Of Vacuum Tubes and Sealing Wax

This week I was part of a six member panel of “elder statesmen” that held a press conference in the Capitol building. I my case they may have had the first part of the description correct but I was out-eldered by Alfred Kahn (above), who is about to turn 90. Kahn, a former Chairman of the CAB and known as the “father of airline deregulation”, is as sharp as a tack and full of P&V. Others on the panel were former DOT Secretary Jim Burnley, and former FAA Administrator Langhorne Bond. Jonathan Howe and yours truly represented the General Aviation industry. Jonathan was a former President of NBAA.

We were on the Hill touting a Statement we had signed onto. The statement called on Congress to look beyond the current squabble over user fees and controller contracts, and to begin the process of completely reorganizing Air Traffic Control. If you are wondering why traveling by air has become such a mess. Read two excellent pieces that appeared in the Wall Street Journal the same week I was on the Hill. The video interview with John Fund is a must watch, and Holman Jenkins’ Op-Ed article A Dream of Air Travel is a must read.

Jonathan Howe pointed out that the General Aviation trade associations, AOPA, NBAA, and NATA, were doing their members a disservice by not getting on the ATC reform bandwagon. He said that when the system reaches saturation, GA will be left waiting as aircraft with large passenger loads, the airlines, will be given priority in the airspace system. It has happened before. Jonathan reminded everyone of the GAR program during the controller strike of the 1980s.

I pointed out two success stories of two freed former government entities. Canada’s air traffic system became NavCanada ten years ago and is governed by a stakeholder Board and operated independently from the government. Costs are down and efficiency is up. My second example of freedom-from-government concerned Washington National and Dulles airports. These airports were once anachronisms - some called them dinosaurs. However, when freed from governance by Congress and management by the FAA, they became modern marvels. Jim Wilding was the manager both under the FAA and MWAA. Once empowered by a free market and with access to the capital markets, he was free to work his magic.

Believe it or not there are still vacuum tubes in ATC radar, and as John Fund points out in the video, there are only 6 programmers left who understand some critical ATC software code. It is indeed Alice in Wonderland.

Others signing the statement were Aaron Gelman, founder of GRA, Inc., Clint Oster, former research director of the Aviation Safety Commission, and James Wilding, former CEO of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority.