FAA Controllers who work the show during Oshkosh. Safety-related functions will not be affected by the furlough.
As of yesterday, the FAA is broke. Now it looks like the FAA leaders may not even have the money to come to Oshkosh. What a crazy system. The FAA has been operating on a long string of very short-term funding authorizations passed by Congress for the past few years. On last Friday night, the existing authorization expired and the FAA had no money to operate on Saturday morning. Here at Oshkosh the FAA seems to be functioning normally. The controllers were all in the normal spots on Saturday morning when I called to depart for Oshkosh. The controllers here at Oshkosh in their pink shirts were as busy as usual, but they were all here.
The reality is that all safety-related FAA operations continue even though there is no funding authorization from Congress. I don’t know how that money is approved, but it must be some automatic system. Thank god for whatever that system is because without it we would have no controllers, no flight service stations, and none of the FAA people who make it possible for the system to operate.
Some services at Flight Standards District Offices like this one in Atlanta, Georgia, may be unavailable until funding is restored.
But what the refusal of Congress to fund the FAA does mean is that any and all non-safety-related operations are halted. There is no money to work on runways, continue development of new technology such as the ADS-B system, and no managers who are outside the direct safety-related work. About 4,000 people who work at the FAA are not directly involved enough in short-term safety to stay on the job. A new or improved runway delivers safety over the long term, but that doesn’t count.
Right now it looks like FAA managers, and maybe even the administrator, who visit AirVenture every year to gain a better understanding of what general aviation is all about, can’t come to Oshkosh. Like most aspects of government, the FAA shutdown is mostly theater. Congressmen on all sides are holding out for their favorite project, or to cut a project they don’t like, so nothing, including approving an FAA budget, gets done. It’s crazy.
FAA Adminstrator Randay Babbitt (Center) arrives at EAA AirVenture 2010. This year Babbitt and other top FAA officials may attend AirVenture during the crisis but he assured EAA President and CEO Rod Hightower that FAA functions tied to the fly-in will not be affected.
Maybe the FAA funding feud will be resolved quickly and FAA people can have their normal involvement with AirVenture. But maybe not. I am afraid that Congress has found a loophole that lets it both shut down the FAA but keep the most time-critical functions operating. Last that I heard Congress had not even set the schedule to discuss new spending authorization for the FAA.
“The Senate and President seem to have the philosophy that they can spend money for what ever project they want by just allocating it with no plan on how to pay for it, yet when something specific comes up like the FAA funding where the money is supposed to already be there, they can’t agree primarily because the the President and the Dems want to show favoritism to the unions and the conservatives won’t let them. They claim to be for GA, but their actions are both anti GA and small business.”
This idiot’s attitude is just exactly why the country is in a death spirial. Notice how the House of Representatives isn’t mentioned by him. Until this attitude of hate ends and we become a single country, working on COMMON problems, this joker’s attitude better-that-we-fail-will destroy the country. NO ONE IS COMPLETELY RIGHT HERE, in spite of your divisive, destructive attitude.
AS for me the FAA can stay with out funds, the only thing they have done for me is regulate me out of the sky. The FAA is why 80% of student pilots quit flying before they get there license. The FAA was formed to promote aviation, not kill it but there doing a dam good job of doing it and i guess thats just fine for EAA and AOPA because they just go hand in hand skiping down the road together.
I agree with this… The EAA ESPECIALLY is out for the bucks first, and the struggle to promote new student starts and successful completions is of very little concern. Sure they promote the “Young Eagles”, but that really isn’t a new student pilot startup program an has NO follow-through!… Give me the BUCKS! is their first demand and then whatever happens … happens!
Clear, infomrtavie, simple. Could I send you some e-hugs?
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The fight is over the House Republicans insistence that employees who don’t vote in union elections be counted as “no” votes — a process that is not used in any elections that I am aware of.
What??… you have been listening to far too many break room rumors and scare tactics!
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I try to leave any political views I may have out of any discussions of mine in public forums, but honestly to me, this is all just political manuvering. “they” will use whatever creates the most news and fear to further their agenda. If it means threatening to not get the social security checks out, pay our military or keep the folks who control our airspace at their jobs this is what they will do. A sad time for our country.
Not all functions of the FAA are funded by the Trust Fund. Like the Interstate Highway System, the Natioanl Airspace System provides benefits for the whole country, therefor a portion of it is paid for through the general fund.
Get the FAA out of controlling GA aircraft. What bunch of if blood sucking control freaks. EAA has done more for us than USA govt officials. They take $$ from lobbists to ram new regulations down pipe. All for the children and safety of course….its always about the children or terriorists isnt it. Thank U Jesus for making them broke and maybe we can rule out NeX Gen electronics to overgross my little Cessna. Anybody want more stupid rules….
Oh yea…one more comment. The EAA folks wouldnt have to fight so hard every year to CONVINCE them FAA freaks and train them in what the real world flying is all about. EAA KNOWS about flying……FAA wants too….but barely has GED ticket in back pocket and worries about how to keep their job. Ever read Part 91 or subparts a. thru c. sub paragraph 1b. Void is already complied with…………..
i do believe if the Faa is funded, just a little longer, GA will be a thing of the past, without flying machines, why would we need the Faa, if we don’t have cars, why would we need state police. i just went up town a few days ago and re-registered my car, and only took a few minutes, have you tried to register an experimental home built, lately. i had to drive 280 miles to get a condition inspection license to work on an aircraft that i built, but not allowed to work on without a license—thanks Faa for your help in this matter. all we need for safety in flying is a good radio, to report your position at airports, on take off and landing, most controllers are asleep anyway.
What a bunch of unhinged psychopaths on this thread. Do you REALLY think that the FAA does NOTHING? Sure they can be a pain. But sure Sure fly without an annual that discovered all kinds of problems. Fly with a First Class Medical with a heart problem and diabetes. Fly Critter into a swamp. Fly Alaska flight directly into the ocean after a bunch of falsified, criminal sign offs. You are so unhinged in your hate that any hope of “One Nation, Under God” means nothing to y0u as politics as poisoned your minds and judgement.
It has sure poisoned my mind but only against politicians ! A more useless, self serving bunch would be hard to find. This country certainly has the finest government money can buy.
I noticed htat Babbit had enough funds for HIM to make it even though he is not really in an air safety position. I am sure that it is because he is, in his own mind anyway, a viatal cog in the operation of the organization.
I think it is because he likes the attention and he might even siggle his way into another “Media” ride with an aerobatic team like the “Blue Angels” or “Thunderbirds!”
Why on Earth did he need his FIRST “Media” ride as administrator? Perhaps he is working his way into a position to make his fortune in politics;… maybe congress where he has no responsibility or accountability and total freedom to take what he wants even at the expense of those he is in a postion to serve!