Happy March!

Iditarod started this past weekend with the smallest amount of mushers in the history of the race, 33. One has already scratched, but we will be sending good vibes to the rest of the participants that they have a safe trip to Nome!

Some other fun news - if you haven’t seen the announcement, Shanna delivered a healthy baby girl 2/25 named Clara. Sounds like mom and baby are doing great!

Spencer Sangiorgio certified on 47/48 and is now working on lows. Congrats to Spencer and all those who were involved in his success!

Congrats to JR who certified on 7/11! Well done to all who helped him achieve this goal! 47/48 is in your future!

Mike Seo is all nestled in at P80 learning everything about the Portland world, and Chaz worked his last shift with us last week before he heads south to warmer pastures. The next controller leaving the C Area will be Alex Unruh in May, followed by the retirement of Sierra Echo in June.

Help me to welcome Andreas Swanlinjung, our CPC transfer from Chicago Center. He is upstairs studying but has visited the floor a few times to introduce himself and hang out. Welcome, Andreas!

Some area updates….

We are still waiting for the LOA/AIT with ZLC regarding GPI and MSO arrivals to come back to us. I will keep you posted when that happens.

Lee has put in a request to have our broken chairs fixed or replaced, but (are you sitting down?) the agency is quick to note that they just might not move as quickly as one would hope. Or something like that. If you notice a chair being broken, please leave Lee a message or label the chair so we can hopefully get some good equipment in the area and some bad equipment out.

I just saw what I did there…. sitting down….

I have been talking to the A Area about getting control for PSC arrivals from Sector 01. Doesn’t sound like it will be a hard sell, and they are wanting to continue to look into some kind of change so point outs don’t have to happen to lows as often from 01 on the CHINS arrival when SEA is on a north flow. I will keep you posted if anything changes and will not implement anything until it has been run past you all.

Everyone liking the new carpet?? I have asked when the rest of it will be replaced. Basically, once the tiles that were removed have been cleaned and had the new carpet glued on (away from the area to prevent any residual fumes) we will discuss an installation date.

Here’s hoping this spring goes smoothly for us, as CPDLC and TEAM are rolled out. Please know I’m here if you have any questions or concerns, I always appreciate any help or input for the good of the area.

You are appreciated!

Crumbley

360-635-8244

February updating

Well, C Area - here we are, about halfway through February. Things are going well to the best of my knowledge, so let me give you a few updates and solicitations…..

First - staffing. We are coming into a big training season, having 3 new D sides, 2 supervisors, and 1 R side coming to the floor within the next couple of months. There will be lots of training happening, so please be patient with the needs of the students so we can get them done. Know that we will all be having a hand in providing OJT as well. There is an OJTI class coming up in April and we will be sending as many people as we can afford to get off the schedule to it. Additionally, please help welcome Alex Fontaine to the area, he is our newest Academy Grad and is upstairs studying when he isn’t in the area monitoring. He won’t be on the floor until probably after summer. We have a CPC-IT coming on the 28th and an Academy Grad March 6th (with more to come throughout the year, I will keep you posted).

Solicitations - We will be in need of an Article 5 starting around 5/8 for 3 weeks for the CPC-IT coming this month.

Amy is requesting volunteers for the Events Planning Committee for ZSE. If you’re interested in helping plan facility functions, please let me or Amy know!

Some other things going on……

The flooring in the area will be replaced soon. Get your spills out of your system so we can have somewhat of a clean floor…..! I will be working with Trevor in the D area to set a date for this to happen (they will be replacing the C and D areas the same night), so watch for that date to be announced. It will most likely be on a mid.

There was some concern about having enough cleaning supplies in the area. If you ask for some and it’s denied, please let me know. Management isn’t going to order as much as they did during covid, but there still needs to be some available in the area.

A big thank you to Ryan Cook who has volunteered to be the C Area SGET person! He will be going to OKC in early June for training so we can get our scenarios up to date for all our training needs. Thanks Ryan!

I finished TEAM training Wednesday this week. We still have a few things that need to be ironed out for our facility, but know that you will be getting training on how to use it starting Saturday. Training has been scheduled for 2 hours per class and will be held on day and swing shifts.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about anything. I am here to help and continue to move our area in a positive direction, and I appreciate you all for what you do.

