During Wednesday’s House Appropriations Committee, Rep. David Joyce (R-OH) questioned Acting FAA Administrator Chris Rocheleau about DCA air traffic control training.
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00:00Aguiar's comments there and all of us here are among those who travel through DCA on a pretty regular basis and we wait at DCA with most of the traveling public does for reasons unbeknownst to us but can you share with the committee any specific steps that's being taken to improve the operational performance at DCA particularly during these peak travel periods?
00:25Yes sir so there's a there's a handful of way we've talked that first and foremost after the tragic collision we cleared that airspace we made it less complex by removing the helicopter traffic so first and foremost that that really did contribute to the ability for the controllers to to manage air traffic in a safer more efficient manner second we focused on specifically the controllers themselves so we were we had an authorized rate at staffing at 20%
00:5528% we're now at 30% and we're going to 31% so we're bringing in we've prioritized hiring for DCA traffic specifically and getting people up to speed there and then we work with the carriers at the end of the day you have to work with the airports and you have to work with the airlines to make sure that as we have traffic surges that we're able to spread that out throughout the day to make sure there aren't these peaks which kind of contribute to delays themselves and add workload to the controllers.
01:23And having sat on the runway weather because we missed our slot because we're a little late taking off.
01:29I apologize for that.
01:30We get you into DCA is an issue as well I understand.
01:32What aspects of the FAA's 26 requests are directly aimed at addressing those challenges and are there further measures or plans under consideration to enhance reliability and efficiency with this critical airport while continuing to prioritize the safety?
01:45So I would point you directly to the staffing piece I think the staffing piece whether it's at DCA and we're focused on DCA obviously in addition to places like Newark and other locations that that money that we're requesting for staffing is going to make a difference.
02:02We're not waiting for that money to come quite honestly we're working towards staffing appropriately as we can with the money that we do have.
02:09But I would say that the staffing is a big piece the technology when we think about introducing new technologies we are we're in a good place as it relates specifically to DCA with respect to our our fiber and our communications efforts.
02:25But again I go back to when we think about how it integrates within the larger system with the Potomac trade con and the command center and some of these other locations it's going to be critical for us to make these investments into the technologies in addition to the controller workforce itself.
02:41As we discuss this modernization efforts to the national airspace more broadly it's important to ensure that the smaller airports like those in Ohio are not left behind.
02:49These airports do not have 24-7 air traffic control staffing and therefore rely mostly on automated systems like the automated weather observing system and the automated surface observing system for weather reporting to ensure that operations can be carried out safely at all hours.
03:06Investing in the infrastructure and technology at these smaller airports is essential to maintain this efficient and accessible airspace for all Americans.
03:13With this in mind how do you plan to ensure that the smaller airports those outside of the core 30 largest airports that rely on these automated systems and the most are adequately prioritized in any system with modernization efforts that are moving forward.
03:29That's that's a great question because again I certainly appreciate having just come from from the industry the importance of being able to have that connectivity with local regional airports.
03:40The technology specifically is part of our kind of ongoing refresh if you will and when we think about service monitoring or airborne monitoring all of this technologies they may not have the same thing that say a JFK or a Newark would but we want to make sure that the tools are there whether it's a staff tower or an uncontrolled airport that they have those technologies in place.
04:03And so part of this effort is to ensure the continuing kind of refresh of the technologies there and the enhancements as they come available.
04:12So how are your 26 requests ensure all airports regardless of size have access to the needed funding so they're able to operate at full capacity.
04:20Well and certainly that is part of the ongoing process as we look at rolling out what we have today and that is separate from what we're talking about with respect to a whole new modern air traffic plan.
04:33It just goes back to what I mentioned where we identify these airports through it through our NIPIUS through our system through our approach and make sure that as these refreshes are necessary that we're devoting the resources that are critical to get them back up to speed.
04:51I had the opportunity as I addressed Secretary Duffy a few weeks back back in 2017 to go with then Chairman Schuster and Secretary Chao up to Canada to see the system that they have there and when you go into our towers and you see the paper and the floppy disks and the other thing that that's not the way it should be and I appreciate the efforts that you're going to take to fix that.
05:14I won't bore you with any more next 10 questions.
05:16Thank you sir.
05:17Thank you very much Chairman.
05:17And finally the distinguished Vice Chair of this subcommittee, Ms. Bice.
05:22Thank you Mr. Chairman and thank you Administrator for being with us this morning.
05:26I want to follow up on a comment that you made in response to Mr. Joyce's question and that was