managing the skies mar apr 2012 web

T h e A d v o c A T e f o r A v i A T i o n L e A d e r s

Mar/Apr 2012 • vol.10 no.2

Right on the MaRk

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The Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program1-800-LTC-FEDS (1-800-582-3337) TTY 1-800-843-3557 www.LTCFEDS.com/FAAMA

The Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program is sponsored by the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, offered by John Hancock Life & Health Insurance Company, and administered by Long Term Care Partners, LLC

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The AdvocATe for AviATion LeAdersMarch/April 2012 vol.10 no.2

fAA MAnAgers AssociATion, inc. #3154410 Massachusetts Avenue NW Washington, DC 20016Tel 202.741.9415 | www.faama.org

MissionWe promote aviation safety and efficiency, advocate for our members’ interests, prepare the managers of today to be the leaders of tomorrow, and support the highest ideals of the Federal Government.

officersPresident, David ConleyVice President, Stephen SmithSecretary, Julie FidlerTreasurer, Tom Dury

direcTorsDirector of Administration, VacantDirector of Communications, Laurie ZugayDirector of Legislative Affairs, Tony TisdallDirector of Membership, David ChappuiesParliamentarian, Andy TaylorMembership Education Committee Chair, Hal AlbertPolitical Action Committee Chair, Dan CunninghamCorporate Relations Representative, James GraysonAlaskan Region, Darla GerlachCentral Region, Joyce DavisEastern Region, Rich BakerGreat Lakes Region, Heather Mullett New England Region, Bruce HallNorthwest Mountain Region, Lori ScharfSouthern Region, Billy ReedSouthwest Region, Michael (Hitch) CombeWestern Pacific Region, Phil Freed

pubLisherKathleen Cummins Mifsud

MAnAging ediTorLaurie Zugay

sTAff ediTorsPam Adams, Anita Engelmann, and John Sideris

conTribuTorsLouis Dupart, David Kerr, Bob Hildebidle, Laurie Zugay, Kathleen Cummins Mifsud, Michael Looney, Michael Klesius, Judy Schneider, Robert W. Poole, Jr., David Conley, Beth and Tony Cox, Glenn Livingston, Michael Livingston, Bert Simpson, Robyn Kehoe, and Darla Gerlach.

iLLusTrATion & phoTogrAphYPhoto page 16 by Steve Welles; photos pages 24 to 25 supplied by Bert Simpson; photos page 26 supplied by Robyn Kehoe.

designSagetopia, 703.726.6400, www.sagetopia.com

AdverTisingMarshall Boomer, Sales Representative800.501.9571, [email protected]

ediToriAL & subscripTion inquiriesManaging the Skies1775 East Riviera Drive, Merritt Island, FL 32952Telephone: 202.251.0386Email: [email protected]

Managing the Skies is a benefit of membership in the FAA Managers Association, Inc. To become a member, go to www.faama.org. For all others, the annual sub-scription rate is $49. Please address your inquiries to [email protected] and [email protected].

Managing the Skies is published bi-monthly by the FAA Managers Association, Inc.

The views expressed herein are solely those of the authors and should not be construed to be the opinion of the FAA Managers Association. Suggestions and opinions expressed in Managing the Skies are not necessarily endorsed by the FAA Managers Association. Nothing in these pages is intended to supersede operators’ or manufacturers’ policies, practices, or requirements, or to supersede government regulations.

© 2012 FAA Managers Association, Inc. All rights reserved.

12 24 features

06 Supervisor’s Committee (SUPCoM) Update

12 Policy, Politics, & Procedure An Insider’s Look at Congress

16 Right on the Mark FAA Reauthorization – “Mark it Done!”

20 32nd annual gathering of eagles Making Time Count

24 Sebring US Sport aviation eXPo

departments

04 Washington Watch The Power of ONE

08 Profile Making His Mark in Washington – Revisiting Rep. Darrell Issa

15 opinion One Cheer for the FAA Reauthorization

23 Money talks The Government’s “New” Retirement System

28 Spotlight on an aviation Leader Michael Atkins

Advertisers 02 the Federal Long term

Care insurance Program www.LTCFEDS.com/FAAMA

09 Plantronics, inc. www.Plantronics.com/government

31 Lockheed Martin Data Comm team www.lockheedmartin.com/datacomm

32 FaaMa 2012 Convention orlando FL www.FAAMA.org

07 new Pay Structure for Faa’s ato Management

10 Recruiting, hiring & Retaining individuals with Disabilities

11 heroes in the tower ii

26 Saluting 15 FaaMa-Feea Scholarship Winners

29 effective Senior Leadership is Primary Driver in Rating Federal “Best Places to Work”

30 2012 FaaMa Leadership training | FaaMa Corporate Partners

4 MANAGING THE SKIES | MAR/APR 2012

T he number ONE carries immense con-notations in our society. Everyone wants to be number ONE. America’s fixation

with sports is driven by determining who the most valuable player is or which team is ranked number ONE above all other teams. Our culture worships number ONE, the winner.

My fixation with the idea of the power of ONE is that it takes only ONE – whether it is a person, a team, or an association – to make a difference. President Kennedy said:

“One person can make a difference, and every-one should try.” Indeed, throughout history, we

have seen men and women who have changed millions of lives by the sheer power of ONE: Martin Luther King, Jr.; Gandhi; Amelia Earhart; Rosa Parks – the list goes on and on.

In FAAMA, my focus on “the power of ONE” is on a smaller, less grand scale, but it is just as important because it drives critical outcomes in managing a safe and efficient air traffic system. Through the power of ONE, individual FAAMA members can make the day-to-day difference that shapes the

FAA and makes our Association – inside and outside of the FAA – relevant.

I remain in awe of the job done by the men and women of FAAMA who became lead-

ers because they want to make a difference. Of course, leading and making a difference can be lonely: it cuts against the grain; it is risky; and success is not guaranteed. Yet, despite the naysay-ers, FAAMA has powered on to become a strong, effective association that leads through the collec-tive energy of each one of you.

Over the eight years that I have worked with FAAMA, I have seen many examples of ONE rising above the many to make the difference that has pushed our Association to the top. Below are just a few examples of how ONE leader and ONE asso-ciation can make critical differences and change outcomes at the FAA and on Capitol Hill.

John fisher Led fAAMA to independence In 2002, then-President John Fisher led our Association in its break with the Federal Managers Association to set FAAMA on an inde-pendent course that led to multiple legislative vic-tories affecting supervisor staffing and retirement pay for FAA employees. Before this, FAAMA’s non-federal workforce priorities were lost in an associ-ation that did not have the same focus.

FAAMA set its own independent course not only certain of its goals but also guided by a clear mission statement. The Association gained momentum on Capitol Hill by establish-ing ties with influential members of Congress – ONE meeting by ONE meeting – to build a body of goodwill and support. Without President John Fisher’s vision, an independent FAAMA capable of pioneering substantial changes would not have been created.

steve baker helped create a coalition of 215,000+ government ManagersToday, FAAMA’s approximately 1,500 members are relevant within the FAA, but in terms of the government workforce at large, the Association represents a very small universe. In order to gain greater credibility and expand the Association’s effectiveness, our past President Steve Baker proposed forming the Government Managers Coalition (GMC), composed of over 215,000 managers and supervisors across five govern-ment agencies including FAAMA, the Federal Managers Association, the National Council of Social Security Management Associations, the Professional Managers Association, and the Senior Executives Association.

Through the work of the GMC, a collective message about the importance of managers and supervisors has been greatly amplified. When FAAMA teamed with the GMC and led in the formation of well-defined legislative priori-ties on federal employee benefits, we scored a homerun in achieving the Association’s long-standing legislative goals affecting personnel benefits such as:

The power of oneA message from the executive director

... I have seen many examples of ONE

rising above the many to make the difference

that has pushed our Association to

the top.

Washington Watch

T H E A D V O C A T E F O R A V I A T I O N L E A D E R S

MAR/APR 2012 | MANAGING THE SKIES 5

¢¢ Credit for FERS for unused sick leave,

¢¢ Extending locality pay to employees outside the continental United States,

¢¢ Allowing FERS employees to redeposit annuity payments upon returning to government service, and

¢¢ Permitting part time re-employment of annuitants without offsets to retirement income.

For the complete story, see the November/December 2009 issue of Managing the Skies, pages 6-8, “Landmark Legislative Victory for FAA Managers Association.”

Today, the GMC is more important than ever because we are united in opposing further federal pay freezes and changes in the federal retirement calculation. While FAAMA alone may not be big enough to create waves in the government work-force, the power of ONE larger association – the GMC – can make the difference.

fAAMA Members Are building a stronger, More dynamic Association Most recently, I have seen members of the FAAMA Board step up and individually change outcomes. David Chappuies led a new FAAMA membership drive by personally attending Chapter Meetings across the country and recruiting 114+ new mem-bers since the October 2011 Convention.

Under Laurie Zugay’s leadership, FAAMA’s press outreach and public image have been greatly enhanced and improved. “FAAMA in the News” is no longer just a slogan, but a solid reality, and this directly impacts FAA leader-ship who receive Association press clips regu-larly. Under Laurie’s direction, Hitch Comb has changed Association IT systems so that we can communicate more easily with each other. Plus, the Association’s revamped website is not only more useful than ever before but also displays a contemporary new image to the public.

FAAMA corporate sponsorship is hitting on all cylinders under James Grayson who is build-ing on a solid foundation of past hard work. New and increased sponsorships will yield sustained revenue to our Association.

president conley courageously stated the facts to Aviation subcommittee MembersPresident David Conley testified on February 9, 2011, at the House Aviation Subcommittee about

legitimate concerns concern-ing the Air Traffic Safety Action Program (ATSAP) implementa-tion and the effect that it has on the safety of the air traffic sys-tem. This testimony met with a firestorm of criticism from senior FAA leadership. David, isolated and alone, stood up and reiter-ated that while FAAMA supports the goals of ATSAP, there also are some implementation problems that require attention.

