It amazes me how all these videos only direct their attention to the use of a fan-tabulous system by Air Traffic controllers. Sure you guys mention the advances of techonolgy, the teamwork efforts, communication, training, on and on, with a small hint of the technical work force who maintains the equipment. Why do you even bother making the technical workforce (AF) watch this stuff? The concept you-all are tring to sell or convince is the Air Traffic division and the outside world, not the Airways Facility people who, at my level the ARTCC, is at this very moment seeing what it all takes to provide what will drive this wonderful system (ERAM). I see the huge changes on a daily basis. But the TRAINING part for the AF technical work force is a joke, maybe you all should talk to the people in OKC or Washington Head Quarters who have all the money, and make them watch this video. In the recent past 2 years, more training has been pulled, reinstated, pulled, reinstated, revamped, etc. etc. (you get where I'm going) that we here in the real world are wondering if we will be properly trained to maintain this equipment. "Safety" also means taking care of your people, and as I see it, we here at LA ARTCC are understaffed, lacking training, the time off to accquire the training, (not through any fault of our managers) but because the DOT decided a long time ago not to hire people. Now the FAA is paying through the nose in OT. We are pulling more OT in I don't know how long to cover watches on both the HOST room floor and the Automation units. Now that the new fiscal year has started, quotas have been given to go to "legacy courses" go figure. So gentlemen, I did not need to see a con-job video to know what is really going on and what it is going to take to get to its end. The system that will push this concept is not working, HOCSR will be around longer than anticipated and the training is still lacking because we are short on people and OKC is back-tracking, offering legacy courses again and getting ERAM courses are still up in the air because of prerequisits that are still evolving. You guys have forgotten the "little people" down here in the basement and God only knows what is going on at the Tower and Approach levels.

Reference comment by Cyd Chapman: I was initially hired into ATC in 1977, was fired as a PATCO controller in 1981, and was fortunate enought to return to the agency in 1999. Somewhere during my enforced hiatus from the agency and upon my return in 1999, I had an "A-ha!" moment where I realized that ATCs make up a very small portion of the FAA and those people who run and maintain the NAS. Tech Ops people definitely do not get any acknowledgement and they should. I think it would be very educational and beneficial to take turns shining the spotlight on each and every department/division within the FAA and highlight their share of the efforts invested in maintaining the NAS--whether it's administrative or technical or people involved in helping the organization as a whole become better as being an organization. We are all working together. In reality none of us are more important than anyone else. Controllers couldn't be controllers without the pilots or the tech ops people or the admin people or the managers that take care of everything else so that controllers can separate airplanes.

rah rah bish bomb bah.
I hope al lof these new systems work better than ERAM.
good luck
bob

I am a first in the NEX-GEN new hire program Air Traffic Safety Specialist. I Think the ATO operations is a overhelmingly a vast operation, as I have seen with experience, and as presented in (NEW-HIRE) orientation program. And the forces, that make and maintain, and support the orginaization should be commended. The NAS and (OKC) is great place to train and and prepare to be a part of the elaborate ATO workforce. All in All its a great encounter and a great experience.

I wonder if the pay for performance plan that was promised to us who were hired in the last few years will finally come to fruition as the organization expects us to perform at this level to achieve thier goals. I am all for the next gen plan, but lets kick in with the pay for performance, or let it go by the wayside as DOD has done.

Questions/comments from employees at ZOB after viewing Module 1, 2 & 3:

What costs were involved to create Leading Edge?
What happened to Leading From Where You Are At? Nothing evolved. No change noticed.
Why are we watching this? Management does not walk the talk.

In response to do you feel valued by your manager? Overall NO. Not treated as professionals. Do not hire good people and get out of their way.
Need to improve communication and be treated as a team. No longer work as team because it is an individual environment.

Thanks, looking forward to the next few years.

Thanks to all who commented. We, and especially I, read them and take them seriously.

We do have warts. We can pretend otherwise but it serves no purpose. And there is still truth in what is being relayed here. But there is change occurring as well. Not everywhere and not as quick as some of us may like. I travel a lot. I try to stay as connected to the operation as a person in my capacity can. And while not perfect, or anywhere near it, at least the dialog is happening.

