The document attached to this Memorandum entitled Liaison and Familiarization Training, represents the Parties new agreement on Article 56, Familiarization Flying. Effective May 31, 1999, this MOU replaces Article 56 as contained in the 1993 NAATS/FAA Agreement.

Section 1. All bargaining unit members who are certified on a minimum of two operational positions are eligible to participate in the national standardized familiarization training program. When a specialist achieves eligibility, he/she is not again required to meet this provision.

Section 2. The national standardized program shall include standards and procedures pertaining to familiarization flying in air carriers, military aircraft and private aircraft. (Air Carrier includes any commercial, air taxi, or commuter flights under Title 14 CFR Parts 121, 135, or 298.) No facility or regional office of the Employer shall add, delete, or in any way alter the standardized familiarization program. Both Parties recognize the desirability of familiarization flying as a training program and that it is intended solely to acquaint control personnel with the cockpit environment and to enable them to observe the operation of the air traffic system first hand.

Section 3. The Parties recognize that cockpit familiarization training in air carriers involves internal regulations and procedures of individual air carriers. Matters beyond the purview of the Employer include, but are not limited to, number of trips per air carrier per year, dress code in the cockpit, eligibility for participation and procedures for application to participate. The Parties recognize that any air carrier may suspend or abridge their participation in the familiarization program at any time and that the Employer has no authority to direct the conduct of the program by individual air carriers.

Section 4. The Parties recognize that military and private operators specify their own internal regulations and procedures governing flight familiarization by employees and that such regulations and procedures are beyond the purview of the Employer to alter. In cases where the states procedures are less restrictive than the Employer�s requirements for employees� participation, the Employer�s requirements shall apply.

Section 5. If an employee is assigned duties at the outbound destination as part of the familiarization training, the employee shall be placed in official travel status and paid per diem except for those activities contained in Section 12. Both Parties recognize that the standard government travel regulations require that employees be placed on official travel status when assigned duties at the destination, and further, that budgetary limitations govern the approval of familiarization training involving assignment of official duties.

Section 6. All familiarization training shall be conducted on duty time. The Employer may approve familiarization training in conjunction with approved leave days and regular days off in any combination.

Section 7. Prior to familiarization training, any eligible employee may request to substitute duty time for his/her approved annual leave for the purpose of this Article. If an employee has approved leave, he/she may exchange regular days off for such leave days provided the change does not result in overtime or violation of the basic workweek. An employee shall have the right to change days off for familiarization training in accordance with Article 34, Watch Schedules, Section 34-03 of the NAATS/FAA Agreement dated July 16, 1993.

Section 8. The national standardized program shall include provisions for one foreign overseas flight per calendar year for those employees assigned to facilities that work international departures and/or oceanic airspace, unless further restricted by the carrier. Employees eligible under this Article may also travel to overseas domestic locations, but such training will not be considered as foreign overseas travel. For the purposes of this Agreement, training flights to Canada and Mexico shall be considered overseas domestic.

Section 9. Use of different air carriers or the same air carrier for different segments on the same familiarization training flight is authorized.

Section 10. Each employee shall be limited to not more than one familiarization trip per air carrier per calendar year, except when a carrier has indicated it will allow more than one trip per year. Participation in the familiarization training program is limited to not more than six trips per calendar year, no more than two of which may be to the same destination airport. One of the six trips per year may be an international trip for eligible participants. Familiarization training may be approved even though overtime is being used in the facility, provided the overtime is not specifically scheduled to cover for the individual taking the trip. Normally, previously approved training should not be canceled to prevent/reduce the use of overtime in the facility.

Section 11. The Employer shall guarantee each eligible employee two familiarization training trips per calendar year, at the request of the employee. Such guaranteed trips must be requested of the supervisor, no less than 45 days in advance of the scheduled trip. Given the fact that the operational environment is the number one priority, the Parties agree that it may be difficult to approve multiple trips for the same day(s). Therefore, at the local level, the Parties will meet to develop procedures to ensure that multiple requests for the same day(s) will be honored to the greatest extent possible. The overtime guidance contained in Section 10 is applicable.

Section 12. Eligible specialists may commute a reasonable distance to make use of the allowable trips authorized under Section 10 of this Article. Such commuting trips shall be at no expense to the government. Flight time is the time of departure to the time of arrival at the final destination. For flight times three hours or greater, the employee shall be considered in a duty status for eight hours. For flight times less than three hours, the approving official shall account for the remaining duty time by ensuring that prearranged training is accomplished by one or more of the following.

Approved leave may be used as part of the duty day. For the purposes of this section, travel and per diem shall not be authorized.

Section 13. All familiarization trip requests must be submitted to the facility sufficiently in advance to permit three administrative days for internal processing. This is in addition to the advance notice required by the air carrier and time for mailing.

Section 14. Familiarization flights are on-the-job training and shall be counted as hours toward the minimum yearly proficiency requirement. Training objectives shall be identified by the approving official at the time the training request is approved. A familiarization training report shall be submitted by the specialist in accordance with the program directive. An employee traveling on such a flight on his/her regularly assigned duty day receives the same premium pay he/she would have received had he/she worked his/her regular shift.

Section 15. All familiarization training shall be subject to the approval of the Employer. Such approval will be governed by the operational and staffing requirements of the facility.

Section 16. Annually, the Parties will meet to ensure adequate tracking, adherence to policy/procedures, review program security, and make recommendations for improvements. Program changes may be made by mutual agreement.