATS.
March, 1997
NAATS 11303 Amherst Avenue Suite 4 Wheaton, MD 20902 301/933-6228 301/933-3902 fax Gary D. Simms, Executive Director
