ARSAC president replies to FAA letter in The Argonaut

To the Editor:

Regarding the FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] Western-Pacific Region letter in your January 15th issue:

We agree that the FAA is responsible for aircraft safety, but the "wordsmithed" FAA press releases using selective reasoning with biased data to justify their positions is unacceptable.

FAA communication manager Ian Gregor's letter is a case in point. He indicated that the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) tower is "staffed within their authorized ranges." While that is possible, he fails to address the staffing concern that a greater proportion of staff is trainees or new controllers with far less experience.

His quoted LAX South Complex safety record was based on only a portion of the 2008 year instead of the whole year during which more incursions still occurred on the south complex than the north one. Further yet, Mr. Gregor forgot to mention that the majority of the incursions cited are attributed to human error, not runway configuration.

Senator Feinstein writes nominee for Secretary of Transportation

BY HELGA GENDELL -The Argonaut

U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein of California sent a letter December 29th to U.S Secretary of Transportation nominee Ray LaHood warning that a chronic shortage of air traffic controllers at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and the Southern California Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) in San Diego "represents a serious accident waiting to happen." LaHood is expected to be nominated to the post by President-elect Barack Obama.

"For years, the controller staffing situation has only become more severe," Feinstein stated in her letter. "Retirements have outpaced projections, training goals have not been met, trainees have dropped out of the program at alarming rates, and the supply of available military-trained controllers has dried up.

"The status quo is a miserable failure that will threaten safety."

Airport Report – January 2009

Our airports are a good barometer of how bad the economy has become. The monthly passenger numbers and tons of cargo at LAX continues to drop to levels not seen since post 9‐11. Ontario airport passenger flight numbers dropped even faster. Palmdale has no passenger service left. Due to the recent failure to get a stabilized service at Palmdale the City of Palmdale is seeking to take the lead from LAWA to get their area airport functioning. Establishment of a viable network of airports is faltering; so little agreement exists that even the meeting to disband So Calif Regional Airport Authority (SCRAA) has been postponed multiple times.

A Federal GAO report on the impacts of airports on communities surrounding airports will be released this fall. A related positive note is that LAWA is working to be a better neighbor to those surrounding LAX and Van Nuys airports. It has hired Noise Roundtable facilitators from HMMH Corp to work with local elected officials and community representatives to identify and resolve noise issues. Further, LAWA will complete installation of a new, improved noise monitoring system later this year to provide the best data possible in support of the resolution efforts. Concurrently, VNY is continuing to plan enforced restrictions for the noisiest phase II aircraft.

Feinstein urges FAA to hire more controllers at LAX

Senator warns Obama's Transportation nominee that staffing problems pose an 'alarming risk' at airport and Southern California radar control facility.

By Dan Weikel -Los Angeles Times

Reiterating her call for more air traffic controllers, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) on Monday warned President-elect Barack Obama's nominee for Transportation secretary that chronic staff shortages at Los Angeles International Airport and the main radar facility that guides aircraft between airports pose an "alarming risk" to aviation safety in Southern California.

In a two-page letter to Rep. Ray LaHood (R-Ill.), Feinstein recommended that the Federal Aviation Administration take immediate steps to hire more controllers at LAX and the Southern California Terminal Radar Approach Control in San Diego.