Pilot to control tower: a feud

Robert E. Poli admits there is a feud between the striking controllers and the pilots -- one that has gone on for years -- and it is Mr. Poli's explanation for the failure of the pilots to support the strike, Monitor corre spondent Godfrey Sperling Jr. reports.

In talking with reporters over breakfast Aug. 19, the head of the professional air traffic controllers organization, asked whether there was such a feud, said: "I have to say it's true. We don't get along very well." At base, he said, was the feeling among controllers that their salaries were much lower than the pilots -- and unfairly so.

When one reporter here asked: "But does having this kind of a feud make it hazardous for all of us to fly?" Mr. Poli did not answer.

There have been some recent reports from pilots that they enjoy the back-and-forth they are now having with the replacement controllers, that the communications now are free of discordant exchanges.