00:00they're going to and that could be a pretty lengthy process as well. Is that
00:05correct? That's correct sir. It can take anywhere from two to three years to get
00:10a certified professional controller through the system and qualified on at
00:14the facility they're going to be working at. Ms. Torres.
00:19Thank you chairman and thank you for being here. Also as I mentioned to
00:30Secretary Duffy a few weeks ago we are seeing a troubling rise in near misses
00:36including navigation systems shutting down themselves while a plane is
00:42attempting to land. These are serious close calls that could have ended in
00:48terrible disasters. These aren't isolated incidents. They signal a deeper issue
00:55with the FAA's ability to provide the strong consistent safety oversight that
01:01our aviation systems demands. Pilots today are operating in increasingly complex
01:08conditions where even small breakdowns, mechanical issues, miscommunication, ground
01:17movement risks can easily escalate a situation. It's a lot of stress for them.
01:24That is why we need an FAA that is fully staffed, well supported, and fully focused
01:30on its mission that is protecting lives. I assume that continues to be its number one
01:36mission. Acting Administrator you recently said in a town hall that the FAA will be
01:42leaner and that statement in the current environment is a little bit alarming. A leaner FAA raises real
01:51concerns about the capacity and readiness. You took some responsibility for what was missed in the recent
01:59DCA incident saying I take that seriously and I take that on myself. I returned to the FAA just two months,
02:08two months ago, and I care about the national airspace system for safety and the work force. I sent you my
02:17questions in advance so that there would be no concerns or mistakes. What immediate steps is the FAA taking to reduce
02:27near misses and protect safety on the ground and in the air?
02:34Thank you for the question.
02:36Yes, first and foremost, let me just start by saying the system is incredibly safe and that matters to me personally.
02:42It matters to my leadership team that I meet with on a weekly basis and it matters to the 45,000 people that come to work every day for the FAA.
02:50As it relates specifically to what we were doing now, as a result of the tragic crash of American Airlines 5342 a few months ago, we initiated a very aggressive effort to look across the nation for what we refer to internally as hotspots at 20 locations around the nation to ensure that we were picking up on the data that we may have missed previously.
03:17We use new tools like AI and machine learning.
03:20But safety incidents haven't stopped. So what can we aggressively change today, yesterday, tomorrow to stop these incidents, these near misses?
03:32I'll give you three quick examples. First and foremost, Las Vegas, Nevada. We identified early on that the vertical and lateral boundaries for helicopters in fixed swing were not where they needed to be.
03:47And traffic advisories, so calling out controllers to pilots to telling them about helicopters in the area, that was something we did immediately when we identified those issues.
03:57In the L.A. Basin, we're looking at the mix of traffic there between helicopters and a fixed wing in some of the more dense air traffic areas there.
04:07And then finally in Alaska, where weather is so important to the people in Alaska, and we're testing new technologies to bring additional satellite weather into that area too.
04:18Have you raised these concerns with the secretary?
04:21I talk to the secretary regularly and he has impressed upon me.
04:25But specifically on these issues that you identified?
04:28Yes. Yes, we have.
04:30Okay. So how is the FAA reassuring our pilots and our crews and passengers that every aircraft is held to the highest safety standard?
04:39And I really appreciate it because in addition to what we call this hotspots review, we actually had a series of engagements with the community.
04:48So the first one was general aviation, business aviation. Then we moved to the helicopter community.
04:54Then we moved to ramp workers to make sure the airport safety on the ground was well done.
04:58And then we just finished recently with the airlines themselves. So we've engaged directly with the operators within the system.
05:07I'm very concerned about the software mechanics, engineers, whatever we want to call them.
05:13The people that are working on the system that was, you know, launched in the 1970s, you can't bring in a modern worker to replace that worker.
05:23And I think I'm out of time. So you and I will continue this conversation in the next opportunity.
05:30And I'd be happy to. Thank you. Mr. Strong.
05:34Thank you, Chairman Womack and Ranking Member Clyburn for holding this hearing today.
05:38I'd also like to thank the subcommittee.
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