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Transportation Secretary Addresses Nationwide Air Traffic Controller Shortage

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WASHINGTON — US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg revealed on Friday that the nation's air traffic control (ATC) system is currently short of approximately 3,000 workers, with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) aiming to fill some of these positions. (www.airlinerwatch.com) More...

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seventy7
Jeary Smith 12
Former USMC,ZAU,ZID. Raise the mandatory retirement age. In my day we could work until medically disqualified. The 56 year old and out requirement is crazy. There are people that want to stay and work longer. If you can fly a 747 until you are 65, you should be able to continue to work as a controller. They force controllers to retire, some still need to work or want to. Some people are still raising a family at 56. This would win/win if controllers had the option. Just my 2 cents.
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abqsammy
Sam Lockwood 11
I’m an ATC for 31yrs. The neglect for hiring ATC began with Bush II, and continued thru Obama, Trump and Biden. Hiring promises broken with each administration. Air Safety is too important for politicians and a political system, especially today.
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cadamhelmer
cadamhelmer 3
Love the controllers I work with flying IFR and just tooling around under VFR with Flight Following. Worth their weight in gold, overworked, under appreciated, and underpaid. Still the best service our government provides. Because of the controllers and their professionalism.
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GeorgeHall
George Hall -6
I totally agree. The federal government should not control what the FAA does. They should be independent of each other. The ATC shortage is flat out dangerous. People make mistakes when they are tired and overworked. I have heard this many times from my step-brother whom is a retired commercial pilot. This problem causes air disasters. I am really surprised that Trump did it too, however. Bush II leaned to the left as we all know.
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deanbog1
Dean Bogdanowich 1
I was a center controller for 30 years , every single time the Fed tried to screw us it was under the republican controlled administrations .
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Nooge
Nooge 1
Thank you for your service and honesty
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SteveTarr
Steve Tarr 4
Please, keep flightaware free of political comments.
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gcdogs
John Mitchell 3
I went thru the academy in 1970. My class had 6 of the class of 20 who would graduate. Hq sent the word by one of the Brass that there would be a retest. The instructors came unglude and almost left. You either have the ability to control or you don't.
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curtfbcn
Curtis Phillips 2
I agree on increasing the age of retirement in ATC, but many at busy facilities get burned out at an early age. They still should be able to go till 65 if they are not burned out and want to work. The option of contract towers is there too once you are out of an FAA facility. You can work as long as you are able in those towers for about half the FAA pay.

As a retired ATC and a Private Pilot, I know the training cannot be compromised for either field.

With a military ATC background, college ATC training or pilot training, hiring 3000, you might get 2000 to 2500 full performance level controllers. With no aviation background you might get 2 to 3 hundred with the rest being washouts. Government pencil pushers that know nothing about aviation may want to change the rules if they haven't already.

If the government compromises standards for controller training. I feel sorry for the future of the flying public.
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wslazyk
wslazyk 2
Privatizing ATC will lead to ATC catering to whoever they consider to be their best customers. That would be the airlines and the result is that GA will be driven out of the system. That will happen either because ATC gives service to the airlines and not GA or they overcharge for their services. As an example, a charge for a simple thing like VFR flight-following would cause pilots not to use it. I think that ATC, like a public road or highway, should be a government service open and free for all to use.
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mgsegal
Mark Segal 5
There seems to be an aversion amongst readers of this website to looking at the detailed facts underlying the situation and what measures the Administration has been taking to adresss them. It's far easier and politically comforting to sling blame around.
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WNSlamDunk1
WNSlamDunk1 11
As a commercial pilot of almost 33 yrs., w/ a host of friends inside the ATC system, I can corroborate that what Sam Lockwood stated is factual. Stating a fact is not political. Your interpretation of his statement is political, i.e. you're projecting your political proclivities onto his words.
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kpbarbee
Kevin Barbee 7
Well said. Lack of respect for others and no desire to communicate and engage.
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skipwilder
Skip Wilder 5
I believe Secretary Buttigieg is the first Transportation Secretary we've had whose only transportation experience has been running a small town municipal bus line. Seems like he has neither the ability nor the experience required to do the job.
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deanbog1
Dean Bogdanowich -1
Sort of like tRumps appointee Chao
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jdd125
Joe Daskalakis 1
She literally had years of experience as a Secretary of Transportation...
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MikeMohle
Mike Mohle 2
D E I to the rescue!
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ed7778
Dennis Stockton 1
A possible solution to train more ATCs is to copy the Air Force's method. The 19th Air Force command near San Antonio, Texas, “clustered” racial minorities and female trainees into one class, dubbed “America’s Class.”
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godutch
godutch -5
Biden administration...dumber that a box of rocks.
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jwllane
Jerry Lane 4
Idiot. This has been a problem for 20+ years.
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wychris
Chris Clinton 6
Apparently this has been going on for several administrations, so take your politics out the door.
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jbsimms
James Simms -3
That’s insulting to rocks……
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Nooge
Nooge -1
The Republican Leadership ....dumber "that" a box of rocks



