The NATCA Podcast

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 John Stanton (New England Region Engineers, ENE).

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).

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).

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).

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).

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).

Central Region 2022 Archie Winner Brian Magnuson by NATCA National Office

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.

Alaska Region Communications Committee Rep. Eric Mauro interviews 2022 Archie League Medal of Safety winners Nathan Midthun and Brent Eber of Merrill Field ATCT.

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.

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.

Numerous challenges presented themselves on the midnight shift of Aug. 19, 2020, with an inbound FedEx Boeing 767 on approach to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) that had a retracted left main landing gear. LAX members Jeremy Hroblak, Scott Moll, and C.J. Wilson, through their skill and professionalism, were able to address each of the challenges, contributing to the most successful outcome possible. For their efforts, the three members will be honored on June 17 in New Orleans with the Archie League Medal of Safety Award for the Western Pacific Region. The captain of the flight, Bob Smith, wrote a letter describing the event from his perspective. He concluded it by stating, “As we say at FedEx to a team member for a job well done … Bravo Zulu! Thank you for your professionalism, and for your significant contribution to an aircraft incident that, because of your actions, ended with a safe landing and minimal damage to our aircraft.”

Houston TRACON (I90) member Joe Wright was working the Thursday evening arrival streams into Houston Hobby (HOU) and nearby Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base (EFD) when the pilot of a Piper Cherokee struggled to stay on the localizer for EFD and then lost his gyroscope in IFR conditions. The pilot worked to get back onto the localizer, but soon descended into a tight, steep turn. Wright saw his altitude drop rapidly, starting from 2,400 feet, then to 2,000 feet. “I asked him, ‘are you OK?' and he said, ‘I don't think we're OK,'” Wright said. “That's when I knew it was a dire situation. “He seemed a little rattled and rightfully so. I knew, in my 26 years of aviation experience, with no gyro and those weather conditions, if you get disoriented it can go bad very quickly. My intention was to do the very best I could for him control-wise, but also keep him calm. If I got tense, it may have caused him to have a little bit of a problem in concentration.” What happened next was the incredible, safe conclusion to what Wright called the most traumatic event in his career, which he plans to retire from soon after receiving the 2021 Southwest Region Archie League Medal of Safety Award on June 17 in New Orleans.

“Eight Hotel Romeo is descending, I've lost my cabin pressure.” The pilot of a Socata TBM-850 single-turboprop aircraft was flying north toward Burlington, Vt. Boston Center (ZBW) controller Casey Allan was conducting on-the-job training. But what first seemed like a normal flight in their airspace soon turned serious with the onset of hypoxia signs. Allan took over the sector. “I believe he got up to 33,000 feet. He climbed pretty rapidly for an aircraft like the TBM, and it started a right-hand turn,” Allan said. “Once we saw the indication of a turn, my first thought was, ‘it's going to go into a spin.'” What happened next was expert handling of the flight to ensure its eventual safe landing at Stewart International Airport in New York. For his efforts, Allan has been named the winner of the 2021 New England Region Archie League Medal of Safety Award, presented by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.

Matt Wyrick, who is in the sixth year of his FAA career, all at Indianapolis Center (ZID), grew up immersed in aviation. His father, Allan, was a longtime pilot for NetJets. Wyrick said hypoxia came up in some discussions between them. That, along with his training, prepared him to successfully assist the pilot of a Cessna 441 Conquest II who was exhibiting signs of hypoxia while over south-central Ohio en route to Youngstown, Ohio, at 29,000 feet. For his efforts, Wyrick has been named the Great Lakes Region winner of the 2021 Archie League Medal of Safety Award, presented by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association. He will be honored on June 17 in New Orleans. Wyrick said he was honored and humbled by the award. “I was just there doing my job that day and I had a bunch of good people around me who were a huge part of the outcome. I really think the award is more a reflection of everybody I work with. I don't have a doubt in my mind that any one of the controllers in my area could have sat there and achieved the same outcome.”

