TagAir Traffic Control(107)

This document is an invoice and monthly status report from ABCx2, LLC, a consulting firm based in Senoia, Georgia, billing the County of Arlington, Virginia $10,050.00 for consulting services rendered in April 2020. The work involved nine consultants logging a total of 34.5 hours across tasks such as Smartsheet setup, social media and web strategy planning, and setting up a DCA airspace model in collaboration with a company called Vianair. Note that this document pertains to Arlington County aviation-related consulting and does not appear to be directly related to Sea-Tac Airport noise policy.

FAA Order JO 7110.126A, effective September 28, 2019, updates the rules air traffic controllers use to maintain safe distances between aircraft based on wake turbulence — the invisible air disturbances generated by planes in flight. The order introduces a nine-category system that groups aircraft by size and wake behavior, replacing older weight-only classifications, and reduces required separation distances in cases where science has shown greater spacing is unnecessary, such as when one heavy aircraft follows another of lower wake intensity. Facilities like Sea-Tac must obtain FAA authorization, train all personnel, and update their systems before applying these revised standards.

This FAA Airport Capacity Profile for Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) outlines the airport's runway configurations and hourly flight capacity under different weather conditions, including visual, marginal, and instrument scenarios. The document describes recent improvements such as Time-Based Flow Management and Reduced Diagonal Spacing, as well as future enhancements like improved runway delivery accuracy and Wake Recategorization Phase 2, all aimed at increasing the number of aircraft the airport can handle safely. Data covering December 2015 through December 2016 shows that visual conditions prevail 57% of the year, with instrument conditions occurring 25% of the time.

This document bundle relates to a 2018 media inquiry from KING 5 Television to the City of Burien regarding an FAA flight path decision affecting the Seattle-Tacoma (Sea-Tac) Airport area, along with an FAA Air Traffic Initial Environmental Review from May 2016. The environmental review describes a proposed Letter of Agreement between Sea-Tac's Air Traffic Control Tower and the Seattle Terminal Radar Approach Control facility to standardize turboprop departure headings to 250 degrees during north flow operations, routing smaller aircraft westward to improve safety and reduce ground delays. The change was intended to de-conflict slower turboprops from faster jet traffic and Boeing Field operations, though it raised noise concerns for communities such as Burien located under the newly defined flight paths.

In April 2018, the FAA issued a Categorical Exclusion allowing Seattle-Tacoma International Airport's control tower (SEA ATCT) to automatically direct southbound turboprop aircraft to turn westward to a 250-degree heading within one nautical mile of the runway end, rather than waiting for the Seattle TRACON radar facility to issue the turn after takeoff. This procedural change, active between 6 am and 10 pm during north-flow operations, was designed to improve safety and efficiency by reducing delays in aircraft transitioning to their filed flight routes. The FAA determined the action would not significantly increase noise over sensitive areas and therefore required no further environmental review beyond this Categorical Exclusion.

FAA categorical exclusion document for updating a Letter of Agreement between Seattle-Tacoma International Airport’s Air Traffic Control Tower and Seattle Terminal Radar Approach Control to automate a 250° westerly turn for southbound turboprops during north-flow operations. The automated turn would be suspended between 10 pm and 6 am in response to comments from the City