I NTERCOM I NTERCOM I NTERCOM I NTERCOM I NTERCOM I ...

INTERCOM INTERCOM INTERCOM INTERCOM INTERCOM INTERCOM INTERCOM INTERCOM INTERCOM








INTERCOMWILLIAM J. HUGHES TECHNICAL CENTER

1

SIMPLY THE BEST!

Volume 4, Issue 7 July 2001

On July 18, the Center held its annual awardsprogram, celebrating the hard work and achievementsof all ACT employees. Congratulations to the follow-ing employees, who were selected by their peers toreceive special recognition:

EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR AND

COMMUNITY OUTREACH

Rosanne M. Weiss (AAR-424)

PUBLICATION OF THE YEAR Christopher Smith (AAR-430)

INNOVATOR

John Wilks (ACT-221)

SUPPORTING SERVICES

Laurel Wittman (ACT-51A)

2

LEADERSHIP

Eric C. Neiderman (AAR-510)

PROFESSIONAL SOCIETY

David R. Brill (AAR-410)

FIELD SUPPORT

Gary Baca (AOS-260)Joe Yannone (AOS-260)

Dan Trongone (AOS-260) Hank (John) Brouwer ( AOS-270)

Brian Higgins (AOS-270)

TECHNICAL PROGRAM

James Riley (AAR-421)

TECHNICAL SUPPORT

Robert Oliver (ACT-510)

TEAM ACHIEVEMENT

Larry Day (AOS-540) Cheryl Martin (AOS-540)

Alanna Randazzo (AOS-540) Laurie Purnell (AOS-540)

Soncere Whitecloud-Woodford (AOS-540)Monika Gandy (AOS-540)

“PEOPLE ON THE MOVE” --

WJHTC INTERCOM JULY 2001

Note: The photo of the Field Supportselectees was not available at press time.We will run this photo in the next issue.We apologize for the delay.

3

-- TECH CENTER ANNUAL AWARDS

ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT

Alexander Storoz (ACT-400)

SECRETARY OF THE YEAR Marci Fessler (AAR-430)

MODEL WORK ENVIRONMENT

John Lapointe (AAR-424)

INTERN OF THE YEAR

Lynn Pham (AAR-431)

DIRECTOR’S AWARD

Frank Hines (ACT-600)

FRIEND OF THE CENTER

Terry Kraus


4

A GOOD TIME WAS HAD BY ALL . . .


5

. . . CELEBRATING SUCCESS

Thanks to the following for making this year’s cere-mony such a special event:

HOST TEAM :Dot Buckanin, Program Director, CNS

Engineering & Test Division (ACT-300)Patricia Mabis, Manager, Communications

Management Division (ACT-70)Rosanne Weiss (AAR-424)Marlene Gunn (ACT-500)Ken Beisel (ACT-52)Ginger Cairnes (ACT-70)Holly Cyrus (AAR-411)Carl Genna (ACT-73)Mary Granese (ACT-31) Lana Haug (ACT-70)Rich Morton(ACT-330) Allan Oswald (ACT-300)Donna Taylor (ACT-601)Ella Terrell (ACT-510)Debbie Waters (ACT-10)Stephanie Zvanya (AOS-360)

NOMINATION TEAM:Rosanne Weiss (AAR-424)Sam Crowel (ATB-220)Marcelle Grasso (AAR-431)Marlene Gunn (ACT-500)Jennifer Hall (ACT-530)Kathy Henuset (AOS-37)Barbara Mong (ACT-50)Carol White (ATB-240)

EMCEES:David Fabry (AAR-530)Tony Wilson (AAR-421)

NATIONAL ANTHEM:Michelle Tennant-Marcucci

PRESENTATION OF COLORS:177TH FD/ANG Honor Guard

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE:Little Flyers Academy

SUPPORTING SERVICES:Adam Grecco (ACT-510), Travel Through Time VideoRobert Engiles and John Szuba (ACT-510) --