Fort Worth Center (ZFW) air traffic controller Randy Wilkins has worked enough general aviation traffic in his 13 years there to know that while he and his colleagues aim to provide the best support they can and the most information possible to pilots who encounter difficulty, ultimately, it's up to the pilot to finish off a safe landing. But Wilkins is passionate about training and developing his base of knowledge in as many different ways as he can to be prepared for challenging situations. That includes researching air safety investigations in his spare time, looking at how past NATCA Archie League Medal of Safety Award-winning controllers handled situations, watching YouTube instructional videos of VFR pilots encountering IFR conditions, and learning about the dangers of pilot vertigo in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). “You watch a video and think, ‘well, what would I do? Would I know to say that? Would I know to think about this?' So I really fall back on those replays,” said Wilkins, who said one of the most important things he learned from watching other Archie League Award event replays is the importance of being calm on the radio, as it helps keep the pilot calm and focused. “If I was a pilot, I would think, ‘if that was me, what would I want to know, and what would I want somebody to say to me before I did this?' The worst thing you hear about is people getting disoriented and flipped upside-down. The likelihood of getting disoriented in clouds if you're not used to it is pretty high.” That was the situation a Cessna 150 pilot faced in Wilkins's airspace as he flew in solid IFR conditions near the boundary of Kansas City Center (ZKC) airspace, between Oklahoma City approach control and Tulsa approach control. He was lost, definitely under stress, and sought help through the Guard radio frequency. He ended up talking to a Southwest Airlines pilot who was trying to figure out where he was. Listen as Wilkins and fellow ZFW controller Chris Clavin talk about this event, for which they both will receive the Archie League Medal of Safety Award for the Southwest Region on Aug. 11, 2021.

In Part 3 of their four-part conversation, NATCA member and experienced pilot Jamie Sanders (Denver/Centennial ATCT, APA) and Major Katie Cook, a third-generation military aviator and the first female Navy Blue Angels pilot, focused on pilot-controller communications. “I would say that ATC and talking on the radios is way harder than flying an actual airplane,” Cook said. “I know that sounds weird, but being able to manipulate the airplane and put it where you want to, that's all on you and you can fly and practice that. But communicating with someone outside the airplane is scary, and you know that everyone else on the radio can hear you, so you're gonna sound dumb if you mess this up.” Cook recalled as a young pilot, on her kneeboard - a cockpit accessory used to organize charts, paperwork, and digital devices - she wrote out scripts of what she needed to say to controllers, including things like how to request a clearance. “I had it all written out because I was so scared I was going to mess it up,” she said. That mindset changed, Cook said, when an instructor aboard her C-130 suggested she think of ATC as another crew member, but just not in the airplane with you. Further cementing that thinking last year was an incident near the El Centro Naval air facility involving a KC-130 that made contact in the air with a jet during refueling and made an emergency landing. Cook said the controllers jumped right in to do everything needed to handle that situation. “It's very unusual for a pilot to call 911 himself, or herself,” Cook said. “The controller's already on top of that. They've got your back and they're looking out for you so it's just another crew member that just happens to not be physically with you. Once I could think of ATC like that, that they were a friend that had your back … that changed my perspective of ATC completely.” Sanders said controlling carries the same mentality; while precise phraseology is required, the path to effective communication can sometimes include verbal stumbles. That's just human nature, she said. “I just hope that pilots all understand that we're all in this together,” she said.

NATCA charter member Brad Burtner retired from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Jan. 3, 2008 after three decades of working traffic at four different facilities. Like many other retirees, Burtner headed to Florida, but he didn't hang up his headset or put away his Union membership card. Instead, two days later, Burtner started a new chapter as a Federal Contract Tower (FCT) controller at Pompano Beach ATCT (PMP). Four years later, he worked to organize the controllers to choose NATCA to represent them, adding to a growing list of the Union's FCTs, which currently totals 116. That same year, Burtner started his six years of service on NATCA's National Organizing Committee. In late 2019, it was something Burtner did on the job that has earned him a new round of respect and admiration. NATCA this year is excited to announce the addition of a new category for FCT saves to join the nine geographic regions in the 16th annual Archie League Medal of Safety Award program. The first FCT winner is Burtner and NATCA will be honoring him and his fellow 2020 award winners on Aug. 11 at the 18th Biennial Convention in Houston. “I still enjoy my job and I like the camaraderie at work,” said Burtner who also serves as both PMP FacRep and Southern Region Alternate Vice President representing FCTs. “Everybody gets along great. It's fun to work there.”