Further, unbowed by the criticism of David and FAAMA, supervisors and managers across the country wrote to share their concerns about ATSAP. Through this testimony, the Association set the stage for continued FAA management and Congressional attention to this program.

On November 17, 2011, David Conley spoke in an off-the-record meeting with members of the House Aviation Subcommittee. Seated next to him were Air Traffic Organization Deputy Chief Operating Officer Rick Ducharme and NATCA President Paul Rinaldi. David engaged in a discussion of the necessary components, including ATSAP, which keep our air traffic system the safest, most efficient system in the world.

As the Executive Director, I continue to look for examples of FAAMA members making a difference through “the power of ONE,” in changing the collective outcomes for all of us, for our Association, and for our country.

Please share your thoughts and comments with me at [email protected], as well as your own specific examples of “the power of ONE.”

Today, I challenge each ONE of you to be the ONE person to make a difference in our ONE

Association. £

the advocate for aviation Leaders Louis Dupart, Executive DirectorFAA Managers Association, Inc.

2012 nextgen implementation plan now Available

NextGen is moving forward. During

2011, the FAA improved airport access

for general aviation by continuing

to publish Wide Area Augmentation

System Localizer Performance with

Vertical Guidance approaches, bring-

ing the total nationwide to nearly 2,800.

A major initiative to streamline depar-

ture and arrival traffic at 21 metro-

plexes is well underway. More than

300 Automatic Dependent Surveillance

– Broadcast radio stations were opera-

tional by the end of 2011, providing

coverage to the coastal United States,

and along the border with Canada.

Look for information on these

accomplishments and more, as well

as an overview of NextGen planning,

in the latest update of the NextGen

Implementation Plan, available in March

2012, at http://www.faa.gov/nextgen.


supervisor’s committee (supcoM) update

A t every level, SUPCOM’s structure is based on the Air Traffic Organization (ATO) structure. A facility chair inter-

acts with a facility manager and the same is true for the Air Route Traffic Control Centers and the terminals. A district chair interacts with a terminal district chair, and a service area chair interacts with a service area direc-tor. There is a national officer for terminal and en route who interacts with executives at that level, and there is a national chair.

SUPCOM is developing a new set of priori-ties to define what is most important, including the following:

communicationSUPCOM is building a website inside of the ATO website to enhance our

communications with supervisors – it’s a top priority. Communication is about staying con-nected, and not just from the leadership to members – more importantly, from members to the leadership. To me, that’s the most important connection.

professional standardsEarly in 2011, Rick Ducharme, ATO Chief Operating Officer, met with

SUPCOM leadership and asked the group to develop a professional standards program for supervisors. Within a couple of months, we hope to unveil a program that makes sense to us that can be used to elevate levels of professionalism.

safetyAnother priority is safety. Maybe from a SUPCOM perspective we can take

ownership and help lower the risk so that we can become a safer airspace.

Leadership TrainingThe next priority is developing leader-ship skills for supervisors. We hear a

lot about leadership – what it is, why we need it, how does it work? Can you read about it and then become a leader? We think we can help Front Line Managers develop better leadership skills, and we are working with FAA headquarters to develop new programs.

operational supervisor’s WorkshopOur marquee SUPCOM program is

the Operational Supervisor’s Workshop (OSW) – a program in place for nearly 20 years. OSW Oversight Chairman Richard Seaman supplied the following details:

The Operational Supervisor’s Workshop is my passion and my career. ATO Deputy Chief Operating Officer Rick Ducharme described the “overnight trans-formation” (including divine intervention) and “osmosis training” that occurs while you sleep when you transi-tion from being a controller to a supervisor.

In 1989, we were directed to start an Operational Supervisors Workshop which was a nuts and bolts course at the time. Now, OSW is more than 50 percent

excerpts from an address

by bob hildebidle,

national supcoM

chairperson and front

Line Manager, fAA

Miami ATcT/TrAcon,

at the 2011 fAAMA

gathering of eagles

every Faa supervisor in america is a member of SUPCoM. it’s free – there are no dues, and you belong. Why does SUPCoM exist? We’ve been talking about collaboration, input, and feedback – that’s what SUPCoM is really set up to do, providing input at all levels of management.



leadership training with a robust curriculum that includes 36 hours of training. In a fiscal year, 42 OSWs are conducted in the service centers.

The OSW has an oversight group of eight that meets annually, and I’m chair of that group. We maintain the curriculum, directly facilitate workshop delivery, and collaborate with stakeholders including the FAA Academy. Every FAA Front Line Manager is required to attend the OSW once every three years, and the experiential knowledge that is shared and the camaraderie and teamwork developed is very valuable.

The safety cultureThe safety culture is a bad news/good news story. The bad news is that the

term has become trendy, and, as a result, is beginning to become marginalized – the opera-tive word is “culture.” If you envision a stack of bricks, it is built upon relationships.

FAAMA Executive Director Louis Dupart described the relationships that have enabled FAAMA to make a difference in the life of the employees. So, culture is built upon relationships. What are relationships built upon? Trust – which

leads directly to integrity. We want to know we can trust the people we deal with every day.

Integrity comes down to personal values. A safety culture is a group of people who have committed them-selves to live out values that are expressed in behaviors grounded in safety. We don't com-promise when there are conflicts with different goals between produc-tion and safety. FAA headquarters can't dictate culture change – it

happens here, so let's make it happen together.

Administrative WorkloadsWe also want to address administra-tive workloads – what I sometimes call

the overload for supervisors. We are looking into this and trying to discover a way to drive those administrative duties down to a more reason-

able, logical level. £

By all indications, the Air Traffic Organization’s (ATO) Chief

Operating Officer, David Grizzle, was fully committed to “putting

the right people in the right jobs” to a career succession program,

to transparency, to Workforce Engagement, and to working in a

collaborative manner.

Workgroups had come together and had been required to sign

Non-disclosure Agreements to work on management pay. While

this does not seem very transparent, everyone believed it would

ultimately result in meeting Mr. Grizzle’s stated commitments.

However, on February 9, 2012, we learned of the new pay structure

for ATO management.

Mr. Grizzle was noticeably absent from the February 10th and

February 17th telecons to discuss how the new pay structure came

to be and to discuss consequences, both intended and unintended.

FAAMA was quick to let FAA Acting Administrator Michael Huerta

know that his actions in signing the Collaborative Agreement and

his approval of the new pay structure were in direct conflict.

FAAMA also established a system for addressing member

questions concerning the new pay to FAAMA President David

Conley. Mr. Conley later presented the questions to ATO Deputy

Chief Operating Officer Rick Ducharme. It has quickly become

apparent that the new, lower pay structure has dire unintended

consequences – many of which do not have easy answers.

As Managing the Skies goes to press, FAAMA has been asked by

Mr. Ducharme to work with him in resolving the grave inequities

surrounding this new pay system.

New Pay Structure for FAA’s ATO ManagementFAAMA to Work with Deputy COO Ducharme to Resolve Inequities

SUPCOM is developing a new set of priorities to define what is most important...


r ewarding his success as a Congressional watchdog of taxpayer dollars, at the beginning of the 111th Congress House

Republicans tapped Darrell Issa to serve as the top Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. This is the main investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives charged with

protecting the inter-ests of U.S. taxpayers and eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal bureaucracy.

According to The Washington Post, “Mention Darrell Issa’s name around federal agencies, the White House, and Capitol Hill and it provokes groans, eye rolls, and fear among some.” In describing his role as Oversight Panel Chairman, Issa says, “I’m looking for waste, fraud, and abuse in gov-ernment… Can I make the government be more responsive and more efficient? Those are my major charges.”

In the first year of his leadership, the com-mittee has undertaken numerous investiga-tions: the Countrywide Financial VIP Program that benefitted gov-ernment officials with special reduced-rate mortgage loans; the decades-old misplaced

government agenda to manip-ulate the U.S. housing market through Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; the politici-zation of science at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA); and a broad investigation into the financial crisis of 2008-2009.

As a fiscal conservative committed firmly to low taxes and free markets, Issa has opposed the rise of out-of-control government spend-ing and fought tirelessly for the responsible, transparent use of taxpayer dollars. He’s pushed to achieve more whistleblower protections, and he’s offered substantive reform initiatives to open up government.

issa Wins good government AwardIn 2010, Project on Government Oversight awarded Issa with its Good Government Award. His contributions include: publicizing documents produced by the New York Federal Reserve Bank in response to a congressional subpoena; publicly exposing the New York Federal Reserve’s secret “back-door bailout” of AIG’s counterparties; and cofounding a Transparency Caucus.

issa on the issues

Does the President’s Proposed Budget Make the Changes Necessary to Restore Fiscal Health?

In short, no. Under the President’s spending plan, for fiscal years 2011 and 2012, deficits of $1.43 trillion and $1.16 trillion will be incurred, spending will INCREASE 57 percent over 10 years (from $3.7 trillion to $5.8 trillion), and net INTEREST WILL GROW 335 percent, from $214 billion to $931 billion.

Profile Making his Mark in WashingtonRevisiting Representative Darrell Issa (R-CA-49th)

issa in the newsExcerpts from a Feb. 21, 2012 story by

Ed O’Keefe in The Washington Post:

Rep. Issa Has Been Busy as Oversight Panel Chairman

Rep. Darrell Issa is trying to make good on his promise to keep close tabs on the Obama administration.

Since assuming the chairmanship of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in January 2011, the California Republican has held hundreds of hearings, made more than 700 requests for information and issued almost two dozen subpoenas…

Issa issued 22 subpoenas and published 11 investigative GOP staff reports, and the panel sent 748 letters seeking information from the White House and federal agencies in his first year, according to the panel’s records…

In his second year, Issa said he is forging ahead on a host of issues, including Obama’s plans to reor-ganize trade- and commerce-related agencies.