AT ControllersAirway Facilities Tower Integration

Laboratory (ACT-200) -- Props ACT-600 - Carpentry, Stage set-up, and

Special ElectricityImaging Technology (ACT-73) - Video, Audio,

PhotographyNOBIL Food ServicesSyport Systems, Janitorial StaffWackenhutt, Roads & Grounds, Material

Handlers, Security

BUSINESSES:Party PoopersShop Rite Catering ServicesTimely Arrangements, Floral


A SAFETY MINUTEFROM THE SAFETY OFFICE,

ENVIRONMENTAL BRANCH (ACT-640)

6

CAREER DAY

Recognizing Safety

You might get one for a trip-ping hazard or a fall problem, anindoor complaint, or an outdoorconcern, or you could get one foropening the discussion on a lock-out procedure. Sound confusing?Well, it's not. In fact, we're mak-ing it as simple as possible for youto become involved. What is itthat we are talking about? Theanswer is the Tech Center's SafetyAwards Program.

The Center's Safety AwardProgram is run by the SafetyOffice (ACT-640) and is intendedto recognize employees who con-tribute to a safe and healthful workenvironment. The Tech Center is alarge facility with numerous build-

ings and a variety of jobs, and thatcreates an environment with many potential hazards. Such a workenvironment relies on everyone's support and practice of safety andhealth. Each day someone some-where at the Center addresses asafety or health concern. It's theseindividuals that the Safety AwardProgram was created for.

It’s easy to nominate someone.You can obtain a nomination formby visiting the Safety and Healthwebpage on the FAA Intraweb, seeyour organization’s SafetyRepresentative, or contact JillStyczynski at the Safety Office atx7890. Jill is the Awards ProgramAdministrator. If you have ques-tions about the nomination process Jill would be glad to answer them

for you. Nominations can be submitted

anytime with awards being handedout on a quarterly basis. The Safety Office looks forward toreceiving your nomination. Froma safety perspective the more nom-inations submitted means thatmore and more employees are rec-ognizing safety which is a goodthing!

As a final thought, when wetake the time to recognize thosewho recognize safety we allbecome a little bit safer!

Recognize Safety -- Nominate Someone Today


Debbie DiStefano (ACT-410) recently spoke to the fourth graders at the Brigantine Elementary SchoolCareer Day, an event designed to expose students to the variety of careers that are available to them. Debbiebrought balsa wood gliders for the kids, who enjoyed assembling them while Debbie talked about the FAA,the air traffic control system, and the role of the Tech Center laboratories in the development, test, and mainte-nance of aviation systems. She also discussed how Center employees preparethe labs to receive NAS equipment, one of the major functions of her branch,the Hardware Engineering and Maintenance Branch. She showed how com-plete designs are developed on AutoCAD, wowing the students with the three-dimensional views that she created. Before leaving the school, Debbie gavethe children a package that included information about other careers in avia-tion, flight strips, information on educational websites, and much more. Shealso provided the teaching staff with educational information and resources foruse in the classroom. The day was a wonderful opportunity for the kids, andan excellent venue for future recruiting in aviation careers.

7

FREQUENT FLYER PROGRAM TAKES-OFF

AND PAYS-OFF!

The Tech Center's innovative Frequent FlyerTicket Savings Program is proving to be a win-win-win situation for the taxpayer, the FAA, and its partic-ipating employees.

Proof that this program works for all concernedparties can be attested to by the experiences of TechCenter employees Richard Olson (ACT-350), KarenDiMeo (ACT-540), and Victor Wullschleger (ACT-360). These conscientious employees saved ARA atotal of $4,854.00 in airline fares. Since participantsin the program are awarded 50% of these savings, thistranslates into a hefty payout as their individualshares combined for an eye-popping $2,427.00 intotal awards. Admittedly, no small sum even whenmeasured against today's economic standards. Suchnoteworthy results at the very least deserve properrecognition by expressing our sincere appreciationand congratulations to each of these esteemed Centerteam players.

