Federal Aviation Administration
- ASOS: Automated Surface Observing System
- AWOS: Automated Weather Observing System
- ATC: Air Traffic Control
- FAA SFO: Federal Aviation Administration Sector Field Office
- ILS: Instrument Landing System
- NAS: National Airspace System
- RMMS: Remote Maintenance Monitoring System
The Federal Aviation Administration Sector Field Office located in the Administration Building at the DuBois Regional Airport DUJ currently consists of (15) dedicated employees and the Regional Manager, Ed Manges.
Ed and his teams are responsible for the NAS which is made up of navigational systems such as radar, MALSRs, ILS, AWOS, ASOS, and communications equipment for numerous airports as far North as Olean and Jamestown, New York, South to Altoona, East to State College, and as far West as Butler, covering one-third of Pennsylvania.
The equipment maintained in their offices is very vital to the national air transportation system. For example, they maintain the remote radar site at Clearfield that feeds directly into Cleveland and New York Centers, which are the main headquarters for ATC for their regions. Increased technology permits most of the communications and lighting systems to be monitored and maintained via modems through the RMMS.
In order to be qualified to become a technician for the FAA SFO, an applicant must pass electronics and match tests administered by the FAA. According to Jim Wymer of the FAA SFO, a bachelors degree in electronics technology or an equivalanet knowledge level is required to understand and pass the test. Once an applicant has passed the required tests and is accepted, initial training is completed in Oklahoma City. The FAA is constantly training and updating their equipment to ensure that employees are up to date on FAA specialized equipment. Continuing training can also be completed on-line through computers and modems.
The DuBois Regional Airport is proud to be home to the FAA SFO, ensuring that the communications and navigations that are vital to the national air transportation system are operating at all times.
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