By Emmett Clark, PASS NVS Article 13 Representative
As previously reported, the FAA has been developing a new voice switch for the National Airspace System (NAS). The new voice switch, which is being built by Harris Corp., is called the NAS Voice Switch, or NVS. Currently, the NVS is scheduled to be deployed to 80 sites across the NAS, including all ARTCCs, TRACONs, and large ATCTs.
Today, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), and the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS), the unions representing thousands of employees at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), released the following statement in response to introduction of the Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization (AIRR) Act (H.R.4441) by House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Bill Shuster (R-Pa.):
On June 15, a day like any other, PASS Chapter NE3 member Robert Lynn was working at the New York Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON) facility, where he also serves as the Communications unit PASS representative. However, what started out as a typical day quickly changed when Lynn’s coworker, Neil O’Toole, an air traffic controller, suffered sudden cardiac arrest. When Air Traffic Operations Manager Jeffrey Brooks ran into the equipment room looking for someone trained on the Automated External Defibrillator (AED), Lynn knew he had to take action.
Today, Kurt Donnelly, Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) representative for the Professional Aviation Safety Specialists, AFL-CIO (PASS), joined Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Assistant Administrator for NextGen Edward Bolton to discuss how NextGen is benefitting travelers at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