Now that everyone's interest is aroused, here area few background notes to put all of this in perspec-tive. Pursuant to the FAA Management System guid-ance of 3/28/96 and FAPM Letter 430-1A (Perfor-mance Planning and Recognition System), the FAA

may pay cashawards to employ-ees who by theirpersonal efforts con-tribute to the effi-ciency and economyof FAA operations.Based on this, theTech Centerlaunched theFrequent FlyerProgram to reduce

travel costs. With all of the above formalities taken care of,

it's time to hash over the meat and potatoes; so hereare the particulars in a nutshell: (1) all officialGovernment air travel is covered; (2) all ARAemployees located at the Tech Center on official trav-el status are eligible; (3) the amount of the award is

50% of the savings on the Government contractfare, or the lowest available non-restrictive fareshould the Government rate not be available; (4)the total savings must be at least $200 before anemployee is eligible to receive the award; (5) aFrequent Flyer Ticket Savings Form must be com-pleted; and (6) a form must be submitted to thetraveler's approving official with the appropriateinformation.

Additional information on the Center's FrequentFlyer Program is available from ACT-30's Financewebsite at: http://intraweb.tc.faa.gov/Webpages/Finance/ -- just click on the Travel Informationlink and scroll down to the Frequent Flyer TicketSavings Program link. Everything you wanted toknow about the program is there at your finger tips,

including sample forms. You will be amazed to learnhow easy and fast it is to participate in such a pro-gram. If, after navigating through this information,you have additional questions, please contact ACT-32's travel folks at (609) 485-6532, they will bepleased to provide you with any assistance required.

Richard Olson, recipient


Left to Right: Mike Chappine, Accounting Manager; KarenDiMeo, recipient; Victor Wullschleger, recipient; and Joe Martirone,Financial Management Division Manager

8

Bruce Singer (ACT-2) recent-ly welcomed the New Jersey Statewinners of the 2001 InternationalAviation Art Contest to the TechCenter. A key participant in thisannual contest, the Tech Center notonly hosted the awards ceremony,but Center employees also servedas judges. Carleen Genna-Stoltzfus, CommunicationsManagement Division (ACT-70),John Wiley, ATC Engineering andTest Division (ACT-200), andLinda Zajac from NJDOT spon-sored the awards portion of thecontest.

Congressman Frank LoBiondoprovided opening remarks to thegroup of students, parents, and dig-nitaries on hand for the program.The Congressman is very interest-ed in transportation and continuesto support a variety of educationalaviation programs, such as the artcontest. His presence added to theimportance of the event.

The New Jersey competitionhad over 600 entries this year.Those entries were judged in threeclasses (determined by the age ofthe entrant on December 31,2000): ages 6 to 9; ages 10 to 13;ages 14 to 17. The young artistsuse watercolors, acrylic or oilpaints, markers, colored pencils,pens, and crayons. Parents or artteachers had to certify the authen-ticity of the artwork.

The winners of the state com-petition go on to compete in anational competition inWashington, D.C., and the winnersat the national level participate inan international contest.Unfortunately, this year, NewJersey did not have a winner go on

to the national part of the contest. The International Aviation Art

Contest is sponsored by theNational Aeronautic Association,National Association of StateAviation Officials, and the FAA, incooperation with the FederationAeronautics International (FAI) tomotivate and encourage youngpeople of FAI-member nations tobecome more familiar with andparticipate in aeronautics, engi-neering, and science.