Have a great Superbowl weekend!

Crumbley

360-635-8244

Winter Salutations

Hey C Area - we’ve made it through another month, through the schedule transition to new days off, through the beginning of a new year, and are heading into a spring of new information and changes.

Thanks for all your patience while I was out of town, I had a great time in Scotland with my mom and girlfriend from NORCAL. Back to the grind now!

Another big thank you as you patiently waited for my grievance to result in the change of duty assignments for the OS’s in the area. Lee is no longer doing the schedule, it is currently with Devon which has so far been a huge improvement. He is collaborating and talking with Carly in a constructive and open manner which is making everyone’s jobs a little easier, and is ensuring the schedule gets out timely which is nice.

There has been talk of reviewing all the options available to send a message to sector 01 when 09 is open. These are merely suggestions and are not requirements, and I will not be pushing for a requirement to be put into place. We need to continuously operate as if every position is open all the time so we don’t get into any bad habits, and I will be bringing this up when this topic arises. Having options to alert 01 that 09 is open isn’t a bad thing, but again - NOT A REQUIREMENT. If you have any questions about this, you have my digits.

There is talk of automated handoffs with Canada, MD is looking into other facilities that have LOA’s with Canada to see how they do it. Expect to hear more about this in the next coming months.

If you have any recommendations for anything you’d like to see changed within NATCA, amendments to the constitution will be received until 2/20. Please contact Drew Stewart and he will help you write it up.

We still need 1 TEAM Cadre if you are interested. The class is 2/7 & 2/8 from 8:30-1:30 online, and controllers will be taught how to use it in 2 hour classes, much like refreshers or briefings happen.

A CWG to help the ZSE areas work with TMU is gaining ground, so expect to hear more about that soon. The new ATM has a much more communicative relationship with NATCA, so you can expect to hear more good things in the coming future.

I have been in touch with the GEG Facrep, Cassie, about rumors that they will be having to give up YKM airspace. They are very short staffed for the month of February due to some family leave situations (as in staffing 8/8 for 7 positions), so we may see YKM opening more often just until March when people return from leave.

As always, please reach out if you have any questions or concerns. I appreciate all you do!

Have a great rest of January,

Crumbley

360-635-8244

January Updates

Hey there C Area!

I hope everyone had a great New Years - a fresh start to a new year full of opportunity, change, and volunteer opportunities!

SGET - We can still use a volunteer to go to Oklahoma City for training to be the C Area SGET person. There are a lot of scenarios that need updating for our area use.

TEAM - I don’t have a date for this, but we can use a TEAM Cadre. This is the program that we’ll use for filling out training forms and keeping track of training (to the best of my knowledge, I don’t know a lot about it other than it’s super helpful).

OJTI/CIC - There is an OJTI course and a CIC course coming up soon. If you haven’t been, don’t be surprised if you get to go!

IST - IST Cadre class is 3/14-15 or 3/16-17. We can usually use 2 cadres for this.

If you would like to volunteer, please let me or your Sup know by 1/15.

I know this is a lot to ask, and that there is a lot going on in general right now. Know that I don’t take your offers of your time lightly, and appreciate all you who are willing to step up and help. Our area is going to be pretty short this year, especially over the summer, and it’s going to take all of us working together to keep each other’s spirits up. Shift balancing is a bit of a necessary evil, unfortunately, but know that it IS tracked, and every effort is made to minimize the impact to your schedule and distribute the changes as evenly as possible. I know sometimes it doesn’t feel like this, so please have patience and understanding when your schedule doesn’t look like you had planned.

On another note, I will be out of the country and unavailable beginning the evening of Thursday 1/12 - the evening of Tuesday 1/17. Devin Carlisto will be available if you need anything while I’m gone or have any questions.

*I just got word, as of 1/27, COP will pretty much be done. They’re going to be asking for “medical proof” that you contracted COVID at work to approve COP.

