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Secretary of

Transportation

Rodney S. Slater

message from the secretary

I am very proud of the progress the FAA has made on its

Reinvention Journey. America has the safest skies in the

world. An unprecedented increase in air travel is projected in

the first quarter of the 21st century. The public wants and

expects a safe and reliable aviation system that has the

capacity to meet this challenge. By focusing attention on

achieving results real, tangible progress has been made in

safety, security, and system efficiency.

I congratulate the men and women of the FAA for their

leadership, vision, commitment, and hard work. They are

leading the FAA and the aviation system into a new

tomorrow. Common sense government, as Vice President

Gore defines it, is the keystone of the agency's effort. FAA

has put the users first, continually reinventing how work is

done to ensure that it is effective and efficient. Much attention

continues to be given to the complicated nature of the system

and the evolving character of risk in order to improve safety,

security and reliability. The commitment to vision and

vigilance described in FAA's Reinvention Journey is

something in which we can all take pride.

But this is just the beginning. Now is the time for the FAA to

become even more effective and efficient in all of its

functions. I applaud FAA's contributions and invite you to

join with me in celebrating these accomplishments. I

challenge the FAA to rededicate itself to its Reinvention

Journey and look for still more opportunities to reinvent itself.

With that kind of increased commitment, building on the good

beginning that's been made, the best is yet to come.

FAA Administrator

Jane F. Garvey

message from the administrator

In 1993, President Clinton asked Vice President Gore to make

government work better and cost less. The FAA is doing just

that - improving service and response to the American public.

The FAA's mission is very complex - 110,000 takeoffs and

landings and 55,000 en route operations occur daily in

addition to 1.6 million passenger enplanements a day. The

work the FAA does directly impacts the public and the

aircraft industry. The agency will continue to reinvent the

world's most complex and efficient aviation system.

The FAA has changed its focus from process to results. The

FAA's focus is on the core missions of safety, security, and

system efficiency, but we have also reformed administrative

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processes such as personnel and acquisition systems so that

they are more efficient.

The FAA's Reinvention Journey has been exciting and is one

of which we are proud. The list of achievements below is

testimony to the ingenuity FAA's employees. The list includes

concrete examples of what can be accomplished when we

work together to make the FAA work better and cost less. The

public expects, and the FAA is delivering, an aviation system

that is safe and secure with the reliability and capacity to

serve well into the 21st Century.

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Safer Skies

Flight Operations Quality Assurance Program (FOQA)

Explosives Detection

GPS Satellite Navigation

Y2K and System Safety

National Route Program

Free Flight Phase 1

Commercial Space

Our goal is to deliver the best service possible. We have

demonstrated our commitment to that goal by setting

customer service standards for fourteen of our major

programs. The examples below show that the FAA has heard

our customers and has made their concerns a top priority. To

an unprecedented extent, we've involved our customers in

developing solutions that work!

Safer Skies The FAA is concentrating its resources on the

most prevalent causes of aircraft accidents. Special teams of

technical experts are zeroing in on the leading causes of

aviation disasters and recommending safety advances. In

partnership with industry, Safer Skies uses the latest

technology to help analyze U.S. and global flight and safety

data to find root causes and determine the best actions to

break the chain of events that lead to accidents. Safety data is

now available to the aviation community on the Internet 24

hours a day at: http://nasdac.faa.gov/.

Flight Operations Quality Assurance Program (FOQA)

The idea is simple — analyze flight recorder data on a routine

basis rather than only after incidents or accidents happen. Air

carriers use the data to improve safety and efficiency of their

operations. The FAA pools the data, stripped of its airline

identifiers, and makes it available to all interested parties. The

FAA is working successfully in partnership with all of the

major U.S. airlines to achieve voluntary implementation of

this important new safety initiative. To help gain increased

industry support for this important volunteer program, the

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FAA has pledged to exempt FOQA information from use in

enforcement actions, except in egregious cases.

Explosives Detection The FAA is working in partnership

with business and industry to introduce state-of-the-art

explosives detection technology into the domestic aviation

system. Installations to date include over 70 explosives

detection systems, and over 300 trace explosive detection

units. The number of trace units will increase to 489 in 1999.

Twenty-two advanced technology detection units will also be

installed during 1999.

GPS Satellite Navigation Global Positioning System (GPS)

represents a fundamental shift from exclusively ground based

navigation systems. It will result in a safer and more efficient

National Airspace System (NAS) and will save NAS users

hundreds of millions of dollars annually due to more precise

routings, fuel savings, and increased airport efficiency.