The first place winnersreceived a beautiful package of artsupplies, paints, and a 16" X 20"canvass. This year's winnerswere:

Category One (Ages 6-9)1st Place: Maggie Morgan, Ware-town Elementary School2nd Place: John Denney,Glendora Elementary School 3rd Place: James Evan Woods,Warren E Sooy, Jr. ElementarySchool Honorable Mention: CatherineSilva, Point Rd. ElementarySchool, and Jenna Loughlin, PointRd. Elementary School

TECH CENTER PARTICIPATES IN THE 2001WJHTC INTERCOM JULY 2001

9

INTERNATIONAL AVIATION ART CONTEST

Category Two (Ages 10-13)1st Place: Maria Tuchinsky,Village Elementary School2nd Place: Ryan Czepiel, AntheilElementary School3rd Place: Ji Li, KisthardtElementary SchoolHonorable Mention: Kyle Czepiel,Antheil Elementary School, andCourtney Brach, Lincroft School,

Category Three (Ages 14-17)1st Place: Kelly Campbell, GlenRidge High School2nd Place: Kesjmar Washington,Rosa Parks High School3rd Place: Jennifer Vega, RosaParks High SchoolHonorable Mention: JacquelineReilly and Melanie Carnevale,Glen Ridge High School

After Laurie Gutshaw, Chiefof Staff , NJDOT, concluded theceremony, the artists and their fam-ilies went to the atrium area inbuilding 316 for photographs,viewing of the display cases show-casing the winning art, and cake.They also had an opportunity tosurf the National Aviation

Education Website, which high-lights their artwork. In the after-noon, the students toured theNational Pavement Test Facility,Federal Air Marshal Shoothouse,and "flew" in the General AviationTrainer and Engineering CockpitSimulator.

Many thanks to the followingwho made this event a great suc-cess: Congressman LoBiondo;Bruce Singer; John Wiley; SheliaFranklin-Smallwood (ACT-200); Laurie Gutshaw; Ted Matthews,Director NJDOT Aeronautics &Freight Systems; Linda Zajac;Andrew Sinclair, Special Assistantto the Commissioner NJDOT;

Louis Crescitelli, III, FieldDirector for CongressmanLoBiondo; Linda Hinckley,Congressman LoBiondo's DistrictScheduler; Debbie Capasso,President NAFEC Association;Rose H. Smith, Treasurer NAFECAssociation; Julie Seltsam, NewEngland Region; Brian Englert andSteve Wehling, Informatica; EdMack (ACT-550); ACT-70'sGinger Cairnes, Carolyn Pokres,Barbara Para; ACT-73's CarlGenna, Annette Harrell, AnnKertz, Mike Roames, BobMarks, Ernie Pappas; ART-ZGraphics' Carol Martin and DaveHess; Holly Baker (ACT-5);Satish Agrawal (AAR-410); ACT-350's Al Adkins and Al Rehman;ACT-510's George Bollenbachand Joe McCall; Mike Cullum,Titan; the Federal Air Marshalstaff; and the Security andWackenhut employees.


10

IAAP COMES TO THE CENTER

On Thursday, May 3, 2001, inthe atrium of the Tech Center, aninstallation ceremony was held toestablish a local chapter of theInternational Association ofAdministrative Professionals(IAAP).

Representatives from IAAP'sNew Jersey's Division, JudithYannarelli CPS, NJ Division IAAPNew Chapter Builder Chairperson;Kathleen Donnelly CPS, NJDivision President; and JoniSvoboda CPS, NJ Division IAAPTreasurer and Membership Co-Chairperson presented the Chapterwith its official charter, gavel, andbanner. Mary Granese was wel-comed and recognized as the firstPresident of the William J. HughesTechnical Center Chapter.Jennifer Hall was installed asTreasurer and Amanda Petitt asSecretary. Additional recognitionwas given to Nancy Matthews,CPS, for her direction in gettingthe Chapter formed, and attainingthe position of Chapter VicePresident. A special thank youwent to Pat Lui for her "behind

the scenes" involvement in the for-mation of the group. Pat's visionwas crucial to keeping "forwardmotion."

Additionally, 17 professionalwomen became founding memberstakingup thechal-lenge

of creating this chapter of IAAP.Anne Harlan, Ron Esposito, andBruce Singer, who "officially"welcomed the Chapter on behalf ofthe Tech Center, attended the cere-mony. Also attending were man-agers and co-workers from the var-ious departments where the "chap-ter members" accept and accom-plish the challenges put beforethem on a daily basis. These chal-lenges enable each member to dis-play her professionalism andendeavor to establish better com-munication and working relation-ships between management andsupport personnel.

