European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 28, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 4 the stars and stripes monday october 28, 1985 Faa could lose 5,000 experts by 1994 technicians reaching retirement age Washington us l half of the  s corps of air safety technicians arc eligible for retirement Over the next decade a Federal report shows and experts say such a mass departure would hurl Avi Matiun safety. An unpublished draft report of the fed eral aviation administration obtained by United press International shows the Agency could lose about 50 percent of its 1l.ohh technicians by 1994. The Faa already has been criticized for w hat is viewed As inadequate  in two other air safely professions air traffic controllers and aircraft inspectors. The draft report shows 939 technicians Are eligible to retire this year and 5,816 employees could leave in nine years. The highly trained technicians certify that Faa radar Scopes and computers Are in working order. They also service wind Shear alarms communication equipment that allows pilots to talk to air traffic con trollers and instrument Landing systems used by pilots in poor weather. In forecasting the Large number of technician retirements the Faa s draft report estimates that Only 34 percent of those Eli Gible will elect to retire in the next five years. Hut Mark Schneider executive vice president of the professional airways systems specialists the Union of Faa technicians said the Agency s estimates do not account for workers who will quit before reaching retirement age. And our Guys arc starting to  he said. Schneider said technicians whose com Puter and technical skills Are sought in Pri vate Industry Are abandoning the Agency for higher paying jobs. Safety groups and congressional critics say the retirement projections combined with perceived shortages of controllers and aircraft inspectors will Hurt the performance of the air system which is setting records this year in both traffic and Acci dents. This group technicians is More critical far More than the air traffic control lers  said Christopher Witkowski. Executive director of the aviation consumer action project in Washington. Without these people you May As a Cluj shut the air  the Faa maintains that its 10-year. 600 million modernization plan in which More technologically advanced and reliable air traffic control equipment will be Pur chased will reduce the need for technical maintenance workers. The Agency also is studying the possible expansion of its limited program of contracting with private companies for work done by he technicians Faa spokesman John Leyden said. But some critics including rep. James Oberstar d-minn., say that the modernization program is far behind schedule and that the Agency must get the technology in place first and then let the people  to say technology is going to replace people and do a better Job is Fine but it is not anywhere near being in place said Oberstar chairman of a House investigations subcommittee on transportation. We Sec no tangible evidence of improvement in the speedup of Hie modernization sched  it s another one of these shortsighted actions by the Faa that they insist on sticking with Oberstar said comparing the technicians to the controller work Force 16 percent of which is eligible for retire ment. The Faa and its Parent Agency the transportation department for years asserted adequate numbers of controllers and aircraft inspectors were on the Job. The department however recently announced plans to hire More employees in both specialities following an inquiry by Oberstar s panel which concluded More controllers arc needed and a general accounting office investigation which found some Airliner were receiving few or no inspections. Despite growing anxiety about Faa staffing Levels Congress approved a reduction of 267 technician positions this year and transportation officials arc expected to ask next year for further cuts congressional sources said. The Faa s  said the positions were no longer needed because of productivity gains achieved with the installation of More reliable equipment. It is of deep concern to us said John Galipault director of the aviation safety Institute which monitors air safety issues through hot line and newsletter services for pilots and controllers. So much of the National airspace de pends upon the Quality of performance of radars computers radios and Landing and navigation aids Galipault said. If we lose Quality people the loss is going to affect the performance of the  living standards drop for women Rise for men after divorce sociologist says Washington up no fault divorce Laws have backfired causing an aver age 73 percent drop in the Standard of Liv ing for women and children in the first year after a divorce a sociologist said in an interview published saturday. La nor Citzman an associate professor at Stanford University and author of two books on marital Beauvior said the drop in the Standard of living is in Sharp contrast to the average Rise of 42 percent for divorced males. This disparity is a direct result of the ways courts Divide marital property and award or fail to award Alimony and child support she said in an interview with . News & world report. No fault divorce was designed to avoid the humiliating accusations and bitterness of the old system and to reach More Equita ble economic settlements. But Weitzman said the Laws have impoverished divorced women particularly Young mothers and older Home makers. Alimony today is largely a myth she said citing census data showing that 