Posted by request.
OK, I saw the ad on television last night. I went to the site and tried to read the rebuttal to the FAA statement but it wouldn't connect. Initially I'm suspect of any organization that uses the four-letter word, "fair". I would expect many on this site would think about Ronaldus Maximus when it comes to air traffic controllers.
What a load... these people are earning over 160K. Too bad Reagan is not around, he would deal with them.
FAAguy...here's the thread.
In particular, it's horribly inefficient to control multiple aircraft from remote locations from one audio frequency and a guy looking at a green screen. Not to mention you have a single-point-of-failure if the guy screws up, with only primitive cockpit traffic avoidance systems for emergency backup. A good system should operate redundantly at all times, and ATC can't do that.
If you measure the "seconds to disaster" of the average freeway driver, there are innumerable things that he could yank the wheel to hit and kill himself within a second or two. But the average aircraft would often have to spend several minutes deliberately aiming at another aircraft or landmark for disaster. The only difference is that highways are organized and visible within a few feet, while airways are 5 miles wide and 1000 feet deep and generally a pilot can't see neighboring traffic except in a TCAS or ADS/B with several miles of resolution. Compare that with the semi-truck on the freeway that your kid could hang out the window and touch. Drive under those truck wheels and you'll be just as dead as if you missed the ILS glideslope in Denver.
It's way past time for a total redesign of how we handle air traffic. It took ADS/B over 10 years from initial testing to finally being available. That's way too much time, and far short of a complete redesign.
Obviously between the unions, the government inertia, and Airlines that don't want GA competition, making real changes is going to be difficult, to say the least.
BTTT!!!