There was talk spurred by the latest round of IST to get TMU to show the total delay of metered aircraft to the C Area. This wouldn’t mean that we would be required to eat the total delay, but we would set up an amount of time to give to the A Area. The idea of using this process and incorporating ZLC into setting up a reasonable amount of a delay for us has been brought up, but not discussed out of our area just yet. I would love your thoughts on this, please feel free to email them to me so I can keep them all together. The idea of a CWG that would work with TMU on how to help us when we go red is still smoldering, but with all the other things going on, it’s smoldering on a back burner. I will let you know when it is gaining ground, and would love someone to step forward to be a part of that.

As always, I appreciate everything you do to make our area super. Have a great rest of your week, and know that I’m available if you need anything. Or you can just add it to my list on the white board. Whoever suggested “remove this board” - thanks for the easy out! :)

Take care,

Crumbley

360-635-8244 (Unless it’s 1/12-1/17 = Carlisto)

Merry Happy Everything

Happy Saturday, C Area!

Now that I have power and WiFi service, I can send out a quick note to you all, expressing my gratitude for your patience as I navigate the day to day struggles, triumphs, challenges, and learning opportunities that have presented themselves to me these past few months.

Coming to the center from a terminal environment was a big change for me, made easier by your kindness and willingness to lend a helping hand. I continue to be reminded of things I maybe already should have known, and embrace the newness of the things that I get to grow in.

Reflecting on this Eve of Christmas, I hope that regardless of your circumstance, you take an opportunity to give thanks to those around you who help to make your world whole, who support and lift you up, who help you grow, and who ground you in your journey through life. We are very much pulled in a lot of external directions as a family member, employee, care taker, etc., and this can create a lot of internal pulls as well. Know that I appreciate all you do for our area and those who we serve.

A Merry Happy Holiday (whatever one it is in your home) to you all, and I look forward to what 2023 has in store for us (including our 5.15% pay raise!). We have a lot of change on the horizon and I hope you join me in celebrating the many upcoming life events we will get to share in.

Festively,

Crumbley

Moving forward

Hi there C Area!

My favorite season has come to a close. Bidding season is officially over, and as sad as I am to see it go, I will look forward to not having to log into bidATC for a while!

SPOT LEAVE REQUESTS - Spot leave can be entered for 2023 starting this coming Sunday, December 11th, at 2:00am. To be clear, that is this Saturday night-Sunday morning at 2:00am. If you have any questions about what Sunday at 2:00am means, please let me know. I will be posting this information in the area and reach out to anyone who may not be receiving this information. Any leave requested prior to 12/11/22 at 2:00am will be removed.

A big ‘ol CONGRATS to Jennifer Hilton (NextJen) for achieving CPC status! High 5’s to her and all who helped achieve this awesome goal! Well done all!

I’m available if you have any questions about anything. Thanks for all you do and for getting us through bidding timely! On to the next thing!

Have a great week, all

Crumbley

360-635-8244

Forgot something

Wanted to remind everyone that it is open season. This is the time to review your healthcare plan, dental, vision, and if you’d like, to sign up for an FSA account.

FSA is a way to help out with healthcare costs. You select the amount you want to have access to (you can do any amount from $0-$3000 (it’s somewhere around $3000, can’t remember the specific number)) and it will be divided amongst all your paychecks for the year. That amount gets withdrawn automatically each pay period, and you can use it for co-pays, glasses, contacts, prescriptions, basically anything healthcare related. It also is deducted pre-tax so it brings your taxable income down, which is always helpful.

fsafeds.com is the website, and if you have any questions that would be a great place to start.

OK, I’ll save whatever else I forgot for next time.

Crumbley

360-635-8244

Ending one season and beginning another...

Well, C Area, bidding is coming to a close here soon. We finished round 4 yesterday and I’m hoping we start round 5 today so we’re all done.

A reminder - if you’re interested in an AWS or any shift change requests, please fill the form out by this Thursday. If you’re not here (but still reading my emails - thanks! :) ) and want something submitted, please reach out to me and I’ll make sure it’s done.

Please don’t forget to submit you’re OT preference on bidATC. If you need help with this, I’m available.

As we approach the end of my favorite season, Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving Potlucks at work are just around the corner. If you work a swing shift on Thanksgiving, the B area has the master list of who is bringing what, so please sign up to bring a Thanksgiving food item to share with your fellow participants.