Members of IAAP strive to bethe acknowledged, recognizedleaders of administrative profes-sionals while enhancing their indi-vidual and collective value, image,competence, and influence. Thesegoals are attained through educa-tion, training, and set standards ofexcellence recognized by the glob-al business community. Good luckand continued success to all themembers of the Tech Center’sIAAP Chapter!

The newofficersready tomake theirmark.


11

WHAT MAKES YOU COME TO WORK?BY: STAN CIURCZAK

A current topic in manage-ment circles has to do with em-ployers of choice. Well, what arethey? An Employer of Choice isany employer of any size in anysector that attracts, optimizes andholds top talent for long tenure,because their employees choose tobe there. The phrase commonly isused as a self-description for re-cruiting purposes. Microsoft is aprime example of an Employerof Choice.

MICROSOFT'S'SECRET GARDEN'

Microsoft is king of the techcompanies, the one company thatcan claim the kind of cultural sig-nificance that IBM had in 1965, or Ford in 1925. It is a sort of 'secretgarden' where the company con-stantly reinforces to its employeesthat they are different, somethingthat few organizations do today.Microsoft believes that behindtheir doors is a big world of simi-larly smart people, many of whomhave decided that 'Being Micro-soft', trumps all.

Microsoft has an unwaveringbelief in the moral value of zap-ping software bugs and shippingproducts. They believe zappingbugs strengthens the intellect,hones the passions, fortifies char-acter and justifies one's place inthe privileged class of Microsoftemployment. They reward peoplewho get a new product to the mar-ketplace with a "SHIP-IT" plaque,a non-monetary reward that ishighly prized by Microsoft

employees. Getting one of thesemeans you have been recognizedas someone with the right stuff.

Microsoft plays the game ofmaking software very well, but the metagame for them is somethingelse, and they aim to play thatwell, too. Their metagame seemsto be to try and figure out how agiant company can continue togrow a secret garden that will yield the right products for a new era --an era that Microsoft strategistDavid Vaskevitch calls, "the gold-en age of software."

REFRESHMENTS &RESOURCES

Tall fir trees, forested trails,snowcapped mountain vistas,basketball courts, soccer fields, amuseum, a store, numerous foodpavilions and shuttle buses arehighlights of Microsoft's corporateheadquarters in Redmond, WA.Microsoft makes it easy for em-ployees to enjoy a casual environ-ment, which the company believes lends itself to freer thinking andcreative problem solving. Time outs are encouraged for shootinghoops, jogging, enjoying thescenery or enjoying free refresh-ments. Their public atriums arehung with real art, and each em-ployee gets a private office, yet visitors note the presence of a col-legiate sense of fun. One employ-ee returned from vacation to findher office converted into a minia-ture farm complete with a potbel-lied pig.

Recognizing that employees

have lives outside the workplace,the company lets employees designtheir own work schedules to fittheir lifestyles. They can find ahuge resource of clubs and activi-ties including clubs for Blacks,Filipinos and British, plus skydiv-ing, rock-climbing and Quake-playing clubs.

DIVERSITY OF JOBSPerhaps best of all is the diver-

sity of jobs that need to be done. Employees can design interfaces,software or Web sites. They can write code, or write about travel,investing or technical support.They can manage product develop-ment teams, entire product groupsor technical accounts for this $25-billion-a-year colossus, arguablythe most successful tech companyever. A single share of Microsoft stock purchased for $28, on theday of its Initial Public Offering in1986, would now be a 144-shareholding worth more than $10,000.

