Mr. Burns has over 30 years of professional experience in air traffic control, air traffic rules, airport and heliport operations, personnel management, and air traffic control operations and procedures. His professional experience also includes aviation safety reviews, airspace analysis and development of airways, jet routes, terminal airspace including Class B and Class C airspace, continental and off shore special use airspace, air traffic flow management, air traffic management, and future concepts in air traffic management including "free flight". He is a job-task analysis specialist and is proficient in developing pilot training and aviation operations documents. He is a subject matter expert on various airspace, air traffic control, aviation, and aviation related matters for municipal and state governments, foreign governments and corporations, and United States Federal Agencies. Mr. Burns is also conversant with microcomputer systems, office automation, local area networks, and proposal management and preparation. He is a recognized public speaker who is as comfortable providing briefings to individuals as well to groups of over 400. He has provided briefings to upper level management, members of the Congress and the Senate, and to Cabinet Secretaries.
Mr. Burns has provided contract support to the United States Department of Energy (DOE) and several DOE Contractors in the areas of airspace management, security aviation operations, aviation management, pilot training, and aviation operations safety evaluations. He was a subject matter expert on, and assisted in specification writing and evaluation of Night Vision Devices. He assisted in developing operational techniques, procedures, and safety requirements for use of these devices. He has experience in the criteria and procedures necessary for developing and publishing Federal Agency Orders, Notices, and Publications.
He has over 18 years of supervisory and management experience in US Air Force and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) air route traffic control facilities (ARTCC), airport traffic control towers, RADAR approach control facilities, FAA Headquarters Branch management, and private sector business management. He has several special aviation skills including Terminal Instrument Procedures (TERPS) development, airspace/sector design and processing, airway, jet route and direct route design and processing, airport instrument arrival and departure procedures design, and air traffic rule proposals and publication.
He is conversant with the latest changes in management principles, human factors in personnel management, and quality assurance. He maintains proficiency with several automated aids for systems and personnel management.
As an air traffic controller, supervisor, and manager, Mr. Burns' experience is exceptionally broad. He has worked as a fully certified controller in an FAA Air Route Traffic Control Center, as a fully certified controller in two Non-Radar Control Towers, and as a certified controller in six FAA Control Towers and associated Radar Approach Control facilities. Before moving to FAA headquarters, he worked as a First Level Supervisor in a Level IV Radar Approach Control/Control Tower Facility. At this facility, he was assigned additional duties of scheduling approximately 40 supervisors and controllers to ensure 24 hour coverage seven days a week. He was also detailed as Facility Deputy Manager and Facility Manager for extended periods. He was also assigned temporary duties as Programs Officer in this same facility.
Mr. Burns has experience in airport and airspace development for new airports. He recently was a senior program analyst who assisted in development of airport and airspace proposals for a major proposed airport near one of the major United States Cities. He researched, developed, and wrote the General Aviation Study and Report for this same airport.
Mr. Burns has international experience as well. He was a senior program analyst who assisted in developing and proposing a satellite technology based advanced air traffic management system for a European Community contractor. His primary duties focused on future terminal, enroute, and special use airspace development, air traffic flow management, air traffic management techniques and procedures, navigation, communication, and air traffic management facilities and infrastructure.
Mr Burns is quite successful in business development, as evidenced by his participation in a United States Trade and Development Agency African and Middle East trade conference. He represented a major US manufacturer of Air Traffic Control equipment and, at this conference, identified approximately 15 million dollars in potential business. His participation in another international conference in Rio de Janeiro led to the solicitation and identification of over 30 million dollars in potential sales in Air Traffic Control Simulation equipment.
He was a Senior Program Analyst/Engineer responsible for reviewing, evaluating, and recommending improvements and modernization of the aviation infrastructure in Mozambique. He reviewed, evaluated, and recommended methods for modernizing the airway infrastructure, navigational aid placement and system, and air traffic control facilities and equipment. He developed and edited a comprehensive report in each area which will be incorporated into a final document for the Director General of the Empresa Nacional de Aeroportos de Mozambique, ADM. He represented the project manager in Maputo, Mozambique, in air traffic matters during meetings with the Technical Director of the ADM.
He also serves as an advisor on air traffic rules, airport rules and regulations, and Federal Aviation Regulations to municipal authorities and professional organizations.
He is proficient in use of business computers and business software, including Word Perfect, Quattro Pro, Power Point, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Access, Excel, and Presentations, as well as other database and spread sheet programs.
Mr. Burns is accomplished in technical writing, work planning and scheduling, and work monitoring and forecasting. He has published numerous
technical reports, manuals, and other documents which have added to the efficient airspace management, aviation safety, and air traffic control of the
United States. He has had numerous proposals, rules, and airspace documents published in the Federal Register. He has had a pilot training manual
(DOE Security Helicopter Pilot Training Manual), an operations order (DOE Security Helicopter Operations Order), and an aviation operations
publication published for another US Government agency. He is a certified Air Route Traffic Control Center Controller, a Control Tower Operator, and
Radar Air Traffic Control Specialist.
EDUCATION
Undergraduate Studies in Management Practices, Personnel Management, Human Relations, and Engineering at the following: University of Oklahoma; Cameron University; Memphis State University; Northern Virginia Community College; and South Oklahoma City College.
Graduate of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Management Training School
Graduate of the FAA Aeronautical Center's: Air Traffic Control Specialist-Enroute and Airspace Management.
Graduate of Department of Energy (DOE) Central Training Academy
FAA Certified Air Traffic Control Specialist and Control Tower Operator