And then there’s the return of the much awaited C-Area C-Cret Santa! At the back of the room behind the leaning Christmas tree (I’ll look at it today) are short surveys in a little pocket on the wall. If you would like to participate, please fill one out and put it in the envelope to the right by December 1st. Names will be drawn at random and put in a super top-secret envelope. You’ll find your envelope with who you get to shop for in your headset box after 12/4. Please have your (work appropriate…!) gift under the tree by 12/15. There will also soon be stockings hanging in the area with everyones initials on them. Feel free to put little treats in them if the season inspires you!

There is a new addition to the C-Area, a white board with cork board under it, meant to hang announcements and other things on. I’m at a bit of a loss for where to put it, so it’s hanging on the back exit door for now. I tried finding another good place for it but I wasn’t very successful. If you have ideas or suggestions, I’m all ears.

And, to leave the best for last, a big High-5 and congrats to JR (no longer RJ) for certifying on the lows! Well done to him and everyone who helped make this possible. Nothing like a pay raise to enhance the holiday season!

Thanks everyone for doing great things and being awesome. I appreciate you all.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Crumbley

360-635-8244

Updates

Good Thursday C Area!

First, a BIG congrats to Chase Griffin who can now hang up his Action 5 News blazer for good! Well done to Chase and everyone who helped in reaching his CPC status. High 5’s all around!

CPDLC stuff - Please check your schedule. I mean, check it regularly anyway, but make sure you’re aware of when you will be in class. You will have a D08NF, D07NF, D06NF. These are your class dates. I know there are changes to your schedule that aren’t always helpful or your favorite, but if you don’t get through this class, you will be assigned another one. If you have any questions about this, please let me know.

Also - there will be a line in the next update to ERAM on your map. It will be in the upper right hand corner from 11 & 08 and will make a little triangle that heads up towards Canada. My descriptive drawing skills were never my forte, just know that there will be a line that you will learn the meaning for it in your CPDLC class. Questions…? You know the drill.

We will start round 4 this morning, sorry it’s taken so long. Needed to get a few things figured out before I hit start. We have an “extra” pay period next year, essentially pay period 1 starts Dec 17 and gives us an extra pay period of leave hours for the year. For round 4, 8-hour earners can bid up to 7 days. Please keep the bidding moving so we can get the leave requests entered ASAP and not lose any slots in January.

If you haven’t already heard, we will be receiving a pay raise in January of 4.6%. I don’t have the exact locality change yet, will let you know when I hear.

I have been getting word of the E75’s requesting lower going into PSC from sector 1. I will follow up with this with the A area to see if we can get control of these guys. If you’re seeing anything else that could use some attention with all the changes we’re going through, please share.

As a housekeeping note - lets all be nice. If you’re working a mid with someone who doesn’t work it the same way as you, work with them to discuss the plan. Or if it looks like it will be busy, keep it split. Management is looking at how things are run after 9pm and what we DON’T want is for them to have to mandate how late things are kept split or open. Be back from break on time. Check on those who are working if you’re here late. All things we do a great job with normally, lets keep it up and keep management from wanting to meddle as much as possible.

I know Vancouver has been clearing aircraft direct JAKSN on the GLASR arrival, and this has been forwarded to airspace for them to look into.

I’m probably forgetting something, so I’ll try to remember for next time. Have a great week and keep on keepin on.

Crumbley

360-635-8244

AWS/Swap requests

Hello C Area,

I am putting AWS/Swap request forms in the area today. If you are interested in submitting a request, please fill out a form and put it in the envelope under the forms by 11/24 so we can organize them and have them addressed as soon as possible.

Some things to note -

Annika is leaving as of this Friday for a 2 year detail. The interim OM will be Stan, and Robello will be the OM as of the beginning of December.

If you submit a request of a 5-4-9 nature (where your 80 hours is not divided up evenly between the two administrative work weeks), you cannot earn credit.

We have added a section at the bottom for any requests or goals you might have with your shifts. Example - “I would like to not work earlier than an 8 on my day shifts”. This doesn’t mean they will always get approved, but if someone is requesting to work shifts that help you get to those 8’s, we can work to help both parties get something a little closer to what they would ultimately like.

As always, let me know if you have any questions. Have a great rest of your week!

