U.S. Senate puts monkey on FAA’s back

Airport plan heads to Met Council

BY JIM SPENSLEY
AND DICK SAUNDERS

In the middle of a rising public debate over the $2.4-billion long-term construction plan at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP), the U. S. Senate is about to vote on whether to approve a bill that would stipulate the initial installation dates for the FAA’s proposed next-generation air traffic control system.

By stipulating initial implementation phases in 2016 and 2018 for key parts of the NextGen system in a law passed last month, the Senate reflected widespread public doubt over the FAA’s historic inability to complete large system integration tasks on schedule or budget.

In concept, NextGen will use GPS positions signals to “replace” both ground-based radar surveillance of high altitude flights and airport control of low altitude arrivals and departures. It would first be deployed for en route traffic management, supposedly allowing denser (more aircraft per hour) traffic between airports, widening or adding jet-ways first along the NE corridor. A later development would modify airport tower systems to plot tracks from GPS position data embedded in aircraft transceivers.

Thus, much of the Metropolitan Airport Commission’s (MAC) plan to handle an estimated 56 million passengers by 2030 hinges on deployment of a new airspace management system that is years away from fruition. That and other risks should be of more than passing interest not only to Minnesota lawmakers but to the Metropolitan Council. That body is expected to take up the plan in May.

Safety Implications
The South Metro Airport Action Council (SMAAC) thinks it is critical for Minnesotans to understand the safety implications of the NextGen plan. How can it be as safe to plan and allow 150-plus operations per peak hour and 350-plus different aircraft on the ground at MSP in the same hour (150 moving) as to have 90 or 120 operations per hour and 250 on the ground? Won’t hourly rate expansion lead to more aircraft flying closer together and taxiing farther and faster, further reducing safety margins?

The FAA bill is important from other passenger safety standpoints. Lack of pilot training may have contributed to the Colgan commuter turboprop crash killing 50 near Buffalo, N.Y., in February 2009; the bill calls for enhanced emergency training practices and longer rest times between flights to reduce pilot fatigue.

(Reports say 14-hour work days are common in the regional segment of the industry, preceded by multi-hour commutes to work from home.)

Another local safety concern: Delta’s practice of subcontracting most MSP flights to regional airlines with less qualified pilots. And having transferred most of its NWA system operations center (SOC) staff to Atlanta as part of the 2008 merger, Delta is trying to get by at MSP with a reduced in-flight and ground traffic management staff, some of whom are new to the region.

Other Issues
Other shortcomings in the 2030 plan: Delta’s long-term commitment here, the uncertain recovery rate of the Minnesota economy, the unstated implication of building another new runway in South Minneapolis or another developed neighborhood, and the role of the Legislature in establishing future accountability by airports in generating economic growth.

Jim Spensley is president and Dick Saunders vice president of SMAAC, the oldest citizen-based group monitoring MAC.