FAA IS FAILING ON FLYING SAFETY

The GAO, The OIG and the NTSB have all documented the FAA's inability to deliver on aviation safety, its primary mission. The FAA refuses to address several longstanding safety issues, like Icing, Bird Strike, Pilot Training, Pilot Fatigue.

FAA is failing with safety because they have not one, but two conflicting mission statements: safety and efficiency. In their drive toward efficiency FAA has partnered with the commercial aviation industry which they are tasked to regulate. This is why FAA fails and will continue to fail on safety. This delicate balance is further compromised when Congress, who manages the FAA purse, are controlled by the same very powerful industry lobby. The Industry would prefer to invest in technology that will increase efficiency, which drives their bottom line. Spending on safety increases their operating expense which is why you don't see commercial aviation groups lobby for more safety regulations. Congress shares the responsibility of FAA failure when they fund Industry wish list items over safety regulations requested by Science-based NTSB.

The FAA is also failing on their secondary mission: Efficiency. Longstanding gross mismanagement and poor leadership seem to mark business as usual at the FAA. It's large projects like Next Gen are now 12 years behind schedule and well over budget. They consistently fail to deliver, operate without transparency, and do not adhere to basic accounting standards which have led to an unprecedented waste of taxpayer dollars. The FAA is in need of a massive overhaul to correct these problems which recently led to a major commercial aviation disaster.

Congress and the FAA are irreponsive to the glaring gap in safety regulations which has cost lives. In February 2009 Commercial airline lobbyists convinced members of congress to funnel more than $1.2 billion in Economic Stimulus Package dollars to the airlines via some Airport/ Airline slush funds.

CONGRESS POISED TO AWARD FAA FAILURES

( S. 1451 The FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act ) is the funding vehicle for the Federal Aviation Administration. It is currently in the Senate Finance Committee. The Senate Bill is estimated at $35 Billion and provides for only 2 years of FAA funding. That will cost all American families an average of $271.94. This is the largest funding increase in the history of this poorly managed federal agency. Congress seems determined to award FAA failure.

Congress is now is trying to funnel taxpayer dollars direct to commercial airlines through Essential Air Services Program, and Airport Improvement Program. These programs, though meant to address safety and environmental issues and give much needed service to rural communities, they often function as large discretionary spending pools which senators can direct towards towns and airlines in order to gain votes and support.

TAXPAYER & SAFETY PROTECTIONS NEEDED

The FAA Reauthorization Act and the Senate's version- The FAA Air Transportation Modernization and Safety Improvement Act does not accomplish enough to change the problems at the FAA but rather supports and awards a flawed system which seems more and more like a boondoggle.

Any FAA funding bill should include important safety reforms to correct the culture of mismanagement at the FAA. Congress should first be subsidizing equipment that increases safety. Equipment that increases effeciency should not be funded ahead of safety equipment. The Commercial Aviation industry and their users should finance the bulk of efficiency, not the American taxpayer.

Transparency must surround any spending on the AIP, EASP, Next Gen so that taxpayer dollars are not wasted. The FAA must begin operating with transparency. Cost benefit Analysis, risk analysis, risk vs. gain studies must be completed before implementing high risk projects like Next Gen.

Congress needs to extricate itself from the powerful aviation lobby long enough to safeguard the flying public and modernize the National Aviation system responsibly. They need to fix these longstanding problems at the FAA. Not award failure.