April 25, 2014 // Facility Spotlight: New York TRACON (N90)

Located only 20 minutes from Manhattan is one of the few large TRACONs in the United States: New York TRACON (N90).

There are about 200 NATCA members at this level 12 facility in Westbury, N.Y., putting the facility at just under 99 percent NATCA.

N90 NATCA Facility Representative and NATCA Eastern ARVP Dean Iacopelli hopes to see more NATCA members come to the facility, now that N90 has a bid out for multiple controllers. If you’re interested, check out information about the openings on USA Jobs and apply by midnight on Monday, May 5.

Controllers working at this 24-year-old facility are responsible for air traffic within 60 miles of the Empire State Building, and up to 17,000 feet. N90 controllers take and hand off aircraft to controllers working at numerous facilities on the East Coast, including: ABE, AVP, ALB, BDL, BGM, JFK, LGA, TEB, EWR, HTO, PHL, FRG, HPN, ISP, CDW, MMU, OXC, SWF, POU, WRI, Bridgeport FCT, New Haven FCT, Suffolk FCT, Danbury FCT, New York Center (ZNY), Boston Center (ZOB) and Washington Center (ZDC).

Controllers at N90 work aircraft of all kinds, but the majority of flights are commercial.

Iacopelli says the complexity of the TRACON’s airspace and the volume of traffic that goes through that airspace make working at N90 unique.

“That many operations – 6,000 to 7,000 per day within 60 miles of the Empire State Building – is very challenging and requires highly skilled controllers,” says Iacopelli.

With such a large NATCA local, N90 hosts regular local meetings and social solidarity events, including holiday parties and picnics.

Iacopelli says the best part about being N90 FacRep is getting to represent some of the best air traffic controllers in the business, all of whom are responsible for the most congested and complex airspace in the world.

“They are extremely passionate about NATCA and their profession,” he says.

Iacopelli encourages anyone interested in working at N90 to apply for one of the open positions. While the work is challenging, it is extremely rewarding and there’s camaraderie at the facility that you won’t find any place else, he says. Additionally, there are so many things to do outside of work. Iacopelli says Long Island is surrounded by some of the best beaches in the country, and with the facility located only 20 minutes from Manhattan, there is something for everyone.