“Real reorganization takes time, it takes buy-in, historically, from Congress and the admin-istration,” Issa said… “I didn’t come to Congress for one thing. I came to try to leave our coun-try better by being here, so I’m never apologetic for taking on as many diverse issues as I can.”



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The President’s and Democrats feign fiscal responsibility by proposing a “fed-eral spending freeze.” However, what they’re less quick to concede is that this “freeze” simply locks in govern-ment’s current, unsustainable spending levels that were reached during historic spending binges over the last two years.

The President’s proposal is also lacking any substantive entitlement reforms, a basic qualification of any long-term, fiscally responsible spend-ing plan. In the current year, manda-tory spending (Entitlements) such as Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security account for 59.5 percent of spending, and will continue to grow.

Absent significant reforms to enti-tlements and real spending cuts, there will be no way to pay for the function of government and higher taxes will be proposed, (even more) massive deficits will be incurred, and Americans will be bearing the burden.

Living the American dreamPrior to his election to Congress, Darrell Issa was a technology indus-try leader and CEO. He founded Vista, California-based Directed Electronics Inc., the industry-leading manufacturer of automobile security and convenience products.

Issa has served as Chairman of the Consumer Electronics Association, the Board of Governors of the Electronics Industry Association, and as Director of the San Diego Regional Economic Development Corporation and the Greater San Diego County Chamber of Commerce. In 1994, Issa received the Entrepreneur of the Year Award from Inc. Magazine, Ernst & Young, and The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Well known as a grassroots leader to Republicans throughout California, Issa served as co-chair of the cam-paign to pass the California Civil Rights Initiative (Prop. 209) and was Chairman

of the California Republican Party’s statewide Victory ‘96 effort. He acted as Chairman of the Volunteer Committee for the 1996 Republican National Convention where he recruited and organized the activities of more than 10,000 volunteers.

The grandson of immigrants and a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, Darrell Issa was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He enlisted in the Army during his senior year in high school and attended college on an ROTC scholarship. In the Army, Issa served as a bomb disposal technician, tank platoon commander, and a com-puter R&D specialist. He attained the rank of Captain.

Darrell and Kathy Issa reside in Vista, CA – their home of 26 years. They have one son, William. £


W e have all seen the impact of these tough economic times on employment opportuni-

ties. However, few people realize the impact it has had on individuals with disabilities. The unemployment rate for individuals with disabilities is 12.9 per-cent compared to 8.7 percent for indi-viduals without disabilities.

Currently the federal government employs over two million people, of those a little more than five percent are indi-viduals with disabilities. Less than one percent represent individuals with tar-geted disabilities. A targeted disability is the most severe: including such disabili-ties as hearing, vision, missing extremi-ties, partial paralysis, complete paralysis, epilepsy, dwarfism, severe intellectual disability, and psychiatric disability.

There are many reasons why the unemployment rate for individuals with disabilities is so high. One of the main reasons is the attitude of employ-ers toward hiring these individuals. The thought that individuals don’t want to work or can’t work are not accurate. In fact, these individuals do want to work and are shown to be more loyal, dedi-cated, and committed to their jobs.

It also is believed that individuals with disabilities have a higher cost asso-ciated with their employment. This also is not true because most accommoda-tions are inexpensive and cost an average $500. Some accommodations have no cost at all, such as adjusting a work schedule or allowing employees to telework.

To mark the twentieth anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), President Barack Obama signed Executive Order 13548 which mandates federal agencies increase their efforts to recruit, hire, and retain individuals with disabilities.

The goal: hire 100,000 individuals with disabilities within five YearsEach agency must take action to reach the Order’s goal of hiring 100,000 individuals with disabilities and tar-geted disabilities over the next five years. Since 2006, the Department of Transportation (DOT) has maintained a three percent hiring goal, and, in 2009, DOT implemented a goal of three per-cent for the onboard rate of employees with disabilities.

Within the FAA, the Office of Civil Rights (ACR) has continued to promote numerous resources and tools to assist managers in this effort, including:

¢¢ Workforce recruitment program (Wrp): The WRP is a recruitment and referral program that connects federal and private sector employers nationwide with highly motivated post-secondary students and recent graduates with disabilities who are eager to prove their abilities through summer or permanent jobs.

¢¢ �Office�of�Personnel�Management (opM)/bender shared registry: OPM has contracted with Bender Consulting Services, Inc., to populate a shared registry of individuals with disabilities who are qualified and have an interest in working for federal agencies. The registry is now available on the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Max Federal Community.

¢¢ state vocational Rehabilitation�Offices: State supported divisional service offices assist individuals with

disabilities who are pursuing meaningful careers.

Each of these resources maintains extensive databases of qualified candi-dates who can be hired competitively or non-competitively.

The on-the-spot (oTs) hiring AuthorityFor FAA managers, the On-the-Spot (OTS) hiring authority is a tool for non-competitively hiring an individual with a disability. OTS is a valuable alterna-tive to the traditional hiring process. It is time-saving and easy to use once you have identified an open position within your organization.

Managers also can do the following to increase the hiring of people with disabilities:

first, don’t let your attitudes become a barrier to hiring individuals with disabilities. Keep an open mind.

second, make sure you are informed about recruiting and hiring an individual with a disability. Contact the FAA’s National People with Disabilities Program Manager, Michael Looney, or your regional Human Resources Selective Placement Coordinator (SPC) for guidance.

Third, make sure you and your staff receive training on a vari-ety of disability related issues. The Office of Civil Rights (ACR) provides training courses on “Reasonable Accommodations” and “Employing, Retaining, and Advancing People with Targeted Disabilities.”

For more information, contact the servicing Civil Rights Office or the EEO Training Institute. £

recruiting, hiring & retaining individuals with disabilities Michael Looney | National People with Disabilities Program Manager, FAA



panic in the Middle of the nightOn February 19, 2010, Dan Boyle, 50, was working the graveyard shift at the Southern California TRACON (Terminal Radar Approach Control – a type of air traffic control facility) in San Diego when he got an ominous transmis-sion. “Basically, when somebody calls you at 2:30 a.m. and they’re not landing at L.A., you know there’s something wrong,” he says.

It was a private pilot, Skye Turner, 23, and he sounded anxious. Turner was alone in a Cirrus SR22, N443CP; later, Boyle would learn that Turner had stolen the airplane from Montgomery Field in San Diego after a fight with his girlfriend, and planned to commit suicide by flying it into the ocean. Now he was reconsidering. But he was not qualified to fly on instruments, and wasn’t trained for the Cirrus.

Boyle calmly directed him toward Los Angeles International Airport. It took some doing because Boyle had to force Turner down into a cloud layer at about 3,600 feet: “I’ll take you out on a nice, long, drawn-out approach, and we’ll descend real gradually,” Boyle told him. “On your present heading, start a VFR [visual flight rules] descent to 2,500 [feet alti-tude], and with your descent rate we’ll just see what we can do on your present heading of 270 [degrees].”

“He didn’t quite get the whole descending thing,” Boyle says today. “That’s when he kind of lost it for a bit there, got very concerned, dropped a few expletives on the frequency as he was panicking.” Turner climbed back above the featureless cloud deck. He turned north, after which Boyle coaxed him back around for a new approach.

This time Turner stuck with the descent, assisted by the airplane’s autopilot and its GPS, which locked onto the airport’s local-izer, a key part of its instrument landing system. The Cirrus popped out the bottom of the cloud deck and made it to the run-way, but Turner failed to get on the ground. Boyle had to give the pilot quick instruc-tions: “Three Charlie Papa, make left traf-fic. There’s a dune that’s west there that’s a couple hundred feet higher. So make left traffic for runway 25-Left.”

After a go-around, Turner landed. Boyle told him to turn off the runway. “I asked him, ‘You okay?’ He said, ‘Yeah, I’m okay.’ Then he said, ‘I can see the cars coming over, and I see the…police cars.”

“I’m like Hmm, sounds kinda funny,” says Boyle. “I said, ‘Whatever. Contact the tower.’ So I go about my business. I’ve got other airplanes.”

The full story would emerge in the follow-ing days. Turner had been a pilot, but his license had lapsed. He had taken off in San Diego a couple hours ear-lier under clear skies, made a stop in Palm Springs, then taken off again. Says Boyle: “He looks down and he can’t see anything but clouds, and it’s like Maybe I am gonna kill myself.” And likely others on the ground.

But not on Boyle’s watch. £

* This is the second in a series of�five�articles�about�heroic�air�traffic�controllers,�reprinted�with permission from Air & Space/Smithsonian magazine, september 2011.

heroes in the TowerStories about air traffic controllers that you probably didn’t see on the evening newsMichael Klesius | Air & Space Magazine

PaRt ii*

He looks down and he can’t see anything but clouds...

... Turner had stolen the airplane from Montgomery Field in San Diego after a fight with his girlfriend, and planned to commit suicide by flying it into the ocean.



f irst, the policy – what exactly is the issue? The policy must be right. Congress has 541 members

with 541 different policy backgrounds which means we are working with 541 completely different political animals.

Second, in order to understand the art of politics, you need to know the players. In Congress there are mem-bers who can stand up and introduce a bill that says, “Today is Monday,” and that bill will fail simply based upon who introduced it – and vice versa. Everybody talks about what Democrats and Republicans believe. Do not take this seriously. Not all Democrats are the same and not all Republicans are the same.

The third thing to know is the procedure – how exactly the institu-tion operates. In addition to the FAA Reauthorization bill, the transporta-tion committee is working on a highway bill. Let’s say we all agree the deficit is too high, and somebody has a great idea – instead of giving 50 states high-way money, let’s give it to 49 – think how much money we can save. Does anyone have a problem?

