Dear Jim,
I have read the article written by Kyla King in the Grand Rapids Press. As an employee representative for the Grand Rapids Air Traffic Controllers, I can only tell you I am completely offended by what Bruce Schedlbauer was quoted as saying.
The information printed was non-factual and has no basis for truth. I do not believe Bruce has any idea what a VFR Contract Tower would do the air traffic services here at Grand Rapids. I do have a good basis of knowledge, as I have been surveying local pilots for comparisons between VFR Contract Towers and GRR air traffic services. The next time Bruce needs factual information, please advise him to call or email me.
NEXGEN [sic] is a figment of the FAA's imagination. It has not been invented yet to work in today's world.
For the record there are over 50 employees working at GRR for the federal government, not including FSDO, Customs and National Weather, also aviation related. Air Traffic Controllers, Technicians, Staff Specialists, Weather Contractors, and management officials all work in the Tower. We are extremely loyal customers of the Host Services facilities which benefit the County directly through taxes and leases on these facilities.
I would ask you again to please review the information published by your office and reprint a statement of the facts. Mr. Schedlbauer has never been an air traffic controller and has absolutely no idea what we do. If he would like to spend a week working with me I would be more than glad to introduce him to the world of air traffic and let him see what we do in the TRACON does affect Grand Rapids air traffic.
What Bruce does not know is that the FAA has lied to the air traffic controllers nearly two years denying their plans to split the services and downgrade facilities, resulting in negative effects that are documented and published (Boyd Aviation Group has done outstanding documentation work, for one). Mr. Molinaro was the first FAA official to admit to the plans of the FAA to co-locate TRACONS to Kalamazoo. The FAA has failed to follow their own rules and regulations and include you and the Kent County Airport Authority in their plans. This is a requirement for the FAA Nationally, to hold public forums, informational meetings, economic and safety studies all in an open forum. You should be offended by their secrecy. Their logic and economic sense fails here also, as Grand Rapids is preparing to operate as the west "aerotropolis" to Detroit's east side for tax purposes, the State of Michigan is offering incentives for aviation-related business to move here and raise levels of corporate aviation traffic. None of these things are in the works at Kalamazoo, whose airline service has been reduced and whose student pilots seek out the air traffic services of Grand Rapids Air Traffic Controllers on a daily basis.
Although I am aware of the long standing issues between the County officials and FAA Management officials, and acknowledge the validity and distastefulness of Agency's treatment of the County on several major issues, they are not employee issues and I would expect the County to support the air traffic controllers and technicians who have for the current majority spent the last 20 or 30 years of their lives here twenty hours a day seven days a week safely separating aircraft from each other without smashing planes together and killing everyone.
We appreciate your review and address to the facts of the situation. Splitting and contracting facilities will help no one, eliminate air traffic safety backup redundancies, cost more in staffing, and will delay airlines and aircraft flying in and out of Grand Rapids without radar services on site.
Sincerely,
Donna Cole,NATCA Local GRR President
