Word: faa
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...problem is the high dropout rate among air controller trainees at the FAAs Monroney Aeronautical Center in Oklahoma City. When the strike began last August, the FAA announced plans to train 5,500 new controllers a year, triple the usual number; nine months later only 1,490 have graduated from the Oklahoma academy. Of the 717 trainees who enrolled in the first class last August, only 406 passed; normally 75% of the trainees graduate from the twelve-to 16-week program. Since then, the entrance exams have been made more stringent, and the FAA claims that now about...
Perhaps the most serious charge leveled against the FAA is that morale in the towers is deteriorating as a result of poor relations between tower supervisors and the controllers-which was a major cause of last year's strike. Says one New York controller: "You are discouraged from calling in sick or taking any time off. The attitude is, 'There is a job to do, and we don't give a damn what problems you might have.' " A study commissioned by Transportation Secretary Drew Lewis shortly after the strike began and released last March showed that...
...concerns about airline standards that determine a pilot's fitness to fly. The Federal Aviation Administration requires that a U.S. commercial pilot pass a rigorous physical examination every six months, as well as an assessment of his or her emotional stability. The failure rate is low; an FAA study showed that for every 1,000 pilots tested, only eight are denied certification for medical reasons, and only two of those for psychoneurotic disorders. Those who flunk are automatically grounded until they can pass the examination. Most international airlines conform to the FAA requirement that their pilots pass regular proficiency...
Many times during a winter snow I have sat at the airport as attendants sprayed de-icer on the wings. Nevertheless, I always felt assured that the airline, the FAA, the professionals in the tower and the pilot had analyzed all the factors necessary for a safe takeoff. I never worried. Well, maybe we should worry. The FAA needs to rethink the rules on flying in inclement weather...
...unexpected fallout from the controller walkout: the "reregulation" of the airlines. The Civil Aeronautics Board began dropping restrictions on airline routes and prices in 1977 as a way of lowering ticket prices for travelers and making the carriers more economically efficient. Now, to maintain safety in the skies the FAA is limiting the number of flights and the availability of seats. That move could channel business to some carriers by fiat and shut others out, making service and fares less competitive and defeating the goals of deregulation. The end result would then be less friendly skies for new competitors...