CHARLOTTESVILLE AIRPORT RISKS SAFETY
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- Published: July 18, 2013
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA – Corners cut on a Charlottesville Airport equipment upgrade project foreshadow national system problems and risks to the safety of air passengers if critical FAA
functionsare privatized, warns the Professional Airways Systems Specialists (PASS).
The Charlottesville Airport Authority is upgrading its glideslope instrument landing system to accommodate landing aircraft in low-visibility conditions. The glideslope is used to ensure aircraft are on the appropriate descent angle for landing on the runway. To accomplish this, the antenna needed replacing in order to meet FAA regulations. Unfortunately, the Airport Authority cut corners during installation. The antenna mounting base is now unstable and the accuracy of the signal pilots would rely on is questionable. FAA systems specialists responsible for maintaining and certifying equipment at Charlottesville refused to certify the system and have subsequently been ordered to do so by FAA management to satisfy the airports demands.
“The situation in Charlottesville is a preview of the problems our national air traffic control system would face if the FAA reauthorization bill is passed in its current form,” said Michael D. Fanfalone, president of PASS. “The bill could affect the safety of all passengers flying into and out of all United States airports by creating similar incidents.”
Disregarding language in the Senate version of the FAA reauthorization bill, a conference committee report would open to privatization the functions of systems specialists, FAA employees who certify the vital equipment that is used to safely control and communicate with over 200,000 commercial flights everyday.
“PASS members are proud that they maintain and certify the world’s safest aviation system,” said Fanfalone. “We know the standards, and we meet them everyday. What will our system look like if it is run by private companies more interested in the profit margin than the safety margin?”
In an effort to educate the public and convince Congress to send the FAA reauthorization bill back to conference, PASS members are participating in informational picketing at airports across the country throughout the month of August.
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PASS represents more than 11,000 employees of the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Defense who install, maintain, support and certify air traffic control and national defense equipment, inspect and oversee the commercial and general aviation industries, develop flight procedures and perform quality analyses of the aviation systems. For more information, visit the PASS website at www.passnational.org.