Episodios
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NATCA has started an advertising effort targeting members of Congress and other D.C. influencers urging congressional action to address the ATC staffing crisis while Congress acts on FAA Reauthorization. Radio ads started running in the National Capital Region, emphasizing the critical need for substantial revisions in the upcoming FAA Reauthorization, which expires May 10.
The message, being delivered to an audience that includes the members of Congress, decision-makers in the federal government, and other influencers, is twofold. First, the final version of the FAA reauthorization bill must require the FAA to hire the maximum number of air traffic controller trainees possible for the next 5 years. Second, the legislation must replace the FAA’s failed staffing plan with a model that meets all the FAA’s and aviation industry needs, using the Collaborative Resource Workgroup (CRWG) staffing model as the basis for FAA’s Controller Workforce Plan.
This initiative is crucial not only for addressing the staffing shortages that jeopardize the efficiency of the National Airspace System but also for safeguarding the careers and wellbeing of NATCA's members. NATCA remains steadfast in urging Congress to take decisive action to overhaul the FAA's inadequate staffing strategy and fulfill the essential needs of its workforce.
Ads started running on Washington, D.C., radio stations on April 13, and will continue until FAA Reauthorization happens.
Ad transcript: “The FAA employs 10 percent fewer fully certified air traffic controllers today than it did 10 years ago — and 25% fewer trainees than 5 years ago. The FAA’s staffing plan is not working. That’s why Congress must require the FAA to replace its failed staffing plan with a plan that meets all the FAA’s needs and hire the maximum number of air traffic controller trainees possible for the next 5 years. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association. NATCA. We Guide You Home.” -
At NATCA CFS 2023, NATCA Director of Safety and Technology Tom Adcock and NASA ATM-X Project Manager Shivanjli Sharma moderated a panel titled “Meeting the Demands of Tomorrow,” with panelists from Joby Aviation, the Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), and the MITRE Corporation, along with NATCA Article 114 Rep. for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Jimmy Smith and FAA Executive Director of the UAS Integration Office Jeffery Vincent.
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At CFS 2023, National Recurrent Training Lead Richard Kennington and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Director of Safety Joe Winingar moderated a panel of experts who discussed making changes in the National Airspace System to enhance safety. Panelists included NATCA Western Event Review Committee member Erich Chouinard, NATCA Confidential Information Share Program member Dawn Johnson, FAA Air Traffic Safety Action Program (ATSAP) Team Manager Laforrest Leake, and ALPA's Aviation Safety Action Program member Paul Soporowski.
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The aviation safety professionals who make up the frontline air traffic controller workforce are key to understanding safety issues in the National Airspace System (NAS). A safety culture that encourages reporting of safety issues in an effort to constantly improve safety is critically important. Across the nation, NATCA representatives work as part of teams for facility personnel to identify and mitigate safety issues at the local level. At CFS 2023, NATCA’s National Recurrent Training Lead Richard Kennington and St. Louis TRACON (T75) Operational Supervisor Bethany Bohnenstiehl moderated a panel of some of these team members to discuss safety culture at the local level. Panelists were NATCA Southern California TRACON (SCT) FacRep Alex Cisneros, SCT Acting Executive Officer Thomas Gordon, NATCA Partnership for Safety Member Mike Taylor, and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Director of Safety Joe Winingar.
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In this episode of the NATCA Podcast, join Executive Vice President Andrew LeBovidge at Communicating For Safety 2023 as he leads a thought-provoking panel discussion on the critical topic of maintaining medical evaluations for air traffic controllers. Panelists include FAA Federal Air Surgeon Susan Northrup and Aviation Medicine Advisory Service (AMAS) President/CEO Quay Snyder, M.D., M.S.P.H. Medical evaluations for air traffic controllers are essential to maintain their health, ensure their capability to handle the demands of the job, and ultimately contribute to the overall safety and efficiency of air travel, but medical requirements create unique employment and personal challenges for those in aviation safety careers. AMAS has been providing consultation regarding FAA medical certification issues to the nation’s largest aviation unions since 1969.
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In this episode of the NATCA Podcast, Communications Committee Central Region Rep. Bryan Martini (location) interviews 2023 Archie League Medal of Safety Award Winners John “Casey” Hovis (St. Louis TRACON, T75; formerly at MCI) Tyler Wilke (Kansas City International ATCT, MCI) and Matt Williams (MCI). Daniel Clifton (MCI) was also honored with an Archie League Medal of Safety Award for this event, but he was not available to be interviewed for the podcast.
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In this episode of the NATCA Podcast, Communications Committee Region X Rep. Lisen Minetti (Engineers and Aeronautics Center, EAC) interviews 2022 Region X Commitment to Safety Award Winner Jon Stanton (New England Region Engineers, ENE).
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In this episode of the NATCA Podcast, Communications Committee Southern Region Rep. Amy Sayers (Fort Lauderdale ATCT, FLL) interviews 2022 Archie League Medal of Safety Award Winner David Kunzman (Memphis Center, ZME).
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In this episode of the NATCA Podcast, Communications Committee Southern Region Rep. Amy Sayers (Fort Lauderdale ATCT, FLL) interviews 2022 Archie League Medal of Safety Award Winner Artur Mularczyk (Memphis Center, ZME).
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In this episode of the NATCA Podcast, former Communications Committee Northwest Mountain Region Rep. Lydia Baune (Spokane ATCT, GEG) interviews 2022 Archie League Medal of Safety Award Winners Morgan Farmer and Jake Zakrzewski (Denver Center, ZDV).
