CFS 2023 Panel: Safety Culture At The Local Level

The aviation safety professionals who make up the frontline air traffic controller workforce are key to understanding safety issues in the National Airspace System (NAS). A safety culture that encourages reporting of safety issues in an effort to constantly improve safety is critically important. Across the nation, NATCA representatives work as part of teams for facility personnel to identify and mitigate safety issues at the local level. At CFS 2023, NATCA’s National Recurrent Training Lead Richard Kennington and St. Louis TRACON (T75) Operational Supervisor Bethany Bohnenstiehl moderated a panel of some of these team members to discuss safety culture at the local level. Panelists were NATCA Southern California TRACON (SCT) FacRep Alex Cisneros, SCT Acting Executive Officer Thomas Gordon, NATCA Partnership for Safety Member Mike Taylor, and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Director of Safety Joe Winingar.