Bingaman Urges FAA to Locate Air Traffic Controller Training Center in Roswell

Press Release

U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today said Eastern New Mexico University in Roswell would be an ideal location to establish a new air traffic controller training program.

Later this year, the Federal Aviation Administration will select schools to house an expansion of its air traffic controller training program, called Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative or AT-CTI. ENMU-Roswell is seeking to be one of the schools selected. Bingaman strongly backs that proposal and in a letter today to FAA administrator Marion Blakley, he highlighted the benefits of locating a new AT-CTI program in Roswell.

"Eastern New Mexico University in Roswell has a proven track record of graduating FAA-certificated Airframe and Power Plant mechanics and pilots for over 30 years. With a wealth of existing faculty, equipment, and facility resources already in place, the new program could be implemented quickly to help FAA meet the pressing need to train new controllers.

"Another attraction of ENMU-Roswell is the campus's location adjacent to the Roswell International Air Center, which has a full FAA-staffed air traffic control tower, including approach control, where students could gain hands-on experience as interns and FAA controllers could work directly with students.

"Studies show FAA will need to hire thousands of new controllers in anticipation of a large number of retirements in coming years. I applaud the decision to expand the AT-CTI program to help address the coming need and I believe ENMU-R's campus would be an excellent location for a new AT-CTI program," the letter stated.

Currently, the FAA has 14 approved AC-CTI programs, but none are located in any of the Rocky Mountain West states.

The AT-CTI is a non-funded FAA program designed to provide the FAA with qualified applicants to fill air traffic controller positions. Graduates of the program are eligible to bypass the Air Traffic Basics Course, which is the first five weeks of qualification training at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City, and enter the Academy for initial training. The program involves a partnership between the FAA and qualified colleges and universities, where approximately 200 hours of classroom instruction are provided by the partnering schools or institutions. The FAA provides the curriculum to the schools in the form of lesson plans, instructor notes, and behavioral objectives. These guidelines are incorporated into the school's aviation degree program.

An announcement of the selected schools is expected in August.

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