Flight Service Sigmet

While FSS controllers begin to stagger from the loss of the protest, the official Reduction-in-Force notices will start being presented to the controllers this week. This nasty one-two punch will send many reeling. Failure in the Senate would add a Tyson-like kiss on the ear. It’s a terrible thing to be told you’re not wanted; shoved out the door by your employer while he’s hiring the inexperienced off-the-street for jobs you want and are qualified to take.

So over the next few days, if the FSS controller you talk to seems a bit distracted or even angry, just remember that you’re probably talking to someone who has been given what might be called the proverbial ‘Enron Shaft,’ watching others crush their future while he or she stares at the carnage, with no recourse in sight. If you notice no change, chalk it up to the professionalism of the FSS crew.

The pilots, meanwhile, remain blissfully unaware…