Washington, D.C., January 27, 2015: The Association of Collegiate Training Institutions (ACTI) announces that the following individuals have accepted advisory board positions.

Mr. Carl A. Albert– Mr. Albert has had a distinguished career in the aerospace industry and as an investor. From 1990 to 2000, he was the majority owner, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Fairchild Aerospace Corporation, Fairchild Aircraft and Dornier Luftfahrt, GmbH, aircraft manufacturers. Mr. Albert also served as the Board Chair and Chief Executive Officer of Wings West Airlines, a regional airline which operated initially as Wings West Airlines and later as American Eagle under a franchise agreement with American Airlines, and Board Chair of Boise Inc. (NYSE), a leading manufacturer of a packaging and paper products. Mr. Albert has served on the Boards of Directors of five public companies, many privately held companies and several charitable organizations and is a licensed pilot with over 40 years of experience. A former practicing attorney, Mr. Albert received his Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and his Bachelor of Laws degree from the UCLA School of Law.

Mr. Wayne Boggs– CEO-Air Boss Consulting International. Among his various FAA positions, Mr. Boggs worked as an air traffic controller at Chicago O’Hare Terminal Radar Approach Control (C90), taught at the FAA Academy and served as the Chief of Staff for the Air Traffic Systems Requirements Directorate in Washington, D.C. Mr. Boggs is the top air boss in the country handling such annual events as Oshkosh and Fun-in-the-Sun.

Judge Robert Colby – Director of Aviation Training and Education: United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps, retired Brigadier General, retired judge, eighteenth judicial district of Virginia. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Eastern District of Virginia. Judge Colby is directly responsible for organizing and operating summer ground schools that have trained over 15,000 students in the basics of Aviation from the 1950s up to the present time. Judge Colby has served on the board of directors of Interstate Van Lines, Aviation Midshipmen Foundation, Professional Aviation Maintenance Foundation and the Naval Sea Cadet Corps Foundation.

Mr. Charles Hicks, Jr.- currently the Dean of Pacific Coast University School of Law, Mr. Hicks has over 30 years of FAA experience. He has held a variety of positions with the FAA including managing the FAA’s Technical Procedures and Flight Standards branch in Los, Angeles, California. Mr. Hicks is a licensed fixed wing and rotorcraft pilot with thousands of hours of flight experience. He is also a deputy sheriff who flies helicopters for law enforcement agencies in California. Mr. Hicks is a practicing attorney.

Mr. Douglas R. Murphy – former FAA Regional Administrator. Mr. Murphy held upper management positions with the FAA- amounting to 44-plus years of service spanning 5 Regions, FAA Headquarters and 3 tours at the FAA Academy. This includes 21 years as a Senior Executive and the last 11 years as the Regional Administrator in Northwest Mountain and Southern Regions. Mr. Murphy is currently private consultant.

Dr. Mary Niemczyk – current President of the University Aviation Association (UAA). Dr. Niemczyk has broad based airline and aviation experience and is a recognized expert in training modalities and methodologies. She has spoken at numerous academic, FAA, UAA and ATCA sponsored events and is the author of many publications regarding aviation and education.

Mr. David Segal– Chief Executive Officer Trident Marine Enterprise, LLC, Chairman NATO Joint Capabilities Group, Unmanned Aviation Systems (JCGUAS), GHMD Program Manager Navy Member, UAV Program Office Navy, Board Member Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI).

Mr. Robert Uptagrafft– executive director of the Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance, and has a rich and varied professional background in aviation and project management. Bob’s current mission involves leading the Pacific Northwest Aerospace Alliance in promoting the growth, stability, and profitability of the aerospace industry throughout the Pacific Northwest. Mr. Uptagrafft specializes in advancing the interests of the aerospace sector, influencing public policy, and serving as a highly visible figurehead in economic development throughout the Northwest region of the United States.

The Advisory Board members were selected from a panel of distinguished individuals involved in aviation and education activities. ACTI represents national institutions of higher learning involved in aviation education and training.

An Association of Collegiate Training Institutions Investigation Determines That The Federal Aviation Administration Ignores Safety Concerns and Research Regarding The New Air Traffic Controller Hiring Process.

On December 30th, 2013 the FAA suddenly, and without warning, terminated its long proven program for educating potential new air traffic controllers. Military veterans, students and graduates from the 36 FAA-authorized Air Traffic – Collegiate Training Initiative (AT-CTI) colleges and universities who were waiting for over two years to be hired were suddenly wiped from the FAA’s list of eligible applicants. In the FAA’s words, “the list was purged.” Despite very high demand for controllers the FAA FAA “purged” over 3,000 CTI student candidates who had already passed the FAA’s only validated aptitude test. The FAA is very aware that CTI students perform much better than general public applicants without any experience.

The “new” hiring process requires absolutely zero experience or education. Applicants must simply have “three years of progressively responsible work experience” and “pass” a 62-question personality test. The test includes penetrating questions such as “What sports did you play in high school?” or “How many college credits did you take in Art/Music/Dance/Drama?” The FAA claims (again, without showing proof despite congressional demands) that this personality test has been “validated.” Since new-hires are just now starting training, how can the FAA claim their new “selection criteria” is valid? And why would you replace a truly validated system—the AT-CTI process—with personality test? Additionally, the test was not secure. Anyone could take the examination without proof of identity. In fact, the FAA is aware that currently employed air traffic controllers from the busiest FAA facilities in the country took the personality “test” and FAILED. 

Prior to the “new process” the validated Air Traffic Selection and Training test, or AT-SAT, was used to assess potential new-hires. Unlike the new and questionable personality test, the AT-SAT has years of data to show that a higher score equates to a higher likelihood of completing training – and taking less time to do so. This is a direct savings to the taxpayer.

On July 30th, 2014 the FAA released the results of this grand experiment. According to Michael Huerta, FAA Administrator, claiming that he “could not be more excited about this new class of promising candidates.” Apparently, looking at the FAA’s numbers, Administrator Huerta is “excited” that 55% of the new hires have zero aviation or air traffic control experience! Huerta also touted the alleged cost savings without considering the true costs to the taxpayer. For every applicant that fails the costs to the government repeat. If someone fails to make the training program a “replacement” controller has to start from the very beginning. The FAA’s own reports have pegged the amount at over $283,000 per student! How much money is “saved” when applicants with no experience have to be replaced over and over and over again?

In short, the flying public should be very afraid. The FAA is doubling down on the “new” hiring process, issuing press releases claiming “All is well!” despite the fact that the process is far from transparent, cannot be explained, and has yet to show a single successful outcome. The FAA will no doubt cite the intensive training at their Academy to deflect concerns, but when leadership begins twisting data to “prove” success or starts “curving” test scores, how long before those same methods trickle down to the Academy and your local airport?

The Association of Collegiate Training Institutions (ACTI) represents colleges, universities, and faculty involved in training students for careers in aviation and air traffic control.