FAA Subcontractor Metron Aviation Fires Employee for Fixing Flight Delay

The FAA subcontracts private corporations with controversial projects in order to insulate themselves from onerous tasks such as Environmental Impact Analysis, noise and flight delay modeling and to secure exemptions from the Freedom of Information Act.

Metron Aviation is one such company with a federally tax payer funded multi-million dollar contract with the FAA. Metron Aviation is being paid to find a solution to flight delay, and yet they just fired an employee for trying to solve flight delay.

Metron was tasked with completing noise and air traffic modeling for the airspace redesign in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. The noise modeling used by the FAA then became subject of a landmark multi-million dollar lawsuit in 5 states which is still in litigation before the Supreme Court.

According to their website Metron Aviation is a private corporation staffed with mostly Ex FAA, ex-NASA and ex-MITRE officials and their client list looks fairly limited to government contracts.

This issue requires congressional oversight. GAO and OIG need to review FAA subcontracts and examine accountability, transparency and partnerships which may be impacting performance goals.

PR below:

NAPA, Calif., Nov. 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Accused whistler-blower Dr. Frederick J. Foreman, former Senior Analyst for Metron Aviation Inc. (an aviation consulting company with numerous government contracts), who was fired for allegedly revealing critical information regarding airline passenger safety to Kate Hanni of the Flyers' Rights coalition, has joined forces with the volunteer organization.

Dr. Foreman, an MIT graduate and former professor at Florida A&M and Florida State Universities, was terminated from his job on September 25th of this year after contacting Kate Hanni regarding excessive surface delays. Foreman maintains that any information he sent Hanni was public data he collected from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

Hanni, who founded the Flyers' Rights Organization after being stuck on the tarmac for nine hours in December of 2006, had been exchanging information regarding airport strandings with Dr. Foreman in order to find solutions, both for the flying public as well as Metron Aviation. Dr. Foreman asserts that he was unaware he was in violation of any laws or rules of the company.

Dr. Foreman claims that he not only was unlawfully terminated, but he and his family's private e-mails were illegally hacked. Foreman and his wife are presently considering legal action against Metron Aviation, Inc. and Delta Airlines. Meanwhile, an incensed Foreman is now dedicating his time and resources to solving increased safety and delay problems associated with flying by volunteering as Research Director for the Flyers' Rights Organization, the largest airline, passenger rights group in existence.

Dr. Foreman, the world's leading expert on surface delays and airspace redesign, is the owner and CEO of Mathematical Modeling Inc. (MMI), a company dedicated to providing information technology and data security. The former NASA Graduate Fellow and first African-American to be awarded a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering from Florida A&M University, is a distinguished scientist and engineer who has received over 23 awards, 50-plus patents for his inventions, and numerous distinctions over his 34-year career.

SOURCE FlyersRights.org

GAO / OIG Uncovers inept FAA failing on Next Gen Implementation

Your Reps in Washington need to closely examine the two GAO reports on the FAA and ARC before they throw their support behind a massive funding increases for investment in the what now seems an extensive boondoggle called Next Gen. The FAA is failing on a large scale according to the New Studies.

Your Reps will suffer a great political liability by voting in favor of FAA Funding Authorization after reading these GAO reports. Major restructuring in the FAA is needed before Congress signs a legendary taxpayer funded check for the greatest funding increase in the history of the Agency.

Here is the GAO report Summary:

Next Generation Air Transportation System: FAA Faces Challenges in Responding to Task Force Recommendations
GAO-10-188T October 28, 2009

Internet Link: http://gaonet.gov/products/GAO-10-188T

Actions Needed to Meet Expectations for the Next Generation Air Transportation System in the Mid–Term

Date: October 28, 2009

Type: Testimony

Project ID:

CC-2010-001
Internet Link: http://www.oig.dot.gov/item.jsp?id=2557

Summary:

On October 28, 2009, the Inspector General testified before the House Subcommittee on Aviation regarding FAA actions required to address the recommendations of a joint Government/Industry task force report for achieving mid–term goals for the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen).

The Inspector General noted that NextGen is a high risk effort and a top management challenge for the Department and FAA. A number of operational and management decisions must be addressed to successfully transition to NextGen and address the task force’s recommendations. These include maximizing the benefits of performance based navigation initiatives and managing NextGen efforts as integrated portfolios of investments. The Inspector General noted that the findings of the task force are consistent with our work but also identified several new areas for FAA’s attention.

To move beyond endorsing the task force’s recommendations, the Inspector General stated that FAA must set realistic expectations for NextGen. Specifically, FAA must: (1) develop plans to initiate action and establish a 5–year funding profile for the NextGen mid–term, (2) establish metrics for assessing and measuring progress, and (3) develop and implement a strategy for linking near– and mid–term efforts with the Agency’s long–term plans for transforming the National Airspace System.

GAO/ OIG publishes damning report on Aviation Rulemaking Committee 77 initatives to reduce delays in NYC

OIG Audit On NY Aviation Rulemaking Committee Delay Initiatives- FAILING

Status of the Aviation Rulemaking Committee’s 77 Initiatives for Reducing Delays in the New York Area

Date: October 21, 2009

Type: Audit

Project ID: AV-2010-003
Internet Site: http://www.oig.dot.gov/item.jsp?id=2556

Summary:

On October 21, 2009, we issued our report on FAA’s actions to implement 77 initiatives of the New York Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC). We conducted this audit at the request of the Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Aviation, who expressed the Subcommittee’s concern about the effectiveness of delay–reduction efforts at the New York airports. Our audit objective was to examine FAA’s progress in implementing the 77 ARC initiatives.

We found that, while FAA reported many of these initiatives as complete, most are not being used or are used infrequently due to limited tactical need, operational and technical problems, unfinished testing, and controller/airline issues. Other initiatives face challenges, such as special equipment and training requirements or litigation, or are part of nationwide FAA programs that will not be completed until 2012 or later. While FAA has begun addressing these issues, much work remains to be done.

We recommended that FAA (1) assess completed and remaining initiatives to determine whether they are providing benefits or should be discontinued or re–categorized, (2) resolve technical, operational, and controller/airline issues affecting many of the initiatives reported as completed, and (3) fully operationalize the Integration Office’s NY Area Delay Reduction Plan and Schedule. FAA generally concurred with our recommendations.

Our Airspace is reviewing this report and recommendations