Y2K and System Safety To date, all air traffic control

systems, both mission critical and non-mission critical, have

been renovated. All FAA systems are expected to complete

testing on time. Extensive work is being conducted on

business continuity and contingency plans. These plans will

be completed and tested this year well in advance of the

millennium rollover.

National Route Program National Route Program allows

pilots to fly whatever route and altitude is best for existing

conditions between selected city pairs. Routes can be selected

based on flight time, cost, fuel, weather, aircraft limitations,

and other factors. Today, under the National Route Program

approximately 70 percent of flights (that are subject to a

preferred route) are operating off air traffic control preferred

routes.

Free Flight Phase 1 Free Flight expands flexibility in route

selection to a larger percentage of domestic flights. Free flight

also allows pilots to fly whatever route and altitude is best for

existing conditions.

Commercial Space The FAA worked with Congress to

develop the Commercial Space Act of 1998 which extends the

FAA's authority to include the licensing the reentry of

reusable launch vehicles, clearing up regulatory ambiguities

and enhancing safety.

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Acquisition Reform

Personnel Systems for the Next Century

Travel Reform

FAA Contract Tower Program

Runway Incursion Team

Air Traffic Restructuring Effort

Air Traffic Re-Engineering Effort

Mission Support Development Team

FAA Logistics Center - A Taste of Reinvention

Space and Air Traffic Management System

Airways Facilities National Realignment

Streamlining the Granting of Waivers

FAA Administrative Services Franchise Fund

Consolidation of Accounting Services

At FAA, reinventing government means a fundamental change

in the way work is done experimenting with new ways of

doing business. The agency has created a vibrant

environment where innovation thrives and continuous

improvement is the norm.

People are the heart of reinvention. The FAA is doing the job

with 4,500 fewer people since 1992 and doing it well. Several

key commitments have made this possible. One is teaming

which empowers people. Another is the FAA's Model Work

Environment (MWE) a key strategy in making FAA a great

place to work. MWE helps create an environment that

supports and encourages the contributions of all people and

is free of inappropriate behavior.

The following employee driven reinvention initiatives focus on

cutting red tape, exceeding customer expectations, and

unleashing employee creativity. They bring common sense

and sound business practices into our day-to-day

management.

Acquisition Reform The new acquisition management

system changes almost every element of the acquisition

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process. The new acquisition policies are simple, clear, and

result in common sense decision-making and accountability at

all levels of management. Acquisition reforms have cut the

time to award contracts by half with a greater percentage

awarded competitively.

Personnel Systems for the Next Century The FAA has

made the boldest, most dramatic changes in a generation to

our personnel system. The new system is designed to provide

more flexibility in hiring, pay and placement; recognize

employee contributions; increase productivity; and enhance

the organization's intellectual capital while ensuring fairness

to employees. Using the Internet for job vacancy

announcements has reduced the time to process, print, and

distribute announcements from 3 weeks to 1 day. Managers

can recruit 80 times faster than under the old rules.

Travel Reform Revamped rules, which give greater

flexibility to employees and hold down cost, make sense,

benefit both the employee and the agency. Approximate

savings of $5.9 million for Travel Reform were accounted for

in the FY 1998 appropriation.

FAA Contract Tower Program The FAA has contracted out

109 low activity airport traffic control towers at an estimated

savings of $200 thousand per year per tower. Presently, 158

towers are in the program. The Contract Tower program

ensures that an efficient network of control towers is

maintained. Contractor- provided air traffic control services

have proven to be safe and effective. Savings from the

program have allowed the FAA to cover other critical

operational shortfalls. In addition, the FAA has hired fewer

controllers who are placed in higher volume air traffic

facilities.

Runway Incursion Team A collision hazard on a runway is

termed an incursion. In our Northwest Mountain Region, a

team consisting of FAA staff and airport managers met to

discuss ways to reduce runway incursion incidents. Their

prevention action plans resulted in a 45% reduction in surface

errors compared to FY1997.

Air Traffic Restructuring Effort Air Traffic has improved

the efficiency of its operation by restructuring field

organizations. Program offices have been combined. Position

responsibilities have been re-defined. Responsibility and

accountability have been shifted from second level managers

to first line supervisors and staff specialists. The focus of

support offices and staff specialists has been broadened to

include responsibility for multiple program areas. Second

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level positions have been reduced or even eliminated in some

facilities. Responsibility for day-to-day management of

operations has been moved from second level managers to

first level supervisors. Through the efficiencies gained from

restructuring, Air Traffic has been able to reduce in size by

nearly three thousand positions.