Crumbley

360-635-8244

Round and round we go!

Round 3 starts today! This is the round where you can bid 5 non consecutive days, so start looking at the available slots and making your list of days you want to bid off. This will help keep the rounds moving.

Trainees - your round 2 started today. Please let me know if you have any issues with selecting your days. 5 consecutive days for you guys on this round, and no bidding around full slots. Bidding around your RDOs is A-OK.

If you need any help bidding, please reach out.

Happy Bidding everyone!

Crumbley

360-635-8244

Update

Happy Wednesday C Area,

A BIG congrats to Hunter for getting certified in the area! YAY! Another CPC! High 5’s all around to everyone who worked hard to guide him along his path to success. Well done, all!

We’re doing great on round 2 of bidding. A couple things for you about bidding and next years schedule.

The 1330’s on the schedule for next year will have a full 30 minute flex on them, meaning you can come in at 1300. The “B” schedules won’t be regularly assigned, but please look over your schedule in case management assigns it to you.

Round 3 is your opportunity to bid 5 non-consecutive days, and I will make sure to let you know when that begins.

Please remember - if you are notified while on duty status, you have 1 hour to complete your bid. If you’re having any issues with this, or anything to do with bidding, please let me know.

Have a great rest of your week and a fantastic Halloween!

Crumbley

360-635-8244

Round 2

First of all, I want to thank you all for your patience. Saturday was a bit of a mess, but with a lot of phone calls and verifying, I got the seniority issues all fixed and we were on our way. I have learned a lot and am really hoping to retain some of this knowledge so it goes even smoother next year!

A BIG congrats to Grant for finishing training completely! Well done to you and all who made your success possible. Give a high five to our newest CPC when you see him.

Another big congrats (you’ll get all caps when you’re done :) ) goes out to Chase for certifying on 47/48. Again, great job everyone involved in his continued success!

I spent the morning working with management to reallocate leave and get some more slots in areas that will help a bunch of people out. Some of the changes -

Extra time around spring break (both weeks depending on the school districts) and mid winter break

Extra days around the 4th of July

Extra days around the end of school and the beginning of the school year

An extra leave slot on Halloween and the day after

An extra week of leave around Thanksgiving

An extra week of leave around Christmas

We will start round 2 soon. I am working to make sure our trainees are in BidATC so they can start the bidding process as well.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns with anything. I appreciate all you do! Have a great rest of your week!

Crumbley

360-635-8244

Bidding

Good morning,

So, I don’t know if you know this, but I’m new at all this and was a bit slow at starting the bid process this morning. But I did and Jackie is up! :)

REMEMBER - look at the lines you’re bidding for the notes about the Mid Priority Line, especially Sat/Sun and Wed/Thurs. (provided that’s where Chaz and Alex bid).

REMEMBER - to ADD WEEK before hitting submit so you get your 2 weeks of leave on this first round.

Trainees - we will get your lines figured out as soon as the CPCs have bid.

Please reach out with questions and I’ll get them answered ASAP.

Happy Bidding!

Crumbley

360-635-8244

Bidding information

Thank you for your patience as we get everything together to present it to you in a way that isn’t totally confusing.

Or maybe it is. Hoping it isn’t, but you know how to get ahold of me.

Some personnel changes are coming up. Chaz leaves March 21, Alex Unruh leaves May 26.

Brian Spencer is retiring in June, and there is a line on the Fri/Sat set that was built for him. If he stays past June 1, it reverts to a Sat/Sun straight 09 line.

Mid Priority

 This is a new idea that has been the talk of the area over the last few days. Hopefully this will clarify the reason for it, and how it will work.

 Background

In the recent past, we have seen mid lines vacated or left unworked for an extended period of time. This has created a situation where some people have wanted to work the mid shift, and others have not. In an attempt to assign the open shift to those who most want it and conversely, to keep those who don’t, off of it, we have come up with Mid Priority. The main intent of this is to allow for more certainty in our schedules, regardless of desirability. On most regular rotation non-mid lines, you will see a note with a “mid priority 1,2,3…”. Mid priority 1 indicates this is the first person considered to work the mid shift when the regular person is off. This would be for 1 of 3 reasons.