A new member of Congress ran for office on a platform of cutting the deficit. Does he want highway money for his state? Yes, of course. He ran on cutting the deficit, but he also is a poli-tician. The first thing that is going to go will be the policy.

excerpts from an address by Judy schneider,

specialist on the congress government and

finance division, congressional research

service, Library of congress, at the 2011

fAAMA gathering of eagles.

An Insider’s Look at Congress

in order to understand what Congress does, you need to understand policy, politics, and procedure. to succeed, you need all three elements to be equally balanced. if one element is out of whack, there may be a problem. Congress lives and dies bys its politics and procedures.

& procedure Politics,

policy,


In order to get a bill through the legislative process, it must go through a series of steps with the final step called “reconciling the differences.” The bill that goes to the President is either the House bill – which the Senate is going to hate on general principles – or the Senate bill which the House is going to hate on gen-eral principles – or a compromise bill.

The problem is how to get there. There are two procedural ways to get there. In terms of FAA Reauthorization, problem number one is whether the House bill or the Senate bill will be the moving vehicle. The newspapers may call it the “moving train.”

In the FAA Reauthorization bill there are “user fees” which are not taxes. On a policy level, that may be correct. If the bill includes user fees, it must originate in the House. Therefore, let’s assume that the House bill is the moving train. If the House passes the FAA bill, they will send it to the Senate.

A staffer will take the House bill and walk under the Capitol dome and bring it to the Senate and then say, “Mr. President, I am directed by the House to inform the Senate that the House has passed HR 123, for which the concur-rence of the Senate is requested.” Then, the staffer bows.

Now the Senate has the House bill. The Senate can do one of two things: they can pass the House bill and send it to the President. That rarely happens. The Senate looks at the House bill and says, “We love it, but the problem is that we have been working on our own ver-sion – which is so much better.”

Congress does not use electronics for editing the text of bills. So the Senate takes the House bill and, with a magic marker, crosses out all of the policy statements (leaving the numbers). Next, with a big staple, they attach the Senate version of the bill to the House bill, and send both back to the House.

A staffer runs back to the House with both bills and says, “Mr. Speaker, I am directed by the Senate to inform the House that the Senate has passed HR123 with an amendment – which just happens to be the text of the Senate

bill. Now we have a new problem. The House can pass the bill and send it to the President. Or, more likely, the House can say to the Senate, “You know we are on the right track. If we can only work out the small little labor problem, we can get there.”

Magic markers come in multiple colored packages. The Senate crossed out the House bill in black magic marker. Now the House uses a red magic marker (for example) to circle what they want to change, and then they send the whole package back to the Senate.

Another trip under the Capitol dome, back to the Senate: “Mr. President, I am directed by the House to inform you, the Senate, that the House passed HR 123 with an amendment to the Senate amendment to the House bill.” So now the Senate decides to change it again and send it back to the House. New magic markers (in different colors) come out.

ping-pong politicsBack to the House: “Mr. Speaker, I am directed by the Senate to inform the House that the Senate has passed HR 123 with the Senate amendment to the House amendment to the Senate amend-ment to the House bill.” That’s how the many extensions to FAA Reauthorization occurred. The process has a nickname – ping-pong.

Since 2007, the FAA Reauthorization bill has moved through 23 short term extensions – because the politics keep changing. Five-hundred and forty-one people are dealing with this ping-pong stuff, and finally declare, “I don’t want to ping-pong anymore. I think we should sit in a room and cut a deal.” So they reach a “stage of disagreement.” Someone can request a conference and the other chamber agrees.

understanding how the senate Works In order to understand how Congress works, you need to understand proce-durally how the Senate and House floors operate as well. Let’s talk about the Senate floor first. The Senate lives and dies by two words – unanimous consent. If a member objects to bringing up a bill, that objection may make the newspa-pers. For example, if the Senate brings up a bill today to provide a prescrip-tion drug program for all seniors but, in order to pay for it, student loans have to be repaid at 45 percent interest – is there any objection?

At this point, members reflect upon why they were elected. Members are being asked for unanimous consent to take up a bill to repaint walls. We are not talking about major policy issues. The Senate lives and dies by unani-mous consent: so all they have to do is get a bill on the floor – in this case, a bill to repaint walls.

“until the Knees Touch the ground”Once that happens, Senate rules kick in. Now, if you want to offer an amend-ment on slots at Reagan Airport, you can go right ahead. Once you are rec-ognized to speak, you can speak and speak and speak until one of two things happens: you can say, “I am done,” or you can keel over. A Senator could speak on the Senate floor “until the knees touch the ground.”

invoking clotureThe problem is that all Senators are equal. And the Senate lives by unani-mous consent. If someone tries to stop a Senator from speaking, it is called

Once you are recognized to speak, you can speak and speak and speak until one of two things happens: you can say, “I am done,” or you can keel over.


“invoking cloture.” It is a two-step pro-cess. First, Senators sign a “cloture petition” which is a letter from 16 sena-tors that asks another senator to stop speaking.

If they file the letter on Monday, it has to layover until Wednesday to give advocates an opportunity to get involved. On Wednesday, they vote, going for 60 votes, but it is rare to get it. Then people have second thoughts. On Tuesday, they write the letter again and plan to vote on Thursday. One of two things happens – either they pull the bill or they get 60 votes.

Senators are important people. What if he or she was just getting to their point? You don’t want to stop them. There also is a “post cloture filibuster” which gives a Senator 30 hours to finish what they were saying.

Back to FAA Reauthorization: The Senate asks for conferees to put pressure on moving the bill ahead. The problem is that everything is done by unanimous consent, so guess how many Senators want to be conferees? Answer: 100. After all, there is an airport in every state. So it took months to get conferees appointed.

understanding how the house WorksThe House of Representatives lives and dies and operates by its rules and its

procedures. Because of that, the House has to follow procedures on any given measure on every given bill.

When new members are elected, CRS – my organization – takes them away for several days. First, I tell them is that the House is the 51st state legis-lature – the way it is done in one state and is not the way it is done in the House. Each of them is going to receive a copy of the rules manual – and then I show them the House rules book which has 1,100 pages.

Next, I tell them that the rules man-ual is supplemented by precedent and that each will be receiving all the prec-edents. Then, I display the 11 volumes of the Hinds and Cannon precedents which cover 1789 to 1936. Next, I show them the 17 volumes called Deschler’s precedents which go to 1995. And so on up to 2011. At this point, the freshmen recognize that it is a little more compli-cated than they planned.

The “easy” Way and the “other” WayAny new class of House freshmen is coming to Washington with an agenda. All of these new members must learn the procedures. There are two ways to move House bills on the floor – the easy way and the other way. The easy way, called “suspension of the rules,” is

for totally noncon-troversial bills.

Until this Congress, about 70 percent of all legislation was done that way – the easy way. When Republicans took back the House, they said no more. We spend too much time on that silly stuff. Suspension measures need a two thirds vote for passage. In the 23 extensions of FAA Reauthorization over the past five

years, the vast majority came up in the House under suspension.

house rules committee optionsThe problem is, “How do you bring up a bill that is more than $100 million,” like the FAA bill. Then we have a different problem. It requires a rule from the Rules Committee which consists of nine major-ity and four minority members. Their job is to decide how the bill should be consid-ered on the floor, and they have options.

One option is called an “open rule” because any member can offer as many amendments to the bill as they wish. Another option is the “structured rule,” where the Rules Committee picks and chooses who gets to offer amendments. The problem is that anything that is not finished has to start all over again.

Another problem is the work of the joint select committee. There is a deadline for sending recommendations to the joint select committee. Some of this information is public but much of it is not in terms of what should and should not be cut from a bill.

There also is a provision in the legislation which says if there is a big package then it must be scored by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) which is given a time frame for com-pleting the scoring. Next, there is time for making fixes based on the scoring.

Once that is done, it is time to rec-oncile the differences. Both the House and Senate must vote on the package. There also is something called “expe-dited procedures.” And unanimous consent is still in the mixture.

If the joint select committee does not cut a deal, the FAA Reauthorization bill will go to an “automatic sequester.” There also is another possibility called “ignore.” Roughly, this means, “Let’s make believe that we didn’t see this bill,” or “Let’s pass another piece of leg-islation to precede it.”

The good news: the first FAA Reauthorization bill since 2007 was signed into law by President Obama on February 14, 2012. £

about Judy Schneider Judy Schneider is a specialist for the Congressional Research Service (Library of Congress). CRS works exclusively for the United States Congress, providing policy and legal analysis to committees and members of both the House and Senate, regardless of party affiliation. A longtime supporter of the FAA Managers Association and an honorary member, Judy is respon-sible for training members of Congress every two years.

Judy, an adjunct scholar at the Center for Public policy education at the Brookings Institute, is co-author of Congressional Deskbook – The Practical and Comprehensive Guide to Congress, now in its Fifth Edition.


A fter 23 extensions since the nominal expiration of the last FAA authorization (Sept. 30, 2007), Congress finally enacted

and the President signed the bill. Despite some blather by politicians about how the bill opens the door to ATC modernization by fully funding NextGen, the bill does nothing of the kind.

In fact, it freezes for four years the FAA budget account (Facilities & Equipment) from which NextGen projects (and a lot of other capi-tal expenditures) are paid. All the other main accounts are also frozen for four years – airport grants (AIP), operations (mostly payroll), and research (tiny), making this the first FAA reau-thorization ever that does not increase spending.

Actually, the impact is worse than flat. That’s because the largest budget category, the $9.6 billion per year Operations account, almost certainly will not remain at that level during the four-year period. Doing so would mean violating the terms of the FAA’s union contracts, which provide for annual increases in compensation.

Hence, when Congress each year gets around to appropriating the money for FAA, if it sticks with the overall $15.9 billion per year FAA budget total, something else will have to be cut if Operations goes up each year. It won’t be AIP, because that is the one category that is on the “mandatory” side of the budget. The Research account is too small to matter. So the account that takes the hit will be – you guessed it – Facilities & Equipment (a.k.a. NextGen).