Air Traffic Re-Engineering Effort The Air Traffic Service

is leveraging improvements in automation capabilities to

provide access to information important to its business and to

remove unnecessary requirements from processes. Business

process re-engineering is in place and has produced gains in

efficiency in many field facilities. More benefits will be

realized as regions and headquarters re-double their efforts

and look for ways to reduce or eliminate requirements.

Mission Support Development Team For Improved

Administrative Automation The Air Traffic Service has

created an internal software development team to support the

needs of field facilities. The mission of the team is to

automate processes that have been re-engineered by the field.

Processes which involved multiple staff specialists and

multiple steps, can now be done by 2 or 3 individuals directly

involved in the outcome. Critical information concerning

system operation that previously required hours to prepare is

now available on demand. The team is identifying programs

and processes ready for automation that will provide

additional gains in efficiency.

FAA Logistics Center - A Taste of Reinvention The

Logistics Center provides one-stop ordering and technical

support to 7,000 field technicians. In 1998, the Center

operated with 20 percent fewer funds, yet increased its

performance by moving to a fee-for-service strategy with

customers. The Center also received the prestigious ISO 9002

certification. The certification attests to the high quality of

logistical support for the national airspace system.

Space and Air Traffic Management System The FAA's

Office of Commercial Space Transportation is working with

Air Traffic Services and Aviation Regulation and

Certification to integrate commercial space launch and reentry

operations into the existing air traffic management system.

Airways Facilities National Realignment The FAA

reorganized its air traffic systems maintenance function

nationwide. This realignment exceeded the National

Partnership for Reinventing Government's and the agency's

streamlining targets. Maintenance field management structure

was reduced from 77 offices to 34 with over a thousand fewer

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employees.

Streamlining the Granting of Waivers When people have

good ideas they should be free from government bureaucracy

to get the job done. The FAA is doing its part to unleash

creativity by making it quick and easy to seek waivers of

internal processes that limit flexibility and productivity.

FAA Administrative Services Franchise Fund Franchising

allows components of the FAA to sell services to other

government agencies and retain a small part of the revenue to

reinvest in their operations. The Franchise Fund concept

injects much needed competition and promotes partnering

across government. The fund charges users for the costs of

services they received on a fee-for-service basis.

Consolidation of Accounting Services The FAA is

centralizing permanent change of station accounting

processing for all regions, headquarters, and centers in one

location. This first major step in culture change will result in

greater efficiencies in service delivery, and increased

customer satisfaction.

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FAA Challenger Sessions

Certification Process Improvement (CPI)

Data Link Implementation Path

Improved Airport Security

Improved Rulemaking

NATCA Agreement

Shared Alternative Dispute Resolution Mediators

One DOT

Partnering

NASCAR

The FAA focuses on partnerships to find the best solutions to

problems. Partnerships with aviation interests, industry, labor

unions, employee groups, and other government agencies

have produced results. The following are some examples of

what the FAA has accomplished using this approach.

FAA Challenger Sessions The informative annual sessions

focus on safety, security, and system efficiency. As a result of

the sessions, the FAA has opened an on-going dialog on Safer

Skies, fast tracked explosive detection systems testing, and

spotlighted cooperation on system modernization.

Certification Process Improvement (CPI) CPI is a new

partnership that improves aircraft product certification by

establishing a clear understanding, up-front, of the technical

requirements and expectations of both the FAA and industry

partners. This early communication saves time and money for

both the FAA and industry partners. Clear evidence of the

program's success was demonstrated recently with the

certification of the MD-17, the civil version of the military C17, completed by the Los Angeles Aircraft Certification Team

in partnership with Boeing Airlift and Tankers Program

Office.

Data Link Implementation Path A year of governmentindustry collaboration culminated in a consensus plan

defining how Controller Pilot Data Link Communications will

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be implemented over the next 10 years. Data Link is the

cornerstone of the FAA's Free Flight program. Data Link will

reduce voice congestion on controller-pilot radio

communications channels. Government- industry solidarity on

Data Link implementation plans was demonstrated at the

FAA's Data Link Industry Day. The aviation industry pledged

support for a joint FAA/Industry schedule for Data Link

delivery in 2002.

Improved Airport Security The FAA has raised the bar in

meeting today's changing security challenges. FAA has taken

unprecedented steps with airports at the local level to improve

security. Thus far, 113 FAA/airport consortia have been

established across the country (target 134 by the year 2000).