 Permanently Vacated Line

If a person vacates a mid-line permanently, the mid priority line 1 will become the new regular mid person. Essentially, they will now hold a mid-line and priority 2 is now next.

 Scheduled Short Term Leave 

If a regular mid person is on annual or other leave for a short term (1-3 weeks), the normal scheduling process will apply. If the day or swing shift is over guides, the mid priority line will fill the mid shift. If the day and swing shift is under guides, the mid will be assigned as overtime. If mid priority 1 is also on leave and the day or swing is still over guides, then it falls to priority 2 and so on.

 Long Term DQ (not leaving permanently)

This is the wildcard of the 3 situations. Since this would be the most unpredictable of the 3 reasons, it will be evaluated on a case by case basis with input from those impacted. The goal being that if a hardship is created, it will be shared equally among those involved.

I know this is new and change is hard, but it was done in an attempt to bring a little more consistency to the schedule while complying with the rules laid out in the contract.

A copy of this email and the lines we will be bidding will be in the area for you to view. Please leave them in there so others can review it as well.

The lines are available on bidATC :: Area Home to view. If you have any issues getting into bidATC, please let me know.

Have a wonderful week

Crumbley

360-635-8244

Input

C Area - lots going on. It’s going to be a full week!

First, the OJTI Cadre course is coming up in November, so please let me know if you would like to attend and help out. We need at least one person from the C Area to attend.

A big congrats to Spencer Sangiorgio for certifying on R7/11 and Alex Mathers for certifying on D18/08/09. Well done to all involved in their success!

There is a go/no go meeting 10/11 to finalize the PSC/YKM to GEG project, and you will be briefed this week on the new LOA. As of now, the radar has received its registration and pending nothing out of the ordinary, GEG will take over PSC/YKM the night of 10/15. As far as I know, MD will be there Sunday morning to oversee the airspace opening. Please let me know if you have any questions about this.

Vancouver High Specialty (Cranbrook) is having an annual procedures meeting on the 18th. If you can think of anything you'd like to see discussed by them, procedures or any questions you might have, please let me know ASAP.

10/17 is when we will start using ERIDS for PIREPS. Each area has a choice on how to configure their ERIDS.  The choices would be: 1) to display only the NOTAMS on the homepage, 2) display WX messages above the NOTAMS, or 3) display NOTAMS above the WX messages. If I don’t hear otherwise, the default will be to add WX messages to the homepage and have them order above NOTAMS. Let me know.

Amy sent out an email tonight that briefings will begin this week in hopes to start bidding on Saturday. I will be putting an email together with our line information as soon as I can so you can see what we’re bidding and what everything looks like.

There is talk with the A area about making a small cut out of airspace near YKM that would be 01s. The goal with this is to eliminate some coordination from 01 to 09 during a north flow while metering. Nothing is solidified, but I would like your thoughts on this so we can move forward. Arrivals on the CHINS have been requesting lower after YKM so they can make the altitude restriction at RADDY, which has resulted in more frequent point outs from 01 to 09. I know this can be cumbersome, especially when 09 is busy.

I finally got to see the draft of GPI/MSO arrivals after ZLC had a chance to look it over. I am hoping some time this week we find out when it goes into effect and we can brief the floor.

Please reach out to me with your suggestions, questions, concerns, etc. I am here to help you guys, and if I don't hear anything, I can only guess that things are going amazing. These emails are great to keep you involved and informed of the goings on in the area and building, but they are also my best tool to reach out to you with the needs of the area, especially to you whom I don't get to see on a regular basis.

Thank you for all you do! Have a great week!

Crumbley

360-635-8244

Welcome Fall

Happy end of September, C Area!

I have quite a few things to tell you about, so PLEASE READ THIS EMAIL IN ITS ENTIRETY! …..you know who you are…..

A big congrats to Hunter for certifying on 7/11! Well done to all who made it possible and worked hard to help him in his success.

We have 3 new hires in the building who have joined NATCA and are looking forward to training on the floor! Ezekiel (goes by Zeke), Jun, and Jeydi are upstairs and have been down to visit a few times. Welcome to the C-Area!

There is an OJTI Cadre Course happening in November. Ideally, we are looking for 1 volunteer from the C Area to attend and become a Cadre. If you are interested or want more information, please let me know.

