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Mike Talotta and family
on Matanuska Glacier |
From the Mid-Atlantic to the Mountains of Alaska
Mike Talotta
July 2006
When MITRE needed someone to go to the company's Anchorage, Alaska,
site to support the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Capstone
program, Mike Talotta jumped at the opportunity. Talotta, a Cessna
pilot, was hooked on the idea of flying in Alaska and supporting
a program that has had a dramatic effect on aviation safety in such
rugged and often dangerous terrain.
Before accepting the transfer to Alaska, Talotta worked out of
the MITRE Atlantic City, New Jersey, site providing systems engineering
support to the Department of Homeland Security's Secure Flight program.
After he moved to Anchorage, he began supporting the Capstone program—one
he admired for its immediate and positive impact on Alaska residents.
"The Capstone program is a safety program that, in its demonstration
phase in Bethel, Alaska, has reduced the aircraft accident rate
by 49 percent," says Talotta. "In a state where the aircraft accident
rate is four times that in the lower 48 and where they have 20 times
the number of aviation-related fatalities per resident, a safety
program like Capstone can have a huge impact. Now the primary objective
of the program is to implement the Capstone capability state-wide."
He continues, "The sponsor is the FAA, specifically the FAA Alaska
Regional Office. I'm co-located with them in Anchorage. Much of
the environment and domain knowledge of the Capstone program is
similar to previous MITRE work I have done. It's really about saving
lives. What's different is that the average guy on the street has
heard of the program and knows it works—usually no one outside
my work circles knows about my projects.
"A good example is from a few months ago when our FAA sponsor went
out to visit one of the villages in the Alaskan bush that was within
the demonstration area. She met with the village elder and he said
to her, in broken English, 'Thank you for the TVs in the airplanes,
they make our people safe.' It's as simple—and rewarding—as
that.
"Of course, they aren't really TVs—they're sophisticated
avionics that use a MITRE-developed transceiver [the Universal Access
Transceiver], GPS satellites, and FAA information ground uplinks
to provide a nice color display in the cockpit that shows terrain
and other aircraft."
A Different Way of Life
Talotta moved with his wife and two children to Anchorage in August
2005. "For me, the most significant difference is being able to
go home in the evening instead of to a hotel," he says. "I had been
traveling from MITRE's Atlantic City site to MITRE McLean on an
almost weekly basis for over 10 years.
"Now I can make non-work commitments on weekday evenings, such
as at our church and other local organizations, something I hadn't
been able to do in New Jersey for a long time. With two young children,
this is a really nice change."
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MITRE's Anchorage, Alaska, site
One of MITRE's newer and smaller sites
is located in Anchorage, Alaska. Established in 2003,
the Anchorage site staff work directly with the Federal
Aviation Association's Alaska Regional Office. |
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Not surprisingly, the climate in Alaska was a big change as well.
"We had a spectacular fall, with all the tree leaves turning colors,"
he says. "It was absolutely gorgeous driving home in the evening.
But it occurred in early September and only lasted about 10 days
between the leaves starting to turn and being completely on the
ground. By the end of September, we had a cold snap with below-zero
temperatures and snow. The kids enjoyed it, though—they had
a fantastic time cross-country skiing on the driveway in early October."
When asked about how daily life in Alaska is different, Talotta
replies, "Where people in the lower 48 use cars and buses, many
Alaskans use private planes and air taxis for daily transport to
school, stores, and jobs. We also see an abundance of wildlife near
our house including moose, dall sheep, black and brown bears, coyotes,
and bald eagles."
Although the Talotta family does miss living near the beach in
New Jersey, they love the spectacular beauty of Alaska's snow-covered
mountains and glaciers. This past winter the family enjoyed many
of the winter sports readily available, such as cross-country skiing,
ice skating, downhill sledding, snow shoeing, and skiing.
They also appreciate how small-town friendly everyone is even though
Anchorage's population is around 300,000. "I'm grateful I had this
opportunity," says Talotta. "I think the Capstone program is accomplishing
something really special, and my family and I have enjoyed our time
in Alaska."
—by Kay M. Upham
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