European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - April 2, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes wednesday april 2, 1986 columns comments Tom Wicker fight safety in enough trouble without budget cuts in an Era of Federal budget cutbacks deregulation is attracting millions More travellers into flying and creating a Host of new airlines to accommodate them. Has the combination put at risk the safety of an expanded flying Public maybe not yet but the evidence is unsettling the number of airlines has increased by i 22 percent since 1979, but the number of Federal safety and maintenance inspectors has dropped by 30 percent. The air line pilots association says a planned addition of 300 new inspectors by the Federal aviation Agency May be critically offset by attrition among present employees. The present Force of 12,500 air traffic controllers already is stretched too thin the general accounting office has reported and might not be Able to handle sub Stantial increases in air traffic. Many con trollers feel overworked at Peak traffic hours and Many new controllers Are too inexperienced to train other newcomers As they sometimes Are asked to do. Again Normal attrition will offset to a consider Able extent the 1,000 new controllers scheduled to be hired in the next two years. The maintenance Force for Faa radar and air traffic control equipment has been reduced by half from 12,400 in 1978 to 6.350 today. According to their Union the professional airways. Systems specialists the facilities they repair and maintain have been expanded by about 15 percent in the same years. These disturbing trends in the Federal system for maintaining air travel safety were reported by Ralph Blumenthal in the new York times. A and other government officials told him however that Federal budget cuts had not so far impaired air safety. But they conceded that reductions in funds had made it harder to maintain safety Stan Dards and that further Large cuts such As those that might be forced by the Gramm Rudman act could have serious Impact. Perhaps equally threatening Are the effects of deregulation on the airlines themselves. As numerous qualified wit Nesses have told Congress in recent hear Ings it stands to reason that More and More Competition by More and More air George will lines for More and More passengers will result sooner or later and perhaps Al ready in cuts in airline maintenance and safety costs. Last year s rash of Domestic air Acci dents was caused by a variety of factors Blumenthal s sources said and was not traceable to a lapse in safety standards. Nevertheless in 1985 the Faa fined american airlines $1.5 million for a num Ber of safety offences and now is seeking to collect $9.5 million from Eastern air lines for an alleged 8,000 safety and rules violations. Maintenance problems May have contributed to the crash of an Arrow air charter flight that took the lives of 248 . Military personnel and eight Crew members in Newfoundland last december. All too often safety is losing out to Cost cutting John o Brien the safety director of the air line pilots association recently told a concerned House subcommittee. In an Era of drastic fare slashes designed to attract new passengers into once empty seats it would be remarkable if this were not so. Frequent fliers the kind of business travellers who Board an Airliner at least several times a month know that deregulation keen Competition and fare wars while they undoubtedly Benefit the occasional flier through lower Cost have greatly reduced the amenities of air travel. Service on the ground and in the air com fort and convenience in terminals and aloft the Quality of airline meals All have suffered from the increase in Passen Ger traffic and the efforts of the Cost Cut ters. Safety and maintenance May be As yet unaffected but pressures for Cost reduction in these areas too arc bound to be increasing. Put the two problems together Federal funding cutbacks for the air traffic safety system and airline pressures to hold Down operating costs and the potential for disaster is evident. And Faa officials Point to two other problems of deregulation the number of new airline officials who May not know or care As much about maintenance procedures As do older Heads in the Industry and the growing number of companies doing the airline maintenance work on contract adding to the Faa s supervisory responsibilities. Sen. John Glenn is concerned enough to propose that no new airlines be certified for the time being. The Gao has suggested re imposition of some of the flight reductions the Faa ordered after the air controllers strike of 1981, and the Dis charge of All the Union s members. And surely the situation is one of the strongest arguments against the kind of senseless across the Board Federal spending cuts Gramm Rudman would Force. New York times news service Book gives fascinating look into life of a Wiseguy try . Whir ppr ii in in or of in on a