85 percent of divorced women arc not awarded Alimony. Under the old Law a Man of Means was required to support a dependent wife today courts expect most women to be responsible for themselves after divorce a Csizman said. The new rules were written for Young childless divorcees of 25, but they Are being applied to women of 55 who have spent their lives As housewives helpmate and  Weitzman noted that if Alimony is awarded it is typically a modest amount an average of $350 a month for two years. Today judges Are telling women in their 50s i la give you a few years of Alimony until you find a Job to support your self " with child support Weitzman said there Are two problems Low awards and non pay ment. Child support averages $200 a month for two children less than half the actual Cost of raising children she said. In addition census data show that 53 percent of non custodial parents nine out of 10 of which arc fathers Are not complying with court orders for support. In the first year follow ing a divorce women and children suffer an economic disaster with their Standard of living dropping 73 percent she said. She suggested that reforms such As grandmother clauses for the older House wife Wilh Little experience in the work Force and High Alimony and child support awards for Young mothers arc needed to bring about a More equitable situation. Girl who hit teacher freed on Bond Pine Bluff Ark. A a 16-year old girl convicted of Hilling her math teach or says her two Day prison slay was not As bad As she thought in would be and she added that she regrets attacking the Licach or i m sorry in Ever happened. I was angry that Day i Don t know. I was upset Tina Walker said saturday after she was released from the women s unit of the Best Sellers compiled by the new York times fiction 1texas by James Mtchener 7lake Wobegon Days by Garrison keillor3contact by Carl Sag fun 4secrets by Danielle steels the secrets of Harry Bright by Josep Wambaugh for the accidental tourist by Anne Tyler 7lucky by Jackie collins8galapagos by Kurl Vonnegut 9the two mrs. Grenville by Dominic 10-Ikeleton Crew by Stephen King nonfiction i Elvis and me by Priscilla Beau leu Presley Wilh Sandra harmon2 dancing in the Light by Shirley Maclair 3-Iacocca. An autobiography by Lee Macocco state correction department on a $10,000 Appeal Bond. It s nothing to be proud  Walker was one of the first people convicted under a 1981 Law which made it a felony to injure teachers or school officials on school properly or during school related activities. The maximum sentence is six years. She was convicted oct. 9 of second de Gree Battery and sentenced to three years in Wilh William Novak 4yeager an autobiography by Chuck Yeager and Leo Janos goddess by Anthony summersur House by Tracy Kidder 7living with the Kennedy by Maarcia chel a on the Road with Charles Kuralt by Chtrki Rural i never played the game by Howard co Icli with Peler botwen Lre 10-last wish by deity Roll in paperback fiction 1-heaven by . Andrews 2the Hunt for red october by Tom clancv3the Bachanan books by Sie twi King of thinner 6v Stephen King Wal Len As Richar Bachman ipass1n through by Louis l amour6ride a Pale horse by Helen a Connei prison for striking eighth Grade math teacher Pam Berry 37, Wilh her fists. She had spent nearly three months in the county jail in Lonoke before being transferred to the state prison thursday. Bond was posted for Walker after Jea Nett Colburg of Jacksonville opened a Bank account to collect donations. Colburg 40, who did not know the walkers said she believed the girl was unjustly treated. 7-the Talisman by Stephen King and the fourth protocol by Frederick fors9-Crescent City of Bel a in " itt Superior women by Alice Adams paperback nonfiction i the Road less travelled by m Srull p a one writer s beginnings by elr.w3-pieces of my mind by Andrew a a Ney 4-out on a limb by Snori Masto " Mon of the morning Star by Evan s. 9 Iacocca by David Abodaher 10-the set Point diet by Gilbort a. Leveille Yore Crown Nof last show records show , i la. A the last shot of the revolutionary War May have been fired in an obscure sea skirmish off Cape canaveral according to a researcher who has read some newly discovered British re cords. The British surrender at York town va., in october 1781 was the last major Battle of the revolution but since news moved slowly in those Days sporadic fighting continued for some time until the september 1783 peace treaty. Harold Gillig a retired physician from Titusville said he found out about the March 10, 1783, sea Battle when he was doing research in bos ton about 10 years ago for a Bicentennial organization. He said he could not pinpoint its location until recently when he got copies of a British ship Captain s tog from the British government. According to the log the Battle occurred just off Cape canaveral which now includes the Kennedy space Center. An american frigate the Alliance was escorting a French ship from Havana Cuba to new port r.i., to deliver Gold As a loan to the americans. As the ships neared the Cape they were attacked by three British warships Gillig said. After a 40-min Ute Battle the american and French ships escaped and eventually delivered the Gold. The Battle left one British vessel heavily damaged. About eight Amer ican sailors and two British Crew members were killed he said. Alan Gragg president of the local kiwanis club said the group plans to raise $1,200 to buy a historical Marker for jetty Parl to commemorate the Battle. The group Hopes to dedicate the Marker on March 10, 1986, the 200th anniversary of Theattle