Controllers As Airspace Police?
 

Controllers As Airspace Police?


If you've ever missed a turn, set the altitude bug incorrectly or committed any of thousands of sins that air traffic controllers routinely catch and help correct every day without much fuss, those days are apparently over. The FAA has apparently ordered controllers to violate pilots for any and all errors and has threatened to discipline them if they don't file the reports. While the FAA says it's just enforcing rules already in place, the head of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association say it's yet another burden an an already-overworked workforce that will pit controllers against pilots. "We are not the FAA police! The FAA's and controller's mission is to provide the safe and efficient movement of live air traffic," said NATCA President Patrick Forrey. "The fact that the FAA is now disciplining controllers for not 'policing' pilot actions as they relate to flight regulations is indicative of the tyrannical and oppressive culture the FAA has created." The FAA, as might be suspected, has a different view.
In an email to AVweb, FAA spokeswoman Laura Brown said it's alway been controllers' jobs to report pilot infractions and she stressed there has been no change in FAA policy in this regard. However, in a quote from an unnamed senior staff member in the Air Traffic Organization (ATO) it's clear that reporting infractions is now being stressed. "The bottom line is there has been no change in ATC requirements just reinforcing the reporting piece," Brown quoted one of the ATO managers as saying. For the record, controllers are supposed to write up errors and supply supporting evidence to the FSDO manager and the decision to sanction pilots is made there. Make sure those clearances and readbacks are clear ... .



Just what we need.. :mad: :rolleyes:

I wonder if pilots should start reporting every time that a controller makes a mistake in reading back a clearance or giving me taxi directions to the active?
This is not a good safety culture.

USMCFLYR

(in a Tony Montana voice) "You wanna play rough? Ok, we'll play rough! Say hello to my li'l frien'! Then ask for progressive taxi everywhere you go so as to mitigate the number of potential runway incursions. Don't forget to provide reports when your TAS varies from filed and other various and sundry reports and requests that we need to provide but don't for the sake of expediency.

Personally, I think this article may be overblown and most controllers will scoff at this.

Yep... next time you are at ORD ask for progressive.... those guys will screw themselves thru the roof.

This "reinforcement" of an existing requirement crops up every so often. Controllers hate it because they realize that our air space system functions best when pilots and controllers understand that there is "grace" built in. Controllers have opportunities to correct the mistakes of other controllers and pilots, pilots have opportunities to correct mistakes of other pilots and controllers. Things work most smoothly when this is done in a non-punative way.

3.5 years ago the FAA declared war on controllers and imposed new work rules. The FAA leadership has tried its best to establish a penal work culture. Some controllers that have made mistakes resulting in less than required separation have been asked. "You understand what the separation rules are don't you? Perhaps you deliberately chose to use less than standard separation. Perhaps you are deliberately negligent." The FAA used to allow controllers to participate in the NASA safety reporting system in the same way as pilots. The FAA no longer holds controllers free from discipline for reporting safety occurrences.

Here are some important things for pilots to keep in mind;

-Controllers hate turning in pilots.
-If a pilot error causes a loss of separation with another aircraft or adjacent airspace, the controller may have no choice but to report the occurrence.
-If a controller is going to report an occurrence, the pilot is supposed to be told on frequency, "Possible pilot deviation at (location, altitude, time). For further information you may contact (name of facility) at (facility phone number)."
-If a pilot's mistake does not impact other traffic or adjacent controllers, the controller working the aircraft will probably take no further action.
-Like similiar efforts in years past, this one will blow over. Controllers, supervisors, and facilty managers do not have time to process every single altitude, heading, airspeed, etc bust. They would be swimming in paperwork and upper management would soon cry "uncle".
-In the meantime, be more cautious and remember that the controllers and their Union (NATCA) are opposed to this effort.

Often the first level supervisor will ask the controller, "When the pilot phones in, are you okay with me just talking it over with him and taking it no further?" The FAA's current hard line may put a damper on this practice. Again, this will blow over just like it has in the past.

During my career, when the FAA decided to get hard core about Pilot Deve's, I did not change my approach in the least. If a loss of separation occurs, an explanation is required and no one can prevent it. For everything else, I had a defense in place.

