Has the FAA talked to NERC about reliability of power to ATC?

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Electric Utilities and Y2K : One Thread

Having just read the only TRUE assessment of the FAA in preparation for y2k, www.house.gov/reform/gmit/hearings/testimony/990315jw.html I am really bummed about the way things REALLY are as opposed to the way things are being painted (Salvido Dali would be proud) Anyway, after reading Joel Willemssen's accurate assessment of the FAA, which needs little translation - they won't be ready either - I came across some interesting facts about their contingency planning that could be very problematic during y2k. Toward the very end of the hearing, Joel states: "We [the GAO] reviewed the draft plan and found that it does not yet fully address several broad failure scenarios that could affect aviation operations, including... widespread power outages... Thepla relies on FAA's current way of handling such probems at a single facility - by having adjoining faciliies support the failed facility. This approach may not be appropriate should [y2k] induced falures affect adjoining facilities. However, FAA's [y2k] program manager stated that the agency plans to determine whether current contingency plans are sufficient to address wiespread outages." In reviewing Q&A's posted previously I noticed that NERC will hide some failing facilities from DOE. At what point does that procedure become a crime in regards to telling the FAA "straight-up" where they could expect a power failure? What impact would such secrecy/treachery have on flight safety if NERC remains silent about some EC's? Any opinions...

-- Anonymous, March 16, 1999

Answers

You didn't happen to print a copy of that testimony did you?... the link doesn't work any more (for me).

-- Anonymous, March 16, 1999

Bob and Reporter,

The link has changed:

www.house.gov/reform/gmit/hearings/testimony/990315h.htm

By all means look at it. This runs the whole range from things are looking real good now, to the GAO statements that things are not really looking all that good. Excellent explanation of the dinosaur equipment that is at the root of the problems.

-- Anonymous, March 16, 1999


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