NAATS Press Release:Post 9/11 - Still StandingFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Air Traffic Controllers, in towers and centers, continually monitor the skies for potential conflict. September 11th, 2001 a different type of conflict arose. The skies were the scene of the most horrendous acts this nation has experienced. We watched in horror as men, driven by fanatical zeal, used our own inventions against us. Within seconds, the decision was made to clear the skies to prevent repetition. Within minutes hundreds of aircraft were instructed to �land immediately�, hundreds vectored to unintended airports, many were turned back at our nation�s borders. Within hours, the skies over the United States were empty of all but military aircraft �� but were they? Thousands of pilots fly everyday without talking to the Air Traffic Controllers familiar to most -- flying from one uncontrolled airport to another. These are the private pilots who choose to fly on visual flight rules � some for business, some for pleasure. (The doctor visiting small communities; the rancher spraying his crops; or the helicopter rushing to the scene of an accident.) When the command went out to shut down the skies, another group of controllers rose to the task. The 2800 �Other� Air Traffic Controllers in the Flight Service Stations (FSS) across this nation. Normally devoted to helping pilots avoid weather phenomena � more hazardous to aviation safety, than other traffic � the Flight Service controllers began to contact hundreds of airports and flight schools, advising them of the situation and soliciting their support in advising pilots. Broadcasts were made over aviation frequencies contacting pilots not normally talking to controllers. Hundreds of pilots were given the stunning command � �Proceed to the closest airport and land�. With the military takeover of the skies, and all civilian aircraft grounded, the work of the tower and center controllers was limited. However, for the �other� controllers, the next few weeks and months became a nightmare. Across the country, thousands of pilots stranded in unfamiliar airports, far from home, looked to Flight Service for answers. With patience and dedication the already woefully understaffed FS Controllers scrambled for answers and tried to calm frustrated pilots. In the words of one pilot:
The answers changed hourly, while people, in agencies unfamiliar with the rugged individualism of the pilot community, struggled to reopen the skies yet maintain a firm grip on all activity. Plans were published, and then changed, often hours after FS controllers had already briefed hundreds of pilots. Still with solid determination, these controllers bore the brunt of the pilots� frustrations. In the words of the FAA field managers:
So how did FAA Administrator and Transportation Secretary show their appreciation for effort above? They doled out generic letters of appreciation, chintzy pins and meager time off awards. In some cases, thanks to bureaucratic snafus, many controllers didn�t even get those things until months later. It would be outrageous, were it not so pathetic. In the months following the tragedy of September 11th misery piled up on overwork as budgets became strained to the breaking point by new security requirements. Yet FS controllers stayed the course and did their jobs, even with deteriorating equipment and conditions. How does the FAA show appreciation for their professionalism and dedication? Their lawyers did their best to belittle FS Controllers before the federal mediators and, to add insult to injury, FAA Headquarters insisted on sending A-76 evaluation teams into their facilities to determine how to most efficiently carve up their safety-related jobs for sale to the lowest bidder. In the words of one proud Flight Service Controller, Elinormarie L. Morrissy:
For information on NAATS or to contact our Officers by email, visit https://www.naats.org Contact:
|