The Main Bang

Thought I'd mention a blog that I've added to the Blogs I Frequent section in the right-hand column. "The Main Bang" is written by friend, retired air traffic controller and former President of the Nation Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA), John Carr. It has wide readership within the aviation field as John is a well respected and informed source of information.

Although I've been reading his page for some time, I never linked to it from my page. If you are travelling by air this summer and encounter the inevitible delays, you may be more interested in what is taking place at the FAA.

Aside from keeping you safe in the skies, NATCA would like for your flight to arrive on time. We've created a site to help you plan your trip and give you tips on how to avoid delays. While the FAA continues to say that there is no staffing crisis, we at little old Springfield MO (SGF) have scheduled overtime now and staffing requirements have dropped although traffic patterns haven't changed. The only thing that has changed from a year ago is that we are required to use an additional controller for the midnight watch and we've lost some controllers due to retirement and transfer. I guess that means that we don't need as many controllers watching the skies as we used to need.

SGF does have new controllers coming onboard, but with check-out times and future retirements, we're just maintain the status quo. Most larger facilities are not so fortunate.

In the grand scheme of air traffic control, SGF is pretty insignificant. To keep you posted on the BIG Picture, read The Main Bang.

John