GPI/MSO - I am STILL waiting on the trial LOA for the procedures that we are hoping will simplify the requirements for these two airports. If you are running into ANY issues with either, PLEASE let me know. Leave me a strip in my box, text me, email me, whatever works best for you. I cannot push for any changes if I don’t have examples to show ZLC. Call signs, times, and if you have a moment, a brief explanation of what happened.

PSC/YKM to GEG - The changeover is scheduled to take place mid-October, and yes, the floor will be briefed on the new procedures the week of 10/11-14. Right now, there is some question as to whether or not everything will be ready to flip the switch and what the contingency plan is if GEG isn’t ready for the airspace, regardless of the reason. I will keep you posted as those decisions are made, and in the meantime, I will be attending a lot of meetings ensuring that everything is moving in the right direction and the C Area isn’t missing any vital information that will impact our operations. Something I am aiming to keep to a minimum.

We are waiting on confirmation that the schedule is good from management, and I will let you know when I hear back on that. It has been submitted out of the building as of the beginning of this week.

Thank you ALL for your hard work and your patience as I try to get any answers and help to you all. I am here for you, as always.

I’m sure I forgot something, but I think this is good for now. Enjoy the last day of September and get your Air Traffic Control Costumes out! Tis the season! (Seriously, google ATC costume)

Crumbley

360-635-8244

It's my favorite season

If you didn’t already know, my favorite season of the year is bidding season! A schedule has been submitted to management and we are technically bidding 37 lines. If you haven’t already heard, we will be losing 3 people by June. Chaz will be leaving at the end of March, Alex Unruh will be leaving at the end of May, and Brian Spencer will be skipping valiantly out of the building towards his retirement the beginning of June. We have 34 lines that these changes will leave us with, and this way our schedule won’t be understaffed when summer hits. More will come out as we get the OK to bid and how it will look with the 3 who are leaving. Thank you for your patience as I get help navigating the schedule development process.

I have been on an SRM panel the past 2 days to go over the PSC relocation to GEG that is still scheduled to happen mid-October. Everything is in place for GEG to take over the airspace around the 14th I believe. I am trying to make sure any work that needs to be done with the potential to create any issues for us with radar or radios in the YKM/PSC airspace areas will not be done until after midnight on any particular day. So far that does not seem to be an issue.

Fun fact - YKM tower is still using a temporary tower due to the launched car incident in May. They are still in the process of bidding the work and it doesn’t sound like they’ll be back in the tower until at LEAST January of 2023.

If you ordered a facility t-shirt, they are in and are being organized. As soon as they are all labeled as to who’s shirt is who’s, they will be distributed.

We are still waiting on the wording for the GPI/MSO arrival procedure changes. Hopefully, that will come out soon.

Our area is gaining 3 new hires, academy grads. As far as I know, Jun and Jaydi are both in the building, and I have heard the 3rd should show up soon. We are not getting any transfers or anything outside of those 3 at this time.

Additionally, Annika will be leaving in November to take a job…somewhere else, I can’t remember now to be honest what the title is, but it was what Steve Robello has been doing. He will be taking over as the C-Area OM when Annika leaves.

Thank you for your patience and cooperation, I appreciate all you do. Have a great rest of your week, and if you need anything, please reach out.

Crumbley

360-635-8244

GPI/MSO Meeting

Hi C Area,

Wednesday afternoon, I was on a telecon with DJ, EW, JI, TD, Paul from airspace, and a bunch of NATCA, management, and airspace representatives from ZLC. The gist of the meeting was to go over the AIT between us and ZLC in regard to GPI and MSO arrivals.

The need from ZLC stems from the amount of arrivals they’re running into GPI and MSO, upwards of 40,000 operations/year at GPI and 45,000 at MSO. The goal of splitting off a new sector (ZLC 12, which they’re HOPING to have the frequencies for perhaps this month, but they also requested this all starting in February to be ready for the summer traffic…..so……….”any day now”….) was to help alleviate some of the frequency congestion and workload on 19. Having set the stage, the AIT was developed to help streamline operations into GPI and MSO, reducing the amount of coordination ZLC would have to do with us and GEG (MSO). The request for AOB FL230 was so they would not have to reach out to ZSE 8 for a point out and control.