To illustrate the magnitudes, assume the Operations budget increases by 5 percent in each of FY2013, 2014, and 2015. By FY2015, it would have increased from $9.653 billion to $11.174 billion, and the four-year difference would be $3.024 billion. Subtracting that from

the budget’s four-year total for F&E ($10.906 billion) would reduce F&E to $7.872 billion over four years.

So FAA would have to defer some $3 bil-lion of F&E projects into future years, further stretching out the transition to NextGen. (And this example ignores the possibility of across-the-board cuts in all federal discretionary spending as a future deficit-reduction measure.)

Given this dismal outlook, one of the few good elements of the bill is its approval of provisions aimed at facilitating equipage of air-craft to operate in a NextGen environment. For example, last year Nexa Capital Partners pro-posed an innovative NextGen Equipage Fund. This is a creative effort to resolve the conun-drum faced by airlines when deciding when to make the capital expenditures to equip their planes with systems to interface with NextGen systems such as ADS-B, DataComm, etc.

Airlines (and business jet operators) rightly fear that if they act too soon, FAA will fail to deliver operational programs that interface with their new onboard gear. So the Equipage Fund would buy the hardware from suppli-ers and get it installed on aircraft fleets, but the aircraft operators would not start making lease payments until the FAA capability was operational (i.e., they would start paying only when they started to get benefits from the new systems).

That model would leave the Equipage Fund holding the bag in the event of FAA delays. Fortunately, the bill provides for equipage loan guarantees from the government. That should enable the Equipage Fund (and others) to get moving on NextGen equipage – assuming DOT and FAA make it a priority to get the loan guar-antee provision up and running. £

Opinion one cheer for the fAA reauthorizationrobert W. poole, Jr. | Director of Transportation Studies, Reason Foundation

reprinted with permission

from the february 2012

issue of ATc reform news.


Perspective

o n February 14th, President Obama signed the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2012, pro-viding the first such long-term appropria-

tions for the Federal Aviation Administration since 2007. The passage of this bill ends a five year battle in the U.S. Congress to appropriate some $63 bil-lion to fund the FAA through the year 2015.

FAAMA is pleased to see this chapter come to a close, as we have invested significant resources into ensuring the inclusion of language requir-ing the FAA to conduct an independent study to examine supervisory staffing levels of safety-related positions. The results of this study will be used to determine the appropriate future staff-ing levels of these positions, which are needed to ensure the safety and efficiency of the National Airspace System (NAS). This comprehensive study is to begin within 45 days of the signing into law and we are anxious to see the results. FAAMA is prepared to assist the Agency in designing and completing this task.

I would like to thank FAAMA Legislative Director Tony Tisdall, the Legislative Committee, and Louis Dupart and Krista Starke of the Normandy Group for leading the charge over the many years. I also want to thank the Members and Staff of the House Transportation Committee and the Senate Commerce Committee, as well as the Administration, who brought the bill to suc-cessful conclusion. Job well done!

Mark my Word! pay freeze and pension Threats Are realIn the House and Senate, politicians are con-stantly searching for offsets to the growing federal budget deficits. At the bull’s eye is the federal employee’s money.

The last maneuver was a proposal in a major House bill to increase the

amount government employees contribute to their pensions. The provision was found tucked into a section of The 2012 American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act, also known as the high-way bill that would require federal employees and members of Congress to pay a total of 1.5 percent more toward their pensions over three years beginning in 2013.

Fortunately, we caught it and our folks are on it. But you would be wise to stay on the lookout and alert us to any similar attempts to jeopardize our benefits.

Mark the TimeOnce again with the illusion of accelerating fre-quency, we already are well into the new year of 2012. With the change of seasons, we mark time and progress, assessing our path and adjusting our course during this year of discovery.

My choice of the work “mark” gives me pause to reflect upon the various definitions and con-texts of the word itself. “Mark” can be a name, a smudge, an indicator, a grade, a differentiator, an accomplishment, and more.

There are marks for good and marks for bad. There are marks made with intent to show and marks intended to hide. Marks can be made with purpose and others can be made by mistake. Some marks are indelible while others can be quickly wiped away or simply fade with time. Suffice it to say, marks represent a broad spectrum of expression.

Marks of childhoodWhen we were boys, the good women in my life, mom and grandma, would say, “Don’t leave that cup on the coffee table. You’ll leave a mark.” We also used to play a childish game called trading licks. There was nothing like getting in a good

continued on page 18 �

righton theMark FAA Reauthorization:

“Mark it Done!”A message from the president


i am pleased you recently signed a consultative agreement with the FAA Managers Association, Inc. (FAAMA) and have pledged to continue your collaborative efforts to work together to ensure a safe and efficient air traffic control system. In this

spirit of cooperation, I encourage you to move forward with an in depth study on supervisor staffing in order to provide guidance to the agency and keep Congress informed about the appropriate levels of supervisors and managers required to directly oversee day-to-day personnel working in safety related areas.

This study on front line manager staffing requirements in air traffic control facilities was included in both the House and Senate long-term FAA reauthorization bills and has bipartisan support. While it is possible that we will reach an agreement on a comprehensive FAA reauthorization bill before the current extension expires, I would like the FAA to initiate this study because it is important for aviation safety and to ensure a smooth transition to NextGen.

Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Jerry F. CostelloRanking MemberSubcommittee on Aviation

dear Acting Administrator huerta,December 20, 2011

Congress of the United StatesHouse of RepresentativesWashington, DC 20515-1312


lick and hearing my raucous cohorts yell “Yeah! Good one, man! That’s gonna’ leave a mark!”

If you were lucky enough to leave a bruise on your victim, you could expect to get some mileage out of your accomplish-ment for the next few days. Honestly, I don’t know why we played such games or even thought it respectable to inflict harm, but we did. Fortunately, we grew up. Bruises healed and the marks faded.

Marks to Leave behindThe trait of a typical FAAMA member is the desire to do something good…to make a positive difference...to leave their mark, if you will. I frequently hear members say that their primary motivation for volunteering is their belief that they have something valuable to give, and that they want to leave an impression that matters.

continued from page 16 �

From a 02/14/2012 FAAMA Press Release:

David Conley, President of the FAA Managers Association, praised President Obama for signing the FAA Reauthorization bill into law. President Conley remarked, “This bill is a criti-cal milestone for the FAA as the agency moves to the Next Generation of Air Traffic Control (NextGen).”

Conley continued by stating, “We are especially pleased with the inclusion of language mandating that the FAA conduct an independent study of supervisory staff-ing needs at our air traffic facilities. This comprehensive study is to begin within 45 days and our association is prepared to assist the agency in designing and completing this task.” Section 604 not only requires the study but also contains FAAMA recommended language as to what type of factors need to be considered within this study.

President Conley stated, “Our association has long called for more front line and other managers throughout the air traffic system. The impending controller retire-ment wave, the influx of new controllers and associated training, the increase in reported safety concerns and report-ing criteria, and the on-going transition to NextGen technology requires that we appropriately staff our facilities based on actual need and not just on budget limitations.”

From a 02/10/2012 Letter signed by the FAA Managers Association from the Federal Postal Coalition regarding the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act:

On behalf of the five million federal and postal workers and retirees represented

by the undersigned organizations, we urge you to reject the American Energy and Infrastructure Jobs Act (H.R. 7) in its current form based on its underly-ing financial provisions. The legislation is financed, in part, by a reduction in the hard-earned pensions of federal and postal workers…

This is a blatant and cynical attempt to require public employees to bear the bur-den of financing public infrastructure, setting a dangerous precedent that civil servants should serve as the “pay for” regardless of whether legislation impacts the federal workforce…

These reductions in retirements benefits are a vicious assault on over two million workers currently employed by the federal government… Further cuts like the ones proposed to pay for H.R. 7 will impair the government’s ability to attract and retain the best and the brightest to public service.

From a 01/17/2012 Letter from the Government Managers Coalition to the Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM):

“…We are writing to express our seri-ous concerns with the current annu-ity processing backlog, interim payment amounts, lack of standardized information on annuity payments, and length of pro-cessing time that many retirees experi-ence with the OPM.

…We understand that OPM has attempted to modernize its system since 1998… We know that OPM is aware of these issues and is working to address them. We also under-stand that the process of determining and finalizing annuity payments is complex… Added to this is an outdated, virtually non-existent technological system for process-ing annuities…

We suggest there should be consistent information provided to agency human resource offices that can be easily dis-seminated to employees experiencing the retirement process…We urge you to examine this issue and to take immediate action to ensure that any remaining back-logs are addressed and that OPM provides clear, accurate, and standard information to retirees regarding the payment sched-ule they can reasonably expect…

We would appreciate an update on how OPM is addressing the retirement backlog, strategies for responding to increased demand, and ways in which we may assist you…

From a 12/2/2011 Letter from the Government Managers Coalition regarding the Temporary Tax Holiday and Government Reduction Act, S.1931:

“…S.1931…would pay for an extension of the payroll tax holiday by freezing federal employee pay for an additional three years and arbitrarily reducing the size of the fed-eral workforce…

Applying another multi-year blanket freeze on federal pay constitutes a reduc-tion in take home pay, which intensifies the financial strain already shouldered by these public servants and does nothing to stimulate the economy…Congress should also seriously consider whether arbi-trary cuts to the federal workforce will decrease spending in the long run…

Many studies on the effects of the pro-posals in the 1990s to reduce personnel have concluded that arbitrary measure to cut or force out employees did not make government more efficient and, in fact, cost more in the long-term as agen-cies eventually had to increase hiring to reduce backlogs…



One of my family’s favorite vacation des-tinations is the beautiful Shenandoah Valley. Whether taking in the magnificent vistas of the Blue Ridge or immersing in the history of Lexington’s Virginia Military Institute or Washington and Lee University, southwestern Virginia is a virtual cornucopia of splendor.

