2018 Recipients of the Tim Haines Memorial Award of Honor and Distinction

On the night of April 9, 2019, recently certified professional controller (CPC) Gabriel Zeifman was alone in the tower cab at Juneau International Airport (JNU). The pilot of a 1979 Mooney M20J, N201N, was on one of the last legs of a cross-country trip from his home in Hartford, Conn. He departed from Fairbanks, Alaska, and was near completion of the four hour, eight minute flight through unfamiliar terrain.

On Aug. 14, 2018, Andy Crabtree was working the Controller in Charge position (CIC) in the Flint Hills Area at Kansas City Center (ZKC). At approximately noon local time, the controller working Sector 62 noticed a possible problem with an aircraft under his control.

On Aug. 14, 2018, Andy Crabtree was working the Controller in Charge position (CIC) in the Flint Hills Area at Kansas City Center (ZKC). At approximately noon local time, the controller working Sector 62 noticed a possible problem with an aircraft under his control.

It was a routine takeoff from Westchester County Airport (HPN) in White Plains, N.Y., for N142KR on Dec. 13, 2018. The single-engine 2009 Mooney Acclaim Type S (M20) departed Runway 16 after obtaining clearance from New York TRACON (N90), which had coordinated with HPN ATCT on a 90-degree left hand turn and a climb to 3,000 feet.

On Feb. 6, 2019, Dr. Bernard Heckman and his wife were flying their Cessna T210N (N5132C) from Montgomery County Airpark in Gaithersburg, Md., to Lake Cumberland Regional Airport in Somerset, Ky. They were on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan and were flying in high terrain (037 minimum IFR altitude) with many obstacles. The weather had started to deteriorate.

NATCA President Paul Rinaldi and Executive Vice President Trish Gilbert (center) joined Central Regional Vice President Kevin Peterson (black Iowa T-shirt), NCE RVP-elect Aaron Merrick (behind Peterson’s right shoulder), and local NATCA members during an event to honor Peterson while the National Executive Board held a 2018 meeting in Des Moines, Iowa.

Peterson began his Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) career in 1986 at Des Moines ATCT (DSM), one year before becoming a charter member of NATCA. So it was fitting that Peterson’s last National Executive Board (NEB) meeting was held in Des Moines to honor his dedication to the Union, the membership and the Central Region.

Peterson was presented with the Tim Haines Memorial Award of Honor and Distinction. NATCA members and employees who have done an exceptional job representing NATCA values are honored with the award, otherwise known as the “Timmy Award.”

“The best part of my career in the FAA has been serving the NATCA bargaining units,” he said. “It was special to go back to Des Moines for my last NEB meeting. Serving NATCA as a member of the National Executive Board has truly been the highlight of my 32 and a half-year career. Nine years ago, NATCA President Paul Rinaldi and Executive Vice President Trish Gilbert set a vision for this Union and it was based on a collaborative relationship with the FAA and proving our importance to industry. The National Executive Board fully supported this path to our future. It has been an honor serving this Union and having even a little part in helping NATCA become the best it’s ever been and knowing we have a wealth of talented young people that are going to continue with that growth.”

Peterson served three terms as NCE RVP. While at DSM, he served as both secretary-treasurer and vice president of the local. In 1990, he returned to his home state of Missouri and went to work at Kansas City ATCT (MCI). There, he served as facility representative from 1994 to 1999, and then a second time from 2001 to 2009.

Peterson also served as chairman of the Drug and Alcohol Committee from 2016 until earlier this year. He is currently a member of NATCA’s Safety and Technology Leadership Council, which is the focal point for NATCA on all safety issues, procedural changes, technology development and implementation, airspace modernization, and all associated training needs.

Taking over for Peterson on Sept. 1 as NCE RVP will be Aaron Merrick, currently the NCE Alternate RVP and FacRep at Kansas City Center (ZKC).

“It has been an honor and privilege to serve as a FacRep and ARVP under Kevin’s leadership over the past nine years,” Merrick said. “Kevin’s dedication to NATCA and to the Central Region has never wavered and our region and our Union are better because of the work he has done.”

Merrick credited Peterson’s mentorship with preparing him to assume the RVP position. However, Merrick added, “Make no mistake, there is no replacement for the knowledge and experience he brought to the position of RVP. I wish Kevin all the best as he finishes his career and I will strive to embody the professionalism and dedication he brought to the job each and every day. Congratulations brother!”

Midday on Saturday, April 6, 2019, near the border of Washington and Idaho, Shane Daily was piloting his two-seat, single-engine Lancair 320 when he encountered instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) while flying visual flight rules (VFR). Daily was not instrument flight rules (IFR) certified.

On Feb. 23, 2019, a single-engine Socata TBM 930 (N897TF) departed Paducah, Ky., en route to Houston. But about 50 miles south of Paducah, the pilot experienced problems in controlling the aircraft and was not responding to air traffic controllers. 

On Feb. 23, 2019, a single-engine Socata TBM 930 (N897TF) departed Paducah, Ky., en route to Houston. But about 50 miles south of Paducah, the pilot experienced problems in controlling the aircraft and was not responding to air traffic controllers. 

On Feb. 23, 2019, a single-engine Socata TBM 930 (N897TF) departed Paducah, Ky., en route to Houston. But about 50 miles south of Paducah, the pilot experienced problems in controlling the aircraft and was not responding to air traffic controllers.