Not true. I was there. There was massive hiring starting almost immediately in 1981 and it lasted through 1991, where I came in as the second to last Academy class. In the mid-90s to early 2000s staffing was just fine. The problems started with Republican presidents that wanted reduce Federal employees and break their unions. They also ignored the warnings of a "retirement bubble" that would soon occur as all those replacement controllers hired in the 80s reached retirement eligibility. Ever since, they have failed to address staffing shortages with any sort of intelligent plan.

(Written on 10/03/2023)(Permalink)

Sarcasm? No he's not directly responsible for an individual, but he is responsible for failing to staff facilities adequately. And he's not alone, it's been a problem since the late 90s, trust me, I was there. I'll also correct myself, the contract towers do actually contract with the city or municipality, but they are still partially funded by the FAA and required to abide by all applicable rules and regulations. If you pay taxes, you are not getting your money's worth, let's just put a bow on it.

(Written on 10/01/2023)(Permalink)

The problem is not just the individual controller (if he's really a problem), it's the contractor. Who are they going to replace him with? And they don't contract with the city, they contract with the FAA, under DOT and useless Mayor Pete. That's why I've said elsewhere, take it up with the FAA. The symptoms you iterate are examples of the failed administration. I NEVER had to man a busy tower cab by myself, and can't even imagine how impossibly unsafe that would be. This guy is clearly trying to maintain his sanity and his job at the same time. He certainly can't live in NorCal driving Uber. Even at the Center I worked at, I could work a sector by myself, but I was surrounded by other sectors and a supervisor and controllers on stand by to help out if necessary. And...any facility has the authority to deny training flights. Period.

(Written on 09/30/2023)(Permalink)

For the record, I never argued the controller wasn't unprofessional, but we all reach that level of frustration at some point in our lives, controllers are no different. It's a symptom of the problem (understaffing), not the problem itself.

(Written on 09/29/2023)(Permalink)

And BTW, I'm sure you'd be against flying on an airliner with a single pilot, which BTW, the industry is trying to push. Put some thought into it.

(Written on 09/29/2023)(Permalink)

Tell me Mr. High Horse, with no experience, how does a single controller working an 8-hour shift take a bathroom break? Or any break at all, with a pattern full of airplanes?

(Written on 09/29/2023)(Permalink)

To all the folks that say this controller should be fired... you don't get it. He was alone on a shift, which in itself is a travesty, and if he isn't there, no tower. Pick your poison. I flew in and out of a lot of very busy *uncontrolled* airports in NorCal (I was also a controller) and it was very dicey, I even once took over the pattern from the air because of a few boneheads. I'll take a few snippy comments over an unsafe environment, thankyaverymuch. Take it up with the FAA, because while it's a contract tower, they still have to abide by FAA regs and safety standards as much as any government facility.

(Written on 09/29/2023)(Permalink)

*Somebody* has to carry back all those cigars... :-)

(Written on 09/29/2023)(Permalink)

My understanding is that a sonic boom is a shockwave with a lot of velocity that at thunderclap doesn't have, so yes, at low altitudes, they can break windows and do other damage, but at high altitude, enough of that energy is dissipated by the time it reaches the ground so no ill effects. I don't know how much the NASA research has made it "livable" but if so, it would be a game changer for cross-continental travel. Concorde was never profitable because of the restrictions, BA and Air France only continued to fly them for the prestige, they lost money every flight.

(Written on 09/01/2023)(Permalink)

Huh. As a former FAA controller, I thought (sarcasm) privatizing ATC was "the answer". It's not. Systems fail, whether it's government or private industry, and when revenues are down, private industry takes shortcuts for profit. How many times has Southwest Airlines' crew scheduling system crashed? I have family that was stranded during the Christmas fiasco last year, it was a nightmare. Just keep that in mind the next time you hear the NAS (National Airspace System) in the U.S. needs to be privatized.

(Written on 09/01/2023)(Permalink)