News

FAA Aware of Critical Safety Gaps, Does Nothing

Details: 18 Jul

Buffalo, NY - The Professional Airways Systems Specialists (PASS), AFL-CIO, the union representing FAA systems specialists, today said that the FAA is consciously ignoring safety requirements and allowing open (un-staffed) watches on the essential radar equipment that covers air traffic for Buffalo Niagara International Airport. The systems specialists are responsible for responding to any problems in the systems used to provide real-time air traffic control capabilities for the Buffalo airport. The unit is normally supposed to have a systems specialist on duty 16 hours a day, seven days a week.

Employees at Hartford Airport Working Without Proper Training

Details: 18 Jul

HARTFORD, CT - The Professional Airways Systems Specialists (PASS), AFL-CIO, the union that represents FAA technicians, reported today that there are no properly trained and certified technicians to oversee a major piece of air traffic control equipment at Bradley International Airport in Hartford, Conn. New distance measuring equipment (DME), which provides distance information between the ground and approaching aircraft for two Bradley runways, was recently installed at the airport, but no technicians at the facility are trained to work on the equipment. By not providing this important training to the employees responsible for maintaining and certifying the equipment, the FAA is not only gambling with the reliability of the aviation system but also risking the safety of the Hartford-area flying public.

Manchester Tower Completion Raises Concerns for FAA Systems Specialists

Details: 18 Jul

MANCHESTER, NH – Professional Airways Systems Specialists (PASS), AFL-CIO, the union representing FAA systems specialists, today called on the FAA for increased resources following a dedication ceremony unveiling the new Manchester-Boston Tower project.

Contractor Errors Continue to Threaten Aviation Safety

Details: 18 Jul

DALLAS, TX - The Professional Airways Systems Specialists (PASS), AFL-CIO, the union representing FAA systems specialists, is calling attention to yet another example where contractor carelessness has placed the safety of the American flying public at risk. On Tuesday, contractors working for Harris Corporation, the company now providing Federal Communications Infrastructure (FTI) circuitry and communications for the FAA, were testing circuits at the Dallas/Fort Worth Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facility and inadvertently shut down a system separate from the one on which they were working. The contractor error resulted in three out of four radars switching to backup lines.

Contractor Inability Causes Significant Loss of Communications for New York's Major Air Traffic Control Facility

Details: 18 Jul

NEW YORK - New York air travelers experienced delays last week due to contractor carelessness and inability, says the Professional Airways Systems Specialists (PASS), AFL-CIO, the union representing FAA systems specialists. On November 2, contractors working for Harris Corporation, the company now providing Federal Communications Infrastructure (FTI) circuitry and communications for the FAA, were performing corrective maintenance on equipment at New York’s Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC). Other systems were impacted due to the maintenance work, resulting in a loss of circuits that provide remote and interfacility communications and leading to significant unscheduled outages lasting nearly an hour.

FAA Aware of Critical Safety Gaps, Does Nothing

Employees at Hartford Airport Working Without Proper Training

Manchester Tower Completion Raises Concerns for FAA Systems Specialists

Contractor Errors Continue to Threaten Aviation Safety

Contractor Inability Causes Significant Loss of Communications for New York's Major Air Traffic Control Facility

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