Veteran Albuquerque Center air traffic controller Steve Hansen has been named the Air Traffic Control Association’s (ATCA) Air Traffic Control Specialist Of The Year award.
The award, presented during a special awards luncheon Monday at the ATCA 55th Annual Conference and Exposition in National Harbor, Md., is presented to an individual civilian air traffic control specialist who has performed in an exemplary or extraordinary manner in support of ATC during the previous year.
Hansen has served as National Air Traffic Controllers Association Safety Committee chairman for the past two years. He has 20 years of ATC experience. Hansen began in the Air Force, based overseas for much of that time. He started his FAA career at Fairbanks Tower and Approach Control before transferring to Albuquerque Center in 2005.
Among his accomplishments, Hansen has spearheaded NATCA’s efforts in making the Air Traffic Safety Action Program (ATSAP) a success in its first two years. ATSAP is a safety reporting system, similar to the ASAP program used by pilots and airlines. It encourages controllers to bring forth safety concerns and incidents with the goal of achieving solutions to those events that will enhance safety.
Hansen has also helped lead NATCA’s collaborative efforts with the FAA on the Partnership for Safety program, which is another safety reporting avenue controllers can use to bring safety concerns forward for review and action.
