(PATCO)Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization

05/26/2026

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1420507946780974

05/25/2026

https://www.flyingmag.com/dot-contract-tower-report/?fbclid=IwY2xjawSBK5ZleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEe4QlkFBFqVNh_UHhC1NLcWx4daK4R4PL9LiqD9AF2qnie-2JP_es0Mb98ggo_aem_I50bU2e4gz7QUA8uhSiAzA

The FAA’s federal contract tower program consists of 254 facilities located in 46 states. The FCT program was created in 1982 in order to allow airports that

05/25/2026

https://modernskies.faa.gov/

Track progress and learn how the $12.5 billion air traffic modernization project benefits your local area.

05/20/2026

https://asrs.arc.nasa.gov/publications/callback/cb_556.html

This month, CALLBACK offers reports that reveal courage in the AMT character, bold actions, and results that motivate.

05/19/2026

https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/new-faa-program-moves-strengthen-controller-pipeline-standardize-training

Pilot program transfers busy Contract Towers to FAA.

05/19/2026

https://www.flyingmag.com/faa-seeks-recruit-contract-tower-atcs/

Pilot program aims to convert two of the nation’s more than 260 contract towers to FAA-owned facilities.

05/19/2026

https://www.facebook.com/reel/1653420809197933

05/18/2026

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=937628825937383&set=a.100311823002425

🚨 JUST IN: The Federal Aviation Administration will acknowledge to Congress this week that it failed to act on warnings before the January 2025 mid-air collision near Reagan Washington National Airport that killed 67 people.

According to written testimony obtained by Reuters ahead of tomorrow's Senate hearing, FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford will tell lawmakers the agency had clear warning signs but failed to act on them.

"Our airspace system was providing warning signals prior to that tragic evening," Bedford will say. "The issue was not a lack of data, it was a failure to translate that data into action."

The January 29, 2025 collision between American Airlines Flight 5342 and a US Army Black Hawk helicopter killed all 64 people on the jet and three soldiers in the helicopter, including 28 members of the US figure skating community. It remains the deadliest US aviation accident in more than two decades.

The NTSB investigation, completed earlier this year, sharply criticized the FAA for systemic oversight failures. Investigators identified roughly 15,200 air separation incidents near Reagan Airport since 2021, including 85 close-call events.

Since the crash, the FAA has restricted helicopter traffic around Reagan, imposed new rules at Baltimore, Las Vegas, and Washington Dulles, and reduced the arrival rate at Reagan. Earlier this month, the agency also barred the US Army from helicopter flights around the Pentagon after a May 1, 2026 close call forced two civilian planes to abort their landings.

Sources: Reuters, PBS News