H. Res. 1401 
In the House of Representatives, U. S., 
July 27, 2010. 
Whereas air traffic controllers dedicate themselves to the pro-
tection of the flying public; 
Whereas air traffic controllers react to dangerous and com-
plex 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; 
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 Ter-
minal Radar Approach Control (‘‘TRACON’’) facility di-
rected a new pilot back on course and above minimum al-
titude who had been stuck in the clouds in a small air-
craft with zero visibility, successfully using her knowledge 
of local geography to point out a highway that led the 
pilot to the appropriate runway;
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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 lo-
cate 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 Chap-
pell at the Southern California TRACON facility issued 
a traffic advisory to a jet aircraft landing at Los Angeles 
after viewing another target on his radar screen that was 
at an unknown altitude and approaching the jet, cir-
cumstances that bore a similarity to a 1986 mid-air colli-
sion over Cerritos, California; 
Whereas, on July 5, 2009, air traffic controller Louis Ridley 
at the Potomac TRACON facility assisted a Velocity air-
craft stuck above a cloud layer to navigate through per-
ilous 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 Cul-
pepper, Virginia; 
Whereas, on October 9, 2009, air traffic controllers Kevin 
Plante and Christopher Presley in Portland, Maine,
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helped guide an aircraft that had become stuck in rapidly 
deteriorating weather conditions by employing, with day-
light 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 fa-
cility 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, re-
directing other aircraft in the area and suggesting an ap-
proach into Navy Fort Worth for the pilot, which re-
sulted 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 sec-
ond 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;
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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 air-
space; 
Whereas, as of May 22, 2010, the FAA operated 315 air 
traffic control facilities and the Air Traffic Control Sys-
tem 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 
Whereas air traffic controllers are facing staffing challenges, 
with an aging workforce and a wave of retirements: Now, 
therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) expresses 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; 
(2) commends air traffic controllers for the calm 
and professional manner in which they handle air traffic, 
day and night, throughout the year;
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(3) acknowledges the heroic actions, dedication, and 
quick and skilled decisionmaking that air traffic control-
lers employ to help avert many accidents and tragedies; 
and 
(4) encourages greater investment in the mod-
ernization of the air traffic control system of the United 
States so that air traffic controllers have the resources 
and technology needed to better carry out their mission, 
both in the air and on the ground, as air travel con-
tinues to grow. 
Attest: 
Clerk.