House Oversight Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., claimed on Sunday that the panel cannot track down a key informant in the Republicans' probe into the Biden family's business dealings.

Republicans have repeatedly pushed corruption allegations against the Bidens that have frustrated even Fox News hosts. "You don't have any facts," host Steve Doocy told Comer last week.

Fox News host Maria Bartiromo pressed Comer on the evidence on Sunday.

"You also spoke with an informant who gave you all of this information," she said. "Where is that informant today? Where are these whistleblowers?"

"Well, unfortunately, we can't track down the informant," Comer replied. "We're hopeful that the informant is still there. The whistleblower knows the informant. The whistleblower is very credible."

Related

"You don't have any facts": Fox News host calls out James Comer's flailing Biden probe
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Comer added that "no president has ever been accused of the things that the Biden family's been accused of."

"Hold on a second, Congressman. Did you just say that the whistleblower or the informant is now missing?" Bartiromo interjected.

"Well, we're hopeful that we can find the informant," Comer said. "Remember, these informants are kind of in the spy business, so they don't make a habit of being seen a lot or being high profile or anything like that."

Comer added that nine of the 10 informants "that we've identified that have very good knowledge with respect to the Bidens, they're one of three things. They're either currently in court, they're currently in jail, or they're currently missing."

Bartiromo called the congressman's claim "absolutely extraordinary."

"It is stunning that some people are missing, that you need to the prove this," she said. "Just stunning. A stunning breaking news story this morning that some of these people now may be missing," she later added as she wrapped up the interview.
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linbb
linbb -5
Keep the thought, he is in charge he knows what the problem is he has the experience to fix it all will be well. Yes keep those thoughts of the entire Biden fiasco thats still bumbling along spending money on electric cars and there infrastructure. Doubt it any of the dumb asses understand what is going on day to day in the real world.
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SkyAware123
SkyAware123 1
Buttigieg can't fix a damn thing, so definetely not this shortage.
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Upperchucked
C. W. GRADY -3
Right, the entire problem is all Biden's fault. Entirely his fault, no doubt.
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xtoler
Larry Toler -9
This BS right here! If our culture was so "woke", we should be looking at the real issues, like where our tax dollars should really be spent. I don't care who's effing who, or who calls themselves whatever. Why don't we stick to real issues?
On a lighter note, the deer where I live outnumber me. That AR15 comes in handy (only during hunting season of course).
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jkeifer3
Joe Keifer -8
Privatize the delivery of ATC services like the rest of the world does! Yes, the government should still keep the regulatory part but the actual delivery of services, ATCS, technicians, facilities and equipment, etc) should be privatized.
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darjr26
darjr26 1
Great idea, let’s put Boeing in charge of it..
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bubblecom
Robert Fleury 0
with Regan as a consultant! lol
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briansfreeman
Brian Freeman -3
This is exactly what happens when virtue signaling takes priority over qualifications and those people make decisions with NO RELATIVE EXPERIENCE. But at least we all "feel good" about a gay, small town former mayor holding a Cabinet position, right?
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Midson71
Steve Malcomson 0
I tried hard in the mid 90s to get hired but the FAA wouldn’t give me the time of day since I wasn’t ex military. I’ve encouraged my 19 yo son to apply now but he’s not at all interested.
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