The May 24 issue of Focus FAA will be a special Memorial Day
edition.We’d like to use this issue to remember those Americans
who fought for this country, but are no longer with us.
We’d like to hear from FAA employees about family members who fought
for our country, but were either killed in wartime or have since passed
away. The stories can be related to the current war in Iraq, or about
earlier conflicts. They could be about specific incidents, or general
reminiscences. They can be about grandparents, parents, brothers or sisters,
husbands or wives, children, cousins, aunts or uncles, nephews and nieces.
We’re looking for remembrances of 50 words or so. If you need to
write more, feel free. Focus FAA will edit stories for style and space
considerations, if necessary. Photos will be considered for publication.
Make sure that you provide a caption.
Send your story to jim.tise@faa.gov.
Keep in mind your Lotus Notes must be activated in order to use this address.
If you have any problems with sending your comments, copy the email address
and paste it in the “To:” line of a new email message.
The deadline for submissions is May 13.
Following are emails to Focus FAA. If you have comments about these letters,
stories in the issue, or other subjects, email jim.tise@faa.gov.
The following are e-mails to Focus FAA.
Time to Focus on Tech Ops
It’s nice to see that the FAA is hiring controllers, but
when it comes to technicians it does not seem to be as important.
Who is going to maintain and repair the equipment that they use?
Every place I know of across the nation is short on techs. Most
of the ones that are being hired come from Tech schools and it
takes them from three to five years before they are competent
enough to maintain most of the systems that the FAA uses.
Then there is the pay discrepancy. I have been with this agency
for over 17 years and have been to over 100 courses to be proficient
at my job. Our training never stops.
When new equipment hits the field, back to school we go. Yet
my pay is substantially lower than a controller’s. They
may have the flying public bamboozled about how high the stress
level is on their job, but I know better. Don’t get me wrong.
I love my job and make good money doing it, but with all the training
I have to get it makes me a little angry to see controllers paid
substantially more than me.
They can try and contract our jobs out if they want to, but I
don’t think it will work. The equipment we work on is too
specialized. On top of all that most of the guys that I work with
or around are near retirement age, so we have the same problem
that the controller work force has and it seems that nothing is
being done to remedy the situation.
Dearryl Rabb
Western-Pacific Region
Mushrooms
Sorry, I was expecting information on the FAA and the re-organization
in progress. We still are like “mushrooms” out here
in the field with no information coming down from headquarters.
I know that I am in the Western Service Area, but other than that
there has been very little information available.
Chuck Gilmore
Alaskan Region
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