IV 

House Calendar No. 218 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1401 

[Report No. 111–543] 

Expressing gratitude for the contributions that the air traffic controllers 

of the United States make to keep the traveling public safe and the 

airspace of the United States running efficiently, and for other purposes. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

MAY 26, 2010 

Mrs. MCCARTHY of New York (for herself and Mr. KING of New York) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 

Transportation and Infrastructure 

JULY 15, 2010 

Additional sponsors: Ms. MOORE of Wisconsin, Mr. SHULER, Ms. MCCOLLUM, 

Mr. REHBERG, Mr. CAPUANO, Mr. ISRAEL, Mr. HARE, Ms. RICHARDSON, 

Mr. GARAMENDI, Mr. COSTELLO, Mrs. MILLER of Michigan, Ms. 

WASSERMAN SCHULTZ, Mrs. CAPPS, Mr. SCOTT of Georgia, Ms. HIRONO, 

Mr. LEWIS of Georgia, Mr. COURTNEY, Ms. CLARKE, Ms. MARKEY of 

Colorado, Ms. SUTTON, Mr. TEAGUE, Ms. PINGREE of Maine, Mr. CARNEY, Mr. LOBIONDO, Mr. WEINER, Mr. MEEKS of New York, Mr. 

HOLDEN, Mr. FILNER, Mr. WU, Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. KLEIN of Florida, 

Mr. CAO, Mr. BOSWELL, Mr. WESTMORELAND, Ms. CORRINE BROWN of 

Florida, Mr. BISHOP of New York, Mr. HALL of New York, Mr. NADLER

of New York, Mr. MCMAHON, Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas, 

Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. CUMMINGS, Mr. HASTINGS of Florida, Ms. 

BERKLEY, Mr. DEUTCH, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. WALZ, Mr. SIRES, Mr. 

ROONEY, Mr. CARNAHAN, Ms. ROYBAL-ALLARD, Mr. PERRIELLO, Mr. 

LINCOLN DIAZ-BALART of Florida, Mr. SCHAUER, Mr. ENGEL, Mrs. 

MALONEY, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. GEORGE MILLER of California, 

Mr. HODES, Ms. MATSUI, Ms. SPEIER, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr. MITCHELL, 

Mr. KANJORSKI, Mrs. KIRKPATRICK of Arizona, Mr. ROE of Tennessee, 

Mrs. HALVORSON, Mr. ACKERMAN, Mr. LIPINSKI, Mr. MARIO DIAZBALART of Florida, Mr. DANIEL E. LUNGREN of California, Mr. 

MICHAUD, Mr. GERLACH, Mr. BUCHANAN, Mr. JOHNSON of Illinois, Mr. 

POE of Texas, Mr. CONNOLLY of Virginia, Mr. GUTHRIE, Ms. GIFFORDS, 


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Mr. CHILDERS, Mr. YOUNG of Alaska, Mr. SHUSTER, Mr. ELLSWORTH, 

Mr. ALTMIRE, Mr. COHEN, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. ROGERS of Michigan, Mr. 

DONNELLY of Indiana, Mr. MORAN of Kansas, Ms. KOSMAS, Mr. 

YARMUTH, Mr. LARSEN of Washington, Mr. PASCRELL, Mr. THOMPSON

of Pennsylvania, Mr. STARK, Mr. BERMAN, Mr. WOLF, Mr. PASTOR of 

Arizona, Mr. CRITZ, Ms. SCHWARTZ, Mr. DENT, Mr. TIERNEY, Mr. 

GRAVES of Missouri, Mr. MCNERNEY, Mr. WITTMAN, Ms. SLAUGHTER, 

Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. RAHALL, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Ms. TITUS, Mr. TONKO, 

Ms. NORTON, Mr. PATRICK J. MURPHY of Pennsylvania, Mr. BOCCIERI, 

Mr. EHLERS, Mr. DOYLE, Ms. FALLIN, Mr. PETRI, Mr. COBLE, Mr. TIM

MURPHY of Pennsylvania, Mr. SCHOCK, Mr. ARCURI, Mr. ROSS, Mr. 

HINCHEY, Mr. LEE of New York, Mrs. DAHLKEMPER, Mr. YOUNG of 

Florida, Mrs. CAPITO, Mr. DUNCAN, Mr. POSEY, Mr. DAVIS of Kentucky, 

Mr. BRADY of Pennsylvania, and Mr. SESTAK

JULY 15, 2010 

Reported with amendments, referred to the House Calendar, and ordered to 

be printed 

[Strike the preamble and insert the part printed in italic] 

[Strike out all after the resolving clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

[For text of introduced resolution, see copy of resolution as introduced on May 26, 2010] 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing gratitude for the contributions that the air traffic 

controllers of the United States make to keep the traveling public safe and the airspace of the United States 

running efficiently, and for other purposes. 