Manager: "Bruce, we happened to pull a tape to listen to you working traffic the other day. The darndest thing happened; a pilot busted his altitude assignment by 500 feet. All you did was double check his altitude, get him back down to his assigned altitude, and hand him off to the next sector."

Me: "Oh yeah, I think I remember that day."

Manager: "That was a pilot deviation. You should have reported it."

Me: "Oh gee, I thought we only had to report deviations if separation was lost, no?"

Manager: "Negative. All deviations must be reported."

Me: "I see. Well, consider me updated on the policy."

As usual, the FAA has implemented a policy without thinking through the ramifications. Pilots will begin double and triple checking clearances. This will make controllers busier. This will reduce safety and the number of planes a controller can effectively work. Delays will increase. The ATA will scream. The FAA will dial-down its pilot deviation policy.

Under the imposed work rules, the FAA has done all it can to suck the satisfaction and joy out of the ATC profession. As soon as they went into effect, I started making retirement plans. I retired within 2 months of becoming eligible.

Jan 1979 - Feb 2008 Air Traffic Controller (3.5 years USAF, 25 years FAA)
Feb 2008 - Present Airline Pilot

I urge pilots to avoid the temptation to increase controller workload deliberately. It negatively impacts safety, adds stress to hardworking man and women who do not need it at present, and impacts the wrong target. Working controllers oppose the FAA stance on this and want it to go away just as fast as pilots do. USMC Flyer is completely right, a good safety culture never results from a punative environment.

I'm so ****ed off at Marion Blakey and I thought that the new interim guy, Sturgell, would bring a 'new' culture to the Feds. Guess not.

Yup.

They don't let controllers get immunity from ASRS submissions anymore? Great! Lovely! :eek: I see an ATC shortage on the horizon.

The only surefire way to screw yourself if you do commit a pilot deviation is NOT call the number they offer you after your flight. Then it's turned over to the FSDO, which means a certificate action can get underway.

Fun times. Why does aviation attract the worst in management?

Im just amazed you made it through the Reagan years.... way to go!:D

DashRocks,

Thanks for clarifying that article.

FAA Mission Statement:

"We're not happy until you're not happy."

I would say that the FAA continues to succeed everyday.

I guess they will soon implement "sterile cockpit" for the whole flight. Headsets on, no reading or talking in the cockpit. Not even Jepp revisions.

I had a student and CFI bust altitude by 500ft. After seeing the transcript, it definitely showed the ATC-trainee who was working the position made some mistakes leading up to the 500 foot deviation (improper phraseology, repeated wrong instructions, etc). My CFI got a letter from the FAA (slap on the wrist; he was told don't do it again), but ATC was trying to get it to go further (they were looking for a suspension).

So he filed a complaint against the trainee. The letter we received from the facility stated that though the trainee made some mistakes leading up to the bust, it was my CFI's fault for not catching the trainee's mistakes. It went on to say that from now on, filing a complaint against ATC will do nothing.

It's a two-way street when the controller asks you to get ready to copy down a phone # .....

Well, you pretty much summed it up. I retired in May after 25 years. I retired the day I was eligible. I have racked my brain trying to figure out what FAA Management is trying to accomplish by creating such a hostile environment between the controllers and the management. We tried to tell them 5 years ago that they need to ramp up hiring because many of us will be reaching retirement. Their response was that we wouldn't retire because we make too much money. My starting retirement is $86K/year and will go up about 3%/year. I can live on that. I think they want to get rid of the controllers that were employed when we got the huge pay raises in 2000 and 2001. The problem with the way they are doing it (by making the workplace a horrible place to be) is it poisons the new controllers that are coming in to replace us. We had several controllers that made over $200K because they worked a lot of overtime.

Summing it up, I have often wondered what has happened to all areas of aviation. It appears to me that the airlines (both regional and major) are not a pleasant place to work and now the government agencies that are aviation related are the same. For once in my life I was at the right place at the right time.

I read somewhere around here they are hiring out of high school now, which means no shortage of emo-kids on the radio.

"Approach, Acey fifty-four-fifty-eight, what's up with the tight turn to the localizer?"
"Acey 5458, you just don't understand! Nobody understands!"

I wish my grass was emo so it would cut itself...

holy crap!! That was funny!:D

Emo pizza cuts itself...