Media Contact: Barbara Fornasiero, EAFocus Communications; lucie@eafocus.com; 248.260.8466; Lee Collins, National Flight Training Alliance; lcollins@nftaus.org; 502.417.0572
Washington, D.C. —March 5, 2024— The Washington, D.C.-based National Flight Training Alliance (NFTA), an organization working to unify, promote and protect America’s flight training providers, is urging greater scrutiny of the use of subcontracted Air Traffic Control Towers (ATCT) as part of the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) reauthorization bill. NFTA President Chris Schoensee, who also owns Paragon Flight Training, based in Fort Myers, Florida, is working to increase awareness of the second-class status by which subcontracted ATCTs are allowed to operate.
According to Schoensee, the problem is not that certain towers are subcontracted; rather, that they aren’t operated with the same standards under current funding and staffing restrictions as FAA-operated ATCTs, which are unionized and have strict rules about wages, staffing, time-off and access to modern technology. He notes that some of the nation’s busiest airfields where flight academies are co-located with commercial and other aviation activity have ATCTs operated by subcontracting companies, including Page Field, where Paragon Flight Training is based. As a Southwest Florida congressman recently noted, the Page Field ATCT is sometimes staffed by only one person.
“It is unthinkable that such a busy airstrip, with flight academies, private aircraft and commercial carriers all vying for attention, would be so woefully understaffed, but this unacceptable situation goes beyond staffing,” Schoensee said. “The FAA needs to address modernizing ATCTs to handle the growing number of takeoffs and landings – whether the ATCT is operated by the FAA or a subcontractor.”
When it comes to the physical safety of towers, many ATCTs were built in the 1970s and have not been modernized. Further, they were intended for approximately 50,000 takeoffs and landings per year. At Page Field, the subcontracted tower is now overseeing more than 200,000 operations annually.
“The FAA reauthorization bill must include funding for improvements to ATCTs that consistently promote safety and access for air traffic controllers, pilots, students, and passengers alike,” Schoensee said. “Our nation has the technology and knowledge needed to do this – now we need to act.”
About National Flight Training Alliance
Working to unify, promote and protect America’s flight training providers, the National Flight Training Alliance (NFTA) is comprised of American flight training providers and industry-wide aviation stakeholders committed to producing the finest professional pilots in the world. We represent the future of aviation, meeting the strong demand for pilots by embracing new technologies and methodologies and using our collective membership voice to form policy positions that directly and positively impact industry governance. To learn more about the NFTA, visit the website.
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