Thanks for coming to the site...it is a start.

James

I thought these videos are a good first start in changing the agency's culture. As I read some of the comments I empathize with those comments centered around training funding especially on the technical side as we move into a NextGen state. Where are the career paths and committment to develop existing staff's careers? It was stated our jobs are going to change yet where are the details on that?

One Faa.

After watching the first module only, I have to ask Why is this mandatory training for AF. It has nothing to do with AF, its all Air Traffic and its all management feel good, warm fuzzie feeling BULL.
Do not waste my time making something as ridicoulous as this mandatory.

Excellent Program

If the safety aspect mentioned in the viseo is to be believable then we have to accept that safety is not cheap! For this reason alone the Tech Ops and the Air Traffic branch should be a majority of government employees with contractors only when absolutely necessary. If you look at the records of major business you will see that as soon as the bottom line was affected safety took a back seat (Southwest, Toyota, Ford, Firestone, etc.) Safety for them was reduced to only numbers. As government employees we are not concerned with the profits of big corporations but rather with the safety of the people who trust us with their lives and this is as it should be with any government. A true democratic government is and always will be tasked with the protection of it's citizens. If we don't do it who will? (I would revise the first major statement of the first video to: 'Hire good people, give them the tools they need, and then get out of their way'). This is not to say that the corporations should not make a profit. They absoulutely should make a profit and they should try everything they can to do so for their investers. Our job is to make sure that the profits they make do not come at the cost of lives. As government employees we have a vested interest in maintaining the safe orderly flow of Air Traffic. This is our house. We own it and we care for it. We keep it safe! You can have all of your reorgainizations, and meetings and renaming conventions, videos, and so on as you want but the one constant is and always has been the government employees. We have always been here since day one and if, God willing, always will be for the publics safety sake. Lets get serious and be real. Acknowledge that safety really is not cheap and never will be. It does not produce any income, profits, or materials. In fact it cost all of those and more if it doesn't work. Safety will always be a losing enterprise except when it's your family member who is affected by the lack of it.

I understand the concept of what is being promoted here, however I must agree with some of my peers that this barely (if at all) applies to Tech Ops. Now that we have watched this, where are the videos to promote the Tech Ops side of the house? In order to garner support for these programs from all parties, you must indulge all parties with equal time and allow for mutual understanding of what they do and what is expected. Without it, it will be difficult to be successful. Also, Mr. Grayson, do you get out to the smaller regional airport facilities? I understand that there are a lot of places to visit, but I have yet to see anyone from a level higher than our District Office. I'd like to think that we are just as important to the NAS as the major facilities yet we are typically stuck with antiquated equipment and castoffs from larger facilities who are in their umteenth upgrade. Just curious. I guess this is a good start, but improvements are definitely needed. I am glad to see that you are at least open to hearing from the employees-at-large.

Don,

Thanks so much for the comments. As someone who has a pretty varied background and who is a second generation FAAer (my father was a lifetime AF employee), I fully appreciate the need for all parties to feel involved. I also fully understand that no matter how hard we try, there always seems to be a huge gravitational pull back to the legacy AT side.

While it is not directly affliated with this initiative (yet!), I am working on another program that I believe has the capapbility to finally blur those lines. While there is not much info out there yet, be watching for employee engagement initiatives that are to be rolled out in the next month or two. I'd say more but I am under a bit of a self imposed non-disclosure. I don't think you will miss it when it is launched!

As far as getting out to smaller facilities, I did get out to several (which in reality is a very small percentage) for the Leading Edge initiatives. My earliest memories as a child were at some of those places. You are right...they are just as important. For my new program, I am actively working on a plan that will allow me (or someone like me) to get to far more of those sites than ever before. Money is a very real concern but so is true engagement. Either we are willing to invest in it or we aren't. I'm going to push for the former.

Thanks again...and be on the lookout for an email...I may very well be in touch!

James

http://www.passnational.org/