4 ms·

Build it into the cost of certification. You absolutely want the brightest people working their hardest to uncover potentially fatal issues so they can be fixed

Build it into the cost of certification. You absolutely want the brightest people working their hardest to uncover potentially fatal issues so they can be fixed before people die.

macintux 4y ago
How often do you certify a new plane of this magnitude? I’d wager you would have to plan on contracting that out vs hiring a bunch of people to only work periodically, and how are you going to find contractors who know how to build these?
bombcar 4y ago
There's problems on any side, if they're direct FAA employees they end up being paid way more than other similar FAA employees - though given that the only major airplane manufacturer is Boeing you could just charge Boeing enough to pay all FAA airplane examiners the requisite amount.
daniel-cussen 4y ago
No you want the brightest people (I object to the term brightest in general but anyway) making the systems so that people don't die. That's the first priority, it doesn't work to get them to check other people's works, they have to make the best works, actually perform what needs to be performed. Then check.
- andi999 4y ago
  Bright and diligent.
  - daniel-cussen 4y ago
    For sure. Absolutely.
bradleyjg 4y ago
It’s not a money issue. The US government has plenty of money. It’s a perception of corruption issue. The government can’t have high paying jobs because voters will punish politicians if they do.
- leksak 4y ago
  I don't have a US-context, so excuse my naivety but to me it'd appear as if government can't pay well for _some_ jobs. If the politician themselves make too much, then voters might not like that. If all government jobs pay "too well" then that too would meet opposition. But, as a colorful example: suppose that being a politician was tied to the median wage of the nation, then would anyone object to paying this type of oversight position adequately? Also, I'm not necessarily convinced a decent enough paycheck is enough to dissuade from corruption. Sure, it helps but it isn't enough on its own. If a person is getting money under the table, then they are making even more money even if they are already making a pretty sum. It's just that the size of the bribe would have to increase proportionally to their salary.
  - rocqua 4y ago
    In my country (the Netherlands) there is a norm that says "No government employee shall earn more than the prime minister". The idea being to prevent certain heads of departments from setting their own pay to high. This has had a side-effect of some actually qualified technical people from leaving because of salary.
    - bradleyjg 4y ago
      The US federal government is similar. The President makes $400k, cabinet secretaries $225k, and everyone else less than that. There are a very few exceptions—-some doctors for example.
jillesvangurp 4y ago
A way out that is popular with governments is to use contractors. Certification is a highly specialist job that requires independent experts. Perfect job for subcontracting to companies that employ such specialists. The FAAs job is to ensure that certification happens and that it is done right; but not necessarily doing it themselves. And effectively they aren't because they let Boeing self certify currently. So, this would be an improvement.
- rossdavidh 4y ago
  This seems like the best idea, as a balance both of "it works" and "it could happen".

Build it into the cost of certification. You absolutely want the brightest people working their hardest to uncover potentially fatal issues so they can be fixed before people die.

macintux 4y ago

How often do you certify a new plane of this magnitude? I’d wager you would have to plan on contracting that out vs hiring a bunch of people to only work periodically, and how are you going to find contractors who know how to build these?

bombcar 4y ago

There's problems on any side, if they're direct FAA employees they end up being paid way more than other similar FAA employees - though given that the only major airplane manufacturer is Boeing you could just charge Boeing enough to pay all FAA airplane examiners the requisite amount.

daniel-cussen 4y ago

No you want the brightest people (I object to the term brightest in general but anyway) making the systems so that people don't die. That's the first priority, it doesn't work to get them to check other people's works, they have to make the best works, actually perform what needs to be performed. Then check.

andi999 4y ago
Bright and diligent.
- daniel-cussen 4y ago
  For sure. Absolutely.

bradleyjg 4y ago

It’s not a money issue. The US government has plenty of money. It’s a perception of corruption issue. The government can’t have high paying jobs because voters will punish politicians if they do.

leksak 4y ago
I don't have a US-context, so excuse my naivety but to me it'd appear as if government can't pay well for _some_ jobs. If the politician themselves make too much, then voters might not like that. If all government jobs pay "too well" then that too would meet opposition. But, as a colorful example: suppose that being a politician was tied to the median wage of the nation, then would anyone object to paying this type of oversight position adequately? Also, I'm not necessarily convinced a decent enough paycheck is enough to dissuade from corruption. Sure, it helps but it isn't enough on its own. If a person is getting money under the table, then they are making even more money even if they are already making a pretty sum. It's just that the size of the bribe would have to increase proportionally to their salary.
- rocqua 4y ago
  In my country (the Netherlands) there is a norm that says "No government employee shall earn more than the prime minister". The idea being to prevent certain heads of departments from setting their own pay to high. This has had a side-effect of some actually qualified technical people from leaving because of salary.
  - bradleyjg 4y ago
    The US federal government is similar. The President makes $400k, cabinet secretaries $225k, and everyone else less than that. There are a very few exceptions—-some doctors for example.

jillesvangurp 4y ago

A way out that is popular with governments is to use contractors. Certification is a highly specialist job that requires independent experts. Perfect job for subcontracting to companies that employ such specialists. The FAAs job is to ensure that certification happens and that it is done right; but not necessarily doing it themselves. And effectively they aren't because they let Boeing self certify currently. So, this would be an improvement.

rossdavidh 4y ago
This seems like the best idea, as a balance both of "it works" and "it could happen".