FAI FSS - Miscellaneous

• Kenai, AK FSS
• Juneau, AK FSS
• Fairbanks FSDO
• Anchorage ARTCC
• Canadian Customs - General Aviation
• U.S. Customs - Private Flyers
• AK State DOT Road Cameras
• AK State DOT Airports
• Fairbanks International Airport Website

Spectrum Engineering AJW-19

Spectrum Mission & Vision

Mission:

We secure, manage, and protect the necessary radio frequency spectrum resources to provide the safest, most efficient aerospace system in the world.

Vision:

We strive to provide superior radio frequency spectrum services and efficiently integrate tomorrow's needs safely into our aerospace system. We work across boundaries to develop innovative solutions for our stakeholders.

• What is Spectrum Engineering?
• Why is Spectrum Engineering Important?

The safe transport of all individual flights between airports is based on radio frequencies being available and interference free so that all of the aviation systems function properly. The FAA's Spectrum Engineering Office provides these fundamental services by ensuring radio frequency assets are always clear and available, both now and in the future.

The Spectrum Engineering & Policy Office secures, manages, and protects all civil aviation radio frequency spectrum resources.

Secures by:

• Coordinating and negotiating with other government agencies, industry, and international partners to obtain appropriate radio spectrum resources for aviation usage.
• Establishing and issuing policy regarding radio frequency allocations and regulations governing the use of civil aviation radio spectrum.
• Developing international and domestic civilian aviation radio spectrum policies and standards.

Manages by:

• Assigning and engineering radio frequencies for the aviation systems.
• Maintaining the aviation radio spectrum use database.
• Analyzing new FAA systems requirements and certifying that radio spectrum resources will provide the technical engineering expertise required.
• Testing new systems and electronic equipment for compatibility with existing NAS systems.

Protects by:

• Conducting Radio Frequency Interference (RFI) investigations.
• Conducting Electromagnetic Frequency Analysis.
• Coordinating with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to enforce the laws against unauthorized broadcast within the aviation protected radio frequencies.
• Ensuring radio spectrum compatibility and deconfliction between federal and non-federal radio systems.
• Coordinating with the DoD, DOJ, DHS, DOE, and impacted FAA Lines of Businesses to safely support Electronic Attack and countermeasure testing, training, and real-world operations.

The management and regulation of the use of radio frequencies is becoming more complex as technology rapidly expansions and as demand for wireless applications (cell phones and wireless broadband) continues to soar. At the same time, the safety of operating aviation systems remains of paramount importance. The Spectrum Engineering Office protects the National Airspace System from any potential sources of interference from new wireless systems.

Air Traffic Organization Leadership

	Franklin J. McIntosh Chief Operating Officer (Acting) Learn more about Franklin J. McIntosh
	Nick Fuller Deputy Chief Operating Officer (Acting) Learn more about  Nick Fuller
	Rebecca Guy Chief Technology Officer (Acting) Learn More about Rebecca Guy

Service Units

	Randa Hayes Vice President Flight Program Operations Learn more about Randa Hayes
	Dale McNeal Vice President (Acting) Safety and Technical Training Learn more about Dale McNeal
	Josh Pepper Vice President Program Management Organization  Learn more about Josh Pepper
	Lakisha A. Price Vice President (Acting) System Operations Services
	Rolando Caparas Vice President Air Traffic Services Learn more about Rolando Caparas
	Chris Wilbanks Vice President (Acting) Mission Support Services
	Dan Murphy Vice President Technical Operations Learn more about Dan Murphy

Alaska Flight Service

Weather Camera Program

A new toll-free number is available for pilots in Alaska.

1-833-252-7433 (AK-BRIEF)

Pilots now have a dedicated line to connect with an Alaska Flight Service hub facility.

Previously, some pilots faced difficulties reaching Flight Service when calling 1-800-WX-BRIEF due to network provider issues. The new Alaska-specific number was implemented for easy access and to ensure reliable connectivity.

Alaska's regional hubs-Juneau (JNU), Fairbanks (FAI), and Kenai (ENA)-will continue to operate with their existing toll-free and local numbers. Pilots using the new number can select which hub to call.

We encourage Alaska pilots to begin using the new number for seamless access to Flight Service in Alaska.

Questions?