In addition, the number of K-9 explosive detection teams has

increased over the last two years from 87 teams at 30 airports

to 140 teams at 38 airports.

Improved Rulemaking The FAA has reengineered its

rulemaking process using current best practices in industry

and other government agencies as its guide. So far, results are

two fold: improved efficiency and better quality using

innovations like a comprehensive rulemaking manual, a

rulemaking web site

(http://interweb.faa.gov/avr/iarmhome.htm), and an advanced

rulemaking course for agency employees. The FAA has

issued two versions of a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking

(NPRM) and is soliciting comments on user preferences.

NATCA Agreement The FAA's historic agreement on a new

five-year contract with National Air Traffic Controllers

Association created a new classification/ compensation

system; reached agreement on staffing levels; and developed

procedures for greater union involvement. The Agency is

negotiating contracts with other unions using its new

flexibility for wider scope of bargaining.

Shared Alternative Dispute Resolution Mediators By

resolving employee disputes early on, FAA improves

communication in the workforce, maintains a productive work

environment, and reduces cost and time involved with formal

processes. Mediators are trained by the FAA, and shared

among federal agencies in the area. Three FAA regions have

highly successful programs. In the Great Lakes Region,

estimated cost avoidance is over $700,000.

One DOT The Department of Transportation's ongoing

program emphasizes collaboration among departmental

branches and encourages employees to see themselves as

leading the way to transportation excellence in the next

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century. For example, in Kansas City, Missouri, the FAA

Regional Office is located in the same building as the other

operating administrations of the Department of

Transportation, providing one stop shopping for area DOT

customers. For more information on ONE DOT, see the web

site at: http://www.intranet.gov/onedot.

http://intranet.dot.gov/onedot.

Partnering The Indianapolis Night Partners Quality Action

Team won the U.S. DOT Secretary's Team Award for

achieving significant savings for the major night time hub

operators at Indianapolis International Airport by working out

a more efficient night time air traffic flow. The team consisted

of FAA employees and NATCA representatives from the

Indianapolis Tower and the Indianapolis En Route Center,

FedEx employees, and the U.S. Postal Service Eagle

Contractor Mail employees.

NASCAR An awards program established by the FAA in

1995 as an incentive for aviation maintenance technicians

(AMT) to continue their safety education. The first year the

program had 113 participants. In 1996, the FAA obtained

support for the program from the National Association of

Stock Car Auto Racers (NASCAR), many of whose pit crew

members are also employed as AMTs. Program participants

were eligible to win prizes donated by NASCAR. Several

airlines also joined the effort, and in 1998 the program had

over 16,000 participants worldwide, representing

approximately a million hours of safety training received.

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Personnel System Reform Team

Acquisition Management System Reform Team

Aircraft Shuttle Team

Airway Facilities Division Management Team

Selection Within Faster Times (SWIFT) Team

FAA Logistics Center Radar Product Division

Welfare to Work Team

Dynamic Seat Certification Team

Civil Penalties Enforcement Process Team

Grand Forks Automated Flight Service Station

Casper Automated Flight Service Station

Houston Intercontinental Civil Aviation Security Field Office

Grants Improvement Quality Action Team-Technical Center

The Hammer Award was instituted by Vice President Gore to

recognize teams of federal employees who best exemplify the

spirit of reinventing government by dramatically improving

the way government works.

The FAA employee initiatives below were honored with

Hammer Awards. Virtually all of the recognition was for work

done in teams...not individual contributions. This says quite a

lot for the FAA and the emphasis management has placed on

employee empowerment. Each of these activities resulted in

improved productivity, reduced costs, improved service, or

increased customer satisfaction. Interagency initiatives in

which FAA employees participated are not included.

Personnel System Reform Team - Developed a new

personnel system which requires fewer resources, provides

increased flexibility, incorporates state-of-the-art best

practices, and improves productivity.

Acquisition Management System Reform Team -

Developed a new acquisition management system which

significantly reduced the time to acquire systems and services

by 50 percent and the cost by 20 percent.

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Aircraft Shuttle Team - A team at the FAA Technical

Center in Atlantic City developed a plan for door-to-door

contract air service between Washington, D. C. and the

Technical Center. The new approach saves travel time for the

customer and provides dollar savings to the government. In its

first year of service, the shuttle saved more than $700,000 and

transported 4,170 passengers.

