NATCA News and Notes
Friday, July 20, 2012

Video of S46 NATCA Members' Flight Assist A Big Hit

A video re-enactment of the dramatic flight assist of Wyoming pilot Jim Lawson last December by three Seattle TRACON (S46) members has become a huge hit in the pilot community.

The video, produced by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association's (AOPA) Air Safety Institute, which features the work of S46's Ken Greenwood, Josh Haviland and Ryan Herrick -- NATCA's 2012 Northwest Mountain Region Archie League Medal of Safety Award co-winners and also the President's Award winners -- is called "Trapped on Top." It is the latest in a long-running and successful AOPA "Real Pilot Stories" series. Since its debut in March, the video has drawn 30,000 views on the AOPA Web site.

You can view it HERE.

Greenwood had less than 50 hours on position at S46, but he showed great confidence and skill as he worked with his instructor, Herrick, to direct Lawson's descent from above a cloud layer. The pilot had called in Visual Flight Rules (VFR) conditions above an Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) layer, looking for a hole in the cloud layer that would allow him land at Auburn Municipal Airport. But Auburn would not remain his destination for very long.

The dangerous situation went from bad to worse when, at 3,200 feet, Lawson ran out of fuel. The controllers, however, never faltered in their resolve to bring the pilot down safely. Their quick thinking, master knowledge of the area and mechanical experience culminated in Lawson’s safe descent into Renton Airport (RNT). When he finally landed safely, Lawson uttered the most memorable words any controller could hear:

“You know what? You just saved my life.”

AOPA's Air Safety Institute is a division of the AOPA Foundation. NATCA is a sponsor of both the "Real Pilot Stories" series and AOPA's other educational programs, such as "Ask ATC" videos.


Please Consider Leave Donation to Help Our Members in VLTP

Charlotte (CLT) member Jill Pakledinaz and Charleston, S.C. (CHS) members Wade Gervais and Danny Mulqueen were added this week to our list of members in the Voluntary Leave Transfer Program (VLTP). To reach that page, please click HERE.

Pakledinaz is medically restricted after discovering she had two pulmonary embolisms in her chest and one blood clot in her leg. The good news, according to CLT Facility Representative Ben Murray, is that she will be able to return to work with prescribed medication to control this issue. Unfortunately, the FAA will not clear her to work until the embolisms dissolve, which could take several months.

Gervais, whom CHS Facility Representative Rick O’Hara says is fairly new to the agency, suffered a serious leg injury in a motorcycle accident; a car backed out into him. He will not be able to walk for a couple of months. Both Gervais and Mulqueen (medical issues), and the other 11 brothers and sisters on our list need your help. We ask that you please consider making a leave donation to assist them.

If you know a member that is also in the VLTP and needs to be added to our database, please email Director of Communications Doug Church (dchurch@natcadc.org).


New Brochure: Professional Standards Program

What is the Professional Standards program? Learn more in our Professional Standards program brochure, which answers questions like, "Why is Professional Standards important?" "When is Professional Standards not appropriate?" and "How to use Professional Standards?" Click HERE.


New ATSAP Briefing Sheet

A new Air Traffic Safety Action Program (ATSAP) briefing sheet has been issued regarding auto handoffs. From the sheet: “A recent human factors study of 100 ATSAP reports that identify an issue with handoffs revealed that in many cases, the controller(s) didn’t realize the auto handoff feature was inhibited. The features involve very complex software functionality, with numerous parameters that impact either the availability, or withholding, of the auto handoff functionality."

Read the entire sheet HERE, on our online ATSAP page.


From California to New York, Plenty of Benefits/Retirement Seminars Scheduled

Here is an updated list of scheduled benefits/retirement seminars through the end of the year:

August 13 - Kansas City, Mo.
August 17 - Chicago/ Aurora, Ill.
September 7 - Dallas/Ft Worth, Texas
September 11 - Denver/Longmont, Colo.
September 13 - Albuquerque
September 15 - Palmdale, Calif.
September 24 - Anchorage
October 5 - Huntsville, Ala.
November 7 - Detroit/Romulus, Mich.
Nov. 16 - Cleveland
Nov. 30 - Indianapolis
Dec. 7 - Atlanta/Peachtree City, Ga.
Dec. 11 - Hauppauge/Ronkonkoma, N.Y.

We now have a new and improved process for retirement seminar registration.

When you want to register for one of the above-referenced seminars, please do so by signing on to the NATCA Portal: http://portal.natca.org.

Please verify the personal information listed for you including email and cell phone number. If any information is incorrect or missing, please correct or add it under the "My Profile" tab.

To register for a seminar, click the "Events" tab. Then click "2012 Retirement Seminars-Membership Registration." Complete the requested information and hit "next." When you come to the screen listing the seminars, click on the box next to the one you wish to attend, hit "next," verify your requested seminar information and then click on the "done" key. You will receive a confirmation email that your registration was complete.

Spouses and significant others are also invited to attend. Please ensure that you add them to the registration when asked if you will be bringing a guest.

For your guide to “Understanding your NATCA Federal Benefits Package,” please visit this Web site: http://natca.sharmansite.com/. If you attempt to register for a seminar on this site, it will automatically lead you to the NATCA Portal Web site.

If you have any questions regarding these events, registration process – or would like to have a retirement seminar take place in your area - please contact Sallie Sullivan at NATCA’s National Office by either emailing her at ssullivan@natcadc.org or calling 202-220-9803.


Want to Opt Out of Receiving Printed Version of Quarterly Publication at Home?

If you would like to opt out of receiving the printed version of NATCA’s quarterly publication, the Air Traffic Controller, there are two ways to do so:

1. Go to the NATCA Members Portal at https://portal.natca.org/, log in, and simply UNCHECK the box where it indicates, “receive newsletter.”

2. Call the National Office at 800-266-0895 or 202-628-5451 and ask to speak with a Support Staff Specialist, who can update your listing in the membership database.