Air controller fatigue

[Tom]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/10/controller.fatigue/index.html

Looks like the FAA is going to be getting in some trouble over under staffing.
I wonder how this is going to effect the new FAA budget. Adding over a thousand controllers can't be cheap. The ATC Union had been bitching about it for years. Why everyone's paying attention now? 49 lives. Now the tower controller isn't responsible for the Comair accident, but I can imagine a fully rested controller would have had his eyes on the outside.

Everything in aviation is written in blood.

 

[BigIron]

I wish they'd upgrade their equipment too.

 

[cosmania]

The NTSB released its report on the ComAir 5191 incident and it is interesting. In the past, they have actively researched and confronted numerous contributing factors in major mishaps. In this case, while the pilots admittedly share blame, they appear to have really dug into the pilot error mentality and whitewashed some of the contributors.

This is the Press Release:
http://www.ntsb.gov/Pressrel/2007/072607.htm

Here you can find the presentations where the dig into some of the other factors.
http://www.ntsb.gov/events/2007/Lexington-KY/presentations.htm

Am I using selective memory, or is it common practice to verify clearance to cross any runway, even if the taxi instructions imply that?

 

[montellv]

From my experience, you get taxi instructions that include permission to cross runways. I haven't operated from any large airports in awhile however so my memory may be fuzzy as well.

If I'm wrong, I will probably blame you, Cosmania, since I think you had a hand in my training down in Kingsville a few years ago. Also, I've flown with a WSO for so long now, I hardly listen to the radio anymore (although I am back to flying by myself now so CHECK THE NOTAMS).

 

[Flash]

http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/04/10/controller.fatigue/index.html

Looks like the FAA is going to be getting in some trouble over under staffing.
I wonder how this is going to effect the new FAA budget. Adding over a thousand controllers can't be cheap. The ATC Union had been bitching about it for years. Why everyone's paying attention now? 49 lives. Now the tower controller isn't responsible for the Comair accident, but I can imagine a fully rested controller would have had his eyes on the outside.

Everything in aviation is written in blood.

The union is not the angel in this little dispute though, some of the staffing issues have not been all the FAA's fault (there was a recent artcle about this whole issue in Aviation Week). I also believe that the NTSB report says that a second controller would have been nice but not necessary in the tower for the Comair accident.

 

[usmarinemike]

I wish they'd upgrade their equipment too.

They're making some pretty big leaps toward their NexGen sytem, but it won't be fully online until 2025. Pretty much all of us will be retired by then, but probably still flying. Congress and the lobbyists are in a gruesome dogfight over funding, but the actual project seems to be moving along faster than planned (weird). I can't find any good online sources, but the first step (WAAS) is already mostly in place. I'm sure the airline types on AW have more viz.

 

[plc67]

I was taught, and teach, to set your heading bug to runway heading. If they do not match up, don't take off. Disclaimer: may be ineffective on parallel runways.