In honor of Women's History Month, NATCA is presenting the second of a four-part conversation between two incredibly inspiring women in the world of aviation. NATCA's own Jamie Sanders, an air traffic controller at Denver/Centennial ATCT (APA), who is also an experienced pilot, interviewed Major Katie Cook, a third-generation military aviator and the first female pilot in the storied history of the great Blue Angels team of the Navy. In this episode, Cook talks extensively about her military experience including flying in locations around the globe. She was one of the few female aviators that flew in combat. She flew missions in mountainous Afghanistan and was based at Camp Bastion, a U.K.-operated airfield at 3,100 feet. Most of the missions were close air support aboard a C-130 with a Hellfire missile rack. "It was extremely rewarding," she said. "You join the military because you want to serve your country and you become an aviator particularly in the Marine Corps, to support the Marines on the ground. That's what our entire structure of the Marine Corps is about." Cook was the only female pilot on the aircraft. She tells the story of one mission in particular where they came to the support of a group of Marines being fired upon. She could hear on the radio the explosions. They shot two Hellfire missiles to take out the enemy. Six months later, in a chance encounter in Europe, she met one of the Marines she helped save. "He said, 'you guys saved our life,'" Cook said. "I have a face with the name and so it's super rewarding." Cook described what that mission was like. "We're taught to compartmentalize. At that moment, I was like, 'I can't fail. These people need the support,'" Cook said. "But in the back of your head, you're like, 'I'm about to shoot a missile at people; at a live person who's probably not going to be alive after I do this.' That's kind of a heavy burden. They were shooting at Americans, so it was completely justified but it's still a heavy burden that a lot of people don't ever have to deal with." She also talks in this episode about applying and then being selected to join the Blue Angels on its Fat Albert aircraft, as well as her interactions with women of all ages and especially young girls that look up to her as an inspiring role model.

In 1929, the Aeronautical Chamber of Commerce dubbed Wichita, Kan., the “Air Capital of the World.” Nearly a century later, with a world-leading total of aircraft manufactured, it could be argued that Wichita's busy-and-getting-busier airspace above six airports and McConnell Air Force Base makes it a strong candidate to keep that title. That presents clear situational awareness responsibilities and unique challenges for the air traffic controllers at Wichita ATCT (ICT). ICT sits on the western edge of the city. On the eastern side, there are three airports lined up in a row, north to south, including two - Colonel James Jabara Airport (AAO) and Beech Factory Airport (BEC) - that are only three miles from each other with similar runway layouts. McConnell AFB is only six miles south of BEC. ICT member Hunter Rubin grew up loving aviation as the son of retired controller Barry Rubin, who worked at Fairbanks ATCT (FAI), Albuquerque ATCT (ABQ), and Albuquerque Center (ZAB). Hunter said he found the perfect facility for him in ICT where each day brings the steady rhythm of traffic as volume rises and fills each radar scope. “Once you start seeing all the VFR targets tagging up, and traffic picking up here and there, we're like, ‘OK, here they come,'” said Rubin. He notes that they often open up a second and third radar position because “that east side of Jabara, Beech, and McConnell is just so congested. Everybody watches that area a little more carefully.” Midday on a Wednesday in January in 2020, Rubin saw something and immediately acted to prevent a wrong airport landing. He teamed with fellow ICT controller James Smart on a terrific flight assist. For their efforts, the two NATCA members have been recognized as the 2020 Archie League Medal of Safety Award Winners from the Central Region. Listen as Rubin discusses this event and what it's like to work the busy airspace above the Wichita area.

