Tuesday, April 23, 1996 | 11:59 a.m.
The Federal Aviation Administration must balance safety with industry economic interests, a task getting tougher as its budget shrinks, the head of the agency said today in Las Vegas.
Administrator David Hinson predicted by 2017 the airline industry will have experienced unprecedented growth in the number of passengers and commercial aircraft taking to the skies.
During this time, FAA officials are having to justify their jobs to Congress, which along with President Clinton, wants to balance the federal budget in seven years.
"We often try to walk a tightrope," Hinson told members of the National Air Transportation Association at the Sands Expo and Convention Center.
The former pilot who once worked for Howard Hughes, the late, reclusive Las Vegas billionaire, explained to industry insiders how the FAA -- a regulator and promoter of airplanes -- is adapting to changing times.
In an effort to save money, the FAA has reduced its staff by more than 5,100, cut its budget by millions of dollars and junked an obsolete plan to replace aging traffic control centers across the country.
The administrator pulled the plug on the 15-year-old Advanced Automation System.
"Common sense had long since disappeared," said Hinson, who authorized a slimmed-down version of the computer equipment, the first of which will be used by Chicago's O'Hare International Airport in June.
Hinson said the FAA soon may be funded entirely through general budget dollars if a federal fund supported by airplane-related taxes is not replenished. He explained that 5 cents of every federal dollar goes to pay for such departments as Education, Housing and Urban Development, Energy and the FAA.
The administrator, prohibited by law, stopped short of asking the National Air Transportation Association to lobby Congress on two bills seeking to revamp the FAA or to replenish the federal fund.
The administrator also answered questions ranging from how the death of 7-year-old Jessica Dubroff will change pilot certification to plans to limit tourist flights over the Grand Canyon.
Reiterating earlier statements, Hinson cautioned against sweeping changes to rules limiting pilots and encouraged a reasonable response -- a suggestion applauded by today's audience.
In regard to the Grand Canyon, Hinson emphasized a need to balance the concerns about pollution against those who want to see the popular tourist site from the air. Limitations to tourist flights currently are under review.
archive
