Dan Sullivan Asks FAA Employee For Update On Maintenance Issues Of Weather Systems

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During Wednesday’s Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee hearing, Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) questioned Franklin McIntosh, the Deputy Chief Operating Officer of the Air Traffic Organization at the Federal Aviation Administration, about maintenance of weather systems.

Transcript

00:00Thank you. Senator Sullivan.

00:04Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I want to appreciate the witnesses today.

00:09By the way, I'm a big fan of our military. I'm on the Armed Services Committee.

00:15But I will say the Army needs to really up its game on being more forthcoming on this latest incident.

00:22I have actually requested from my position on the Armed Services Committee a briefing.

00:28I certainly hope it's not some big shot general who thinks he needs a quick trip over to the Pentagon

00:33and will blow off the FAA safety requirements.

00:39That better not be what happened, but they need to start giving answers to this committee and other committees

00:45because what happened was just unacceptable.

00:49So we'll continue to press them on that, but they really haven't been that forthcoming.

00:53I want to focus on the Alaska Safety Initiative that the FAA has worked with me and this committee on.

01:01This was the outgrowth of a 10-year study by the NTSB that showed we had crash rates

01:07that were almost two and a half times the rate of the rest of the country.

01:12Fatality rates were much higher than the rest of the country as well.

01:17So working with the FAA, we instituted the Alaska Aviation Safety Initiative, FASI,

01:24and last year's FAA reauthorization, we were able to get a whole bunch of things in that bill

01:32that related to Alaska Aviation Safety.

01:34A goal of reducing the rate of fatal aircraft accidents by 90% through 2033 requires the FAA

01:44to improve maintenance of weather equipment and growing those weather equipment issues.

01:51As you know, many of our rural airports don't have any weather reporting,

01:57which in the lower 48, nobody would accept that.

02:01Dozens and dozens.

02:02And I will say I want to compliment Secretary Duffy.

02:06He is delivering on these promises.

02:08So is the president.

02:09The FAA announced a $25 million investment in the FASI initiative at the beginning of April

02:15and a significant expansion of the FAA's use of satellites in Alaska

02:23to help support connectivity and weather monitoring.

02:28The president actually announced with Secretary Duffy just on May 8th in their press conference

02:34a dramatic increase in the number of new weather observation stations in Alaska.

02:42So we really, really appreciated that.

02:45Of course, Senator Cruz mentioned all the other upgrades that they both announced

02:52at this very important press conference last week that I'm fully supportive of.

02:57So I want to thank Secretary Duffy, the FAA, the president,

03:01on really focusing on delivering on a number of these issues.

03:05Can I ask you on the weather observation systems in the maintenance?

03:11You know, we don't have enough.

03:13The president and Secretary Duffy acknowledge that with this dramatic announcement.

03:18But where are we on the maintenance issues for maintaining our weather systems?

03:27As you know, we'll have a weather reporting AWOS system that goes down in a small rural community

03:32that has an airport in it.

03:35It'll take a long time to get an FAA official out there to fix it.

03:41So do we have an update on that?

03:42I think that was required in the FAA bill for 60 days after an enactment.

03:50Senator Sullivan, I'm going to have to take an IOU on that one.

03:53I'm sorry, I do not have an answer.

03:54I do know that we talk about this all the time.

03:56When we do have an outage, I often speak with my team,

03:59and usually the hardest thing is the accessibility to get there,

04:03not via any of our transportation mechanisms,

04:05but sometimes it's the weather or some of the terrain.

04:07But I will give you an answer.

04:08A lot of these communities, we have over 230 communities in Alaska

04:11that are not connected by roads.

04:13Yes, sir.

04:13A lot of people don't know that.

04:15So the only way to get in is through an airplane or a boat

04:19if the community is on a river.

04:20So that's why this is so important.

04:23And if you don't have weather reporting,

04:25then you have no idea what it's like to fly in there,

04:27and, you know, we have some pretty nasty weather in my state.

04:29I would, so as in, we do recognize aviation

04:32is the primary form of transportation for Alaska

04:35and that the need to provide support for resources,

04:40food, and medical supplies is paramount.

04:42We recognize that,

04:43and we definitely want to make sure

04:46that we are doing everything we can

04:48so the people that are relying on us

04:51have the faith that we're doing what we need to do.

04:54We are pursuing the large body of work

04:56that you're speaking to,

04:57and at the Secretary's request,

05:00we are doing critical investments

05:01in the things that you're speaking to

05:02with deploying dozens of AWOS's,

05:06automated weather observing systems,

05:08and also the VWOS's,

05:09the visual weather observation systems,

05:11and numerous weather cameras

05:12to make sure that there's better accessibility

05:14to the items that you're talking about.

05:16But I will take an IOU, if that's okay, sir,

05:18as far as what the repair times look like.

05:20Senator Sullivan, if I could add,

05:22I'm happy to report that we're in final,

05:25or in consultation for finalizing guidance

05:28to our Alaska office

05:31regarding the expansion

05:32of airport improvement program funding

05:34for the funding of AWOS

05:36for airports across Alaska,

05:39as well as another provision

05:40I believe you championed,

05:42special justifications for runway projects in Alaska

05:47to support community needs.

05:49Thank you, and I appreciate that,

05:50and again, I want to thank Secretary Duffy

05:52and the President.

05:53You know, he's the one who made the announcement

05:54on the weather observation systems in Alaska

05:57and the dramatic upgrade.

05:59Very quick, Mr. Chairman,

06:02one final question.

06:03I've been working with the,

06:04some of the controllers on legislation

06:08to create a shot clock

06:10for updating the ATC system

06:13from copper wiring to fiber optic technology.

06:17Would that kind of push from us help you guys?

06:20I know you need the funding,

06:21but this issue of copper wires,

06:23the Chairman just mentioned it,

06:24the Secretary's been mentioning it.

06:27It is something about speed for data that we need,

06:30and unfortunately,

06:30our systems are really slow.

06:34What do you think about something like that?

06:37Senator Sullivan,

06:38I will say that we would appreciate bipartisan support

06:41for our infrastructure.

06:42It's sorely needed,

06:44and fiber is a large piece

06:46of the infrastructure improvements

06:47that we're asking for

06:48to replace copper that's currently there.

06:50Great.

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