HIRE WELLHiring well is probably the

most important strategy for any Employer of Choice, and Micro-soft hires very bright people.Long before job interviews, em-ployers need to create a searchstrategy that encourages thosedoing the hiring to be courageous,creative and determined in theirpursuit of the best possible personfor each job. Organizations needto build and nourish a healthy, pro-ductive work culture that embracesthe idea of attracting and retaining

Continued on page 13


12

CHRIS SEHER, COE AMBASSADOR


The Alaska Department ofTransportation, with the AmericanAssociation of Airport Executives,ANSP, and the University ofAlaska - Anchorage (UAA), recently hosted a Conference enti-tled "Technology Applications forAirports - A Midnight Sun Returnto Academia 2001 Workshop andEducational Forum" at the UAA Aviation Technology Center, TedStevens Anchorage Airport.

The 3-day conference focusedon the technology applications andissues surrounding satellite geo-graphic applications for airportsand included topics such as theFAA Capstone Program, laser lightapplications for airfields, wirelesscommunication impacts, and FAAregulatory updates.

Welcoming speakers included Pat Poe, FAA Alaska RegionalAdministrator, UAA ProfessorLeonard Kirk, and Paul Bowers,Alaska Statewide Aviation Direc-tor. Chris Seher, FAA's Director,Airport and Aircraft Safety R&DDivision (AAR-400) spoke to anaudience of approximately 90attendees about the FAA Centers

of Excellence Program (COE),highlighting the needs of thenewest Center, which focuses ongeneral aviation research. TheUniversity of Alaska is a memberof that COE, which includesFlorida A&M, the University ofNorth Dakota, Wichita StateUniversity, and is led by EmbryRiddle Aeronautical University.

In addition to statewide digni-taries, William J. Sharrow, (Brig.Gen. Ret.), Special Assistant toCongressman Don Young attended.Featured speakers included: FAA'sTom Accardi, Director, AviationSystems Standards (AVN-1), and Carl McCoullough, Director,Office of Communications,Navigation, and SurveillanceSystems (AND-1).

The HBCU Program Officerecently recognized the efforts ofChris Seher (AAR-400 manager)during a meeting of the HBCUCouncil held at FAA headquarters.Seher was presented the Admin-istrator's award for his visionarysupport of FAA outreach goals forincluding HBCU's as prominentpartners in the FAA Centers ofExcellence (COE) Program. Alsorecognized with the Administra-tor's award was Patricia Watts,FAA COE Program Director(AAR-400), as the "woman behindthe man" who helped implementthe new COE outreach initiatives.

This summer for the first time,the University of Illinois (COE-

Pavement/Airport Technology) andNorth Carolina A&T University are joining efforts by bringingNorth Carolina A&T students tothe University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, to work on FAA proj-ects. Seher is sponsoring 6 stu-dents this year and expects to ex-pand this initiative next year. Re-cently, North Carolina A&Tbecame a partner in the Center ofExcellence for Airworthiness Assu-rance (AACE) Phase II.

Florida A&M is a core mem-ber of the COE-General Aviationrecently selected by AdministratorJane Garvey. An employee, facul-ty and student hiring and possibleexchange and scholarship program

are new initiatives being plannedby Seher with Florida A&M forthe coming year.

In attendance at the HBCUCouncil meeting was Dr. TashaInnis, recently recognized byAdministrator Garvey as the FAACOE Student-of-the-Year (SOY).Ms. Garvey presented Innis theaward at a Center of Excellencefor Operations Research (NEX-TOR) Delay Conference held atthe University of Maryland. Dr.Innis received her Ph.D. in mathe-matics from the University ofMaryland in December, 2000. Sheis employed this summer by NormFujisaki, ASD-2.

SEHER RECOGNIZED FOR OUTREACH EFFORTS

13

COME TO WORK (CONT.)

self-reliant em-ployees whowill thrive andgain a strategicadvantage overtheir competi-tion. They needto provide thetools, environ-ment and oppor-

tunities for people to assess and develop their skills;employees need to manage their careers and demon-strate their commitment to their organization andcommunity.

Compensation is just one way to build employee

loyalty. Organizations can redesign jobs to reduceturnover, or promote loyalty to teams or projects.Organizing work around short-term projects, or cross-training people, are some other possibilities. En-couraging people to learn, grow and change whilethey work can help any organization to learn, growand change. It produces a win-win for every employ-er and employee.

