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Robinson Aviation tells advisory board its contract staffing meets FAA requirements, highlights job‑share model
Summary
Robinson Aviation told the New Smyrna Beach Airport Advisory Board on July 28 that its recent contract award and staffing model — including multiple job shares — meet FAA requirements, but company officials said they will work with the board and FAA on reviews if local traffic or directives warrant changes.
Robinson Aviation officials briefed the New Smyrna Beach Airport Advisory Board on July 28 about the company’s recent contract-tower award and staffing approach, saying the firm’s calculations met FAA requirements and that local needs are under ongoing review. "We just got awarded here in February 2025," said Stephen Smith, vice president of Robinson’s FAA contract tower program, describing the company’s national footprint and its approach to bidding and mitigation.
At the meeting, Robinson emphasized job shares — split work lines that allow two employees to share a single position — as a key mitigation for fractional staffing gaps. "Job shares are one of the things that our vendor does that no other vendor does," Smith said, explaining that job shares reduce overtime and keep controllers current. The company said New Smyrna’s configuration and recent contract submission used multi-year FAA data, and that the award reflected those calculations.
Board members pressed Robinson on whether a recent departure left the tower under‑staffed. Smith said the vendor’s calculations indicated the facility met the FAA minimums and that the fractional loss was covered by existing job-share lines; he invited the board to submit local traffic or safety data if members believed adjustments were necessary. Chair Jim Dempsey said the board will convene to review data and next steps.
Robinson also noted operational constraints in contract awards: staffing-change requests are handled on a schedule and, under some clauses, staffing adjustments are limited to certain contract years. The company pointed to a July 19, 2024 memorandum and a pending directive (a 10‑hour rest rule) that could require additional staffing when implemented, and said it is performing internal assessments.
The advisory board took no formal vote but asked Robinson to help identify which local measures (traffic counts, MOR entries, or post‑construction monitoring) the board could use to make a formal case to the FAA if needed. The board plans to collect and review local data after construction is complete and to revisit any staffing requests with Robinson and the FAA.
