A publication of the National Air Traffic Controllers Association
Issue link: http://natca.uberflip.com/i/645606
WEEKLY MESSAGE FROM ATO COO TERI L. BRISTOL National Engineers Week Hi everyone. The ATO has some of the brightest, most skilled employees in the world. We have many people that perform essential roles and provide expertise to support our mission. With National Engineers Week starting on Sunday, I'd like to highlight some of the contributions of our engineers. We have engineers engaged in a wide variety of activit ies throughout the agency, such as tower construction and NAS modernization and sustainment, among others. For instance, when we deploy systems at facilities, ATO's Engineering Services (ES) will first conduct site prep, which includes installing electrica l circuits and grounding the equipment racks. After that, ES will ensure that the contractor installs the equipment properly before the FAA takes ownership of it. Then ATO's Second - level Engineers will write site - specific software code that will enable thi s equipment to function at a given facility. For instance, if we're deploying STARS at Philly TRACON, our second - level engineers will make sure it can receive and display data from the airports supported by Philly TRACON. Once this is done, ES and the prog ram office will conduct a Joint Acceptance Inspection, or JAI, to transfer ownership to the facility. This work helped us to install or substantially upgrade STARS at 20 facilities last year, including at large TRACONs like Northern Cal, Southern Cal and A tlanta. ES also supported the implementation of our SWIM Terminal Data Distribution System (STDDS) at 38 TRACONs. This project involved getting terminal data -- on Runway Visual Range, ASDE - X, Electronic Flight Strip Transfer System and Tower Data Link Ser vice -- into the FAA's SWIM infrastructure (the National Enterprise Messaging System or NEMS), so airspace users can more efficiently access it. Now we're in the process of incorporating STARS data into STDDS at 100 TRACONs by September. Data from these so urces helps the airlines know where their aircraft are on the runway surface at any given time, helping them to optimize their operations. ES installed the equipment racks, did the power and grounding, and ran data cables from the equipment racks to the ST DDS system. In addition, ES supported the completion of 228 Runway Safety Area (RSA) projects in FY15. ES made modifications to runway equipment -- lighting systems, navigation aids, glide slopes – either by moving them outside the RSA, or making sure they are frangible, meaning that they will break off if struck by an overshooting aircraft, reducing the likelihood of damage to the aircraft and possible injury to passengers. This is just a small sample of the many kinds of tasks performed by our engineers. This coming week, Focus FAA will run a series of articles about their work. Whether you're an engineer, or hold any other position in the ATO, I know there are hundreds of things you do in a given year that make us successful – things you may not always be acknowledged for. Let's take time to understand what our co - workers do, and how their work supports our mission. In doing so, we'll develop a more cohesive workforce culture. Thanks everyone, Teri L. Bristol ATO Chief Operating Officer