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6/11/08 - The Subcommittee on Aviation received testimony regarding air traffic control facility staffing. 1st panel: Part 10 of 10. ---------------------------------------- ---------------- CURRENT ATC WORKFORCE (As of March 31, 2008)  11,164 fully certified controllers (lowest in 16 years)  3,328 trainees  IG reported yesterday that from April 2004 to April 2008, the number of fully certified controllers dropped by 1,364, or 11 percent; the number of trainees increased by 1,407, or nearly 64 percent ---------------------------------------- ---------------- TOTAL ATTRITION AND RETIREMENTS OUTPACING ALL FAA PROJECTIONS  Total attrition from Sept. 3, 2006 through March 31, 2008 was 2,687, roughly one-fifth of the total workforce  IG reported yesterday that from FY05 through FY07, actual attrition was 3,300, which is ABOVE the FAA projection of 2,683.  In the first month after the FAA imposed work rules on controllers, the IG reported that retirements were three times as high as what the FAA predicted.  The FAA predicted in its June 2006 staffing report to Congress that total attrition would be 950 in FY07. But actual attrition was 1,622.  The FAA predicted in its March 2007 staffing report to Congress that total attrition would be 1,276 in FY08. But just six months into FY08, total attrition had already reached 960, representing 75 percent of the FAA's prediction.  From September 1, 2006 through March 31, 2008, the FAA predicted that 1,030 veteran controllers would retire. But actual retirements were 1,514. ---------------------------------------- ---------------- FY07 RETIREMENT SURGE DUE TO IWR  911 total retirements; FAA prediction was 643  404 of the retirees left in their first year of eligibility (44 percent), far outpacing the pre-IWR rate of 24 percent who left in first year of eligibility in FY05 and FY06 combined.  Only 17 of the 911 retirements were mandatory age 56 ---------------------------------------- ---------------- CURRENT FISCAL YEAR (First half, Oct. 1, 2007 through March 31, 2008  Total attrition was 960  Total retirements was 506  Only 13 of those retirements were mandatory age 56  Total resignations was 143  Total removals was 85  Total deaths was six  Total transfers, promotions to supe jobs was 220 ---------------------------------------- ---------------- DEBUNKING THE FAA MYTH THAT "WELL, WE HIRED ALL THESE NEW PEOPLE SO ... STAFFING PROBLEM SOLVED"  Only 153 of the FAA's 1,815 new hires in FY07 have become fully certified controllers.  758 of these new hires have not even progressed to the first training stage (D1)  118 of these new hires have already quit the job or washed out  Only four of the FAA's new hires in FY08 fully certified in the first six months of this fiscal year.  Only 525 of those hired in the first six months of FY08 are still on board  (As of March 31, 2008) Of the 17 new hires placed at Atlanta TRACON since the FAA's imposed work rules, only one has certified; 14 went to Charlotte and none have certified; 13 went to Dallas TRACON and none have certified; 35 went to Southern California TRACON and none have certified; 28 went to Miami Center and all are still Academy grads; 20 went to Orlando and none have certified; 15 went to Miami and none have certified; eight went to Newark and none have certified; seven went to JFK and none have certified ---------------------------------------- ---------------- OTHER KEY FACTS  FAA says they must hire 1,877 new developmentals in FY08. That's up 160 percent from their pre-IWR hiring projection  FAA underestimated FY07 attrition at 146 of its facilities, including SCT (138%), Orlando (309%), Kansas City (325%), Fort Worth (129%), Atlanta (118%), Miami (211%)  The June 06 FAA staffing plan called for Orlando to lose nine controllers. In March 07, FAA changed that estimate to 11 for the fiscal year that was already half over. In reality, Orlando lost 34 controllers in FY07. Estimating facility losses has become so difficult for FAA that they have ELIMINATED facility level loss estimates all together ---------------------------------------- ----------------