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National Air Traffic Controllers Association

NATCA is a labor union and aviation safety organization in the United States that represents nearly 20,000 highly skilled air traffic controllers, engineers, and other aviation safety-related professionals. NATCA was certified in 1987 by the Federal Labor Relations Authority to be the exclusive bargaining representative for air traffic controllers employed by the Federal Aviation Administration. Today, NATCA is one of the strongest labor unions in the federal sector and represents a range of aviation safety professionals in 15 FAA bargaining units, five Department of Defense air traffic facilities, and 123 federal contract towers. These air traffic controllers and other aviation safety professionals make vital contributions to the U.S. economy and make modern life possible by coordinating the safe, orderly, and expeditious movement of nearly one billion aviation passengers and millions of tons of freight within the National Airspace System each year. NATCA is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and is affiliated with the AFL-CIO.

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Benefits

NATCA Benefits Partners with Beacon Realty for Exclusive Member Savings on Real Estate Services

NATCA Benefits is pleased to announce its partnership with Beacon Realty, offering members coordinated support for all real estate needs during relocation. Beacon Relocation’s services provide seamless management whether members are moving locally or across the country, along with the advantage of up to a 20% Realtor® discount through their network of Approved Realtor® Partners….

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FAA Child Care Subsidy Available, Now Covers Nannies & Au Pairs

The FAA Child Care Subsidy has a new program vendor, Cherokee Nation Federal Consulting (CNFC), and a dedicated website for FAA employees. Is your Total Family Income under $100K/year? CNFC is ready to work with eligible employees to pay for child care including the cost for a Nanny or Au Pair. Nannies do have specific…

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Events

Registration for NATCA’s 20th Biennial Convention is Now Open

Registration for NATCA’s 20th Biennial Convention is open. Register today and plan to be at the Marriott Marquis in San Francisco from May 9-11, 2025, with the opening ceremony taking place on the evening of May 8. Early registrants will get the best prices on all Convention events. Please do not register NATCA members as…

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Spotlight

Get To Know NATCA’s National Legislative Committee Chair David Skarphol

Relationship building is at the core of NATCA’s legislative activism. Earlier this year David Skarphol (Phoenix TRACON, P50) stepped up as the chair of NATCA’s National Legislative Committee (NLC), leading the team that coordinates and facilitates NATCA members’ legislative training and relationships with members of Congress. Today we take a moment to introduce Skarphol and…

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Aviation Facts

Fact: The United States aviation system is an economic driver, contributing 5.2 percent to the nation’s gross domestic product, and generating nearly 11 million jobs.

5,400

Aircraft in the sky at peak operational times

44,500,000,000

Pounds of freight moving through the National Airspace System each year

Current Traffic

Tracking 10,677 airborne aircraft with 636,859,278 total flights in the database. FlightAware has tracked 113,709 arrivals in the last 24 hours.

Aviation Acronyms

Learn acronyms used by safety professionals nationwide:

All A B C D E F G H I K L M N O P Q R S T U V W
There are 67 acronyms in this directory beginning with the letter C.
Term
Definition
C/S/S/N
Capacity/Safety/Security/Noise
CAA
Civil Aviation Authority
CAB
Civil Aeronautics Board
CAC
Citizen's Advisory Committee
CAD
Computer Aided Design
CARF
Central Altitude Reservation Facility
CASFO
Civil Aviation Security Office
CAT
Category
CAU
Crypto Ancillary Unit
CBI
Computer Based Instruction
CC&O
Customer Cost and Obligation
CCC
Communications Command Center
CCCC
Staff Communications
CCCH
Central Computer Complex Host
CCS7
NI — Communication Channel Signal-7 — Network Interconnect
CCSD
Command Communications Service Designator
CCU
Central Control Unit
CD
Common Digitizer
CDR
Cost Detail Report
CDT
Controlled Departure Time
CDTI
Cockpit Display of Traffic Information
CENTX
Central Telephone Exchange
CEP
Capacity Enhancement Program
CEQ
Council on Environmental Quality
CERAP
Center Radar Approach Control
CFC
Central Flow Control
CFCF
Central Flow Control Facility
CFCS
Central Flow Control Service
CFR
Code of Federal Regulations
CFWP
Central Flow Weather Processor
CFWU
Central Flow Weather Unit
CGAS
Coast Guard Air Station
CIP
Capital Improvement Plan
CLC
Course Line Computer
CLIN
Contract Line Item
CLT
Calculated Landing Time
CM
Commercial Service Airport
CNMPS
Canadian Minimum Navigation Performance Specification Airspace
CNS
Consolidated NOTAM System
CNSP
Consolidated NOTAM System Processor
CO
Central Office
COE
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
COMCO
Command Communications Outlet
CONUS
Continental United States
CORP
Private Corporation other than ARINC or MITRE
CPE
Customer Premise Equipment
CPMIS
Consolidated Personnel Management Information System
CRA
Conflict Resolution Advisory
CRDA
Converging Runway Display Aid
CRT
Cathode Ray Tube
CSA
Communications Service Authorization
CSIS
Centralized Storm Information System
CSO
Customer Service Office
CSR
Communications Service Request
CSS
Central Site System
CTA
Controlled Time of Arrival
CTA/FIR
Control Area/Flight Information Region
CTAF
Common Traffic Advisory Frequency
CTAS
Center — Tracon Automation System
CTMA
Center Traffic Management Advisor
CUPS
Consolidated Uniform Payroll System
CVFR
Controlled Visual Flight Rules
CVTS
Compressed Video Transmission Service
CW
Continuous Wave
CWA
Clean Water Act
CWSU
Central Weather Service Unit
CWY
Clearway

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