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In this episode of the NATCA Podcast, Communications Committee New England Region Rep. Shannon Lyman (Boston Center, ZBW) interviews 2022 Archie League Medal of Safety Award Winner Patrick Sullivan (Boston ATCT, BOS).
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In this episode of the NATCA Podcast, Communications Committee Great Lakes Region Rep. Jennifer Malloy (Cleveland Center, ZOB) interviews 2022 Archie League Medal of Safety Award Winner Darren Groce (Indianapolis ATCT, IND - Retired).
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Central Region 2022 Archie Winner Brian Magnuson by NATCA National Office
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We sat down with Bill Geoghagan, NATCA’s Senior Terminal Technology Representative at the NATCA National Office in Washington. In November, Bill celebrated his 10 year anniversary as part of NATCA’s staff. From watching the Union first organize his air traffic facilities in Mississippi, to describing how the profession evolved after the White Book, to explaining how members can be involved now, Bill talks about his decades-long career as a NATCA member, representative, staff member, and charitable volunteer.
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Alaska Region Communications Committee Rep. Eric Mauro interviews 2022 Archie League Medal of Safety winners Nathan Midthun and Brent Eber of Merrill Field ATCT.
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Each week, NATCA will be publishing a podcast episode featuring each region’s Archie League Medal of Safety winners for 2022. In this week’s podcast, Communications Committee Southwest Region Representative Mary Ann Hall (Houston Hobby ATCT, HOU) interviews Megan Baird (Fort Worth Center, ZFW) and Kerri Fingerson (Boston Center, ZBW; previously at ZFW). Baird and Fingerson were also recipients of the President’s Award at CFS last month.
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National Safety Committee Chair Chrissy Padgett talks about the upcoming Communicating For Safety (CFS) Conference, union activism, and the importance of working together. She talks about how NATCA members’ day-to-day work is affected by the discussions and collaboration that takes place at CFS, and what she’s looking forward to most about the conference for 2022.
“Everything we do is part of that union spirit — that is, we work together, regardless of whether it’s internal to NATCA or it’s external and collaboratively with many different counterparts,” she says. “It’s about talking together and working together.” -
At approximately 8:30 p.m. on March 9, 2021, Greensboro ATCT (GSO) member Noah Walker was working the approaches into Greensboro, N.C., from the tower cab, as the positions were combined and the radar position was moved to the tower. Walker was lining up a Lifeguard aircraft to the final for Runway 14. Just before he instructed the pilot to contact the tower, he noticed lights that appeared to be another aircraft in conflict.
Walker asked the tower controller if he was talking to an aircraft, but the controller confirmed he was not. Walker determined it was a drone flying near the arrival corridor for runway 14. Since the controllers could not predict the erratic behavior of this very large drone, they had no choice but to suspend operations at GSO until they could be reasonably sure the drone no longer presented a threat.
Walker’s actions on this night prevented a collision and ensured the safety of the users in the airspace. NATCA is proud to recognize his professionalism and skill to identify the hazard even though it did not appear on radar. It led one pilot to comment on frequency, “Thanks for looking out for us.” Walker will be honored on June 17 in New Orleans with the Archie League Medal of Safety Award for the Southern Region. -
By Sept. 15, 2020, six months into the COVID-19 pandemic, air carrier traffic volume was greatly reduced, presenting opportunities for many general aviation pilots - and students, with their instructors - to do takeoffs and landings at major airports. One such flight, a Mooney M20 piloted by a student with an instructor, departed runway 1 right at Washington-Dulles International Airport (IAD).
Just a short time later, as the Mooney was at 4,600 feet, the aircraft suffered a total engine failure. The choice to be near IAD turned out to be a most advantageous decision.
“I think because of that lack of full airline schedules, I think this was a nationwide thing; I think people were taking their GA airplanes to places they dreamed of going and this was a good example,” said Potomac TRACON (PCT) member Joe Mash, who talked with the pilot and worked with fellow PCT members Jason Dunaway and Chris Rhodes to help the flight return safely to IAD. “(The emergency) could not have happened at a better time or place, that is for sure. Lucky for them.”
Mash, Dunaway, and Rhodes will be honored with the 2021 Eastern Region Archie League Medal of Safety Award on June 17 in New Orleans. -
On a Thursday afternoon in September 2020 in the Prairie Area of Kansas City Center (ZKC), just six months into the COVID pandemic, the facility was staffed with small teams of controllers working their shifts together for safety but still handling busy traffic volumes. ZKC member Ingrid “Inga” Owens was working a Yak 18T that was headed north toward Nebraska from Texas. The pilot encountered two big problems.
First, he was flying this aircraft for the first time, delivering it to its owner. It was burning fuel at a rate exceeding what he was told it would, leaving him with a shortage that led him to declare an emergency. Second, he encountered IFR weather conditions in western Kansas airspace, with 200-foot minimum ceilings. He was flying beneath the glideslope, which is unusual for hitting the ILS. Owens had fellow ZKC member Taylor Rosenbaum as her D-side controller. Member Brett Rolofson was working as the controller-in-charge.
“I remember at one point saying to Taylor, ‘I feel like this guy’s going to be a problem,’” Owens said. “I was just super relieved that when we asked if he was IFR-qualified, the answer was yes, because my fear was that he wasn’t and then I don’t know what we would have done.”
Owens, Rosenbaum, and Rolofson worked to help the pilot to a safe landing. For their efforts, they will receive the Archie League Medal of Safety Award for the Central Region on June 17 in New Orleans. - Mostrar más