The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) is very honored to introduce the start of a four-part conversation between two incredibly inspiring women in the world of aviation. NATCA's own Jamie Sanders, an air traffic controller at Denver Centennial Tower (APA), who is also an experienced pilot, recently sat down for a virtual interview of Major Katie Cook, the first female pilot in the storied history of the great Blue Angels team of the United States Navy. Major Cook is a third-generation military aviator. Her paternal grandfather served during World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. Her father had a 26-year long career in the Navy and was an F-18 fighter pilot. Carrying on the family legacy, she joined the Marine Corps after graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2008. She made the choice to go into the Marine Corps, after spending time training with Marines in Quantico, Va. During her time in the Marine Corps, she was one of the few female pilots to fly combat missions during her deployment to Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom. After that, she spent time on assignment in Uganda, and had already accrued over 400 combat flight hours. It was during her time in Africa that she was approached by a Blue Angel pilot, who encouraged her to apply for the coveted flight demonstration team. Following an extensive interview process, Maj. Cook was officially the first female Blue Angel, and became the pilot of the Lockheed C–130 Hercules named “Fat Albert.” Jamie grew up in an aviation family as well. Her father was an American Airlines pilot and her great aunt, Emily Howell Warner, was the first female commercial airline pilot. At 15 years old, Jamie began flying lessons out of Denver Centennial and got her private pilot license when she was 16. She had planned on flight instructing. However, the tragic events of 9/11 froze all hiring of flight instructors. She decided to take out a loan and partner with another pilot, flying all over the country to build flight time. After a little over a year, she came back to Colorado to finish her degree in Aviation Technology and began flight instructing. Jamie got her first airline job flying for Great Lakes Aviation, out of Denver International Airport in 2003. In 2009, Jamie was hired with Allegiant Air. In 2011 she was selected by the Federal Aviation Administration to start training at the ATC academy in OKC. At the time, her husband had been furloughed from United Airlines for seven years and she was pregnant with her first child. Jamie was ready for a career change, and ATC was the perfect fit. She worked at Pueblo ATCT (PUB), then Colorado Springs ATCT (COS) before transferring in 2019 to APA. In this first episode of the four-part series, Jamie and Major Cook discuss their careers and their background.

In our last episode (Episode 27) of The NATCA Podcast, we brought you the story of Fort Worth Center (ZFW) air traffic controllers and NATCA members Brian Cox, Larry Bell, and Colin McKinnon. The trio worked together as a team to help pilot and flight instructor Anise Shapiro and her student, Jouni Uusitalo when the engine failed on his Piper PA-46 Malibu halfway into a 75-minute flight over West Texas. For their efforts, the controllers are being honored this year with the NATCA Archie League Medal of Safety Award for the Southwest Region. Now, we bring you part two of this event - a conversation with Shapiro. She describes what the experience was like and how she and Uusitalo and the six dogs they were transporting all escaped unharmed after landing safely in a wheat field. Shapiro has been flying since 1997. This was her first engine failure, something she trains for regularly with her students. Shapiro said she could feel the ZFW team behind her, having her back. “Knowing that you're not alone actually is more helpful as a pilot than anything,” she said. “They stayed super calm. The calmer each transmission was, the calmer I felt.”

Halfway into a nearly 75-minute flight last spring to Graham Municipal Airport (RPH), 80 miles northwest of Fort Worth, Texas, pilot and flight instructor Anise Shapiro, in a Piper PA-46 Malibu, lost the engine for the first time in her 23 years of flying. At 14,500 feet and needing quick options, she declared an emergency to Fort Worth Center (ZFW) NATCA member Brian Cox. Onboard with Shapiro were her student pilot, Jouni Uusitalo, and six dogs they were transporting. With the vast West Texas terrain beneath her and losing altitude steadily in a strong headwind, Cox and fellow ZFW members Larry Bell and Colin McKinnon worked quickly as a team to assist her. Unable to make either Plan B, Harrison Field of Knox City Airport (F75), or Plan C, Texas State Highway 114, Shapiro and Uusitalo spotted a final option: An open wheat field with no trees or cattle. For their efforts, Cox, Bell, and McKinnon have been named the recipients of the NATCA Southwest Region Archie League Medal of Safety Award.

Late on a mid-summer evening, over the ocean and in the fog, pilot Lihan Bao was flying a short final ILS approach to Runway 24 at Martha's Vineyard (MVY), her second time flying into that airport. The tower had just closed for the night. Shortly after her VOR receiver began to swing left to right, Bao saw a group of bright lights which distracted her. She turned left a bit to try to go back to the approach course but it didn't work, and a few seconds later she and her passenger heard a noise. She had hit something (later determined to be a tree). Lihan was at 400 feet and started to lose directional control of the Cessna 172 (N677DM). She added full power right away and tried to bring the wings level. Then, she radioed Boston TRACON (A90) and declared an emergency. On the other end of the mic was someone perfectly qualified to assist her, eight-year veteran controller Dave Chesley, who is also an experienced pilot and flies his own home-built aircraft, a single-engine Murphy Moose, with his wife, Jody, who is also a controller (Boston ATCT, BOS) and pilot. Chesley maintained a calm, reassuring demeanor throughout the entire incident. He guided Lihan with clear instructions as she diverted to Otis Air National Guard Base (FMH), which had a long runway, a 24-hour facility, and was reporting VFR conditions. “He gave me headings and altitudes with the voice that made me believe we would survive,” she said. For his efforts, Chesley has been named the 2020 Archie League Medal of Safety Award winner for the New England Region.

