Robert A. Sturgell, Montreal, Canada September 18, 2008
American Bar Association Air and Space Law Forum
Good afternoon, everyone. I want to thank Nancy [LoBue]for those kind words just now, and for the leadership she’s shown as your chair. I know you all won’t miss a beat when Renee [Martin-Nagle]takes the helm next year.
I have to admit to feeling an overwhelming sense of deja vu. If it seems like just yesterday when I was in Montreal, well, maybe because it was. Actually, it was ten days ago, for the ICAO conference on air traffic modernization. It’s great to be back with President Kobeh in the city where the roots of aviation run deep.
The purpose of my visit then was to talk about the coming together of the two most advanced aviation systems in the world — America and Europe. We’re both heading into a critical phase of meshing our future technology and airspace systems. We call our new system “NextGen.” Europe calls theirs “SESAR.” [Single European Sky ATM Research].
As part of our NextGen efforts, you’ve seen us focus on congestion and, in particular, the redesign of the New York airspace.
I like to call these initiatives our “full attorney employment” initiatives, because I think collectively — between the airspace redesign and our market-based auctions — we have about twenty-something lawsuits filed against us. And the number’s rising by the hour.
Humor aside, as I thought about what to discuss with this group, New York is a microcosm of some of the issues that we face going forward, from both an operations and policy perspective.
Collectively, we have to figure out how to keep moving forward on infrastructure projects — new runways, new taxiways, terminals, and airports.
Operationally, we have to find ways to better utilize existing infrastructure, accelerate technology and better design airspace.
From a policy perspective, how do we maintain competition when there’s no additional capacity?
And what are the best ways to manage congestion?
Beyond New York, there are other policy issues yet to be resolved:
Confidentiality of data and data-sharing.
How to resolve fatigue issues and move to a framework that’s based more on the science?
Should our efforts in commercial space adopt industry-consensus standards similar to the Light Sport Aircraft?
FAA oversight — How do we keep up with this ever-evolving industry?
What’s the best way to certify and introduce new technology and aircraft in a manner that further improves aviation safety?
And what’s the best approach for financing the FAA in a way that’s fair and ensures stable, reliable funding?
All of these topics are a speech to themselves, and we ought to be able to debate them in a thorough, constructive manner — not through sound bites and political rhetoric.
The system is too important to the collective good of this nation.
Especially in this time of change and struggle for the carriers in every location, we recognize the challenges the industry is going through, what with the fuel crisis, the financial straits and the cuts in service to small communities.
In the here and now, we’re working with the airports and the airlines to ease the sting.
For example, this past summer, with fuel prices going through the roof, I met with a couple dozen industry executives — a “fuel forum” — to talk about where things stand and what to do about it. We discussed new procedures and other steps that the carriers can take to lower their fuel bill. Not ten years from now, but things they can do right now.
But, today, I want to hold off on the policy issues and take a little different approach.
I’d like to talk about a safety issue that we’ve tackled with renewed energy. The heart of the issue is the intersection of humans and technology. It’s a collective liability for all of us, and I need your help in working with the industry to make further improvements — runway safety.
You may remember the call to action we convened last year with the stakeholders to get the incursion numbers down.
At the FAA, we’ve spent millions on new technology. We’ve repainted runway markings. And we’ve installed runway status lights that act like traffic signals.
The airlines are doing their part too, training pilots on the need for constant vigilance in the cockpit, changing procedures, changing checklists.
And it’s clear that despite all that we’ve done, attention is not focused where it needs to be. As a matter of fact, I just sent another letter to the airline CEOs asking them to ratchet up situational awareness once again.
We’ve taken the human out of the loop with things like autopilot, but machines aren’t the answer. If they were, my DVD player wouldn’t always be flashing 12 o’clock.
I’d like to illustrate the scenario with some video.
The pilot is told to hold short. Roger that. The controller repeats the instruction. The pilot repeats it for the second time — and then he rolls onto an active runway.
Instruction. Confirmation. Instruction. Confirmation. Then an incursion. What do you say when the correct instructions are given twice? When we’ve made all these efforts, and it comes down to this?
As you can see, human-in-the-loop issues are everyone’s problem. They are our collective liabilities.
And since you are all part of the industry, and you deal with the airlines and the stakeholders, I need your help — help me solve these human-in-the-loop issues. What can we do to further enhance safety when we’ve maxed out on technology — whether it’s for pilots, controllers or vehicle drivers?
As a former airline pilot, I am concerned that certain business practices, such as cleaning up as pilots are taxiing in, can exacerbate the problem. This is a liability none of us needs.The safety record of commercial flying is extremely high, but it’s no accident or miracle. It’s because we’ve been paying attention to the little details. A safety record like ours requires the continued, sustained attention of an entire industry on the little things. Thank you.
Fonte: FAA 23/09/2008.
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And my celebration of your tired and dysfunctional lawless and hypocritical agency, FAA, is to celebrate the now-manifest 50 Ways To FIRE BOBBY STURGELL.
