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English teachers tell us to avoid the passive voice. "It must be done" does not have the force of "Do it!" The same is true of government documents. The presence of the passive voice is a mark of inaction.
With this in mind, read the FAA's answer to its site's question:
"Will it be safe to travel on and after January 1, 2000?"
The correct answer is: "Not by plane."
Here is FAA's answer:
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Safety
Safety is the single most important concern of the FAA. The overall goal of the FAA Year 2000 Program Office is to ensure that the National Airspace System (NAS) operates safely through the Year 2000 and beyond. Several steps have been taken toward achieving that goal:
1.A schedule has been established that requires all FAA systems (including the NAS) to be Year 2000 compliant by June 30th, 1999.
2.To augment existing operational contingency plans for the NAS, Year 2000 contingency plans are being developed for each FAA system. These contingency plans detail alternate courses of action in the event of system outages due to Year 2000 issues.
3.In addition, an agency level Year 2000 contingency plan is also being developed.
Lastly, the FAA would reduce air traffic capacity before compromising the safety of the National Airspace System.
The FAA has always been committed to maintaining the highest level of air traffic safety. We will maintain that commitment into the Year 2000 and beyond.
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