So, what makes YOUcome to work?

THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE

ISO 9001 CERTIFICATION

Last month we ran a story on the Center’s LaboratoryManagement Division receiving ISO 9001 certification for thelaboratories from the Quality Management Institute. Well, here’sthe folks who made that happen. The ISO 9001 certificationefforts were led by Basilyn Bunting, manager of the LaboratoryManagement Division (ACT-400). Key participants were pro-gram/team lead Michele Holmes, Shirley Rogers, BethBurkett, Carolyn McKinney-Bobo, Don Marple, RichMendell, Beverly Hite, Paul Simon, Wanda Harris, and JohnWilkes, Jr. Again, congratulations on a great job!


14

YOU ARE HERE

This is an updated version of the high-altitude photo of the Tech Center available through ACT-73, the Imaging Technology Branch.The last photo, also taken from 20,000 feet, was shot six years ago and many features of the Tech Center and ACY have changed inthe time since. There are many large format color prints of the aerial photo to be seen around the Center, typically in offices con-cerned with plant management, emergency response, or environmental concerns. From the photo, maps can be generated for a vari-ety of different purposes. ACT-73 is a good resource for suggestions on how to make this image work for you. For information, orto order color copies of the photo in the size of your choice, contact Robert Marks, ACT-73 Manager, via cc:mail or at x4140.


15

AFTIL ON THE JOB

On June 12-13, a group of tenvisitors from the Western-PacificRegion and Reno International Airportarrived at the AFTIL to begin a seriesof control tower site evaluations.These visitors represented the Renocontrol tower management, supervi-sors, NATCA, the Reno airportauthority, the Reno Air NationalGuard, FAA ANI-940, and FAA AWP-510.

ANI-940 tasked the AFTIL toconstruct a 3-dimensional (3-D) gra-phical model of the Reno Internation-al Airport (IAP) for the purpose ofconducting control tower site evalua-tions from eight proposed controltower locations (see photo). Addi-tionally, the airport project was toinclude a realistic simulation of air-port air traffic operations at the con-course gates, three Fixed Based Op-eration (FBO) locations, and a mili-tary ramp. The AFTIL engineers werefurther requested to place a panoramicphotographic background of the RenoAirport in the 3-D model to show thegeographical features of the area dur-ing the site evaluation process.

The Reno airport serves a widevariety of aviation customers. Themajority of air traffic operations in-volve commercial air carriers; howev-er, Reno IAP has a significant numberof general aviation, business aviation,air taxi service, and military C-130operations. Normal Reno air trafficoperations require aircraft to landsimultaneously on parallel runways16L/R (65% of the time) or landsimultaneously on parallel runways 34L/R (35% of the time). An additionalintersecting runway (07/25) is not typ-ically used unless crosswind condi-tions exceed aircraft limitations forrunway 16/34.

To meet the needs of the Renoproject, the AFTIL prototyped severalplanned buildings and airfield con-struction projects including a pro-

posed terminal concourse, several pro-posed ANG hangars, and a new taxi-way layout. Because some of thesebuildings will not be constructed for10 years, the AFTIL decided on atwo-airport approach for the project.One airport included all current air-port features and a second (future) air-port model included revised taxiways,terminal concourse, and the proposedANG hangars. This approach insuredall necessary airfield changes areproperly evaluated for present andfuture shadowing concerns.

