Introduction

The William J. Hughes Technical Center (WJHTC) Laboratory Services Division (ANG-E1) provides world-class laboratories for research, engineering, development, test, evaluation, and maintenance ofair navigation, air traffic management, and future transportation system capabilities. These laboratories play a critical role in enabling the FAA's National Airspace System (NAS) modernization and sustainment mission. 

Division Work

The Laboratory Services Division provides laboratories that are efficient, flexible, and deliver a high fidelity platform to support its customers. These laboratory facilities, with supporting infrastructure, provide an integrated platform for research, development, test, evaluation, and operational field support for NAS modernization and sustainment programs.

The laboratories support development and test of prototype systems and solutions for integration into the NAS. Once operational, these systems become permanent components of the NAS laboratories and are used for future development, system upgrades, and the testing necessary to support operational field sites. Sustaining these laboratories in system configurations and capabilities that match field sites is critical to providing around-the-clock operational support to all domains of the NAS.

The Laboratory Services Division strives to continually improve its services, responsiveness, and commitment to its customers' needs. To help achieve these objectives, a Quality Management System was implemented and the laboratories are certified to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001 quality standard. This certification has been successfully maintained since May 2001, with the current certification being the latest ISO version 9001:2015.

Branches

The Laboratory Services Division comprises approximately 110 federal employees across seven branches.

Laboratory Portfolio Management Branch

The Laboratory Portfolio Management Branch provides centralized and standardized management services for the WJHTC NAS laboratories. These services include portfolio/program/project management, laboratory space management, laboratory scheduling, laboratory security, and software application development.

Laboratory Engineering Branch

The Laboratory Engineering Branch provides centralized lab infrastructure and technical system services to support all of the customers within the WJHTC NAS laboratories.

Laboratory Technical Services Branch

The Laboratory Technical Services Branch provides software engineering, systems integration, network solutions, problem resolution, quality management system, and disaster recovery services for the NAS, the Air Traffic Organization, and FAA customers enterprise-wide.

Concepts & System Integration Branch

The Concepts & System Integration Branch provides the NAS laboratory environments required to evaluate, mature, and validate a broad framework of concepts, technologies, operational functions, and systems prior to and through all phases of implementation into the operational national airspace environment.

Laboratory Maintenance Branch

The Laboratory Maintenance Branch plans, manages, directs, and coordinates the technical, electronic, and electrical tasks necessary for the multi-use laboratories and the NAS facilities at the WJHTC; performs systems maintenance and NAS laboratory enhancement in support of new NAS and Research and Development systems, installation, development, and testing.

Simulation Branch

The Simulation Branch provides simulation support for controller-in-the-loop simulations to validate equipment, procedures, and airspace before implementation and acceptance in the air traffic field facilities; it provides a laboratory capability for the conduct of Human Factors controller performance studies and for controller/flight deck interface studies.

Airport Modeling & Simulation Branch

The Airport Modeling & Simulation Branch provides a platform to support and evaluate the interior design and layout, site selection, orientation, height determination studies, and transition of equipment into the Airport Traffic Control Tower environment.