Aviation News

FAA Contract Negotiations with NATCA Reach Impasse

The union’s pay proposal, while achieving limited cost savings in the first few years, would revert back to guaranteed increases and keeps pay scales close to their current levels for all controllers, essentially deferring expenses, nullifying any initial savings and retaining an excessive pay structure for the long term.

“The union wants us to mortgage the future of the national airspace system,” Blakey said. “Their proposal is a Trojan horse that will spring costs on the taxpayer at a critical juncture when we need to fund a safer, satellite-based system and hire a new generation of controllers and inspectors.”

Although the FAA and the union are at impasse, Blakey praised the professionalism of the controller workforce and assured that during the duration of the impasse the agency and its employees will continue to keep a strict focus on the FAA’s responsibility to operate the nation’s aviation system safely and efficiently.

“Our managers and controllers are dedicated professionals. The public can count on them to carry out their important public safety mission,” Blakey said.

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	Did You Know?
	Private pilots must be at least 17 years old and have a minimum of 40 hours of flight time The actual average is about 65 hours), including 20 hours of instruction and 10 hours solo. Pilots trained according to accelerated curricula defined in Part 141 of the Federal Aviation Regulations may be certified with a minimum of 35 hours. Private pilots may not fly for hire but may share equally with their passengers the direct expenses of a flight – specifically, fuel, oil, airport transient parking/landing fees, and aircraft rental charges.