Actually…
Posted by Blue Eyed Buddhist on November 6th, 2008
On second thought, here’s a good-old fashioned Follies post to tide you over during the next week.
As Rob Mark reported in his blog a while back, the FAA has found a way to dummy up the staffing numbers. The agency has decided to “split” some facilities up. Many FAA terminal facilities have controller work forces that work both the tower cab positions, and positions in the TRACON (radar room).
By splitting these facilities into two new facilities, the agency saves a bunch of time in training; now, new hires sent to the radar room only need to learn those positions, and those sent to the tower only need to learn the tower positions.
This hurts the overall safety and efficiency of such facilities, because being cross-trained in the other function allows controllers a much more comprehensive and deeper understanding of the overall operation, but that isn’t slowing the FAA down. They need to cover up their staffing shortfalls, and they need to do it immediately.
What’s more, splitting the facilities will likely allow the FAA (which has already cut salaries for controllers by 30% or more) to pay the new controllers even LESS. Since they’re not trained in multiple functions, their pay goes down as well.
In Orlando, Florida, a local reporter, Steven Cooper, was able to get into this story. He got an internal memo, written by the facility manager. The manager came up with some priceless quotes…
The FAA agreed to talk to Local 6 News on the condition that the station provided its questions prior to the interview.
Okay, before we get into the meat of the story… how ridiculous is this? They only agree to talk to the media if they know the questions in advance? (Insert your own Sarah Palin joke here.) You’d think that if this was the case, they’d be able to come up with better answers than this…
… A memo obtained by Local 6 News shows that the FAA is asking for volunteers to work radar only after the split, some with less experience than others.
“I don’t have those numbers yet. I don’t know where you got those numbers,” Chandler said.
“Well this came from you. This is a memo that came from you,” Cooper said.
“There’s going to be a mix in both locations — half (who are) seasoned, half that are newly certified, and that we’re working on that seasoning,” Chandler said.
Craig Chandler is the FAA’s facility manager at Orlando, and apparently he can’t remember his own memos. Whoever coached him in PR didn’t do a very good job, I’m afraid, as this quote illustrates:
“We’re not hiring people fresh off the street or brand new to the agency to fill some of these positions. Yes, we do have some people who are coming with no experience and we are taking the time to train them,” Chandler said.
Let’s translate that for you. “We’re not hiring brand-new people, except for the brand-new people we’re hiring.”
Now, you might think I’m making this up, but I’m not. This is perfectly in line with the type of thinking that’s in charge of the FAA these days. They assure us that “everything is fine, everyone is safe, and it’s not like we’re throwing rank rookies into the fray, except for where we’re throwing rookies into the fray, but hey, don’t worry, they’re getting lots of good training, and we don’t know where those numbers came from even though you read them in a memo we wrote.”
I’m creative, but I seriously could NOT make this kind of stuff up, folks. And this guy, who lies become obvious from one sentence to the next, is IN CHARGE of the facility. Can you believe it?
November 6th, 2008 at 3:32 pm
Not only is he in charge of a facility, he is in charge of the entire Central Florida HUB, which encompasses many facilities……most of which can’t sneeze without his okay.
Truth is really stranger than fiction.
November 6th, 2008 at 4:38 pm
Orlando’s next move will be to check-out their new hires on only one or two radar positions in the TRACON and call them fully Certified Professional Controllers (CPC). Voila! A facility fully staffed with CPC’s in record time. This is already happening at other TRACONs.
But, with everyone else retiring, the new hires will be the only ones left to run the place in a few short years. Then what?
Of course, the folks at headquarters haven’t planned for this. They’re busy planning their exit strategies.
November 6th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
“And this guy, who lies become obvious from one sentence to the next, is IN CHARGE of the facility. Can you believe it?”
Yes, I can. I’ve seen so much stupidity in the ranks of management that I could write a book. But, my agent would return the draft manuscript because his company already had too much fiction projects pending.
One quick example:
Controller washes at ARTCC
Controller sent to level 4 APCH and washes.
Controller sent to level 1 VFR tower and checks out.