Duffy Fainer holds three skydiving world records and has encountered eight parachute malfunctions and one emergency ocean landing in 46 years of jumps. His first in-flight emergency in 15 years of flying airplanes, late in the afternoon of Wednesday, April 22, 2020, gave him a different kind of feeling. But he credits the calm, professional, expert handling provided by San Diego ATCT (SAN) NATCA members Michelle “Shelly” Bruner and Jamie Macomber with helping him to a safe, albeit nerve-rattling, landing. Duffy's home airport is Montgomery-Gibbs Executive (MYF, formerly known as Montgomery Field). He departed on his usual route of flight in his Grumman American AA-5A Cheetah, N365PS, heading west of the Miramar Naval Air Station airspace toward the Pacific Ocean. After Fainer crossed over Crystal Pier, located on the ocean just north of Mission Bay, he realized the throttle was not working properly. It was stuck at the 2,000 rpm point, which was enough to enable him to sustain level flight but it wasn't going to let him climb. Fainer was at 800 feet at that point in a coasting climb that then took him to 1,200 feet but no further. “I just felt dread because I knew most likely this was not going to resolve itself,” Fainer said. “I knew that I wasn't in a good position to try and get back to Montgomery Field, which was six miles away. I was stuck at an altitude that I knew I would have had rising terrain on my way back and that didn't seem like a good idea flying over houses and suburbs and buildings.” So Fainer called SAN and was immediately soothed by Bruner's familiar voice. “She said, ‘whatever you need,'” Fainer said, “which gave me a lot of confidence and sense that somebody was there backing me up despite the fact I was in the cockpit all alone with my sad little airplane.” “I knew something was up on his first transmission,” said Bruner, the daughter of a Navy mechanic who spent more than five years in the Army before starting her Federal Aviation Administration career 11 years ago. She's been at SAN for the last 10 years. She noted that Fainer, a professional announcer and host, has a very familiar voice and callsign. “We're very familiar with him coming into the airspace but he always calls with all of his requests all at once,” Bruner said. “So this time, when he just called me with his callsign, I'm like, ‘OK, this is going to be different.' I think instantly the adrenaline started kicking in. I had to figure out what was going to happen, what's my plan - A, B, and C.”

The weather conditions in Alaska are often poor, but they're highly changeable. This can lead to situations where a pilot can encounter difficulty, especially if they're not able to fly in instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). Alaskan Region air traffic controllers are keenly aware of this each time they plug in for a shift. “I've seen situations where a pilot gets IMC for 30 seconds, they call up needing help, and they're out of it in 15 to 20 seconds,” said Anchorage TRACON (A11) member John Newcomb (pictured at left above), a second-generation controller who was a member of the 235th Air National Guard ATC Squadron before starting his Federal Aviation Administration career in 2014. “Other times, like this situation where it's prolonged, you're getting PIREPs from other airplanes and ground facilities, or from other pilots who are climbing out, descending in, or in level flight. But it's not uncommon up here.” On this particular Sunday morning, the VFR-rated pilot of a Cessna 172, N758XS, encountered IMC after departing Soldotna Airport (SXQ), headed to Birchwood Airport (BCV). Worse, the initial transmissions from the aircraft were garbled. Newcomb and his colleague from Anchorage Center (ZAN), Matthew Freidel (pictured at right above), worked with assistance from their respective facility teams to aid the pilot, including vectors and recommended altitudes. In an area as vast as Alaska, controllers have lots of frequencies, but lots of limitations on their frequencies, such as line of sight. Mountains are everywhere.

It was like most any other ordinary summer afternoon in Pensacola, with a lot of weather, when Marcus Troyer plugged in for his shift at Pensacola TRACON (P31) shortly after 12:30 p.m. EDT. In the skies to the west, U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Commander Brian Hedges was the pilot and aircraft commander on an ordinary training mission in a newly-converted MH65E helicopter. But a short time later, Troyer and Hedges were joined in a search and rescue effort that was anything but ordinary and showcased the essential nature of their respective professions. Thanks to their efforts, the life of the pilot of a Cessna 172 Skyhawk, Scott Jeffrey Nee, was saved after he crashed into the sandy bank of the Escambia River in a remote area of Jay, Fla., north of Pensacola near the Alabama border, and was seriously injured. “They are heroes,” said the plane's owner, Freddie McCall. “They saved a man's life.”

