Newsroom
MCAS Cherry Point Members Vote to Ratify CBA
We are very happy to report that our members at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point (NKT) voted earlier this month to ratify a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA).We are proud of this CBA, which we believe to be fair and reflective of the cooperative and collaborative relationship between the parties at NKT. Thank you…
2021 Retirement Benefit Briefings Update
Due to the increase in COVID-19 cases across the country and out of an abundance of caution for the safety of our members, the decision has been made to cancel the remaining in-person Retirement & Benefits Education Seminars for 2021. The safety of our membership, their families, and our benefits partners is of the utmost…
NATCA News Alert: Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework Includes $5 Billion for ATC Facility Improvements
Brothers and Sisters:We are pleased to share that President Biden and a group of bipartisan senators have reached a deal to provide new funding for a range of infrastructure activities known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. Relevant to NATCA, the legislation proposes $5 billion in funding over five years to repair or replace aging air traffic control…
Insider Story Idea?
What’s happening at your facility? We want to know! Hosting a solidarity event? Participating in a charity drive? Doing something fun and interesting in your off time? We want to hear about it, and share your story with the NATCA family, via the NATCA Insider! Send your ideas and questions to publicaffairs@natcadc.org.
NATCA Insider Archive
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- CFS Recap 2018
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Press Releases
NATCA Tells Senate Subcommittee Aviation Infrastructure Needs Immediate Attention and a Stable, Predictable Funding Stream to Support it
WASHINGTON – Infrastructure is a top national priority, and that includes our National Airspace System. Today, National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) President Paul Rinaldi testified before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations, and Innovation that not only does the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) physical infrastructure need immediate attention, but…
NATCA Supports the Aviation Funding Stability Act of 2021
WASHINGTON – The National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) today announced its support for the Aviation Funding Stability Act of 2021, introduced by U.S. House of Representatives Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., Aviation Subcommittee Chairman Rick Larsen, D-Wash., and T&I Committee members Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., and Bob Gibbs, R-Ohio. The bipartisan bill, which…
Gilbert Elected to Join the IFATCA Executive Board and Serve as the Federation Executive Vice President for the Americas Region
WASHINGTON – Today during their 2021 annual conference, the member associations (MA) from the Americas Region of the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers’ Associations (IFATCA) elected NATCA Executive Vice President (EVP) Trish Gilbert to be the EVP for their region and join the Federation’s Executive Board. IFATCA is the international organization that represents more…
Congressional Testimony
NATCA President Paul Rinaldi’s Testimony Before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Aviation Safety, Operations, and Innovation
Hearing entitled, “Aviation Infrastructure for the 21st Century.” June 23, 2021. Watch the hearing and learn more here.
Podcasts
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.
Listen to every episode of The NATCA Podcast here:
NATCA in the Media
The New York Times: F.A.A. Committee Recommends a Pivot to Gender-Neutral Terminology
A Federal Aviation Administration advisory committee recommended this week that the agency replace words and phrases like “airman” and “man-made” with gender-neutral terms like “aircrew” and “manufactured” as part of an effort to set a more inclusive tone. The set of recommendations is part of a broader initiative to bring more women into aviation, said…
The Washington Post: NATCA EVP Trish Gilbert Comments on DAC Recommendations on Gender-Neutral Terms
An advisory committee said Wednesday that the Federal Aviation Administration should replace words and phrases such as “cockpit,” “unmanned aviation” and “man-made” with gender-neutral terms such as “flight deck,” “uncrewed aviation” and “machine-made,” part of an effort to create a more welcoming environment.The recommendations, part of a report released Wednesday by the FAA’s Drone Advisory Committee, are…
Arizona Republic: NATCA President Paul Rinaldi Details Infrastructure Issues at Phoenix Tower
Arizona Republic (AZCentral.com) story includes coverage of Wednesday’s hearing on aviation infrastructure in the Senate Aviation Subcommittee. From the story:Paul Rinaldi, president of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association, described aging infrastructure he said was in “desperate need of attention,” from plumbing to foundational work to roofs.At Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport’s air traffic control…