We reviewed a lot of traffic layouts, showing arrival lines through 8 into ZLC19. We also showed some examples of how these arrivals can go through ZLC6, making more coordination for us. We asked what the need for the specific fixes into MSO was for as well. Basically, ZLC has an LOA with GEG/MSO for 10 or 11 approved fixes aircraft can be cleared to without coordination, and they wanted to give something similar to us.

Overall, it was a great opportunity to collaborate and find out what ZLC’s specific needs were and how we could help them without going down the tubes ourselves.

There is going to be a draft written up and a trial period with some new procedures, so you will have time to evaluate them and give constructive feedback.

The following are ideas we are looking into implementing, nothing is set in stone yet.

These are not current procedures, and it is meant to be an overview for you so I can share with you what is being discussed.

GPI

If the aircraft are over or north of MLP, we will issue them AOB FL230

If the aircraft are south or east of MLP, we will give them to ZLC desceding to FL280 or FL290 (still working on that altitude and whether it will be a flash through from ZLC20 to 19 or 12 or if we’ll point them out and hand them off to ZLC19/12}

There will be something written about ZLC having control for GPI arrivals for descent

ZSE will be responsible for making sure interfacility coordination is done between 48/11/8

MSO

ZLC will flash through to MSO (I did bring up when they take the handoff and sit on it, that is not the intent and we can hope that improves with time)

If the MSO arrival clips or goes through ZLC6, hand off to 6 and let them work the aircraft into MSO. No altitude requirement to 6, but if you’re going to give a descent, give descending to FL240 so they don’t have to coordinate with 48 for control (PD is fine). Don’t worry about right for direction, they would rather have less coordination.

We will be given the approved fixes list from ZLC/MSO so we can give any of the fixes on that list without coordinating

Still give descent to 150 if ZLC6 is not involved in route, PD is fine

We are working on how to get the runway in use at MSO on our board and who and how will notify us of it.

Thank you for all your input and patience as we work this all out. It was a real productive meeting and I think both facilities walked away feeling like their needs were understood and respected.

Crumbley

360-635-8244

Updates!

C Area -

First off, thank you for your help collecting data for the MSO and GPI arrivals. I have continued to forward it all to Jackie and we will be meeting with ZLC this Wednesday to go over the procedures for these airports and see what we can work out. Don’t stop until then, though! If you see something that would help us paint a picture for ZLC, please email or leave the strip in my headset box, whatever is easier for you. I will let you know what comes of it.

I attended RT-1 a couple of weeks ago. It was a great learning opportunity for me, and I am thankful that I was able to go. I learned a LOT and I’m still processing it all. Lots of notes were taken, and I feel like I have a good basis of knowledge to move forward with. I will continue to learn and look things up, and want to do what is best for our area. I appreciate your patience with me as I make sure I have good and complete answers for you.

Bidding - 36 was a super number, but I have to report that it is no more. At this point, I’m not sure what we will be bidding, but as soon as I know I will for sure share it with you. Carly is working hard at building some schedules we can present to management, but we most likely will not be able to do anything fun with it like we had hoped. I will do my best to keep you posted as I find things out.

Management is - are you sitting down? - looking at our TOP numbers and isn’t happy with them. Additionally, I am hearing talk about mandating positions being open until certain hours at night. I don’t think the C area is the main culprit of this, but there are situations that management has taken notice of and doesn’t like, mostly pertaining to the mids. I tell you this to tell you this - we don’t want management coming down on us telling us what to keep open until 10 or 11 at night, or at least, I don’t think we do…? So please, use good judgement when it comes to that time after 9 or 10pm. If you’re here later, check in on those who are working. Don’t come in on a mid and bypass checking in on your fellow co workers. If it looks like it might get a little busy, keep things split a little later than normal. I know people like their “spools”, but those aren’t a guarantee all the time. If you have any questions about this, please reach out. I’m not pointing fingers, I hope this isn’t coming across as accusatory, but I want you to be aware of what management is seeing and thinking so perhaps we can avoid any unpleasantries.

As always, I’m available if you need anything. Thanks for all you do!

Crumbley

360-635-8244