House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee - Flight Service Stations

House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee

Press Release

Opening statements of Chairman Oberstar and Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Jerry Costello from today’s hearing on “The Transition from FAA to Contractor-Operated Flight Service Stations: Lessons Learned.”

Aviation Subcommittee Looks at FSS Program; Lockheed-Martin contract to operate Flight Service Stations under scrutiny
October 10, 2007

By Jim Berard (202) 225-6260

STATEMENT OF THE THE HONORABLE JERRY F. COSTELLO Below are the prepared opening statements by Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman James L. Oberstar (Minn.) and Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Jerry F. Costello from today’s hearing on “The Transition from FAA to Contractor-Operated Flight Service Stations: Lessons Learned.”

STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE JAMES L. OBERSTAR CHAIRMAN, COMMITTEE ON TRANSPORTATION AND INFRASTRUCTURE

I would like to thank Chairman Costello for convening this Aviation Subcommittee hearing on the Transition from FAA to Contractor-Operated Flight Service Stations: Lessons Learned. The FAA’s move to “privatize” Flight Service Stations (FSS) is estimated to be worth $1.8 billion and represents one of the largest non-defense outsourcing of services in the Federal Government. The justification by FAA was that the agency expected to save somewhere between $1.7 and $2.2 billion over the 10-year life of the contract. In addition, the contract promised to modernize the delivery of flight briefing services and bring much-needed modern technology into an antiquated system.

As we will hear today, this transition and consolidation of FSS from FAA to the private contractor, was not without difficulty, and while certain aspects of the process went fairly well, it was also plagued by technical and management problems that could and should have been avoided.

FAA has recently announced another large contract to procure the development, deployment, and operation (also by a private contractor) of the first critical element of the NextGen ATC system, known as the Automatic Dependent Surveillance system or ADS-B. There are parallels between the privatization of FSS facilities and how the FAA intends to procure the ADS-B infrastructure, which will be wholly-owned by the contractor and very critical ATC services will be leased by the FAA. In fact, the successful deployment of the NextGen ATC system is entirely dependent upon how effective and reliable the ADS-B network proves to be.

Thus, we are here to examine whether there are important lessons that can be learned from the FSS modernization and consolidation project, which may apply to FAA’s management of the ADS-B contract. We will continue to examine this issue next week on October 17, when Chairman Costello, Ranking Member Petri, and the Aviation Subcommittee hold a hearing dedicated exclusively to ADS-B.
The service disruptions seen this past summer in services provided by the contractor-run FSS facilities were unacceptable and inconvenient. These problems denied many general aviation pilots critical information necessary to plan for safe flights. Many general aviation pilots, out of frustration, hung up and flew without receiving weather information, important notices-to-airmen, and route-of-flight briefings.

The use of FSS services by general aviation pilots is optional, even though these services are a vital tool for safe flight. For commercial aviation, ATC services are mandatory, thus, the stakes are much higher for NextGen, and if we see similar deployment and service difficulties in the provision of ADS-B services, the repercussions would be far greater.

In the FSS modernization and consolidation effort, I also believe that the FAA needed to do more aggressive oversight of this contract. We sincerely hope that FAA has learned important lessons from this experience, and we will maintain stringent oversight to ensure that they maintain very tight controls over the ADS-B effort, as well as all other aspects of the NextGen deployment.

I would also like to thank the witnesses for their testimony today, and I look forward to the insights you will share.

STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE JERRY F. COSTELLO

I want to welcome everyone to our Aviation Subcommittee hearing on the Transition from FAA to Contractor-Operated Flight Service Stations: Lessons Learned.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) awarded Lockheed Martin a $1.8 billion privatization contract to consolidate 58 flight service stations nationwide into 19, including three new hubs, and maintain and manage the system.

It was during this consolidation that pilots started reporting long wait times, dropped calls, missing flight plans, and specialists ill-prepared to brief pilots on requested routes. An event just this past Sunday illustrates how important it is for the FSS to work properly. On Sunday October 7, there were several pilots violated by a pop-up (Temporary Flight Restriction) TFR over Emmittsburg, MD. President Bush was there for a firefighters' event and had flown over from Camp David. There were a dozen pilots who violated this restriction. This is a sad, but extremely reflective example of how the flaws in the FSS system can adversely affect pilots.

The following is a first-hand report from one of the violated pilots last Sunday:

Pilot attempted to call FSS 3 times between 9:00AM and 9:30AM, but hung up due to excessive wait times (10 min+)
Was connected to a briefer between 9:30AM and 9:45AM.
Pilot asked and received a “Standard Briefing” for a flight originating at W91 direct N94, then direct and landing Hazelton, PA, departing "Within the hour"
Pilot asked the briefer if there were any TFR's along his route
The briefer stated that he checked the route and the pilot would not encounter any Special Use Airspace or expanded TFR's.
Pilot was intercepted by the military while en-route to N94, 5.4 nm in the expanded P-40 (the numbered restricted area around Camp David) TFR area.
Pilot was diverted to Hagerstown, was interviewed by the Secret Service and released.
After being released by the Secret Service, pilot attempted to contact FSS for a briefing out of Hagerstown direct to Hazelton.
Pilot selected Maryland when prompted and was connected to a briefer located in Raleigh, NC.
The briefer informed the pilot that he would be unable to help him as his “equipment had just failed.”
The briefer told the pilot to stay on the line to await a transfer.
After 10 minutes of holding, the pilot hung up and redialed FSS 800 number.
When the pilot asked about the disposition of P-40 and the proper procedure for departing Hagerstown, the briefer put the pilot on hold to speak with a supervisor.
When the briefer came back on the phone, he informed the pilot that they were unsure if they needed a discrete transponder code and were confused as to whether or not the TFR's were still active.
This confusion was never resolved before the pilot gave up with the briefer; the pilot clarified proper procedures with the Hagerstown Tower upon departure.

I firmly believe that the FAA needed to do more aggressive oversight of this contract. After numerous letters and conversations with former Administrator Blakey, I was pleased to see the FAA step in to make sure Lockheed Martin was meeting its performance goals required by the contract.

The FAA embarked on this consolidation effort because it believed that Lockheed Martin’s FS21 would deliver flight services with greater efficiency, while continuing to provide a high level of safety at a reduced cost.

Costs continue to increase on this contract because of delays and “adjustments” wanted by Lockheed Martin which could reduce the expected cost savings. I am interested in hearing from the FAA and the DOT IG whether the expected cost savings are being achieved.

The DOT IG also released a report on the controls over the FSS contract and made a number of recommendations. I am interested in hearing from both the FAA and the DOT IG whether these recommendations were implemented and what we have learned in this process. Phil Boyer, who represents the users of the FSS, is here with us today and I hope he will provide some feedback for us so that we can continue to ensure our pilots get the safety critical services they expect and need.

Ultimately, regardless of who has the contract for this service, the FAA is responsible for ensuring that the users get everything they need from the system, which includes quality customer service and safety. I want to learn more about what FAA is doing to achieve those goals because the lessons from this contract will have a huge effect on how we deal with contracting out the ADS-B system.

With that, I want to again welcome our witnesses today and I look forward to their testimony.