1. Fire Bobby Sturgell for FAA’s threats made to aviation safety inspectors, now FBI-investigated.
2. Fire Bobby Sturgell for lying about and seeking to cover-up the cracked Southwest planes.
3. Fire Bobby Sturgell for lying about and seeking to cover-up the American airlines wire-bundles.
4. Fire Bobby Sturgell for perpetuating the Tombstone Agency culture, reacting only to a tombstone.
5. Fire Bobby Sturgell for “closing the book” on fuel-tank explosions when they remain a threat.
6. Fire Bobby Sturgell for countless mid-air near-misses and runway incursions.
7. Fire Bobby Sturgell for low-fuel landings and wrong-way departures.
8. Fire Bobby Sturgell for being nothing more than an aeromercantile sycophant and airline-company patsy.
9. Fire Bobby Sturgell for lying about and seeking to conceal accidents and incidents when they occur.
10. Fire Bobby Sturgell for his repeated acts of perjury.
11. Fire Bobby Sturgell for his repeated acts of contempt of Congress.
12. Fire Bobby Sturgell for failing to consider people and lives on the ground.
13. Fire Bobby Sturgell for ignoring Inspector General Scovel and Congressman James Oberstar.
14. Fire Bobby Sturgell for lying to threatened-to-be-overflown communities.
15. Fire Bobby Sturgell for lying to the ATCs, to NATCA, to the American people, and to the press.
16. Fire Bobby Sturgell for making bad hires of unethical and incompetent colleagues.
17. Fire Bobby Sturgell for being inarticulate in a federal position that actually requires the ability to speak.
18. Fire Bobby Sturgell for seeking to maliciously manipulate the media at every turn.
19. Fire Bobby Sturgell for wasting unbelievable amounts of fossil fuel and energy.
20. Fire Bobby Sturgell for overscheduling our airports and over-saturating our skies, causing numbing delays.
21. Fire Bobby Sturgell for forgetting that the AMERICAN PEOPLE are the ‘customers’, not the airlines!
22. Fire Bobby Sturgell for rejecting any Culture of Safety.
23. Fire Bobby Sturgell for pretending to know what he is doing, while not caring.
24. Fire Bobby Sturgell for his arrogance and failure to lead.
25. Fire Bobby Sturgell for lying that Redesign would create a 20% savings.
26. Fire Bobby Sturgell for only reacting when forced, and not otherwise.
27. Fire Bobby Sturgell for failing to timely implement NextGen and other critical technologies.
28. Fire Bobby Sturgell for taking orders from the wrong people.
29. Fire Bobby Sturgell for re-introducing defective planes and parts back into the stream of world commerce.
30. Fire Bobby Sturgell for collaborating with a FOIA unit to conceal information and falsify documents.
31. Fire Bobby Sturgell for wasting litigation dollars on matters that should never have been litigated.
32. Fire Bobby Sturgell for concealing flight plans.
33. Fire Bobby Sturgell for always blaming the victim and never taking personal responsibility.
34. Fire Bobby Sturgell for repeatedly screwing-up FAA Reauthorization.
35. Fire Bobby Sturgell for forgetting that he works for the people and not the other way around.
36. Fire Bobby Sturgell for the sought intimidation of bloggers and others exercising the First Amendment.
37. Fire Bobby Sturgell for ignoring Homeland Security concerns.
38. Fire Bobby Sturgell for not preventing dangerous non-Americans from “repairing” American aircraft.
39. Fire Bobby Sturgell for not fixing lax and rushed security and screening procedures at airports.
40. Fire Bobby Sturgell for harming the environment and contributing to our current energy crisis.
41. Fire Bobby Sturgell, to prevent more falling blue ice, aircraft parts, and pilot guns going off in cockpits.
42. Fire Bobby Sturgell for abusing the workforce of air traffic controllers, and not planning ahead for their retirement.
43. Fire Bobby Sturgell for getting investigated by virtually every federal law enforcement and governmental body that could do so.
44. Fire Bobby Sturgell for being the DelMarVa ideological spawn of J. Edgar Hoover, himself emanating from a Maryland biker-bar which recently posted racist, homophobic, and anti-biker epithets on its own outdoor wall.
45. Fire Bobby Sturgell for maintaining the “Partnership Program” with airlines that puts lives at risk.
46. Fire Bobby Sturgell for not preventing dangerous non-Americans from attending FAA-certified flight schools.
47. Fire Bobby Sturgell for lying to Senators Arlen Specter, Claire McCaskill, Frank Lautenberg, and Barbara Boxer.
48. Fire Bobby Sturgell for fostering the “Cozy Relationship” with airlines, thereby abdicating his and his agency’s legal duty to regulate.
49. Fire Bobby Sturgell for helping waste over US$53.5 million on a failed NY/NJ/PHL Airspace Redesign, and tons more money on other failed boondoggles.
50. Fire Bobby Sturgell for lying about the fact that he already quit his job and tapped Ruth Leverenz as his default successor.
Hey, FAA and Bobby Sturgell?
HAPPY 50TH!
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