Don Chapman Op/ed printed in Philadelphia Inquirer

08/31/2004

Wanted: More eyes to watch skies

BYLINE: By Don Chapman

When you board an airplane, the last thing on your mind should be whether there are enough air traffic controllers making sure you take-off and land safely. Our federal air traffic control system is the safest, most efficient one in the world. But now this system is in jeopardy in cities such as Philadelphia, where there are fewer eyes watching our skies.

Our nation is facing a serious air traffic control staffing shortage. The Federal Aviation Administration has stated that there will be up to a 50 percent shortage in the next 10 years. Congress' watchdog, the Government Accountability Office, also has warned of the shortage and the serious consequences to air travel. As air traffic controllers are responsible for guiding you home safely, we feel it is our duty as public servants to let you know that a serious problem is looming. It is a crisis that can be addressed if - and only if - our members of Congress and the FAA step up to the plate and act. Now.

Here in Philadelphia, we already are operating at beyond our capacity. The FAA-authorized staffing total for our tower is 109 controllers, but we only have 65 certified professional controllers on board. Eight of these controllers will be forced into mandatory retirement at age 56 in the next five years. An additional 36 will become eligible for retirement because they will have completed 25 years of service or will be 50 years old with at least 20 years of service.

Although we are doing everything possible to compensate for the staffing shortage and making sure that the skies over Philadelphia are safe, it just stands to reason that fewer eyes mean greater risk.

Although the staffing crisis has been inevitable for some time now, nothing has been done to address it. The FAA has known that thousands of controllers are nearing retirement-eligibility age. They need to be replaced - but first we need to hire and train new employees. It takes up to five years to fully train an air traffic controller, and not everyone makes the cut. Moreover, on-the-job training requires the attention of the existing controller workforce - another reason we need to get ahead of the problem now, before it's too late.

During testimony in March before the House subcommittee on transportation, FAA Administrator Marion Blakey acknowledged that the coming shortage of controllers will reach "tsunami" proportions. Our window of opportunity to prevent that tsunami from becoming a catastrophe is closing rapidly.

The system needs at least 1,000 new controllers per year just to keep up with projected retirements. The good news is that there is some movement in Congress to begin this hiring process. But in these difficult budget times, getting the money to begin the training is far from guaranteed. Although we recognize that there is a lot of competition for scarce federal resources, we must ask our representatives: What could be more important than protecting the flying public's safety?

Over the next decade, the FAA anticipates that 7,500 controllers, or half of the current workforce, will retire. If we do not address this shortage by hiring new controllers now, we will quickly fall behind the curve. Because new controllers remain in training for several years, we will soon see more than one-third of the workforce in training and another third providing that training. We will simply be unable to operate the system at maximum efficiency.

The FAA has suggested that it extend the retirement age. With all due respect, that's like putting a bandage on a gaping wound. As much as I hate to admit it, air traffic control is a young person's job. Take it from me, making controllers work older and sicker is not a solution. It's no way to run the best air traffic control system in the world.

In the meantime, we will continue to do the best we can under the circumstances. That is our mandate. Guiding you and your family home safely is what we do. Whether we'll be able to continue maintaining a system without increased delays, congestion and safety concerns is now up to Congress and the FAA. Let's hope they act.

Don Chapman is the National Air Traffic Controllers Association facility representative at Philadelphia International Airport.