Controller complains about increase airport activity and management policy to encourage operation.

Attributes
ACN	131591
Time
Date	198912
Day	Thu
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : prc
State Reference	AZ
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Person 1
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : local
Qualification	controller : non radar
Experience	controller non radar : 3 flight time total : 6000
ASRS Report	131591
Events
Anomaly	other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other controllera
Resolutory Action	none taken : unable
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	ATC Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	other
Situations
ATC Facility	procedure or policy : unspecified

Narrative:

The emphasis placed on the air traffic controller work force at prescott ATC tower to 'build up the traffic count' is causing less experienced controllers to take on more traffic than they should handle. This has resulted in a recent drastic upswing in the number of unsafe conditions. Additionally, this encouragement by management to increase the traffic causes controllers to fill the traffic pattern with touch and go traffic to the detriment of transient pilots that attempt to utilize love field for their own interests. Management does constantly add a reminder to 'only take on as many aircraft as you can handle.' however, in actual practice, management makes a big show of rewarding those controllers that report handling a large amount of traffic on the traffic count log. No emphasis is placed on the actual service performed to the aviation community. Management should place less emphasis on building up the traffic count at prescott tower with this touch and go training traffic. Instead a reeducation program should be instated to teach controllers what their missions really are.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CTLR COMPLAINS ABOUT INCREASE ARPT ACTIVITY AND MANAGEMENT POLICY TO ENCOURAGE OPERATION.

Narrative: THE EMPHASIS PLACED ON THE AIR TFC CTLR WORK FORCE AT PRESCOTT ATC TWR TO 'BUILD UP THE TFC COUNT' IS CAUSING LESS EXPERIENCED CTLRS TO TAKE ON MORE TFC THAN THEY SHOULD HANDLE. THIS HAS RESULTED IN A RECENT DRASTIC UPSWING IN THE NUMBER OF UNSAFE CONDITIONS. ADDITIONALLY, THIS ENCOURAGEMENT BY MGMNT TO INCREASE THE TFC CAUSES CTLRS TO FILL THE TFC PATTERN WITH TOUCH AND GO TFC TO THE DETRIMENT OF TRANSIENT PLTS THAT ATTEMPT TO UTILIZE LOVE FIELD FOR THEIR OWN INTERESTS. MGMNT DOES CONSTANTLY ADD A REMINDER TO 'ONLY TAKE ON AS MANY ACFT AS YOU CAN HANDLE.' HOWEVER, IN ACTUAL PRACTICE, MGMNT MAKES A BIG SHOW OF REWARDING THOSE CTLRS THAT REPORT HANDLING A LARGE AMOUNT OF TFC ON THE TFC COUNT LOG. NO EMPHASIS IS PLACED ON THE ACTUAL SERVICE PERFORMED TO THE AVIATION COMMUNITY. MGMNT SHOULD PLACE LESS EMPHASIS ON BUILDING UP THE TFC COUNT AT PRESCOTT TWR WITH THIS TOUCH AND GO TRAINING TFC. INSTEAD A REEDUCATION PROGRAM SHOULD BE INSTATED TO TEACH CTLRS WHAT THEIR MISSIONS REALLY ARE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.