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.

Ep31: Wichita Air Traffic Controllers Prevent Wrong Airport Landing

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.”

Ep33 Charter Member's Gear-Up Save Highlights Career in Dedicated Service to his Profession, Union

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.

Ep34 Part 3 With Maj. Katie Cook, Blue Angels: Pilot-Controller Communications

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.”

Indianapolis Air Traffic Controller Helps Suspected Hypoxic Pilot to Safe Landing

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.

Ep39: Houston Air Traffic Controller Provides Lifeline to Pilot Struggling in Bad Weather

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.”

Ep40: LAX Controllers on Midnight Shift Assist FedEx Crew's Emergency Landing Without Left Gear

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.

Ep41: Three Kansas City Controllers Aid Yak 18T Pilot Experiencing Fuel, Weather Challenges

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.

Ep43 Potomac TRACON Trio Helps Student, Instructor, After Total Engine Loss

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.

NSW Archie Interview

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

2022, Alaskan Region: Brent Eber and Nathan Midthun, Merrill Field ATCT (MRI)

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.

Meet Bill Geoghagan, NATCA’s Senior Terminal Technology Representative

Central Region 2022 Archie Winner Brian Magnuson

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).

Interview with NGL Archie Award 2022 Winner Darren Gross

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).

NNE Archie Award 2022 Winner Patrick Sullivan

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).

Archie Awards Northwest Mountain Region: Morgan Farmer, Jake Zakrzewski

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).

NSO David Kunzman Archie League Interview

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 Jon Stanton (New England Region Engineers, ENE).

2022 Region X Commitment to Safety Award Winner Jon Stanton Interview

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.

2023 Central Region Archie League Interview

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.

CFS 2023 Panel: Our Medical, The Barriers We Face And How To Work Through Them

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.

CFS 2023 Panel: Change Starts With You Be A Part Of The Solution

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.

CFS 2023 Panel: Meeting The Demands Of Tomorrow

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.”

NATCA Urges Congress to Address Staffing Crisis While Taking Action on FAA Reauthorization

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).

Alaskan Region 2024 Archie League Award Winner Wayne Harper

In this episode of the NATCA Podcast, former Communications Committee Northwest Mountain Region Rep. Brittney Armbrust (Colorado Springs ATCT, COS) interviews 2024 Archie League Medal of Safety Award Winner Jordan Smith (Denver TRACON, D01).

Northwest Mountain Region 2024 Archie Winner Jordan Smith

NWP Archie Award Winner Devin Stankevitz

In this episode of the NATCA Podcast, Communications Committee Chair Shannon Lyman (Boston Center, ZBW) interviews the 2024 Archie League Medal of Safety Award Winners Anthony DeHaven, Tyler Spencer, and William Wyatt (Wichita Airport, ICT). Cameron Haynes, Allison Healey, and Cody Wilkerson were also Archie Award recipients, but they were not available to be interviewed. The nomination form for the 21st Annual Archie League Medal of Safety Awards is open through May 15, 2025. NATCA members can nominate their peers on natca.org. 


NCE 2024 Archie Winners Interview

In this episode of the NATCA Podcast, Communications Committee Chair Shannon Lyman (Boston Center, ZBW) interviews 2024 Region X Commitment to Safety Award Winner Troy Swanberg (Engineer/Great Lakes Region, EGL).

The nomination form for the Region X Commitment to Safety Award is open through May 15, 2025. NATCA members can nominate their peers on our website, natca.org. 


Troy Swanberg 2024 NRX Commitment to Safety Award Winner

Ep10 Houston Center Member Dustin Newell: Helping Others With His Love of Aviation

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.”

Ep22: Pensacola TRACON NATCA Member Works With Coast Guard Pilot to Save a Life

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.

Ep26 Boston TRACON Controller Had "The Voice That Made Me Believe We Would Survive"

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.

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