>>> AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS MAIN JOB IS TO PREVENT PLANES FROM
HITTING EACH OTHER.
>> YES.
>> YES. >> THAT IS GIVING THEM TURNS,
GIVING THEM CLIMBS AND DESCENTS
TO MISS OTHER PLANES.
THEY NEED TO BE FOCUSSED ON
DOING THAT JOB 100% OF THE TIME.
THEY SHOULDN’T BE DRIVING FOR
UBER BEFORE THEIR SHIFT.
THEY SHOULDN’T BE WAITING
TABLES.
TABLES. THEY SHOULD BE GETTING RESTED.
FATIGUE MATTERS, THE STRESS
MATTERS.
MATTERS. >> JOINING OUR DISCUSSION NOW,
CAPTAIN SULLY SULLENBERGER, THE
PILOT OF U.S. AIR FLIGHT 1549
THAT LANDED ON THE HUDSON RIVER
SAFELY.
SAFELY. HE’S ALSO AN AVIATION SAFETY
EXPERT.
EXPERT. CAPTAIN SULLENBERGER, I KNOW YOU
ARE A RELUCTANT PUBLIC COMMENTER
AND IT TAKES A LOT TO GET YOU
MOVING, YOU TWEETED LAST WEEK
THE DAY BEFORE DONALD TRUMP
ENDED THE SHUT DOWN, WE HAD
THOSE AVIATION EXPERTS ON
THURSDAY NIGHT, AND I HAVE TO
SAY WHEN I LEFT THAT SHOW, AFTER
HEARING TRISH GILBERT TALK ABOUT
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS TRYING
TO PREVENT THE PLANES FROM
HITTING EACH OTHER.
>> YES.
>> YES. >> AND OTHERS, I THOUGHT, HOW
MANY MORE NIGHTS OF THIS CAN
PRESIDENT TRUMP WATCH?
HOW MANY MORE CAN TO
GET RIGHT 100% OF THE TIME.
SO WHAT THEY DO MATTERS.
THEY HAVE A LOT OF STRESS ALREADY.
ALREADY. ADDING THE STRESS AND
UNCERTAINTY OF THIS SHUT DOWN TO
THEM, IS JUST UNCONSCIONABLE.
>> I WANT TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT
LEADERSHIP AND WHAT IT MEANS TO
YOU AND WHAT YOU SEE, WHAT THE
LESSONS AMERICA SHOULD TAKE
ABOUT LEADERSHIP FROM THIS KIND
OF SHUT DOWN SITUATION.
WHEN YOU’RE PILOTING AN
AIRCRAFT, YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE
FOR EVERYONE ON THAT AIRCRAFT,
YOU HAVE TO MAKE CALCULATIONS OF
RISK.
RISK. YOU HAVE TO SAY THIS IS THE RISK
I’M GOING TO HAVE TO ACCEPT
UNDER THESE CIRCUMSTANCES OR I
WILL NOT ACCEPT ANY RISK FOR
WHATEVER REASON, WE’RE NOT GOING
TO TAKE THIS PLANE OFF THE
GROUND.
GROUND. SOME INFORMATION COMES YOUR WAY.
THERE WAS A MASSIVE AMOUNT OF
RISK.
RISK. NOT JUST TO THE FLYING PUBLIC
BUT TO THE PUBLIC IN GENERAL
, TO GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES, AND CONTRACTORS WHOSE INCOME IS CUT
OFF FOR MORE THAN A MONTH.
I DIDN’T FEEL THAT CALCULATION
OF RISK BEING MADE BY THE PEOPLE
WHO BROUGHT US THIS SHUT DOWN.
>> ABSOLUTELY NOT.
WHEN WE GO IN AN AIRLINE E WHAT WE’RE -- WHAT WE’RE DOING IS
PUSHING A TUBE.
AND AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS HAVE
TO MAKE SURE THEY DON’T HIT EACH
OTHER.
OTHER. THEY’RE SEPARATING VEHICLES THAT
CARRY SEVERAL HUNDRED PEOPLE BY
LATERALLY A FEW MILES AND
VERTICALLY A THOUSAND FEET,
THERE’S NO ROOM FOR DISTRACTION,
SO WE ALSO FEEL A TERRIBLE
OBLIGATION, AN INTENSE
OBLIGATION TO GET THIS RIGHT
EVERY SINGLE TIME.
THAT’S ALSO A FACTOR OF
LEADERSHIP, AND OF EMPATHY, OF
HUMANITY, KNOWING THAT TO STAKE
AND CARING FOR THE WEALTHY OF
OTHERS.
>>>
>>> THE FAA ACADEMY, CLASSES ARE
DISBANDED AND WILL HAVE TO BE
RECONSTITUTED.
RECONSTITUTED. MOST AIR TRAFFIC FACILITIES IN
THE COUNTRY ARE ALREADY
UNDERSTAFFED AND SO THEY’RE NOT
GOING TO GET REPLACEMENT AND NEW
CONTROLLERS AS SOON AS THEY NEED
TO.
TO. MANY CONTROLLERS ARE ALREADY
ELIGIBLE FOR RETIREMENT.
I WONDER NOW IF AFTER THIS
DISRUPTION AND THE LACK OF PAY
IF THEY’RE GOING TO SAY MAYBE I
SHOULD RETIRE NOW RATHER THAN
WAIT.
THE MAINTENANCE THAT IS DONE, CAN’T BE DONE.
>> MAINTENANCE OF THE AIR
TRAFFIC CONTROL EQUIPMENT?
>> MAINTENANCE WAS NOT DONE.
IF AIR TRAFFIC EQUIPMENT BROKE,
IT WAS GOING TO STAY BROKEN
UNTIL THE SHUT DOWN ENDED AND
THEY GOT TO IT.
JUST.
JUST. THE AIRLINE SERVICE DIFFICULT
REPORTS AND FIND PIECES OF
EQUIPMENT ON AIRPLANES THAT NEED
TO BE REPLACED AND IF THEY NEED
TO ISSUE A SAFETY ALERT ABOUT
IT, THAT WORK WASN’T BEING
RECORDED AND SAFETY ALERTS WERE
NOT BEING ISSUED.
AT EVERY LEVEL, THIS MULTIPLE
LAYER SAFETY NET THAT WE HAVE IS
NOT IN PLACE.
WE HAVE TO HAVE THAT IN PLACE TO
AVOID CATASTROPHE.
AVOID CATASTROPHE. >> THE PRESIDENT IS THE ONLY
PLAYER IN THIS STORY THAT HAS
ALREADY THREATENED THE
RESPONSIBILITYRESPONSE
RESPONSIBILITYRESPONSE POSSIBILITY OF A SHUTDOWN.
EVEN MEMBERS OF CONGRESS ARE
TALKING THAT WAY.
THE PRESIDENT SAID THERE IS A
50-50 CHANCE HE WILL SHUT DOWN
THE GOVERNMENT AGAIN IF HE
DOESN’T GET WHAT HE WANTS BY
FEBRUARY 15th.
FEBRUARY 15th. WHAT WOULD YOU SAY THE DAMAGE
AND RISK WOULD BE IN THAT?
>> NO LEADER CAN AFFORD TO RISK.
PART OF BEING A LEADER IS THAT
YOU HAVE A FULL AND ACCURATE
APPRECIATION OF THE RISK AND YOU
CAN JUDGE THEM, WHAT’S
REASONABLE AND WHAT’S NOT.
IT SIMPLY WOULDN’T BE NOT ONLY A
FAILURE OF GOVERNMENT BUT A
FAILURE OF LEADERSHIP TO DO THAT