Thumbs down for the safety days this year, I think.
The general shop-floor consensus is that the days have been boring and not a constructive use of time (not least on a core day). The problem with a forum like this year's safety days is that the people who shout the loudest are the ones who are heard.... all day long. Note that these are not necessarily the people who have the most relevant issues - several people I have spoken to have said that the days have been used by the more vocal members of the group as an opportunity to spout vitriol about other sectors/ATCOs/ATSAs/procedures. Occasionally entertaining, but rarely constructive.
The opening question for discussion on my safety day, to paraphrase it, was "What do ATSAs do that p*ss you off when you're working as a planner?" The ATSAs, in the room at the same time, were asked a similar question about the planners. Call me controversial, but I would say that's a rather counterproductive way to assess any problems that may or may not exist. And in general, these problems DON'T exist - trust management to get the wrong end of the stick though.
Planner-only validities are the biggest threat to the ongoing safe ATC operation at LAC. A lack of feel for the tactical operation puts them at a disadvantage straight away, and few people who hold these tickets achieve enough useful hours a month in the hotseat to keep them competent. Unfortunately, management currently see planner-only validations as an ideal sticking-plaster treatment for achieving the required flexibility to allow the operation to continue when the dreaded iFACTS training begins. As anotherthing says, this is a retrograde solution which no-one at the shop-floor level likes. Any deficiencies in the planner-only valid controllers should be identified by the LCE scheme - but of course there is understandable pressure on LCEs to allow these people with barely satisfactory skills to remain part of the operation to provide cover during the summer etc etc.
But all the above is merely a digression - the issue of the thread is the staff shortage. If there's one thing the safety days this year might have achieved, it will be to show those in management that we are hopelessly ill-prepared for the busy periods this summer. The operation runs on next to no contingency at the best of times, and might scrape through another summer with the help of a vast raft of AAVAs if we're lucky. LAC was understaffed when it arrived at Swanwick six years ago, and staff numbers have continued to fall ever since. It only takes a few controllers to be absent from the ops room in winter to cause extensive delays (I'm guessing we must be well over 100,000 minutes as a direct result of the safety days). While on the one hand management can be applauded for taking the hit for what they view as an important day for all ATCOs and ATSAs, the delays are surely an ominous sign that the house is not in order?
Of course, the company would not be stupid enough to plan these safety days for, say, this weekend (Ireland vs Wales) or most of next week (Cheltenham Festival) would they?! Especially when the West End sectors are those that are suffering from lack of staff the most?!
LTP