One of our favorite day trips is down to Natural Bridge, Virginia. Among all the magnifi-cence of the natural wonder, some 23 feet up on the wall of the bridge, is a carving of the initials “G.W.” That carving, as the story goes, was made by a young surveyor, work-ing on behalf of Thomas Fairfax, sixth Lord Fairfax of Cameron, who sought to leave a mark that would endure for generations.

No doubt, more than just an afternoon of etching, this young man spent some time carefully engraving his initials in a place that would not likely be eroded by flood waters and that vandals could scarcely disgrace. The intent was obvious; he wanted the mark to last.

While the carving successfully endured two centuries, it is likely that history would have long forgotten the sig-nificance of the letters “G.W.” on the side of a rock. Despite his efforts to leave something lasting and significant, it was destined to become nothing more than the obscured scrib-bling of an ambitious young surveyor, whose life faded into the oblivion of time.

That is…until he made a mark that really mattered.

Marks That MatterOf course we all know that the significance of this young man’s life was later distinguished not by works of vanity, but by his service for our fledging country. The events that really marked his life were crossing the Delaware, command-ing the Continental Army, presiding over the Constitutional Convention, and serving as our Nation’s first President with astounding humility.

A lifetime can seem like a long time, but in reality, our opportunities to really make an impact may boil down to just a few years of our careers. In many cases, the summa-tion of just a few weeks or even moments defines our mark on history. A snapshot of the greatest men and women in history reveals just how brief that opportunity can be.

Your time to act may be fleeting. How many times have we heard the testimony of a reluctant hero saying “I was just doing my job?” Or, “I did what anyone else would do in that situation.” Heroes are found in everyday life and many exhibit qualities of fearlessness, humility, inner strength, helpfulness, and a heart to serve. Heroes in our lives are the ones who want to make a small difference in the world.

Some of the best advice I ever received was given to me while I was a young man praying for an opportunity to do something great in my life. The gentle man suggested that “Instead of trying to do something great, why don’t you

search for some small way to be of service and let God take care of the rest?” That simple question has echoed through my mind for over 35 years as a reminder that greatness is about service.

What are the marks of a hero, you say? Too many are searching for moments to shine, where the spotlight can be on them. The real marks of a hero are humility, action, and availability. Heroes display courage to act in the face of fear and potential sacrifice, and make themselves available at a place and time when it matters.

Steve Jobs may have said “I want to put a ding in the universe.” Most of us could be better off being a little less grandiose. Personally, I just hope I can put a ding in the little world in which I live.

Mark Me downEvery leader leaves a mark. But the question is…what type of mark will it be? When you study the stories of leaders, many did not know the significance of their actions until long after they had done it. Have you thought about what people will remember about you when you are gone?

I learned from researching family genealogy that future generations will remember little about who I am or what I did in my life. In their study of me, most will just encoun-ter the dates of my birth and my demise. My whole life will be summarized by the dash in between…a small horizontal mark. If I am going to leave a mark worth remembering, it must be something more…something that others will value.

I’ll close with this – in the 2005 movie “Batman Begins,” Bruce Wayne’s girlfriend Rachel Dawes tells him “Bruce, deep down you may still be that great kid you used to be…but it’s not who you are underneath. It’s what you do that defines you.”

The only way to respond to that kind of admonition is through deeds. Who was it that said, “Be the change you want to see in others” ? Whether big or small, leave a mark that matters!

“Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.” – Shannon L. Alder £

the advocate for aviation Leaders David Conley, PresidentFAA Managers Association, Inc.

“ Carve your name on hearts, not tombstones. A legacy is etched into the minds of others and the stories they share about you.” – ShANNON L. ALDEr


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¢¢ Cast Services assistance onsite at FAAMA convention registration to aid in answering any last minute questions and assistance to make your vacation smooth upon arrival.

Contact [email protected] to begin “Making Time Count” for registration and convention information.

hourglass t&e Services “pixie dust”Hourglass T&E also is pleased to offer customized, concierge Vacation Planning services for FAAMA convention registrants at a special rate to maximize family value. Our concierge service includes exceptionally detailed and customized planning for your entire stay. Our “Pixie Dust” service permits you to completely enjoy your travel experience as Hourglass T&E plans the details of your trip, including:

¢¢ Taking your specific family dynamics (i.e. interests, gender, age, size, etc.) into consideration as we research the best park for you and your family to visit each day.

¢¢ A daily park plan unique to you and your travel group.

¢¢ All dining reservations booked for you in advance.

¢¢ Arranging extra experiences that will make your trip uniquely “magical.”

¢¢ Tips on where to sit for shows, fireworks, and much more.

Your family’s custom vacation details will be presented to you in a colorful itinerary to be used during your trip to assist you in “making time count” and to provide a keepsake of the great memories you will make.

Contact [email protected] to experience the “Pixie Dust” for Disney Resort and vacation planning information.

or group’s dynamics. Our knowledge, experience, and education on Disney Destinations make Hourglass T&E and their team of experts an invaluable resource for FAAMA convention attendees.

Walt Disney World® has made it affordable and worthwhile for conven-tion attendees to bring their families with discounted rooms, discount convention park tickets and extended park hours at various parks for resort guests. Walt Disney World® has created a special convention division called Disney Meetings to ensure that conventions are successful.

Hourglass T&E is working closely with FAAMA and Disney Meetings to plan events and experiences that assist convention attendees in maximizing both their continuing education as well as time spent with their accompany-ing family and friends. There will be great experiences available throughout the week. The access to quality training, quality food, and wholesome enter-tainment is unmatched for a convention venue.

Truly, you do not want to miss out on the opportunity FAAMA is provid-ing by relocating to Walt Disney World®. Hourglass T&E looks forward to helping you make the 2012 Gathering of Eagles Convention at Walt Disney World® an annual event for your family. £

» president’s reception october 14 at epcotDon’t miss the special President’s Reception Sunday October 14th in Epcot. It will be a spectacular event you will never forget. You will want to arrive by midday on Sunday so you will be able to join the group transfers to these corporate sponsored events at Epcot that will include a private viewing area for the Illuminations Fireworks Show after a dessert party.

» early registration discount ends May 31Early Registration ends on 5/31/12. The FAAMA member registration fee before May 31, 2012 is $399 with a $100 rebate for stay-ing at Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort. Beginning June 1st, the FAAMA member reg-istration fee increases to $500 and on October 1st increases again to $550.

inspired by the explor-

ers who searched for

the fabled Seven Cities

of Gold, Disney’s Coronado

Springs Resort celebrates

the character and traditions

of the American Southwest

and northern Mexico. Here,

palm-shaded courtyards

and Spanish-style haciendas

create the perfect climate

for business and pleasure.

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themed pool area, or indulge

in the flavors of Mexico, the

Caribbean and South America

at Maya Grill.

Amenities

Three themed villages sur-

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quiet pools; sand volleyball

court; bicycle rentals; water-

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All guest rooms have two

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RIx LOUNGE: Experience

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options and specialty cocktails

CAFé RIx: Lounge offering

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FRANCISCO’S: Lounge offering

specialty drinks and regional

snacks

SIESTA’S: Poolside bar and grill

Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort

hourglass T&e has negotiated a discounted room rate for multiple days either prior to or following the gathering of eagles convention – so maximize your time by coming early and staying late!

We strongly encourage families to plan to be onsite longer than the convention days in order to maximize the value of their stay. below is information on the coronado springs resort:


T hroughout the past year, as we have conducted numerous retirement semi-nars for the FAA, there is one question

that continues to be raised time after time: “Are they going to change our retirement plan?” Unfortunately, the answer to that very important question is a little complicated. But, we will try and clarify a few of the ques-tions and answers that are out there now.

Legislation has now been introduced by Representative Dennis Ross (R-FL) that would increase the amount federal employ-ees would be required to pay towards their retirement plans. The legislation, H.R.3813, Securing Annuities for Federal Employees Act of 2012, can be read in its entirety at http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/BILLS-112hr3813ih/pdf/BILLS-112hr3813ih.pdf.

At the time of this writing, the Bill has been reported out of the Government Oversight and Reform Committee. It incor-porates this language in Title XVI pages 913 – 925 (the link appears below) in the massive transportation bill (H.R. 7), which is more than 900 pages long. This was added by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee as an offset for new federal spending.

There is also Keystone Pipeline language in Title XVII. These provisions are non-start-ers for the Senate, but are continuing evi-dence of Federal employees being seen as a piggy bank to pay for either deficit reduction on new spending. Here is the link to the Bill: http://docs.house.gov/billsthisweek/20120213/CPRT-112-HPRT-RU00-HR7RCP.pdf.

First, the bill would increase the amount the current federal employee is contributing to the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) by 0.5 percent a year for three years starting in 2013. This would raise the total contribution to 8.5 percent for CSRS employ-ees and 2.3 percent for FERS employees.

bill creates a new category of federal employee beginning in 2013The next section of the bill discusses the creation of a new category for Federal Employees called Secure Annuity Employees (SAE). An SAE employee would be anyone hired by the government starting in 2013 and who has less than five years of previous federal service. For SAE employees, their pension would be calculated with a high five instead of a high three calculation. Also, their pension calculation rate would be 0.7 percent.

This is less than the FERS employees now who receive 1 percent if they are under 62 years of age, and a 1.1 percent calcula-tion if they are 62 or over, with 20 years of service. For SAE employees who are special provisions (i.e., air traffic controllers, law enforcement, or fire fighters), their contri-butions would be at 10.7 percent and their pension calculation rate would be at 1.4 per-cent their first 20 years of service, and 0.7 percent for any subsequent years.