Airway Facilities Division Management Team - Alaskan

Region - Developed new operating processes and procedures,

under the Corporate Maintenance Philosophy, resulting in

first year travel cost avoidance of $376,000 and $190,000

savings in overtime.

Selection Within Faster Times (SWIFT) Team -

Reengineered the hiring process by using state-of-the-art

office automation technology and simplified procedures. The

times to establish positions and prepare the vacancy

announcement were each reduced from 3 weeks to 1 day.

FAA Logistics Center Radar Product Division - Integrated

processes and personnel who affect the quality of logistics

support for radar systems.

Welfare to Work Team - Through creative recruiting and

interagency partnering, the team provided opportunities for

meaningful and successful employment for welfare recipients.

As of the end of 1998, the FAA has hired 108 new employees

under this program.

Dynamic Seat Certification Team - Air Transport

Directorate, Northwest-Mountain Region - Led a

FAA/Boeing team that developed an alternative approach for

dynamic testing and approval of transport airplane passenger

seats. The time to prepare test documentation was reduced

from over a year to a few weeks.

Civil Penalties Enforcement Process Team - A reinvented

enforcement process was used to issue civil penalties against

individuals attempting to board aircraft with a dangerous or

deadly weapon. Cases are now processed 12 times faster and

cost savings are estimated at over $175,000.

Grand Forks Automated Flight Service Station - The

facility reduced call-waiting time for pilots by 28 percent.

Ninety-six percent of those calls were answered within 20

seconds.

Casper Automated Flight Service Station - Guidance for

operations was reduced from 23 directives to just one. Facility

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operations were streamlined and improved by reducing the

role of management in daily operations and empowering

front-line employees to make more operational decisions.

Houston Intercontinental Civil Aviation Security Field

Office - Improved the effectiveness and reduced the cost of

airport and air carrier regulations security training for airport

and law enforcement personnel by conducting local seminars.

Conducting training locally helped reach more people for less

money.

Grants Improvement Quality Action Team-Technical

Center - Streamlined the grants correspondence process

resulting in reduced processing time and cost, and increased

customer satisfaction.

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Secretary of

Transportation

Rodney S. Slater

message from the secretary

I am very proud of the progress the FAA has made on its

Reinvention Journey. America has the safest skies in the

world. An unprecedented increase in air travel is projected in

the first quarter of the 21st century. The public wants and

expects a safe and reliable aviation system that has the

capacity to meet this challenge. By focusing attention on

achieving results real, tangible progress has been made in

safety, security, and system efficiency.

I congratulate the men and women of the FAA for their

leadership, vision, commitment, and hard work. They are

leading the FAA and the aviation system into a new

tomorrow. Common sense government, as Vice President

Gore defines it, is the keystone of the agency's effort. FAA

has put the users first, continually reinventing how work is

done to ensure that it is effective and efficient. Much attention

continues to be given to the complicated nature of the system

and the evolving character of risk in order to improve safety,

security and reliability. The commitment to vision and

vigilance described in FAA's Reinvention Journey is

something in which we can all take pride.

But this is just the beginning. Now is the time for the FAA to

become even more effective and efficient in all of its

functions. I applaud FAA's contributions and invite you to

join with me in celebrating these accomplishments. I

challenge the FAA to rededicate itself to its Reinvention

Journey and look for still more opportunities to reinvent itself.

With that kind of increased commitment, building on the good

beginning that's been made, the best is yet to come.

FAA Administrator

Jane F. Garvey

message from the administrator

In 1993, President Clinton asked Vice President Gore to make

government work better and cost less. The FAA is doing just

that - improving service and response to the American public.

The FAA's mission is very complex - 110,000 takeoffs and

landings and 55,000 en route operations occur daily in

addition to 1.6 million passenger enplanements a day. The

work the FAA does directly impacts the public and the

aircraft industry. The agency will continue to reinvent the

world's most complex and efficient aviation system.

The FAA has changed its focus from process to results. The

FAA's focus is on the core missions of safety, security, and

system efficiency, but we have also reformed administrative

Page 1 of 2

http://web.archive.org/web/20041216183907/http://www.faa.gov/reinvent/h/admin.html 02/07/12
processes such as personnel and acquisition systems so that

they are more efficient.

The FAA's Reinvention Journey has been exciting and is one

of which we are proud. The list of achievements below is

testimony to the ingenuity FAA's employees. The list includes

concrete examples of what can be accomplished when we

work together to make the FAA work better and cost less. The

public expects, and the FAA is delivering, an aviation system

that is safe and secure with the reliability and capacity to

serve well into the 21st Century.

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