AFSIAG Direct Comments/Feedback

Manager, Alaska Flight Services Information Area Group
Joe Buckingham, (907) 271-5466, Email Joe Buckingham

Manager, Fairbanks Flight Service Station
Mat Worker, (907) 474-0388, Email Mat Worker

Manager, Juneau Flight Service Station
Maurice Gamble, (907) 586-7379, Email Maurice Gamble

Manager (acting), Kenai Flight Service Station
Jim Betts, (907) 283-3735, Email Jim Betts

Mark DeNicuolo

Mr. Mark DeNicuolo is the Vice President of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Program Management Organization (PMO) within the Air Traffic Organization (ATO). The PMO provides program and acquisition management for the FAA infrastructure programs that transform, modernize and sustain the National Airspace System (NAS), including Air Traffic Operations, Mission Support Systems and Business support systems.

The PMO also holds responsibility for service life extensions to legacy NAS sensors, communications and navigation aids. Given the tight coupling between successful automation program delivery and current system operation, the PMO also leads and manages second-level automation engineering efforts. Lastly, the PMO works with FAA operations and aviation users to ensure globally interoperable NextGen solutions.

Mark assumed the position of Vice President in September 2021 after serving as Acting Vice President for six months. Prior to being named Vice President, he served as Deputy Vice President for more than two years. 

Before joining the PMO, Mark served as the Director of Safety, where he was responsible for ensuring NAS safety through reporting, mitigating and monitoring risk. This included establishing the ATO’s policies on runway safety, Safety Management Systems, voluntary safety reporting programs, safety promotion, quality assurance and quality control. Under Mark’s leadership, the directorate would convert safety and quality data into actionable information to identify trends and risks in the airspace, provide high-level oversight of investigations and establish policy on independent verification and validation of safety issues and incidents. In this role, he also served as a key FAA representative on air traffic safety issues with global safety organizations, interagency/industry committees and employee unions.

Mark has also served as the Director of Policy and Performance. In that role, he served as the steward of the ATO's safety data and Safety Management System. Under his leadership, the directorate ensured that national safety management policies were clearly defined, communicated and followed. The directorate was responsible for audits and operational assessments of air traffic operations, technical operations, NAS changes and new technologies, and also provided safety analyses and data management capabilities. Additionally, the directorate served as the ATO's international focal point for safety activities related to Air Navigation Service provision, as well as for safety analyses related to new entrants into the NAS, such as commercial space launches and unmanned aircraft systems.

Mark has been with the FAA since 1992 and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Drexel University.

Terminal Radar Approach Control Facilities (TRACON)

Slot Administration - Compliance and Oversight

• Slot Administration Home
• Slot Definition
• Slot Allocation Process
• Slot Administration/Schedule Facilitation
• Compliance and Oversight
• Data
• Regulatory Information
• Runway Construction Information

Slot usage requirement

At all Level 3 airports, slots are subject to a "use-or-lose" provision, requiring a carrier to use allocated slots at least 80 percent of the time. The applicable rule for DCA is codified at 14 CFR § 93.227(PDF) and the applicable usage rules for JFK and LGA can be found in the FAA Orders limiting operations at these airports.

The FAA may grant a waiver of the usage requirement at DCA as provided in § 93.227(j). The FAA may also grant a waiver of the usage requirement as provided in the FAA Orders limiting operations at JFK and LGA.

Schedule submissions

At JFK, the failure to submit a schedule by the prescribed deadlines consistent with the WSG could result in the loss of a carrier's historic slots.

Carriers that provide initial or revised submissions at Level 2 or Level 3 airports after the announced deadline may receive a lower priority.

Air Traffic Control System Command Center (ATCSCC)

Thousands of flights. Numerous challenges. Just a typical day for System Operations.

The David J. Hurley Air Traffic Control System Command Center (ATCSCC) was established in 1970 at FAA Headquarters in Washington, DC to identify solutions to air traffic inefficiencies in the National Air Space System (NAS). After relocating to Herndon, Virginia in 1994, the ATCSCC was permanently moved to its Warrenton, Virginia site in 2011. This one-of-a-kind facility is dedicated to balancing the nation's air traffic demand with system capacity. 

