OK, this is going to be a long one.
To start (and it’s a shocker!): COVID-19 and Omicron have obviously been dominating our lives.
Amy sent out an update last weekend that covered a variety of topics, and I highly recommend you read through it if you haven’t already.
Of the many things she touched on, I want to emphasize one thing: Please don’t come into work if you’re sick.
I have been joking for the seven years I’ve been an FAA employee that “if you’re not feeling well, you’re not feeling well,” and you should take sick leave. It’s no longer a joke. With the transmissibility of this variant, please do not come into work if you have any COVID symptoms. For those of us who are vaccinated and boosted and are lucky enough to be in good health, actually getting COVID doesn’t seem like a big deal. But there are people inside of this building who live with family members who are immunocompromised. I understand that it can feel futile and that we’re all tired of dealing with COVID, but please help protect these people by not coming into work if you’re sick.
And also protect yourself. When you step inside the building every day, you are saying that you have completed the wellness check and are symptom-free. If this changes at some point during your shift, advise a supervisor so that you can go home. If you are at work, you have said via the wellness check that you’re symptom-free, so if you get asked during work to fill out a close-contact form, I highly recommend that you provide an answer that’s consistent with your original answer.
S46 meeting
We recently had a Zoom meeting between the LSCs of S46 and the A area, which I sat in on. We discussed many things. There were a few things I wanted to pass along:
If you are sequencing on the long legs and your sequence is very tight, S46’s LSC said that APREQing the front A/C going fast typically is not a problem for them. I obviously don’t recommend calling them and doing this on a regular basis, but I thought it was good information to pass along if you get in a pinch.
If you’re about to be given a stack of departures by S46 and you have a solution to the traffic situation in mind, please call them and offer the solution. Some of our controllers have the mentality of, “Well, these four airplanes headed my way are all in approach’s airspace and this is their traffic.” Yes, it is currently their traffic. But it’s going to be your traffic. So if you have a solution in mind that will help you and them, they asked for us to be proactive in reaching out and offering it.
Both sides expressed interest in having our controllers visit each others’ facilities. This is obviously not currently happening due to COVID. However, when the opportunity presents itself, I would love to get as many people as possible over there to have conversations between us and them.
Speed control
The major topic we discussed with S46 was speed control on the arrivals. The common scenario (which is applicable to all of the arrivals) that we reviewed: We’ve sped up an aircraft on the HAWKZ to 290kts or greater to accomplish our sequencing, and we then tell the aircraft, “Resume published speed at PIKEZ.” According to the way I have interpreted the AIM, I expect the airplane to slow to cross PIKEZ at 250kts, and then comply with the slower published speeds. However, S46 has had several airplanes come over doing 290kts overhead PIKEZ, with the intent to begin their speed reduction at that point. Those aircraft had all been assigned, “Resume published speed at PIKEZ.”
In my opinion, this is a pilot deviation. However, I’ve since had several conversations with our airspace office about this, and they were provided with an unofficial interpretation from the region saying that “resume published speed at PIKEZ” is not approved because pilots could remain fast until they reach the fix. They suggested you say, “Resume published speed” when you want them to slow (which doesn’t work if you’re busy and can’t advise the airplane at the exact moment you want them to slow), or “cross PIKEZ at 250kts, then resume published speed.”
I don’t believe the unofficial interpretation is sufficient and that we need more concrete information. Therefore, I have requested we get an official interpretation from national. I’m told this will take a few months to get back.
In the meantime, just be aware that there is confusion among pilots about what “resume published speed at (fix)” means and that if you tell them, “Resume published speeds at PIKEZ,” they may or may not do what you want them to do. I have begun adapting my phraseology with pilots to ensure that they do what I want them to do — I say “cross PIKEZ at 270kts, then resume published speeds,” or “comply with the published speeds beginning at PIKEZ.”
S46 LOA update
We will be putting together a CWG in the near future to look at updating the S46 LOA. If you’re interested in participating, please let me know. And also let me know if there are any S46-related procedures you would like to see changed or modified in the new LOA. (And please let me know if you have any requests for any changes to any of the other LOAs and procedures that we have in the area.)
Downrigger
Downrigger is scheduled to return in the near future. Our airspace office won’t be giving in-person briefings due to COVID, but they told me they’ll be placing an update into CEDAR this week. If you have questions about any of the new procedures, please let me know and I will get answers for you.
“1330B” instead of “1330NF”
The dreaded 1330NF shift returned to our facility this year at the behest of management, which said it intended to use that shift to help facilitate crew breakouts. I agreed to this as a brand-new rep, and I intend to push for us to abolish it next year if management doesn’t actually utilize it for breakouts.
In the meantime, it’s here for this year.
Per our BWS MOU, the “core” shift that we agreed upon was “1330B.” The MOU states that “any B designation on any shift indicates that the shift shall have up to a 10-minute flex time prior to the start time.”
An OM in another area recently objected to the schedulers using the coding “1330NF” because it isn’t in line with the MOU. Accordingly, starting with PP5, you’ll start seeing “1330B” if you have a 1330NF shift. You still can flex in up to 10 minutes ahead of the start time. The only thing changing is the coding in Web Scheduler.
Certifications
Training obviously became paused this week, but we’ve had several certifications since my last area update. They are: Jessi Dias (D1/31), Angelina Jacobson (D2/32), Mike Draper (R2/32), Katrina Linder (R1/31), and Kevin Wegner (R1/31). I appreciate all of our trainees, who have been enduring so much insanity during COVID.
In solidarity,
Dan Rasmussen
801-860-3821
