Guest speaker Mark Blair, a retired air traffic controller, trainer, and project manager for the FAA, delivered a fascinating presentation about the demands and challenges facing our air traffic controllers.
Immediate past-president Andrea De La Cruz called the meeting to order at 7:13 a.m. after 10 minutes of social time (and a few minutes of technical hiccups). President Cindy Dooling and stalwart husband and member John Dooling were out-of-town and unable to join us.
We jumped immediately into Happy Bucks:
- Harold B. was happy and hoping for rain.
- Guest Phil R. was happy that his “feet hit the floor this morning.” (Phil visits our Rotary meeting several times a year, and it is always great to see him.)
- Mike O. is happy to see his grandson excited to start school at Donaldson Elementary (Go Dolphins!).
- Don and Kathy Jorgensen, especially Don, were happy that the Red Sox have won six straight games.
- Laura C. was thankful and happy for venti-sized Americanos from Starbucks.
- Guest speaker Mark Blair echoed Phil’s sentiments and is looked forward to making it an excellent day.
- Bob B. savored the 75 degree weather in Virginia and the umpteenth time he gets to take the grandchildren to the zoo.
- Beverly S. joined in from the school parking lot where she was happy to be subbing today in the fourth grade.
- Beckie P. was happy and planned to attend the Marana Chamber Breakfast the next day.
- Mark G. was happy for a successful opening of schools (new and old) for the school year.
- Andrea D. was happy for a busy week of work.
Announcements
Rotary International recently announced that Larry Lunsford from Kansas City will serve as RI President in 2027-28. Don Jorgensen has met Larry and thinks highly of his selection.
Don will also circulate the list of items that Treasurers for Teachers can use, and the list of donations that it will not accept. We made a financial contribution to the organization this past spring. This is an excellent organization that supports teachers across the county.
Mike attended the social we had for our short-term exchange students, and came away very impressed with the two young women. Femke, our visiting student from The Netherlands, is fluent in six languages, he noted.
Guest speaker Mark Blair
Joining us this early morning was Mark Blair, a retired FAA Project Manager and former air traffic controller, to share with the club the demands and complexities of serving as an air traffic controller for the FAA. Mark’s career at the FAA included work as an air traffic controller in Alaska, Colorado, and Washington. He taught at the academy for five years, and served as a nationwide trainer for on new equipment before retiring as a project manager and consultant.
The FAA’s mission is to ensure the safe, orderly and expeditious of 45,000 flights per day, from the tower for take off to “tracon” (get aircraft to safe cruise level) to en route (monitoring aircraft via radar) and back to “tracon” (descent) and then tower for landing. There are 520 ATC towers, 147 terminal approach facilities, and 22 centers which are staffed 24-7.
Potential air traffic controllers must complete a rigorous training that emphasizes perfection on the job. First, candidates must clear security and background checks and pass mental and physical examinations. At the academy, candidates undergo 6-8 weeks of training. To pass, candidates must memorize 12,000 pieces of information and write it down on a blank piece of paper. Typically, only 500 controllers complete the process out of 50,000 applicants. Work schedules are intense, and it takes 4-6 years of field work to advance. Plus, controllers are required to retire at 56.
Mark then shared insights about the challenges of Sept. 11, 2001, the staffing and equipment issues at Newark (24 controllers for 38 slots), and at Reagan National Airport (razor thin margins of error). Future challenges facing the agency include the increase in air traffic volume, interference from drones and unmanned aerial vehicles, and cybersecurity threats.
Mark also noted that the recent budget bill passed by the current administration included $12.5 billion for equipment but allocated zero dollars for workforce recruitment, development, and retention. With “baby boomer” controllers automatically retired, the challenge will be retaining current controllers and finding new applicants who can complete training and meet the rigorous demands of the job.
Our club members expressed their appreciation for Mark’s excellent PowerPoint and informative presentation.
The meeting adjourned after recitation of the Four-Way Test.
– Submitted by Laura Clymer