FAA – And finally, here's a report from FAA's Annetta Cheek, who continues to be THE driving force behind the Federal Gov's continuing progress in PL.

The plain language program at FAA started in late 1999 (about the time Annetta began working there) in response to a customer survey showing that commercial pilots did not believe the agency's standards and regulations were clear. Annetta reports that, as she's seen in other agencies, FAA has many more people who advocate plain language than write it. Indeed, Annetta admits that teaching people who have written in a bureaucratic style their entire careers to write in plain language is a long-term challenge. Here are some of the things they've done so far:

• Presented a one-day short course in plain language principles to about 300 FAA staff nationwide.
• Redrafted a major regulation in plain language to serve as a model for others (14 CFR Part 11.)
• Provided 100 staff with copies of Stylewriter editing software. Another 150 will get the program this fall.
• Printed Plain Language posters for display around the agency.
• Developed an FAA plain language manual, based on the manual prepared several years ago by the Plain English Network.
• Developed a plain language web site (faa.gov/language) that features a "tip of the month" and will soon start a "plain language challenge" feature. This will challenge readers to redraft a particularly obscure passage into plain language.

Annetta tells FAA folks that "The winners will get our eternal gratitude …and other valuable prizes."

I'm sure that all the readers of the government's new, plainly written documents will be eternally grateful for these clear, understandable written messages from their government.

Thank you.