August 14, 2014 // Facility Spotlight: Kansas City (MCI)

Twenty-nine NATCA members work at Kansas City Tower (MCI). The airspace of this level 9 facility is a 40-mile radius of Kansas City with altitudes between 3,000 feet and 15,000 feet.

MCI works closely with Kansas City Center, St. Joe RAPCON, Whiteman Air Force Base, Kansas City Downtown Airport, and several contract towers.

Controllers at MCI work mostly jet airliner traffic with the occasional small business jet, GA aircraft, and military aircraft. FedEx and UPS also fly heavy jets in.

The weather in Kansas City can range from snow to temperatures of over 100 degrees. Fog and wind also come into play and cause multiple runway changes a day.

NASCAR races and Chiefs football games help bring additional traffic into MCI, as well as the overflights for events such as AirVenture.

MCI members enjoy meeting up outside of work to bowl, barbeque, and go to local bars and eateries. The local is planning a facility barbeque with former and current controllers for their families to get together, catch up, and take a tour of the facility. Coming soon to MCI: a new ‘wellness’ room!

“I’d say the best part of being FacRep here is being able to play a major role in the new relationship that is being built between NATCA and management,” says Facility Representative Matt Williams. “We have people on both sides who see the importance of moving forward together.”