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National Air Traffic Controllers Association

NATCA is a labor union and aviation safety organization in the United States that represents nearly 20,000 highly skilled air traffic controllers, engineers, and other aviation safety-related professionals. NATCA was certified in 1987 by the Federal Labor Relations Authority to be the exclusive bargaining representative for air traffic controllers employed by the Federal Aviation Administration. Today, NATCA is one of the strongest labor unions in the federal sector and represents a range of aviation safety professionals in 15 FAA bargaining units, five Department of Defense air traffic facilities, and 123 federal contract towers. These air traffic controllers and other aviation safety professionals make vital contributions to the U.S. economy and make modern life possible by coordinating the safe, orderly, and expeditious movement of nearly one billion aviation passengers and millions of tons of freight within the National Airspace System each year. NATCA is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and is affiliated with the AFL-CIO.

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Benefits

Time Is Running Out to Protect Your Income with Unum LTD.

NATCA members, now is the time to take action. Protect your income and secure your financial future with Unum long-term disability insurance. This benefit is available exclusively to NATCA members, giving you peace of mind no matter what life brings. Open season is only available through Dec. 8, so act now. Enroll at natcadisability.com.

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NATCA Benefits Partners with Beacon Realty for Exclusive Member Savings on Real Estate Services

NATCA Benefits is pleased to announce its partnership with Beacon Realty, offering members coordinated support for all real estate needs during relocation. Beacon Relocation’s services provide seamless management whether members are moving locally or across the country, along with the advantage of up to a 20% Realtor® discount through their network of Approved Realtor® Partners….

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Events

San Francisco Convention Planning Committee Meets with NATCA President Nick Daniels

Preparations are underway for NATCA’s 20th Biennial Convention to be held at the Marriott Marquis in San Francisco on May 9-11, 2025. In November, the Convention planning committee met with NATCA President Nick Daniels. Committee members walked Daniels through the plans for the logistics and program for the event. They discussed how they will be…

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Spotlight

Get To Know NATCA’s National Legislative Committee Chair David Skarphol

Relationship building is at the core of NATCA’s legislative activism. Earlier this year David Skarphol (Phoenix TRACON, P50) stepped up as the chair of NATCA’s National Legislative Committee (NLC), leading the team that coordinates and facilitates NATCA members’ legislative training and relationships with members of Congress. Today we take a moment to introduce Skarphol and…

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Aviation Facts

Fact: The United States aviation system is an economic driver, contributing 5.2 percent to the nation’s gross domestic product, and generating nearly 11 million jobs.

5,400

Aircraft in the sky at peak operational times

44,500,000,000

Pounds of freight moving through the National Airspace System each year

Current Traffic

Tracking 10,677 airborne aircraft with 636,859,278 total flights in the database. FlightAware has tracked 113,709 arrivals in the last 24 hours.

Aviation Acronyms

Learn acronyms used by safety professionals nationwide:

All A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P Q R S T U V W
There are 29 acronyms in this directory beginning with the letter I.
Term
Definition
I/AFSS
International AFSS
IA
Indirect Access
IAF
Initial Approach Fix
IAP
Instrument Approach Procedures
IAPA
Instrument Approach Procedures Automation
IBM
International Business Machines
IBP
International Boundary Point
IBR
Intermediate Bit Rate
ICAO
International Civil Aviation Organization
ICSS
International Communications Switching Systems
IDAT
Interfacility Data
IF
Intermediate Fix
IFCP
Interfacility Communications Processor
IFDS
Interfacility Data System
IFEA
In-- Flight Emergency Assistance
IFO
International Field Office
IFR
Instrument Flight Rules
IFSS
International Flight Service Station
ILS
Instrument Landing System
IM
Inner Marker
IMC
Instrument Meteorological Conditions
INM
Integrated Noise Model
INS
Inertial Navigation System
IRMP
Information Resources Management Plan
ISDN
Integrated Services Digital Network
ISMLS
Interim Standard Microwave Landing System
ITI
Interactive Terminal Interface
IVRS
Interim Voice Response System
IW
Inside Wiring

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