Informing and connecting with the members of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, who work to safely handle 70,000 flights daily and nearly one bil...
Alaskan Region 2024 Archie League Award Winner Wayne Harper
In this episode of the NATCA Podcast, we revisit one of the 2024 Archie League Award Recipients. Communications Committee Alaskan Region Rep. Amanda Clinefelter (Anchorage ATCT, ANC) interviews 2024 Archie League Medal of Safety Award Winner Wayne Harper (Anchorage ATCT, ANC).
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NATCA Urges Congress to Address Staffing Crisis While Taking Action on FAA Reauthorization
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.”
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CFS 2023 Panel: Meeting The Demands Of Tomorrow
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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CFS 2023 Panel: Change Starts With You Be A Part Of The Solution
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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CFS 2023 Panel: Safety Culture At The Local Level
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.
Informing and connecting with the members of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, who work to safely handle 70,000 flights daily and nearly one billion passengers annually.