A Seat At ATC's Table

With NBAA staffing the general aviation desk at the FAA's Command Center, business aviation has a hand in air traffic management nationwide.

Hidden behind the contours of the terrain, the federal facility is unseen by the thousands of northern Virginia commuters who speed past its access road every day. Even if one of those drivers were to turn onto the road leading to it, they'd find no hint of a major government installation.

Mike Schwab, an NBAA general aviation specialist at the FAA Command Center, checks a graphical presentation on his computer display. Large screens on the wall in the background depict air traffic, weather conditions and other parameters that may affect air traffic flows.Credit: Photography courtesy of NBAA

But just off that access road, a heavy steel fence and an automated traffic barrier blocks further vehicular access. Unless you've got the proper government-issued badge to display to the camera at the gate, or your name is on a short list of security-cleared visitors, the unseen guard who controls the barrier won't let you in.

After parking in the assigned area, with security cameras all around, you can walk unimpeded (but probably not unseen) through the doors and down the glass-lined corridor into the lobby that leads to the FAA's ATC System Command Center. But unless you can produce the proper ID once again, the large security guard with the firearm strapped to his hip won't let you by.