Celebrating Women’s History Month

Dawn Hastings’ career journey in air traffic control

Dawn Hastings, executive officer (XO) at Seattle Center in the Western Service Area, shared how she came to the FAA and landed on aviation as a profession, and why she thinks celebrating Women’s History Month is important. 

“Since joining the FAA, I’ve enjoyed working with many women in both air traffic and adjacent careers and am proud of our leadership at all levels in the care put into respecting and promoting diversity and inclusion,” Hastings said. “The results are evident.”

Although a high school mentor had advised her against it, deeming her “too quiet and shy,” Hastings ultimately landed on air traffic control. “My rebellious streak consumed me,” she said. “... At the time of my selection for air traffic control, having only been on two plane rides in my life and living two hours from the closest major airport, I stumbled into the world of aviation because I always refused to be told what I’m capable of and have thoroughly enjoyed almost 21 years in this profession.”

After decades in the field, with Air Force, Defense Department and federal contract tower experience, Hastings finds a sense of achievement from her colleagues. “Professionally, my people are my proudest achievements,” Hastings said. “I take great pride in having genuine discussions with my employees and helping them grow professionally, sometimes personally…It all brings me the greatest job satisfaction knowing I’ve had a positive impact on their careers and that they can then pass that on to someone else.”

With her many work and life experiences, Hastings’ biggest inspiration is very close to home. “I’ve been fortunate to have worked with an incredibly diverse group of managers within eight facilities and have found inspiration from the management/leadership styles of each,” Hastings said. “My biggest inspiration, however, came from my mother…I have constantly been inspired by my mother and include the characteristics I admire in her in the way I work with my team.”

Read more about Dawn Hastings’ air traffic control career on FocusFAA.

Third Grader Gets Stage at FAA HQ

When nine-year-old Alexandra Williams chose Bessie Coleman for a class presentation on heroes, her teacher told her to pick someone else. Alexandra’s mother, Shunnel Lewis, a management & program analyst in the Office of Accident Investigation and Prevention (AVP), gave her daughter the stage at FAA HQ where she delivered her presentation to FAA officials, and NBC Nightly News shared her story.

Our Safety Work is Already Underway

Following the FAA Safety Summit, Billy outlines initiatives that are already underway across the agency to enhance aviation safety, including the recent From the Flight Deck Live virtual workshop, the Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO) issued last week, and the proactive steps being taken by the Air Traffic Organization (ATO). "We have work to do, and I am proud of the start we’ve made," Billy said.

Job / Detail Opportunities of the Week: New agency-wide vacancy announcements and detail announcements, updated every Monday.

DOT Sustainability Series: Celebrate Earth Day and learn about sustainability efforts across DOT in this six-part online series.

Step Up & Lead: Applications for the Air Traffic and Technical Operations Leadership Development Programs are open! 

Your Support Network: FAA HQ Senior Care Peer Support Group Lunch & Learn tomorrow.

What is Zero Trust? The FAA’s network now operates within a Zero Trust security model.

1. Watch Flight Plan 21 Initiative updates.

2. Find ways to quickly hire veterans at FAA.

3. Give your career a lift with free online resources from CDO.

4. Access the updated FAA Threat Checklist from your start menu.

5. Hire students and recent graduates through the Gateways program.

Tech Talk Tuesday: This month’s event will cover Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning applications within the FAA’s cybersecurity framework, tomorrow March 28.

Today's Headlines

Delta passenger opens door, deploys emergency exit slide on plane – CNN
The Boeing 737 was on the runway holding to taxi for takeoff when the incident occurred.

Woman's death on private jet was not caused by turbulence from weather – CBS News
The pilots received multiple alerts from the Challenger 300 stablilizer system midflight.

2 pilots killed after Baton Rouge Police Department helicopter crashes – 4WWL
The helicopter crashed three miles away from Baton Rouge Metro Airport.

FAA gives new flight authority to UAS Test Site – Daily Sentinel
RME has been authorized to operate drones up to 300 pounds in its 50-mile flight corridor.

Short on planes, American will suspend some flights to Spain – Associated Press
The airline cited delays in receiving new Boeing jets.

Anchorage Tower Destroyed by Quake

March 27, 1964: The "Good Friday" earthquake destroyed the Anchorage airport traffic control tower. One FAA employee died in the quake, which registered between 8.5 and 8.7 on the Richter scale. Many runways, aprons, and taxiways at airports in the surrounding area were cracked and made uneven. Hangars, seaplane ramps, and runways were flooded by a series of seismic sea waves, and a few smaller airstrips were destroyed. Despite all these difficulties, total damage to Alaska's air facilities amounted to only a few million dollars, as compared with more than $100 million worth of damages to the water, rail, and highway systems. More significantly, nearly all air facilities were partly or wholly operational within a few hours after the earthquake to assist in emergency relief efforts.

EIM x RPA Showcase Tomorrow: Don’t miss this chance learn how to automate repetitive tasks by building a bot with our RPA tools and resources.