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ATC Staffing Crisis: Southern CaliforniaSOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL A Staffing Crisis: By The Numbers
LOS ANGELES AIR ROUTE TRAFFIC CONTROL CENTER 310 - Controllers the FAA says the facility is authorized for 272 - Controllers actually in the facility 217 - Certified Professional Controllers (fully trained) working 55 - Trainees, who cannot yet work all positions alone Los Angeles Center handles more than two million flights annually, and is the 13th busiest such facility in the country (there are 22). From January to April of this year, the facility worked nine percent more traffic than in the same four-month period in 2003. By fiscal year 2005, the number of fully trained controllers will drop to 206. The numbers could drop further if an expected wave of retirements among the center's supervisor ranks results in a backfill of hiring current controllers to take those positions. SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA TERMINAL RADAR APPROACH CONTROL 261 - Controllers the FAA says the facility is authorized for 248 - Controllers actually in the facility 241 - Certified Professional Controllers (fully trained) working 9 - Trainees, who cannot yet work all positions alone Southern California TRACON is the busiest approach control facility in the country, guiding more than two million flights each year. The facility saw a traffic increase of 2.2 percent in the first four months of this year, as compared with the same period in 2003. Yet the controller shortage is getting worse. The TRACON could be facing a shortage of up to 106 controllers by the end of next year, according to the Department of Transportation inspector general in a report issued in June. In addition, it is difficult for new hires to successfully complete the training program at the facility. According to the same DOT inspector general report, one in four trainees did not make it in fiscal years 2002 and 2003. That training failure rate is actually much better than Los Angeles Center, where nearly half of new controllers don't successfully complete training. Note: Facility staffing numbers change frequently. Information on this page is current as of July 15, 2004. |