Having only two computer operators staffing the Cleveland Air
Route Traffic Control Center means lives could be lost and aircraft
not found in a timely manner, according to officials.

This response – from the Professional Airways System
Specialists, AFL-CIO, the union representing FAA systems operators
– comes on the heels of the Oct. 7 helicopter crash that killed
LifeStar pilot Heinz Schulz.

“I don’t want to alarm the public, but in a worst-case scenario
… when there’s a problem,” said Mike Fox, systems operations
manager at ARTCC. “If everything is normal, it is not an issue.
It’s a matter of safety, the integrity of the system and the flying
public is in danger.”

In the recent case near the Bradford Regional Airport, Schulz
made radio contract with Cleveland ARTCC at about 11:40 p.m. Since
there were no computer operators on duty, a Traffic Management Unit
employee, not trained on the HOST computer system, tried to find
the coordinates of the crash site. After repeated failed attempts,
a computer operator returned to work and was able to map the
coordinates within 30 minutes. By that time, five hours had elapsed
since the center had lost radio contact with Schulz.

“If an operator had been on duty, he could have had the
information in 10 minutes,” Fox said the helicopter was found right
where the radar indicated it would be.

Fox’s main concern is that if an aircraft goes down and someone
is in need of medical help, that help won’t get there in a timely
fashion if a computer operator is not at the control center,
especially during overnight flights when a majority of the
incidents occur, Fox said.

However, Fox acknowledges that having an operator at the center
when Schulz’s helicopter went down would not have changed the
outcome.

“The pilot was killed on impact, but if he wasn’t or had
passengers, five hours could have cost them their lives,” Fox
said.

“While the HOST system at Cleveland Center was not the cause of
this tragic accident, it highlights our concerns about the staffing
levels at facilities like Cleveland Center,” said Tom Brantley,
PASS national president. “Had there been sufficient coverage for
this shift, the location of this helicopter could have been
determined in minutes instead of hours.”

Fox said the Cleveland Center is the busiest in the country
since it is between Chicago and New York; the center covers
Indiana, into Canada, Ohio and New York.

The FAA is currently restructuring the program and plans to put
in a new system – ERAM or En Route Automation Modernization System
– in the next few years. It is also being renamed Air Traffic
Organization.

Since FAA officials are not sure if the new system will need to
be manned, they haven’t replaced retiring computer operators,
leaving the center with two people working a total of more than 80
hours a week, Fox said. Five years ago, eight people were manning
the place.

The current system – HOST – needs to be monitored 24 hours a
day, seven days a week. However, there are times when no one is
there.

The ERAM System may not be in place until 2009 or possibly 2011,
according to Kori Blalock, a union representative. Until then, Fox
said they are saving money by not replacing the workers.

“Meanwhile we have the HOST System. Why not staff it?” she said.
“It doesn’t make sense. If you still have the system, you need to
staff it.”

If the computer goes down, for instance, a computer operator is
needed to get it back up, Fox said.

A computer operator continually monitors the system, keeping
track of runway closings and airway patterns and evaluating the air
space.

Fox said he began addressing the issue of being understaffed in
January by sending letters to local members of Congress and through
the chain of command at the FAA.

He’s been told by upper management that they will hire
electronic technicians and train them to do the job, but the
training can take up to two years.

“It will be a very long time before they will be able to
contribute.”

“However, that hasn’t happened yet,” he said. “If this would
have been done two years ago, you wouldn’t be hearing from me.”

Fox also said the Cleveland Center is not the only problem
center in the nation.

“They are trying to be financially smart and look ahead … they
are compromising safety to do that.”

Tom Frungillo, manager of Bradford airport, said he is not aware
of any problems.