The Reno evaluation team spenttwo full days at the AFTIL viewingthe present and future Reno airfieldmodels from all eight potential controltower locations. During these evalua-tions, the AFTIL's air traffic controlsimulator ran recorded aircraft move-ment exercises to enhance the evalua-tion process. These simulations pre-sented typical aircraft movements toand from the terminal complex, arri-vals and departures to the parallel run-ways, and aircraft taxiing to and fromthe FBO areas. The Reno airportplanner requested AFTIL engineers toreplace an existing building with anew design in the Reno Future airportmodel. This change allowed the teamto perform a worst case analysis ofthe area. The team also asked that aspecific parking plan be developedshowing DC-10 aircraft at the cornersand ends of the present terminal con-courses and DC-10 aircraftparked at the edge of the aircargo ramp where their tailswould obscure several taxi-ways. They also requestedseveral airport traffic patternsbe developed on the eastsideof the airport with the down-wind distance set at ½ mileand 1 mile. They then devel-oped an exercise with severalarrivals to each of the down-wind leg distances and de-

monstrated to the group. The group also evaluated the

controller's ability to see and distin-guish between aircraft aligned to theleft parallel runway from aircraftaligned to the right parallel runway.This issue greatly affects the con-troller's ability to insure separationbetween arrival aircraft during parallelrunway operations. For general dis-cussion, the group requested the eye-point be moved to additional towerlocations adjacent to site "D" and site"J". These additional sites were eval-uated at various eye-levels to deter-mine the required height necessary toprevent shadowing on runway 07from proposed ANG hangars. Whilediscussing look down angles from thetower's operating positions, the teamviewed a MultiGen workstation 3-Dfile to see the airfield from severalspecific console positions. This eval-uation method is more reliable inevaluating controller's exact line-of-sight issues with reference to the con-troller's console and the airportground structures (hangars, buildings,and taxiways) beneath the tower.

The Reno evaluation team wasextremely pleased with the qualityand versatility of the AFTIL's out-the-window display system. They felt theusability of the AFTIL aided im-mensely in the task of locating a newtower site and are looking forward tofuture work with the AFTIL.


William J. HughesTechnical Center

Intercom

Editor:Terry KrausContributors:Holly Baker

Roger BawgusCharles Bilardo

Therese BrennanGinger CairnesStan CiurczakBill Dawson

Carleen Genna-StoltzfusAdam Greco

Annette HarrellDavid Hess

Paul LawrencePat Lui

Bob MarksErnie PappasBarbara Para

Rosanne WeissLaurie Zaleski

For any questions,comments, or ideas,

please contactIntercom’s editor at (202) 267-3854

The WJHTC Intercom is available in color on-line at:

http://www.tc.faa.gov/intercom/intercom.htm

PARTNERING FOR SUCCESS

16

The May/June issue of Air Traffic Control printeda letter from Adam Greco, manager of the NASSimulation Branch (ACT-510) to John Carr, NATCAPresident. In that letter, Adam praised WashingtonCenter controller Kevin Aurendt for both his work withACT-510 and for his “tangible expression of gratitudeafter the Washington Center [chokepoint] study con-cluded . . . Kevin sent plaques in formal recognition of10 employees . . . it was an extremely thoughtful ges-ture and I felt that his actions should be brought toyour attention. We believe it reflects positively onyour leadership and organization.”

John Carr responded to Adam, writing “I’m veryappreciative to you for taking the time to write meregarding the Chokepoint initiative and, most especial-ly, for bringing to my attention Kevin’s key role in thesuccess of your endeavors. I greatly appreciate all thatyou and your team is doing to assist us in implement-ing these sectors, and I look forward to a continuedpositive relationship between the Technical Center andthe NATCA representatives who work with you.”

VOICE

Don’t forget -- you can now get to the VOICEwebpage through the FAA intranet at interweb.faa.gov.Once in the VOICE page, click on Hot Topics, to seethe latest agency news. The Hot Topics are updateddaily. And, don’t forget to call 1-877-888-4325 tokeep informed about agency happenings. The mes-sage is updated weekly on Wednesdays.

Please try to get Intercomsubmissions (articles, photos,

ideas) to Terry Krausvia email by the secondTuesday of every month.

DON’T FORGET


I NTERCOM I NTERCOM I NTERCOM I NTERCOM I NTERCOM I ...

Documents

Transcript of I NTERCOM I NTERCOM I NTERCOM I NTERCOM I NTERCOM I ...