Whereas air traffic controllers dedicate themselves to the protection of the flying public; 

Whereas air traffic controllers react to dangerous and complex 

situations on a daily basis, doing so in a calm and professional manner; 

Whereas air traffic controllers work all day long and all year 

long, including holidays, to provide services to aircraft in 

their assigned airspaces; 


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Whereas, due to the highly stressful and demanding nature of 

the job and the total concentration required, air traffic 

controllers are required to take regular 30-minute breaks, 

work in shifts, and retire by the age of 56; 

Whereas air traffic controllers perform courageous acts every 

day; 

Whereas, on January 1, 2009, air traffic controller Kristin 

Danninger at the Madison, Wisconsin, Tower and Terminal Radar Approach Control (‘‘TRACON’’) facility directed a new pilot back on course and above minimum altitude who had been stuck in the clouds in a small aircraft 

with zero visibility, successfully using her knowledge of 

local geography to point out a highway that led the pilot 

to the appropriate runway; 

Whereas, on March 29, 2009, air traffic controller Troy Decker 

at the Salt Lake Center facility guided a Piper Aztec aircraft with an engine fire to a safe landing in Butte, Montana, providing detailed weather reports for several possible landing options; 

Whereas, on April 12, 2009, air traffic controllers Jessica 

Anaya, Lisa Grimm, Nathan Henkels, Dan Favio, Brian 

Norton, and Carey Meadows at the Miami Center facility 

and the Fort Myers Tower and TRACON facility guided 

to safety a twin-engine King Air aircraft after the pilot 

died in-flight, assisting Doug White, an individual with 

limited private pilot experience in smaller aircraft, to locate the positions of controls and switches on the aircraft 

and to navigate the high-traffic area of southern Florida; 

Whereas, on June 28, 2009, air traffic controller Ron Chappell 

at the Southern California TRACON facility issued a traffic advisory to a jet aircraft landing at Los Angeles after 


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viewing another target on his radar screen that was at an 

unknown altitude and approaching the jet, circumstances 

that bore a similarity to a 1986 mid-air collision over 

Cerritos, California; 

Whereas, on July 5, 2009, air traffic controller Louis Ridley 

at the Potomac TRACON facility assisted a Velocity aircraft stuck above a cloud layer to navigate through perilous mountain terrain with limited fuel remaining and, 

while doing so, reassured the pilot, gave detailed flight and 

weather information, determined the best airport for a safe 

approach and landing, and even had his wife, Carolyn, 

greet the pilot after the pilot landed in Culpepper, Virginia; 

Whereas, on October 9, 2009, air traffic controllers Kevin 

Plante and Christopher Presley in Portland, Maine, helped 

guide an aircraft that had become stuck in rapidly deteriorating weather conditions by employing, with daylight 

waning and the aircraft near mountainous terrain, a road 

map to direct the pilot to Portland using several highways, 

lakes, and towns as guides; 

Whereas, on November 14, 2009, air traffic controller Jessica 

Hermsdorfer at the Kansas City Tower and TRACON facility calmly helped guide back to the airport an Airbus 

319 aircraft that had hit multiple birds and experienced 

engine trouble, directing other aircraft out of the way and 

assisting the stricken flight to land safely; 

Whereas, on December 7, 2009, air traffic controllers Natasha 

Hodge and Douglas Wynkoop at the Dallas TRACON facility worked as a team to assist a confused and disoriented pilot of an experimental aircraft, redirecting other 

aircraft in the area and suggesting an approach into Navy 


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Fort Worth for the pilot, which resulted in a successful 

landing; 

Whereas, on December 20, 2009, air traffic controllers Todd 

Lamb at the Anchorage Center facility and Michael Evans 

at the Fairbanks Flight Service Station ensured a safe 

landing for a Cessna aircraft that was experiencing smoke 

in the cockpit, as Mr. Evans was able to assist the pilot 

in locating a narrow dirt trail which was the only safe 

landing spot in the area and Mr. Lamb helped a second 

aircraft locate the downed plane’s position; 

Whereas approximately 15,600 Federal air traffic controllers, 

in airport traffic control towers, terminal radar approach 

control facilities, and air route traffic control centers, 

guide planes through the airspace of the United States; 

Whereas approximately an additional 1,250 civilian contract 

controllers and more than 9,000 military controllers also 

provide air traffic services; 

Whereas, from fiscal year 2001 to fiscal year 2009, according 

to the Federal Aviation Administration (‘‘FAA’’) there 

have been 94,600,000 successful flights of United States 

commercial aircraft safely carrying more than 

6,340,000,000 passengers; 

Whereas air traffic controllers provide separation services over 

the entire airspace of the United States and 24,600,000 

square miles of international oceanic airspace; 

Whereas, as of May 22, 2010, the FAA operated 315 air traffic 

control facilities and the Air Traffic Control System Command Center in the United States; 

Whereas, in the past 5 years, the FAA has hired more than 

7,500 air traffic controllers in order to meet continuously 

changing traffic volumes and workload; and 


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Whereas air traffic controllers are facing staffing challenges, 

with an aging workforce and a wave of retirements: Now, 

therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) expresses gratitude for the contributions that 

3 the air traffic controllers of the United States make 

4 to keep the traveling public safe and the airspace of 

5 the United States running efficiently; 

6 (2) commends air traffic controllers for the calm 

7 and professional manner in which they handle air 

8 traffic, day and night, throughout the year; 

9 (3) acknowledges the heroic actions, dedication, 

10 and quick and skilled decisionmaking that air traffic 

11 controllers employ to help avert many accidents and 

12 tragedies; and 

13 (4) encourages greater investment in the mod14 ernization of the air traffic control system of the 

15 United States so that air traffic controllers have the 

16 resources and technology needed to better carry out 

17 their mission, both in the air and on the ground, as 

18 air travel continues to grow. 


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House Calendar No. 218 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1401 

[Report No. 111–543] 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing gratitude for the contributions that the 

other purposes. of the United States running efficiently, and for to keep the traveling public safe and the airspace air traffic controllers of the United States make 

JULY 15, 2010 

Reported with amendments, referred to the House 

Calendar, and ordered to be printed 


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