NATCA Bookshelf

SPONSOR SPOTLIGHT smaller and larger facility controllers, and that's really good because we got a variety of domain expertise. "NATCA did a really smart thing by growing CFS to be as big and broad as it is today. The value for the membership is huge, the speakers are amazing, the format's good, and it just flows perfectly. You're not overburdened by vendors trying to sell you something. For us, it's about us finding out from the end-user community what's really good." CFS presents NATCA's industry partners like Raytheon with an opportunity to participate in national-level discussions about aviation safety, integration of new technologies, and what's on the horizon. "I always enjoy CFS because of getting the opportunity to work with NATCA's safety committee," McAuley said. "You're always balancing efficiency with safety. That ability to communicate and talk to the safety committee is invaluable, not just about new things, but about enhancements of existing systems and how we can improve what we have." Speaking to the 2019 CFS conference theme and NATCA's ongoing effort to change the way the workforce perceives training, Jackson and McAuley agree that Every Day is a Training Day, and that consistent, incremental training is as important as initial developmental training. McAuley said, "There are a lot of different ways to learn, especially for newer generations. When it comes to training, it's not one solution fits all. I look forward to seeing implementation of more interactive training methods." "I love that idea because it's true that you never stop learning. Things are changing constantly," Jackson said. "It's no secret that air traffic controllers are competitive, so being driven to be excellent all the time is a great way to motivate learning." McAuley agreed. "Things are changing all the time and so it needs to be part of my makeup that 'Today I'm going to learn whatever the new thing is today.' That's also how CFS helps NATCA members," he said. "They are hearing things at a more national policy level. The tyranny of the urgent is moving this airplane from here to here, and spending this time thinking very broadly gives a lot of perspective." In line with that broader perspective, NATCA's industry partners value the savings from user involvement as a huge benefit of collaborating with the FAA and NATCA on development of new technologies, McAuley explained. "For everything we do, bringing in a rep from NATCA or PASS to help us from the beginning, for the money we spend up front by having a rep to help us, it pays dividends," he said. "We went through a period where controllers were not allowed to be involved. And it cost exponentially more in time and changes. The NATCA rep program is one of the best things that ever happened. "I wish we could have more NATCA reps. You sit a user next to a developer and you can create the best thing ever and get it to test quicker. There is nothing better than sitting a user along with the developer. 'Can you make it do this?' 'tap tap' 'Yeah, that's what I meant!'" In addition to the advantage of working with NATCA reps directly on projects, Raytheon has admiration for the leadership of the Union. "In the leadership of NATCA, you've got people who want to work toward the same goals and objectives," McAuley said. "They are so respected by their peers in the aviation business. People want them at the table not only because they recognize the huge force they represent, but also because they bring a reasoned approach to the priorities. They bring such a wealth of background and experience it's a pleasure working with the NATCA leadership team." COMMUNICATING FOR SAFETY Wednesday, Sept. 18 9

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