Kerry Lynch stepped into the role of editor of the&nbsp;Aviation International News&nbsp;monthly magazine in May 2022 after serving with&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;for eight years. She joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in December 2014 as a senior editor covering Washington and business aviation news. She has also served on Convention News teams, including as editor of&nbsp;HAI Convention News. Lynch previously spent 25 years with Aviation Week. During her time there, she reported for and later steered&nbsp;The Weekly of Business Aviation, oversaw business aviation content on the&nbsp;Aviation Week Intelligence Network, served on the&nbsp;Show News&nbsp;staff, and held roles as the Washington columnist for&nbsp;Business &amp; Commercial Aviation&nbsp;and&nbsp;Overhaul &amp; Maintenance&nbsp;monthly magazines. In 2021 she was honored with the National Business Aviation Association Platinum Wing Award for lifetime achievement in journalism and was the 2004 recipient of the National Air Transportation Association’s Aviation Journalism Excellence Award. She also has been a recipient of an Aerospace Media Award for business aviation (2022) and NBAA Gold Wing Award (2003, 2024). Lynch graduated from The Ohio State University with a bachelor of arts in journalism.

Editor, AIN monthly magazine

Kerry Lynch

Concerned about the washout rates of air traffic controller trainees, the U.S. Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General (OIG) is kicking off an audit of the FAA’s controller hiring and training. The OIG audit comes as the DOT and FAA have undertaken efforts to “supercharge” hiring to bring 8,900 new controllers on board by 2028.
When the initial hiring push closed in March, the campaign had drawn more than 10,000 applicants. Of those, more than 8,300 were referred for initial testing, resulting in 600 entering the FAA training academy at one time, “the largest number in history,” the OIG noted.
However, the OIG added that despite these ambitious plans, “Factors such as attrition, retirements, and program washouts are severely impacting the overall success of increasing the number of certified controllers.” In addition, the academy is facing a shortage of qualified instructors, capacity limitations, an outdated curriculum, and high failure rates, the watchdog continued. In fiscal year 2024, that failure rate topped 30% for trainees.
“Given the importance of increasing the number of certified controllers to safely manage the NAS, we are initiating this audit,” the OIG said. The probe will look at the FAA’s efforts to address instructor shortages, training capacity limitations, and failure rates. In addition, the OIG will monitor progress in updating the training program curriculum.

News, issues, personnel, equipment and developments about air traffic management.

U.S. DOT Watchdog Launches Probe into Controller Training

FAA is facing high washout rate alongside capacity contraints

The DOT Office of Inspector General is launching an audit of the FAA's efforts to improve air traffic controller training and capacity.

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FAA is upgrading technologies while information providers improve displays

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News and issues relating to the aerospace industry that are related to the science, engineering and business of flight in space involving civil, industrial and military applications, and similar topics related to flight in the atmosphere of the Earth that are not covered more directly by other AINonline subject channels. In other words, both astronautical and aeronautical subjects, except for those aeronautical topics that are specifically covered elsewhere on this website.

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