IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1401 

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 

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 at 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’’) facilities 

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 area 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 engine trouble 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 facilities guided to safety a two-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 


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after 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 guide 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 facilities 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 apVerDate Mar 15 2010 03:40 May 27, 2010 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\HR1401.IH HR1401

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proach into Navy 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 15,770 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 an additional 1,250 civilian contract controllers and 

more than 9,000 military controllers also provide air traffic services; 

Whereas, since 2001, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (‘‘FAA’’) there have been 93,000,000 successful flights of United States commercial aircraft safely 

carrying more than 6,500,000,000 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 October 1, 2009, the FAA operated 316 air 

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

Whereas, in the past four years, the FAA has hired more 

than 5,500 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 

3 that the air traffic controllers of the United States 

4 make to keep the traveling public safe and the air5 space of the United States running efficiently; 

6 (2) commends air traffic controllers for the 

7 calm and professional manner in which they handle 

8 air traffic, day and night, all year along; 

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. 

Æ 


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