NATCA Bookshelf

review or load maps due to AJT furloughing AT Support Specialists, which means critical maps may have not been loaded. Talks are now underway with OSF management, AJV, and AJT. Coordination took place between the NATCA TAMR Rep and the ERAW NATCA Rep Julio Henriques about an issue with VFR On-Top passing between ERAM and STARS, and also with STARS Enhancements 2 (SE2) SRMP scheduling. Rose worked with Adam Rhodes (NATCA NextGen) and Aaron Katz (NATCA Human Factors) on the new color palette to be used in both the enroute and terminal environment. Adam and Aaron were briefed on the intended usage and how it impacts facility requests for additional color use on NAS displays. Additionally, James Keith (NATCA AJV Rep) and Rose are still working on a change proposal to the FAA JO 7210.3 which would allow facilities expanded color choices on displays. AJT, AJV82, and AJV7 have all been contacted to make this happen. TAMR receives at least two requests every month from facilities for non-standard color usage that does not comply with the order. Operational Support Facilities (OSF) personnel are responsible for the adaptation which includes color, and NATCA TAMR continues to advise no changes until the order is revised. Nine facilities within the NAS are either utilizing ARTS 1E or STARS LITE. Neither platform is supported anymore, and each facility will now receive its radar feed from a STARS host facility. Most of the nine are non-contiguous, meaning they are located hundreds of miles from the host facility. This came with issues too numerous to list. During the week of Feb. 19, a team of NATCA OSF and AT converged on the Tech Center to collaborate with TSLE and Raytheon to figure out the issues with software. Three days later, they departed the Tech Center with a solution within terminal and enroute adaptation. Without this solution, delays in the NextGen 2020 mandate and deployment schedule would have occurred. Special thanks to NATCA members Rachel Lamont (Pacific OSF), Dave Quecke (NCT SSS), Scott Kendrick (NTOSF), and Kyle Ness (M98). Eric Avila, the new Weather Article 114 Rep, and Rose exchanged emails and participated in an Operational Needs Assessment (ONA) review for a new weather source for terminal STARS to use, and not the ASRs. This ONA will ensure the Agency will consider different sources to get a better weather display throughout the terminal NAS. In addition, we coordinated with Avila attending a test event to review software fixes to the Common Terminal Digitizer (CTD) to mitigate AP and false weather from ASR8 radars. The event was held on March 27, and in attendance were Rose, Hugh Wyckoff (TLH), and Joe Yannone (Region X). Above are the highlights of what has happened over these four weeks, but in addition, numerous telcons and meetings were attended by Ross Costa, Richard Thomas, Scott Kendrick, Patrick Carter, and Kyle Ness. This program would not be where it is today without their due diligence and commitment to the Union. That also applies to the more than 20 SMEs who work on TAMR-related topics, test events, and deployments. Welcome these folks into your facilities—they are there to help. Reach out to any one of us and we will do our best to provide answers to questions or support in any way we can. TAMR NATCA Training Report submitted by Ross Costa (RSW) Costa has been working on post-shutdown rescheduling of training activities. Costa, in collaboration, with the TAMR PO have worked with HTS and CKB on scheduling of their IOC. Additionally, we have attempted to mitigate training concerns at both sites. Costa has been working with Raytheon on rescheduling other training activities, including training briefings at CLE and SAF. He coordinated a training review of R8 software which includes the Terminal Sequencing and Spacing (TSAS) tool. SMEs from the TBFM NATCA team will assist in this review which is scheduled for April.

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• SAFETY AND TECHNOLOGY DEPARTMENT