Finally, the bill addresses the FERS sup-plement plan, which provides a supplement to FERS employees who retire before age 62 and are not yet eligible to receive their social security benefits. While this supple-ment will remain, the bill that has been introduced would eliminate the Supplement for new retirees starting in 2013, except for those who are required to retire early (i.e., special provisions employees).

As mentioned earlier, this bill is still in the infant stages and will most likely go through a number of changes. We encourage you to contact your Congressman and stay informed by talking with a federal retire-ment expert. £

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eXpous sport Aviation

this was the ninth year that the Sebring Florida Regional airport has hosted the US Sport aviation eXPo held January 19-22, 2012, and the second year that the Faa has manned a temporary tower for the event. We put together a temporary tower team of 21 consisting of technicians, controllers, front line managers, and operation managers who helped make the record-setting four-day event come off without a hitch.


bert simpson

Orlando Air Traffic Control Tower

Air Traffic Manager and Air Traffic

Manager, US Sport Aviation EXPO

sebring

» Learn More About chapter 218Bert Simpson is a member of FAAMA Central Chapter 218 in FAAMA’s Southern Region.

For more information about Chapter 218, contact Chapter President Craig Osekowski at [email protected] or Southern Regional Director Billy Reed at [email protected].


s ebring, which has long been known for its annual auto race that dates back to the 1950s, is now gaining fame for its annual Sport Aviation EXPO that focuses on the grow-

ing popularity of light sport aircraft. The Hendricks Field Control Tower was built for the Army Air Corps and was used when the field was an Air Force B-17 bomber training facility during WWII.

A temporary air traffic control tower was staffed and associated equipment was set up in two days at the 70-year-old Hendricks Field Control Tower. A non-radar approach control-type facility also was set up on the top of a building in nearby downtown Sebring to serve as a gateway into the EXPO’s airspace.

With controllers spotting for aircraft and a control fre-quency, the controllers and supervisors were able to set up and sequence an organized flow of aircraft to the airport. The temporary tower’s capacity was tested right from the start on Saturday, January 21 with more that 200 flights in each of the first two hours of operation.

During the four days of the 2012 Sport Aviation EXPO, the temporary tower safely worked 3,434 operations in just eight hours of work each day. On the Friday and Saturday of the show, the tower was the busiest in Florida, despite only being open eight hours each day. On Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the temporary tower was the busiest in the world, working 1,256 operations during the eight hours it was open, which were 288 operations more than the second busiest tower at Chicago O’Hare.

The EXPO recorded a total of 156 exhibitors with 149 aircraft on display. Sebring Regional Airport Executive Director, Mike Willingham stated, “There were approximately 16,000 attendees. We are ecstatic with these preliminary results. The show saw huge numbers of visitors on Friday and Saturday, and exhibitors were very pleased. Ticket sales were approximately 15 percent over last year’s numbers.”

The irony behind the FAA’s success is that some folks in the community were worried about bringing in a big federal agency. They were nervous that it would be a lot harder to fly in and out of Sebring Regional Airport (KSEF) and to operate in the EXPO demonstration pattern. Now, after the FAA’s second year of oper-ating the temporary tower, they have come to realize that the controllers are there to help make the EXPO a success.

The FAA will be back at the field in March for the Sebring auto race, and again in January 2013 providing air traffic services reimbursed by the Sebring Airport Authority. £

during the four days of the 2012 sport Aviation eXpo, the temporary tower safely worked 3,434 operations in just eight hours of work each day.

about the authorBert Simpson started his career as a control-ler in 1982 at Ontario, California Tower. In 1984, he moved to Los Angeles Tower as a control-ler, becoming a supervisor in 1986. In 1990, he moved to Burbank Terminal Radar Approach Control Facility (TRACON) as a controller and later moved into management as a supervisor.

In 1993, he moved to Washington National Tower/TRACON (DCA). While at DCA he worked several jobs: controller; plans and procedures specialist; assistant manager for plans and pro-cedures, and quality assurance and training.

From 1997 through July 2002, Bert worked as the special projects manager at DCA for the transition to a new Tower and TRACON. Next he was support manager; operations manager; and security manager for the Washington D.C. area. He became an operations manager for the Potomac TRACON in charge of the transi-tion of the DCA TRACON to the new Potomac TRACON in July 2002 until February 2003.

Bert then was selected as the Orlando Tower/TRACON (MCO) operations manager. In 2006 he was selected as the MCO support manager and held this position until the Tower and TRACON became separate facilities in January 2009. On January 4, 2009 he became the first staff manager of the Central Florida Terminal Radar Approach Control (F11 TRACON) and was promoted on October 21, 2011 as the MCO Tower air traffic manager.


FaaMa families took home $16,500 in scholarships for the 2011-12 academic year thanks to the FaaMa-Feea scholarship program and Feea’s general scholarship contest. a generous donation from the BlueCross/BlueShield Federal employee Program complemented the money raised at FaaMa’s annual gathering of eagles convention for a totalof$15,000inFAAMA-specificscholarships(15at$1,000each).

Two students also won FEEA scholar-ships in addition to their FAAMA-sponsored awards. In the eight years

the FAAMA-FEEA program has been active, members and their families have won more than $105,000 in scholarships.

The Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund (FEEA), a nonprofit organiza-tion with a mission to help civilian federal and postal employees, administers the FAAMA-FEEA scholarship program. Students who apply for the scholarship also are eligible for FEEA’s other awards, including FEEA general scholarships and the $5,000 FEEA-National Treasury Employees Union scholarships.

Each year, FEEA raises money for its schol-arship program through the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC). The scholarships available in each region are determined by CFC donations in that area. FAA employees can contribute using CFC Pledge #11185.

Candidates for the FAAMA scholarship must have a 3.0 grade point average, study at an accredited university, and be FAAMA members, their spouses or college-age children. Students compete by submitting detailed applications that include transcripts, recommendation letters, essays, and infor-mation about their school and community activities. Winners are chosen for their aca-demic achievement and community service. Applications are available from January to March each year at www.FEEA.org.

The 2011-12 winners represent a terrific cross-section of members, hailing from both coasts and the heartland. They are studying hard sciences as well as business and graphic design and their future aspirations vary widely. Keep reading to learn more about this incred-ible young people.

FAAMA-FEEA�Winner�Profiles

Alivia berry of Zionsville, IN was spon-sored by her father, Jeffrey Berry, of the Indianapolis Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC). Currently studying speech, lan-guage and hearing sciences at Purdue University, she aspires to help children over-come their language disorders. Alivia volun-teers in the school’s Audiology Clinic a few hours per week and also is helping adoles-cents and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities as a member of Best Buddies.

danielle biggio of Hampton, GA was sponsored by her father, Terry Biggio, of the Atlanta ARTCC. A freshman at Troy University in Alabama, Dani is a nursing student with plans to establish a clinic for children in a third world country. She has participated in a medical mission trip to Nicaragua and also spends much of her free time fundraising so she can return to the mission field during spring breaks.

Saluting 15 robyn Kehoe

fAAMA-feeA scholarship Winners

Director of Field Operations, Federal Employee Education & Assistance Fund



Meaghan biggio of Hampton, GA was sponsored by her father, Terry Biggio, of the Atlanta ARTCC. Meg is a senior at Troy University, soon to earn a degree in Human Services with a nutrition concentration and a minor in Spanish. She is a Spanish tutor and also enjoys working with children. Meg is very involved in community service and stu-dent ministries.

rachel byrd of Olive Branch, Mississippi was sponsored by her father, Chris Byrd, of the Memphis Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT – MEMT). Rachel is a graphic design major at Delta State University where she also tutors second graders in the local com-munity through the Bolivar County Literacy Center. She would like to own her own art studio where, “kids can come to use their imaginations, express themselves and explore new horizons through different mediums.”

christina cerovsky of Fort Worth, TX was sponsored by her father, Roger Cerovsky, of the Atlanta ARTCC. A pre-med biology major at Georgia State University, Christina plans on becom-ing a doctor and working with children. She volunteers at a local hospital and through CareNet in Atlanta. Christina also is a DNA researcher at a campus lab, working to identify potential antibi-otic treatments for resistant viruses.

christopher cerovsky of Fayetteville, GA was sponsored by his father, Roger Cerovsky, of the Atlanta ARTCC. He is a sophomore at Mississippi State University where he is a pre-med biology major with aspira-tions to become either a cardiothoracic or trauma surgeon. Christopher is a res-ident advisor on campus and also tutors underclassmen.

stephanie emmert of Keller, TX was sponsored by her father, Russell Emmert, of the Fort Worth ARTCC. She is a senior business management major at Dallas Baptist University with plans to eventually start her own business. Stephanie has been playing soccer since

she was 4-years-old and has continued to play at the collegiate level.

sydney green of Pembroke Pines, FL was sponsored by her mother, Karen Green, of the Miami ARTCC. She is a junior at Harvard, majoring in the his-tory of science. Sydney plans to work in the non-profit sector before earn-ing a medical degree and becoming an OB/Gyn. Her volunteer work for the Peer Health Exchange on campus has focused her career goals on finding a way to have a positive impact on teens and their reproductive health.

Jen hulsey of Genoa, IL was spon-sored by her mother, Anne Hulsey of the Chicago Terminal Radar Approach Control Facility (TRACON). She is a freshman at Kishwaukee Community College with plans to study archi-tecture. Jen has been inspired by her mother’s example balancing career and family and looks forward to a life doing what she loves and giving back to the community.

bronson Mock of Eugene, OR was sponsored by his father, Thomas Mock, of the Eugene ATCT. He is pur-suing a degree in electrical engineer-ing at Oregon State University and hopes to work in the field of renewable energy after graduation. Of his par-ents, Bronson says, “They were always encouraging me to try my hardest, but they were never demanding… Their undemanding support and encourage-ment caused me to want to succeed and to honor the trust that was given me.”

