Controller Union Blames Separation Errors On Poor Training; FAA Says Training OK

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) is blaming poor controller training practices for a March 13 incident in which a Boeing 737 and an Embraer regional jet did not have adequate separation while on approach to Chicago’s Midway Airport. But the FAA says the current training regime is an improvement over old methods. According to a NATCA spokesman, a controller trainee was working both aircraft at the time of the incident… “Since the error occurred while the planes were flying away from each other, no accident was possible,” the FAA said… “I think we are headed down a dangerous path of certifying individuals to be controllers before they are truly ready,” said Jeffrey Richards, NATCA’s Chicago Center facility representative. Richards argues that functional training-wherein a controller learns a new position while continuing to work shifts in the old position-offers trainees “no time to perfect the skills they have learned. This creates a situation in which the trainee could be certified at a position and then not see that position for months afterwards.” But according to the FAA, functional training is an improvement on old methods “because it pushes more classroom and simulator training to the front end of the process, eliminates redundancies, and reduces waiting time for classes and simulator training. It allows for more continuous training instead of dealing with numerous stops and starts of training over long month to month periods.” Click here for the whole AVWEB story. So, which side is right? Whose perspective do you see, and which side is more compelling?