The  FAA  coordinates up to 50,000 flights in the U.S. per day; over a quarter of the world’s scheduled flights arrive at or depart from U.S. airports. With 5,000 aircraft in the nation’s skies during the busiest periods, numerous experts from government agencies and the aviation industry work seamlessly through a process called collaborative decision making to manage current and future constraints in the system. They discuss flight planning, weather, runway construction, the movement of dignitaries, and other issues that may impact the system. Stakeholders include:

• Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCCs)
• Terminal Radar Approach Control Facilities (TRACONs)
• Air Traffic Control Towers (ATCTs)
• Aviation Industry Partners

The ATCSCC Team uses traffic management initiatives (TMIs) to manage the flow of air traffic and minimize delays. TMIs may include:

• Airborne Metering,
• Miles-in-Trail,
• Reroutes,
• Ground Delay Programs,
• Ground Stops,
• Airspace Flow Programs

TMIs are also used to mitigate the impact of NAS events caused by:

• Weather,
• Equipment Outages,
• Runway Closures,
• National Emergencies

The Command Center is home to the Space Data Integrator (SDI). The SDI is a team of air traffic and commercial space transportation experts that track commercial launch and reentry operations, the status of various mission events, and the display of aircraft hazard areas. The team uses automated data to make airspace management decisions about aircraft routes and schedules during launch and reentry operations. To monitor a mission, a team of FAA air traffic and aerospace experts known as the Joint Space Operations Group (JSpOG), gathers operational data and sends the data using FAA communications tools to adapt airspace usage with incoming and outgoing operations. 

The FAA’s Potomac Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) is also co-located in Warrenton, VA. Controllers at the Potomac TRACON monitor aircraft approaching and departing the Washington metropolitan area, including Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport, Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and Joint Base Andrews. About 600 highly technical employees work at the facilities to ensure the safe and efficient operation of the NAS.

The integration of new entrants, including Space Operations and Un-crewed Aircraft Systems (UAS), presents unique NAS challenges in addition to the usual system constraints. The ATCSCC remains vigilant and agile by adopting new strategies to evolve with the NAS. One example is PERTI (Plan, Execute, Review, Train, and Improve). This advance planning team evaluates the next day's weather and potential issues to determine what TMIs might be needed to mitigate the constraints and balance demand with capacity.

NAS Operations

How dedication keeps thousands of flights safe and efficient every day.

Each day, the FAA's Air Traffic Organization (ATO) watches over a vast airspace of more than 29 million square miles, providing service to tens of thousands of flights and millions of airline passengers. Tasked with ensuring the safety and efficiency of the National Airspace System (NAS), the NAS Operations Directorate fulfills this mission by continuously monitoring and directing the daily flow of air traffic across the nation from the Air Traffic Control System Command Center (ATCSCC). https://www.faa.gov/air_traffic/by_the_numbers/

The NAS Operations Directorate is a large, multilayered, and geographically dispersed organization that ensures that the nation's airspace is operated efficiently. The ATCSCC resides within the Directorate and is responsible for planning, directing, implementing, and monitoring all national traffic management initiatives (TMIs). The Directorate is also responsible for other NAS functions including Space Operations, and Collaborative Decision Making (CDM).

The largest component of the NAS Operations Directorate is the ATCSCC. The ATCSCC is the National Airspace System's central hub and ensures the entire network achieves optimum performance by balancing system demand and capacity. ATCSCC traffic managers provide strategic and tactical NAS oversight and regulate real-time air traffic when constraints such as weather, runway closures, equipment outages, security issues, or other impacting conditions affect the NAS. The ATCSCC provides a network-centric platform from which the FAA manages and recovers from large-scale disaster events and infrastructure outages.

The Director of NAS Operations leads a team of Deputy Directors of System Operations (DDSOs) who are strategically located around the country and are focused on improving system efficiency. They engage with the ATCSCC, NAS stakeholders, local FAA facilities, and other FAA lines of business to help mitigate system constraints such as airport construction and high-volume events like the Super Bowl. They also work to accomplish NAS-wide efforts such as the Air Traffic Organization's Efficiency Performance Initiatives.

As commercial space operators innovate, Space Operations keeps the NAS safe and efficient.

The Space Operations group is the Air Traffic Organization's (ATO) office of primary responsibility for launch and reentry of space operations and oversees the ATO effort to integrate space operations into the NAS. From the ATCSCC Challenger Room, ATO Space Operations coordinates launch and reentry missions with industry, the Office of Commercial Space Transportation, and Air Traffic facilities.

This group is leading the effort to improve safety and efficiency by deploying new capabilities and procedures while advances in technology and commercial enterprise increase the tempo of space operations.

NAS Operations continually strives to improve gate-to-gate strategic traffic management. The Director of NAS Operations provides leadership, direction, and guidance in the development of procedures and standards for air traffic control utilizing the Collaborative Decision Making (CDM) Process. Collaborative Decision Making is a joint government, industry, aviation associations, and academia initiative focused on strengthening Air Traffic Flow Management (ATFM) through information exchange.