This week, Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) joined the Oklahoma congressional delegation in sending a letter to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Administrator Michael Whitaker in support of the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center (MMAC) in Oklahoma City. In the letter, the Members pushed the FAA to maximize air traffic controller training at MMAC.

Mullin was joined on the letter by Senator James Lankford (R-OK) and Representatives Tom Cole (R-OK), Frank Lucas (R-OK), Kevin Hern (R-OK), Stephanie Bice (R-OK), and Josh Brecheen (R-OK).

“The FAA Academy provides centralized, standardized, and efficient training to about 20,000 students each year. As conversations continue regarding the shortage of air traffic controllers (ATC) and the need to bolster aviation safety, it is vital that the value MMAC brings to the FAA is properly utilized,” the Members wrote.

“The FAA Academy has the capacity to host the current ATC hiring goal and can expand its capacity to host even double the current throughput. Centralized and standardized training is key to maintaining safety in the NAS and the quality of training that occurs at the Academy cannot be replaced. We oppose any effort to duplicate elsewhere any training that occurs only at the FAA Academy at MMAC,” the Members continued.

View the full text of the letter here or below.

Dear Administrator Whitaker,

We write to express our continued support for the Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center (MMAC) in Oklahoma City. We are committed to supporting and strengthening the safety-first mission of MMAC, its employees, and the ways it supports our National Airspace System (NAS).

MMAC is an extensive operation in Oklahoma City that impacts all aspects of aviation. MMAC contains valuable FAA assets including the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI) and the FAA Academy. MMAC has played a vital role in the success of the aviation industry and is home to over 6,300 federal employees. MMAC is one of the largest Department of Transportation facilities outside of Washington, DC Federal facilities outside of DC are an asset because they allow federal employees to live and work in other parts of the country.

The FAA Academy provides centralized, standardized, and efficient training to about 20,000 students each year. As conversations continue regarding the shortage of air traffic controllers (ATC) and the need to bolster aviation safety, it is vital that the value MMAC brings to the FAA is properly utilized. The FAA Academy has the capacity to host the current ATC hiring goal and can expand its capacity to host even double the current throughput. Centralized and standardized training is key to maintaining safety in the NAS and the quality of training that occurs at the Academy cannot be replaced. We oppose any effort to duplicate elsewhere any training that occurs only at the FAA Academy at MMAC.

We urge you to maximize the training capacity at MMAC as a tool to address the shortage of ATCs. We look forward to continued conversation with you as we address the issues facing the FAA. 

Sincerely,

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