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What Is PASS?
The Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO (PASS) represents approximately 11,000 Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Department of Defense (DoD) employees throughout the United States and in several foreign countries. In 1977, PASS was formed to provide exclusive representation for the FAA’s technician bargaining unit. PASS has grown over the decades and now represents five bargaining units within the FAA and DoD. For over 30 years, PASS has been dedicated to supporting and sustaining the safety and efficiency of the National Airspace System (NAS) for the flying public.
Who Are PASS Members?
PASS members are dedicated to ensuring the integrity, reliability, and safety of the commercial and general aviation industries. PASS members include Technical Operations and DoD employees (systems specialists, electronics technicians and computer specialists) who install, maintain, repair and certify the radar, navigation, communication and environmental systems making up the air traffic control system; Flight Standards and manufacturing aviation safety inspectors responsible for inspecting and certifying every aspect of the commercial and general aviation industries; flight inspection pilots, missions specialists and procedures development specialists in Aviation System Standards; and administrative employees in the FAA’s Aviation Registry.
What Do PASS Members Do?
PASS members perform a variety of functions within the NAS, including the following:
- Technicians, also known as airway transportation systems specialists, install, repair, maintain, operate and certify the complex systems used in air traffic control and national defense. They are the only people authorized to certify the operation and safety of FAA systems and equipment. There are nearly 6,000 technicians who maintain more than 70,000 facilities and pieces of equipment.
- Aviation safety inspectors are responsible for ensuring safety standards by developing, administering and enforcing regulations and standards concerning civil aviation safety. Some 2,800 Flight Standards aviation safety inspectors and field support staff achieve their objectives through certification, surveillance, education partnerships with industry, and oversight of all private and commercial aircraft, air agencies, air carriers, airmen and repair facilities. They perform more than 750,000 safety inspections each year.
- Manufacturing inspectors assure safety and quality of aircraft and associated products being manufactured and operated. Manufacturing inspectors evaluate aircraft and parts suppliers and oversee FAA manufacturing designees who conduct new aviation equipment inspections.
- Flight inspection pilots and mission specialists and procedure development specialists from Aviation System Standards are responsible for the design, development and flight inspection services for ground and space navigation systems at more than 3,000 airports in the United States and numerous airports in 46 other countries. They ensure the integrity of the instrument procedures and airways that make up the NAS.
- Aircraft maintenance employees from Aviation System Standards maintain the FAA’s fleet of aircraft, which are used to perform flight checks of operational NAS systems and validate procedures and airways used by pilots to navigate the NAS safely.
- Safety support staff provides critical services, such as general office work and administrative and clerical functions, to support the operation and maintenance of the NAS. They also provide a wide assortment of support functions, ranging from office automation and data processing to program management, program analysis and logistics management.
Whenever you fly, the work PASS members do behind the scenes
helps you get there safely.
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