Morgan price of Lee’s Summit, MO, was sponsored by her father, David Price, of the Kansas City District, Central Terminal Operations. She grad-uated from Spelman College and is now studying dentistry at Creighton University. Morgan enjoys running and reading and also is sometimes known as “movie girl” – she has watched Titanic 15 times!

Kyle serreyn of Lakeville, MN was sponsored by his father, Paul Serreyn of the Minneapolis ARTCC. An exercise

science/pre-med major at Creighton University, he plans to pursue a career in medicine. Kyle’s membership on the Minnesota Junior Elite Triathlon Team inspired him to consider a career in sports medicine. He says, “If I weren’t planning on attending medical school, I would pursue a career as a profes-sional triathlete.”

connor stevenson of Saugus, CA was sponsored by his father, Craig Stevenson, of the Los Angeles ARTCC. Connor plans to attend dental school after graduating with a degree in biology from Cal Poly Pomona. In addition to volunteering at the UCLA dental clinic, Connor also spends his free time helping to design and build Cal Poly’s Rose Parade float. Says Connor, “It’s really fun to see the final product of a year’s worth of hard work and planning.”

rachel Tracey of Geneva, IL was sponsored by her father, William Tracey, of the Chicago C90 District Central Terminal Services. Rachel is a sophomore studying Air Traffic Control and business administration at Lewis University. She was inspired during a third grade trip to her father’s office on “Bring Your Kid to Work Day.” Says Rachel, “I was fascinated. I still have the notebook I brought with me that day… My dad got me interested in his line of work by taking me to the Chicago Air and Water Show as well as air museums around the country, and I knew I wanted to be involved in aviation.”

shannon voss of Foster City, CA was sponsored by her father, Robert Voss, of the Chicago Midway ATCT. She is a sophomore at Biola University, study-ing biology with plans to become a pediatric trauma doctor. Shannon believes strongly in public service, saying, “I think that participation in public service as a young adult is extremely important. From experi-ences with volunteering, tutoring, and mission trips, I have developed a greater respect for others.” £


Michael Atkins

M ichael Atkins is a Montana native who very recently moved to Alaska in October 2011, after

accepting a position as the Manager, Northwest Alaska System Support Center (SSC), Fairbanks District, in Anchorage. He says that his move north to Alaska was motivated by the desire for some new chal-lenges and opportunities. “Alaska seemed like the ideal place to experience these in a very unique way.”

He began his FAA career in 1988 as an Electronics Engineer in Billings, Montana, after having graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Electrical and Electronic Engineering Technology from Montana State University, Bozeman. Mike thought that work with the FAA would be interesting and felt that the job helped provide a needed service to the flying public. Mike

held various FAA Technical Operations positions as an Electronics Engineer and then transferred to a SSC Coordinator in the Salt Lake City Sector Maintenance Officer (SMO) in 1998. In 2003 he was selected as the Manager, Yellowstone SSC, Billings.

Mike is one of the newest members of the FAAMA Alaskan Chapter 358. He was recruited into FAAMA from long-time friend and previous Chapter 358 President, Krista Jeppsen.

Mike plans to attend the 2012 Gathering of Eagles convention in Orlando, Florida.

Mike is an avid Harley Davidson motor-cycle rider who also enjoys many outdoor activities, such as skiing, camping, and fish-ing. Two years ago he rode his motorcycle cross-country from Billings to Key West, Florida, and back home for a total trip of over 6,000 miles. £

AtkinsT H E A D V O C A T E F O R A V I A T I O N L E A D E R S

Spotlight on an Aviation Leader

“i joined FaaMa because the current budget and political climate requires that managers, especially front line managers, have an advocate. after becoming a FaaMa member, i decided to attend the national conference to get a feel for the organization. the entire event was both professional and interesting. My favorite part was the featured speakers. these individuals provided both inspiring and informative messages.”

Spotlight on an Aviation Leader

Professional Profile

» interested in More information?FAAMA Alaskan 358 Chapter President is Gordon Edmiston and the FAAMA Alaskan Regional Director is Darla Gerlach. Contact Darla at [email protected] to obtain more information about the Alaskan Chapter.

Join FaaMa toDay!To join go to www.faama.org/join

FAA Managers Association2957 Heirloom Lane, Greenwood, IN 46143Fax: (720) 920-1552 | Email: [email protected]


i f you have, then you know that the FAA is ranked 200 of 241. “Why is that?” you

might ask. According to “Best Places to Work,” leadership remains the key driver.

The 2011 survey for the sixth time in a row showed the primary driver in the federal workplace is effective leadership, and in particular, senior leadership.

Two other key factors influencing satisfaction were a belief by employees that their skills were well-suited to their agency’s mission and a satisfaction with pay. In 2011, leadership continued to receive low scores. Satisfaction with pay declined, while workers gave high marks for the link between skills and mission.

potential negative safety impactsThere are potential negative safety impacts associated with our poor ranking.

Good relationships tend to be associated with all kinds of good performance. Why would this be so? What do relation-ships have to do with safety? Employees who trust and respect their leaders perform better and more effectively, report their mistakes and haz-ards, and are safer.

There are many people who disagree. They say “just do your job.” “That is what you are paid to do!” We call those people “renters.” But, we all have to be “owners” and not just “renters.”

We can Learn “best practices” from othersWe do not need another “new program,” we need to learn “best practices” from others. For example, Gary Kelly, Chairman, President and CEO of Southwest Airlines wrote, “Southwest aspires to be the best place to work,” and the next item of the six he listed was “To operate safety, reliably, efficiently, and economically.”

Wow! Their employees’ workplace viability comes before profits! Southwest understands that employees who know they are valued and respected by their leaders are more likely to consistently provide outstand-ing and safe customer service for their customers.

What is fAAMA doing to improve the Workplace?FAAMA Leadership Training Seminars provide direction, trust, and hope. We must focus upon leadership basics and take positive consistent action. The

changes may have to start and come from within rather than from the top down. Safety cul-ture is all about coaches; the quiet professional coaches and mentors who are fully engaged and get the job done with safety and efficiency.

FAAMA’s Leadership Training supports management in teaching new skills. It shows management it is okay to lead, to provide direction, to trust and hope, to remove obstacles for our employees so they can be their best, and learn to walk-the-walk. It means having the courage to make difficult deci-sions while balancing our core value that employees are our greatest asset.

We already have tons of employees, leaders, and facili-ties that are doing this – right now. We need to make this the central thread of the fabric of all FAA training from day one to retirement.

We need to take action and show we care and respect our employees, their workplace, and leadership. How much does mutual respect cost you and what is the return on invest-ment? Mutual respect costs nothing. The ROI is long-stand-ing, profound, and world-class.

Being ranked as the “best place to work in the govern-ment” is the safe thing to do! £

effective senior Leadership is primary driver in rating federal

“best places to Work”Have you seen the survey “Best Places to Work in the Government?”

To view the partnership

for public service

ranking of the fAA, go to:

(http://bestplacestowork.

org/bpTW/rankings/

detail/Td03

Professional ProfileBEST PLACES TO WORk


FAA MANAGERS ASSOCIATION

corporate partners

PLATINUM GOLD

BRONZESILVER

2012 fAAMA Leadership TrainingEffective leadership in a world-class organization(Faa CoURSe nUMBeR 30200354)

the Faa Managers association Leader ship training Sem inar provides 16 hours of outstanding opportunities to learn or refresh your leadership skills. the seminar features a highly inter-active format that provides steps for influencingleadership,thetraitsandprinciples of leadership, the levels and impact of leadership, and emotional intelligence. Check www.faama.org for the latest information on each seminar.

to enrollAll federal managers are encouraged to enroll. FAAMA membership is not required although FAAMA members do have priority and enrollment is limited. To enroll now or for more information, please contact your FAAMA Regional Director or Hal Albert, FAAMA Membership Education Committee Chair, via email at [email protected].

+ March 21-22, 2012 .................... Memphis Metro

+ March 29-30, 2012 .................... boston Metro

+ April Tbd, 2012 ........................ cleveland Metro

+ May Tbd, 2012 .......................... Atlanta Metro



To streamline digital air traffic control, reduce delays, and increase safety, Lockheed Martin has

created a world class team with Boeing, the largest aerospace manufacturer, Level 3, the leading

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Orchestrating data communications.

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FAA MANAGERS ASSOCIATION

32nd Annual gathering of eaglesDisney’s Coronado Springs Resort | Orlando

October 14-18, 2012

Make plans now to attend the 32nd Annual FAAMA gathering of eagles Convention — in an all-new and exciting setting.

Inspired by the explorers who searched for the fabled Seven Cities of Gold, Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort celebrates the character and traditions of the American Southwest and northern Mexico. Here, palm-shaded courtyards, and Spanish-style haciendas create the perfect climate for business and pleasure.

Conveniently located in Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Resort area, Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort is a stone’s throw from all four Walt Disney World® Theme Parks, championship golf, and Disney entertainment districts.

Disney Resort BenefitsAs a Disney Resort Guest, you’ll enjoy special benefits that provide everything from extra time in the Theme Parks and convenient trans-portation, to more magic all around.

Disney’s Magical Express Service – This exclusive complimentary shuttle and luggage delivery service conveniently takes you from the airport directly to your Disney Resort and back again when it’s time to return. To book, call 407-827-6777 or visit www.DisneyConventionEars.com/dme for more information.

Enhanced! Extra Magic Hour Benefit – Each day one of the Theme Parks opens an hour early or stays open up to three hours after regular Park hours for Guests staying at select Disney Resorts. This is a great way for you to maximize the value of your Disney Theme Park Tickets based around your schedule! (Valid Theme Park admission and Walt Disney World® Resort ID are required.)

Make this a family vacation! disney’s coronado springs resort will honor the fAAMA convention room rate for the weekends prior to and following the convention.

managing the skies mar apr 2012 web

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