• Sylphie [they/them, fae/faer]@hexbear.netEnglish
    30·
    12 hours ago

    This has been a problem forever, with the staffing contracts. FAA is horrible.

    ATC controllers are overworked and exhausted, I am surprised there’s not more accidents.

  • InevitableSwing [none/use name]@hexbear.netOPEnglish
    25·
    14 hours ago

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    Alt text

    Hi Ken,

    I’m a pilot and received this email from an airport manager about an issue that has been a growing problem for years in the Bay Area, and is now growing even worse; San Carlos airport is an airport within 10 miles of San Francisco International airport, and it will have no air traffic controllers starting on February 1st. The departure route for San Carlos directly overlaps the arrival path of San Francisco. San Carlos also hosts two of the areas largest flight schools.

    This means you now have a situation where inexperienced pilots will be departing into highly complex airspace, using solely their own judgement and reading of charts, so as to not collide with aircraft landing at San Francisco. This happened because the airport operates off an FAA contract for staffing controllers, rather than the FAA directly providing controllers. This system has always been tenuous.

    It was previously not uncommon for the contractor to only provide a single controller for all traffic; there are recordings on Youtube of the tower needing to shut down because the controller had to use the bathroom and no one else was working. Now, a new contractor has underbid the existing, and decided to remove cost of living adjustments for staff.

    All controllers have left, and the new contractor plans to operate the airport with no controllers (this means the pilots need to coordinate with each other instead). I’ve been disturbed by the operation of contract towers ever since becoming a pilot. During the first Trump administration, I feared what privatization of all air traffic control would bring.

    After Trump posted about ATC being at fault in last night’s mid air collision in DC, I’m concerned they will use this as a spring board to push for more private towers. I write this to you to say that this will bring more safety risks, and more people need to understand a real life example of what chaos a contract tower can create when put in such busy and complicated airspace.

    Thank you for your time, sorry to bother you with an email, but the accident last night has been a tipping point and I don’t know how else to spread awareness.