Ep21: NATCA Runway Safety/RWSL Representative Bridget Singratanakul (Gee) by NATCA National Office

NATCA Charitable Foundation (NCF) President Corrie Conrad (Portland, Ore., ATCT, PDX) reflects on the 25th anniversary of NCF. She talks about the great work being done by member volunteers, the efforts put toward meeting the challenge of growing NCF, and the great personal rewards of donating time, money, and energy to the Foundation. "It's a labor of love," she says. "I knew this would make my heart whole."

Just a couple of weeks after open heart surgery to implant a new prosthetic valve in place of his failing bicuspid aortic valve, longtime Fresno ATCT (FAT) FacRep Jerry O'Gorman says he is feeling great and already well on the road to recovery, anxious to regain his medical and return to the facility. With the love of his wife, Cara, and three young children, a team of great medical professionals, and the incredible support of his NATCA family, O'Gorman tells NATCA Deputy Director of Public Affairs Doug Church in this episode of The NATCA Podcast that he is truly a very fortunate man.

Our NATCA Family has lost 16 members in the last several years to suicide. The latest was Crystal Joy Kendzierski, the FacRep at Tulsa Riverside ATCT (RVS), which has hit our membership, and particularly the Southwest Region, very hard. Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States for all ages. Every day, approximately 123 Americans die by suicide. This is the type of tragedy that the NATCA family has unfortunately experienced before, but we are determined to raise awareness of this issue, and hopeful we can reach those that need help. It's vital that we are aware of the signs of vulnerability and are there to offer appropriate help to our NATCA brothers and sisters who might be struggling. We need to be there for our fellow members in times of need. “I'm here for you” will be a mantra you will see as part of our efforts. Our latest episode of The NATCA Podcast is devoted to discussing this topic and features two members of the Southwest Region, Nick Daniels (Fort Worth Center FacRep) and Mary Ann Hall (Shreveport ATCT Treasurer).

Listen to this week's news, notes, and highlights as reported in the newest issue of The NATCA Insider e-newsletter.

NATCA Director of Safety and Technology Jim Ullmann, who participated in the selection of Archie League Medal of Safety Award winners for the fourth straight year, talks about the 2019 honorees and their great air traffic control work that ensured safety above all. Jim also discusses meeting with his fellow selection panelists and how this awards program - and CFS - have grown over the years.

NATCA Director of Government Affairs Jose Ceballos talks with Deputy Director of Public Affairs Doug Church in an episode of The NATCA Podcast devoted to the federal budget and FAA funding issues. Ceballos discusses this week's House vote to pass a Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) FY2020 appropriations bill, gives a status update on the increasing Congressional support for both H.R. 1108 and S. 762, and analyzes the looming threats posed by the end of fiscal year appropriations on Sept. 30, sequestration, and the debt ceiling issue.

A rundown of NATCA's latest news and notes, as covered by the June 21, 2019 issue of The NATCA Insider e-newsletter for members.

Phil Hughes looks back on his 35-year career, the evolution and growth of NATCA during that time, and the remarkable success of the collaboration initiative between NATCA and the FAA, now nearly a decade old.

National Legislative Committee Chair Steve Weidner talks about what NATCA in Washington first-timers can expect and offers advice on how to get the most out of their experience at this event and in their first time participating in a meeting in a Congressional office.

Ep10 Houston Center Member Dustin Newell: Helping Others With His Love of Aviation by NATCA National Office

Ep11 The Midterm Elections: NLC Member Richard Kennington Explains The Importance by NATCA National Office

Richard Kennington, the Northwest Mountain Region representative to NATCA's National Legislative Committee and the Facility Representative at Portland, Ore., Tower, discusses his workshop class from this year's NATCA in Washington event exploring common myths about politicians and the political process. Kennington examines what it means to lobby Congress and why we, as federal employees and union members, must make it a priority to educate our representatives.

This is the story of American Airlines Flight 1897 on Sunday evening, June 3, as told from the perspective of one of the primary controllers who worked the aircraft, Crystal Lingle of El Paso Tower and TRACON. It was a flight that Crystal says she will never forget.