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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

Shield What Matters Most with Unum: A NATCA-Exclusive Benefit

“I highly recommend adding Unum to your rainy-day portfolio. It is truly a wise investment in yourself!” said NATCA member J. Grimes. After a medical crisis you can lose out on overtime and differentials, but Unum long term disability insurance provides critical financial support. Open enrollment is only available for a limited time, so take…

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You’ve Worked Hard for What You’ve Built — Protect It with Unum

Cleveland ATCT (CLE) member Dennis never expected to find himself in a situation where he couldn’t work. But when the unexpected happened. “I lost my medical… due to a heart condition I didn’t know I had..” Dennis said. Unum long-term disability insurance ensured that his life didn’t miss a beat. “Hopefully soon I will get…

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Events

Order Your San Francisco Convention Merch Today!

Limited edition merchandise for the NATCA Convention taking place in San Francisco May 9-11, 2025 is available to pre-order. The collection features shirts, sweatshirts, a commemorative ornament, and more. There is also a San Francisco Pride design, and all proceeds from this design will go to NATCA Charitable Foundation to help support local charities selected…

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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 59 acronyms in this directory beginning with the letter N.
Term
Definition
NAAQS
National Ambient Air Quality Standards
NADA
NADIN Concentrator
NADIN
National Airspace Data Interchange Network
NADSW
NADIN Switches
NAILS
National Airspace Integrated Logistics Support
NAMS
NADIN IA
NAPRS
National Airspace Performance Reporting System
NAS
National Airspace System or Naval Air Station
NASDC
National Aviation Safety Data
NASP
National Airspace System Plan
NASPAC
National Airspace System Performance Analysis Capability
NATCO
National Communications Switching Center
NAVAID
Navigational Aid
NAVMN
Navigation Monitor and Control
NAWAU
National Aviation Weather Advisory Unit
NAWPF
National Aviation Weather Processing Facility
NCAR
National Center for Atmospheric Research; Boulder, CO
NCF
National Control Facility
NCIU
NEXRAD Communications Interface Unit
NCP
Noise Compatibility Program
NCS
National Communications System
NDB
Non-- Directional Radio Homing Beacon
NDNB
NADIN II
NEM
Noise Exposure Map
NEPA
National Environmental Policy Act
NEXRAD
Next Generation Weather Radar
NFAX
National Facsimile Service
NFDC
National Flight Data Center
NFIS
NAS Facilities Information System
NI
Network Interface
NICS
National Interfacility Communications System
NM
Nautical Mile
NMAC
Near Mid Air Collision
NMC
National Meteorological Center
NMCE
Network Monitoring and Control Equipment
NMCS
Network Monitoring and Control System
NOAA
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NOC
Notice Of Completion
NOTAM
Notice to Airmen
NPDES
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
NPE
Non-primary Airport Entitlement
NPIAS
National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems
NPRM
Notice of Proposed Rulemaking
NR
Non-Rulemaking; refers to a type of airport airspace analysis case
NRA
Non-Rulemaking Airport; refers to a type of airport airspace analysis case
NRC
Non-- Recurring Charge
NRCS
National Radio Communications Systems
NSAP
National Service Assurance Plan
NSRCATN
National Strategy to Reduce Congestion on America's Transportation Network
NSSFC
National Severe Storms Forecast Center
NSSL
National Severe Storms Laboratory; Norman, OK
NSWRH
NWS Regional Headquarters
NTAP
Notices To Airmen Publication
NTP
National Transportation Policy
NTSB
National Transportation Safety Board
NTZ
No Transgression Zone
NWS
National Weather Service
NWSR
NWS Weather Excluding NXRD
NXRD
Advanced Weather Radar System

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