To the Editor:
Reference is made to the letter to the editor, “Trump makes air travel less safe,” on Feb. 6.
I suspect most readers were aghast at an Army helicopter colliding with an American Airlines passenger jet over the Potomac River in Washington, DC. How could this happen?
Airline pilots flying into Reagan have all they can do focusing their attention on maneuvers to land and must rely at times on air traffic control to monitor “chronic” military helicopter incursions into airline flight paths.
Unfortunately, it appears understaffed air traffic controllers, miscommunications between air traffic control and helicopter pilots may have played a role in this collision, i.e. “human error.”
A closer examination of these agencies reveal the military has lowered mental, physical and medical standards across the board, to enhance and fulfill recruitment with current and past DEI hiring policies. Specifically, military flight training has been dramatically shortened along with training standards, to expedite higher graduation rates. (Less failures.)
Hiring practices at the FAA are off the rails with DEI mandates. Look no further than a 2015 class action lawsuit filed for alleged “denied” employment, by 1,000 air traffic controllers who passed all the exams. A “biographical assessment” was added and used, while dropping a skill-based system for hiring controllers, to facilitate minority hiring. It’s extremely troubling the hiring practices of the last two Democratic Administrations.
Military pilots and air traffic controllers require smart, talented, quick-thinking, multi-tasking candidates. The Trump administration is addressing the ineffective, inefficient, bureaucracy-heavy agencies by downsizing and refocusing their mission and hiring standards.
The left’s rhetoric, complaints of deregulation and illegal executive orders (hypocritical — college loan scam), “the sky is falling,” mentality is overblown.
The military, FAA and other agencies will correct these shortfalls, while hiring qualified candidates, streamlining those agencies, however rough spots are inevitable, public patience is essential.
Terry Sullivan
Cortlandville
