Editorial: Snakes in a tower?

Saturday, July 28, 2007 | 7:18 a.m.

While they are guiding the nation's aircraft safely into the air or onto the ground, air traffic controllers also are contending with leaking roofs, sickness-inducing mold and other problems in towers that are among a number of Federal Aviation Administration buildings that are crumbling under a $350 million maintenance backlog.

Members of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, a union that represents air traffic controllers, told members of a House aviation subcommittee on Tuesday that such working conditions are not only unpleasant, they are unsafe. Such pests as snakes and bats are an issue in some locations . Broken water pipes and even carbon monoxide exposure have been reported in other facilities.

In addition, the FAA's proposed switch from its current radar-based system to a more accurate one that relies on Global Positioning System satellites is 10 years away.

Rep. Jim Oberstar, D-Minn., chairman of the House Transportation Committee, said it is "astounding" that the FAA has not more aggressively pursued the GPS upgrade, considering the record number of delays being experienced at the nation's airports, USA Today reported in a story on Wednesday.

It is unbelievable that the nation's air traffic controllers are forced to take such measures as using umbrellas to protect their radarscopes from leaking roofs. FAA officials acknowledged to the House panel that many facilities need repairs and upgrades. But simply admitting to these failings isn't enough. The FAA needs to solve these problems with a sense of urgency that, apparently, has been woefully lacking.