Level 1 VFR tower gets contracted out and Controller offered position in any facility in same region.
Controller returns to original ARTCC and certifies.
Controller soon becomes FLeM.
I could go on and on but I think you get my drift.
sniggler
November 6th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
Next thing we will hear is how Craig Chandler will bar Local 6 News reporters from entering the facility to do interviews (Insert your Joe Biden joke here).
November 6th, 2008 at 11:09 pm
Ok, So what facilities did this guy WASHOUT of?
November 7th, 2008 at 9:08 am
You have to get it straight, MCO does not have a staffing issue, it is a training issue, so the split has nothing to do with changing CPC numbers for the facility. Of course pre split CPC 37, trainees 42. After split, CPC 42, trainees 37. Ain’t new math grand
November 7th, 2008 at 9:17 am
And now that the facility is split, the FAA will probably claim it is less complex, and lower the pay.
November 7th, 2008 at 10:49 am
OK so they are going to split facilities…..I realize that we have to call them out on it but its not neccessarily a bad thing. Actually its the first time they have admitted there is a staffing problem. Where was the outrage in 85 or 86 when MSP was split????? Its a reality that some facilities are better off split for the sake of proficiency. Im sure Ill get allot of flak by this comment but I focus on the fact they have admitted , “staffing is a problem”. We need to stay centered on the issues to preserve credibility. Ill stop and take the critisism at that.
November 7th, 2008 at 10:53 am
AFSS RIFFED Says:
November 7th, 2008 at 9:17 am
And now that the facility is split, the FAA will probably claim it is less complex, and lower the pay”
That is exactly what the FAA will do. The term used in the 80′s and 90′s was Structured Staffing. With President Obama, I think this attack on controllers will wane. All structured staffing does is lower pay and increase the management work(yea right) force.
November 7th, 2008 at 11:08 am
IndependantATC, I am aware and believe what you are saying, I just have to choose my battles. Reduced pay? I can only speak of what I have seen over the years. Its difficult with the new pay bands we negotiated. Back when we were GS it was much more straight forward. Numbers was all that was considered, complexity was not even considered. Today Ill be the first to admit I dont know what MCO would end up with…..Id like to hear from some MCO controllers as to their oppinion.
November 7th, 2008 at 5:44 pm
of course after the dust settles
TOWER: ATC-9
TRACON: ATC-11
November 11th, 2008 at 11:53 pm
Hey, WTF happened to the comments in the post after this one? Lame.
November 12th, 2008 at 7:57 am
I would guess that repeated references to BEB’s legal situation are not what he’s looking for. Just runs up his legal bill.
November 12th, 2008 at 8:50 am
I think all the BEB did was post the half-truths and spin by Carr and Marks. I’m glad he’s out of it and can get back to ATC issues. I still say that anyone who contibutes to theses guys, as Scammed by Carr said in a comment, is a fool.
NATCA has been put in a very bad position by these guys and now they whine to have their legal bills paid- what a joke.
Back to the Greenbook as a start- no other solution!!
November 12th, 2008 at 10:37 am
Looks like the threat of continued no-cost legal attacks by Pearson and Gilding have again silenced (at least temporarily) an honest, open discussion.
November 13th, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Mean while, back at the ranch…splitting up/downs does have some worthwhile merits: ATC’s that check out in tower, but fail radar are transferred to lower level tower:lost tower controller. Good tower controller, but lousy radar controller. Tower loses FPL.
Yes, pay grades will be affected, but current CPC’s will have save pay. future CPC’s get lower grade. Not a good trade off, but the tower will be able to get off mandatory overtime, 6 day work weeks, more spot annual, etc.
Is it worth it? I don’t have the answer, but it DOES increase staffing! (for the tower).
November 13th, 2008 at 4:22 pm
“but current CPC’s will have save pay”
Says who? For How long? How long til the FAA starts downgrading facilities based on reduced traffic counts?
November 14th, 2008 at 3:58 pm
New IG report on the Dallas cover-ups:
http://www.oig.dot.gov/StreamFile?file=/data/pdfdocs/OIG_Report-April_2008.pdf
The report is months old, but was just released this week.