Curt Faulk is always intrigued by how little biographical information can be gleaned from the average bio. For example, he could simply state: “I led the design and implementation of the first true (and still most efficient) RNAV Optimized Profile Descent flight procedures in the American National Airspace System.” However, if that's all that was said, you wouldn't know about a few surprising details… because you weren't there.
First, there were the all-too-frequent moments of exasperation and frustration followed (almost imperceptibly) by the next epiphany. Had you stuck it out (and you’d not be blamed if you didn’t), you'd have seen that the effort required years of discussion of complex subjects and adroit negotiation between various fiercely competing interest groups. Ultimately, it required slow, methodically exerted pressure to influence others to accept and embrace the complex concepts. You'd also have seen that the work required triangle trigonometry and exposed Faulk’s fear of doing math in public. So, not being there, could you possibly have known this? Probably not.
Within a few years, the concepts and procedures developed for Phoenix would be the model for the rest of the National Airspace System, eventually emulated and used at every major airport in the USA.
Faulk was born, raised, and lived most of his life in Anchorage, Alaska. In college, he studied Air Traffic Control and Aviation Technology at Anchorage Community College and the University of Alaska, where he was very active in student government. His interest in government led him to form a citizen advisory group that one day would draft a municipal ordinance related to the divestment of public land.
Curt began working for the FAA in Alaska in 1983 and remained in the Last Frontier until 2007. During that time, he served 25 years as an Air Traffic Control Specialist and several years in staff positions as a Plans and Procedures Specialist (twice) and Quality Assurance and Training Specialist. Curt held several management positions in Anchorage Terminal Radar Approach Control (TRACON), including Operations Supervisor, Assistant Manager for Programs, Support Manager, and Staff Manager. He moved to Phoenix in 2007 and worked as the Operations Support Manager until early 2012, when he became the Phoenix TRACON Staff Manager, overseeing the facilities’ Airspace and Procedures, Radar Automation, Quality Control, and Training staff.
Faulk spent three years working at FAA headquarters in Washington, DC, assigned to Terminal Standards & Procedures, AJV-82, as an Air Traffic Procedures Specialist in 2015 and again in 2018. (AJV-82 is a group of incredibly talented and knowledgeable Air Traffic Controllers. Any controller who gets a chance to work there is EXTREMELY lucky. Faulk got to do it... TWICE.) Later, he worked with a great group of people in Employee Development & Labor Relations as an Executive Technical Representative with the Air Traffic Services Labor Team, AJG-L11. He retired from federal civil service in January 2019 and returned to Terminal Standards & Procedures, AJV-P31, as a contractor after being recruited in December 2019.
In October 2011, Faulk was awarded the David J. Hurley Award for Aviation Traffic Management by the Air Traffic Control Association for work on the Phoenix RNAV Optimized Profile Descent project. This award is presented to an individual working in the field of Aviation Traffic Management for outstanding achievement or contribution in the area of ATC collaborative decision-making, balancing air traffic demand and capacity, or maximizing airspace and airport use, which has added to the quality, efficiency, and/or safety of the Global Airspace Systems.
Besides working as an air traffic controller and air traffic manager, Faulk also taught Air Traffic Control at the university level for nearly 15 years. As an adjunct faculty member at the University of Alaska, Anchorage, and Arizona State University, Tempe, he enjoyed the rewarding experience of training a newer generation of air traffic controllers.
Before starting his FAA career, Curt was a competitive cross-country skier who competed in 30- and 50-kilometer events. During the off-season, he trained and competed in marathons and mountain runs. He is married and has three children. Curt is a pilot with a Private Pilot/Single Engine Land certificate. Outside work, Curt enjoys hiking, spending time at his house in northern Arizona, and reading about political history and current events. His hobbies include amateur radio (he holds an Extra Class Amateur Radio license - N6ATC), radio spectrum monitoring, computer and communications security, and learning about cryptography and ciphers.
Curt is a member of Acacia Lodge #42, Free and Accepted Masons, in Avondale, Arizona. He is also a member of The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies, and the Heritage Foundation, both of which are based in Washington, DC.