September 6 — US Airways Captain Wes Googe arrived recently at FAA Headquarters armed with a presentation that has been creating a lot of buzz. It's a presentation he's been giving at air traffic facilities to inform controllers about life in the cockpit.
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Unfortunately, his talk was eclipsed by an earthquake that resulted in the closing of headquarters on the day he was to present. He will return to Washington, D.C., Sept. 23 to deliver an En Route-focused briefing at 9 a.m. and a Terminal-focused one at 10:45 a.m. Both briefings will be in the Quesada Auditorium.
So far, Googe has presented at seven En Route centers and five Terminal facilities. He has scheduled several more visits, including Los Angeles Center from Sept. 12 to 17 and New York Center during the last week of the month.
He delves into many issues about aircraft performance and cockpit procedures. Among the topics he discusses are the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System, or TCAS, Flight Management Computer planned descents, low altitude go-arounds, wind shear events, new flight planning techniques using waypoints, Optimized Profile Descents and optimized altitude selection for cruise.
Googe's talk is particularly geared toward newer controllers who never had a chance to participate in the old familiarization, or FAM, program that ended after 9/11. Although a revamped Flight Deck Training program was recently reinstituted, not all controllers may be able to take advantage of the opportunity. This presentation brings the information right to their doorstep.
ATO System Operations Vice President Nancy Kalinowski strongly encourages employees to see it if they can. "Captain Googe has received rave reviews for his highly interactive presentations in the facilities," Kalinowski said. "We give this summer blockbuster two thumbs up!"

When it comes to aircraft performance, Googe said he wants controllers to appreciate that "every plane in the NAS is not a Chevrolet. What we can do depends on if it's a Boeing, an Airbus, a Lockheed product or a Cessna."
But even more importantly, Googe said it is "important for controllers to know what the aircraft is not capable of doing."
His presentation also discusses potential communication issues between controllers and pilots. For instance, the copilot may be following directives from the captain at the same time that a controller is trying to communicate information.
"We want controllers to understand that if a pilot doesn't respond right away, it's not because he's dissing you, it's because he's busy," he said. "We tell our pilots: aviate, navigate and then communicate."
Googe covers hearback/readback errors, and stresses that pilots and controllers need to ask for clarification if they are in doubt.
He shows a set of numbers — "240 250 260 270 280 290 300 310 320 330" — to illustrate what can happen if controllers state numbers without also stating what they are in reference to.
"Is it heading, speed or altitude? We don't know unless the controller specifies. If you pick the wrong meaning, there could be a safety issue." Pilots need to confirm they have the right meaning in readback.
Googe emphasizes how important it is for pilots and controllers to "bring their 'A' game every time." He stresses the benefit of having veteran controllers mentor new ones, and that pilots and controllers should train together. "We have just as much skin in the game as they do."
When he visits facilities, Googe usually discusses US Airways' use of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast to achieve more efficient surface movement in Philadelphia and reduced separation standards on international flights. "NextGen is for real," he said.