FAA Safety Services Support

SENTEL provides support to the Safety Services division of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), including the Office of Safety Support and Independent Assessment (SSIA). The primary focus of the Office of SSIA is the Independent Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) of new equipment designated for use within the FAA National Airspace System (NAS). This equipment includes the systems for communications; air traffic control; navigation; weather; automation for terminal, en route, and oceanic airspace; flight services; and security—from digital radios to airport surveillance equipment to weather and radar systems.

SENTEL supports these evaluations, which are performed in the operational environment, to assess the readiness of the systems for live use in the NAS. IOT&Es are conducted by user teams led by experienced FAA program managers independent of the system developer and acquisition organization. SENTEL leverages its expertise in systems engineering, requirements assessment, documentation development, program management, and administrative support to help the FAA achieve its goals.

In addition, SENTEL supports the Office of SSIA in conducting safety assessments of fielded NAS systems and air traffic control procedures. The company also assists FAA Safety Services in conducting Crew Resource Management courses; Safety Risk Management; policy revisions; studies that address NAS safety issues; and developing, testing, and fielding radar playback software.