Rep. Dusty Johnson on Air Traffic Control Modernization and Training Challenges

Aging Infrastructure and Tools

• ⚠️ Federally owned towers older than 50 years are a significant concern, with one example cited in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
• 🛠️ While the workforce is dedicated, they are not being provided with the right tools to perform their jobs effectively.
• 💡 Prioritizing the replacement of these aging towers was a positive step taken during the last FAA reauthorization.

Air Traffic Controller Training Bottlenecks

• 🧠 Training a fully certified air traffic controller takes years, with field training accounting for approximately 85% of that time.
• 🚀 Congress can help by ensuring continuous recruitment and training, avoiding disruptions like government shutdowns.
• 💻 Investment in enhanced simulators is crucial, as they can reduce training time by 27% and save taxpayer money.
• 🎓 Outdated simulators and even basic laptops can impede progress, highlighting the need for better technology.

FAA Accountability and Reporting

• 🎯 Congress must hold the FAA accountable to the provisions in last year's FAA bill.
• 📊 The FAA has missed multiple deadlines for providing reports and identifying locations for testing digital towers.
• 📉 Similar accountability issues were noted with deadlines from the 2018 FAA reauthorization bill.

Reinstating Training Pipelines

• 🎓 The College Training Initiative (CTI), a program that helped maintain a current number of controllers, was decimated in 2014 and needs to be reinstituted.
• 🏫 While the Biden administration has certified only a few schools, there are many more that could train individuals locally, creating a more robust pipeline.
• 📍 Efforts to pump up the Oklahoma City Academy are commendable but insufficient; more comprehensive solutions are needed.