By Rebecca March
Public Affairs Department

PATUXENT RIVER NAVAL AIR STATION, MD—October was a good month for ET2(SW/AW) Nicholas Pietrzak of the Ground Electronics Maintenance Division here.

Not only were his professional accomplishments as an electronics technician recognized with an award from the Air Traffic Controllers Association, but his good moral character and officer potential were recognized by the Navy with his acceptance into the Seaman to Admiral commissioning program.

Pietrzak received the ATCA's Airway Transportation Systems Specialist of the Year Award for his exemplary work in support of air traffic control. The award was presented Oct. 29 during the ATCA's 48th annual meeting in Washington, D.C. ATCA is a non-profit, non-government, professional organization which promotes and encourages the advancement of aviation and air traffic control.

"I'm really excited about it," Pietrzak said. "I see this as a great stepping stone to enhance my career."

As an electronics technician with GEM, Pietrzak does maintenance and troubleshooting repair on ATC equipment, including Pax River's Airport Surveillance Radar System, ASR-8. Controllers here use the radar system to search for aircraft up to 60 nautical miles out from Pax River, he said.

The ASR-8 is located in the center of the airfield, and in spring of 2002, controllers suddenly lost the ability to remotely operate the radar from the air traffic control facility. If the controllers needed the channel switched on the ASR-8, GEM technicians had to go out and manually change the radar's settings.

"The controllers could no longer control the radar reliably from the radar room, so Pietrzak found a way to retain control at the radar site," said Tom Dealy, GEM officer.

Pietrzak took the lead in troubleshooting the failures within the system. The first failure he identified was a faulty switch. According to the award nomination package, he "researched possible replacement of the assembly through the Federal Stock System. Finding the anticipated 3-4 weeks logistic delay time unacceptable, he performed component level repairs to the assembly, work normally conducted at a depot-level facility."

Pietrzak then identified "noise," or voltage distortions, on the control line for the on/off remote control function. He traced the noise and, according to the nomination, "found that the radar housing structure's earth ground did not meet minimum prescribed specifications for conductivity."

"We were going through a drought last year, and Nick said it seemed like that might have (had) an effect on that, so he left a hose running out there at the site for two days and let it saturate the ground," Dealy said.

This increased the conductivity and eliminated the noise problem. Pietrzak then worked with the station’s Public Works to permanently correct the problem.

The third fault identified was in a swing-out panel, and Pietrzak recommended switching it out as the most expeditious means of repair.

Pietrzak's recommendation was passed up the chain to the ASR-8 experts at SPAWAR for approval.

"They had enough respect for Nick and his knowledge of the radar and what he had already done with it," said Mike Agamaite, Radar Division branch head. "This swapping out of the control panel wasn't just like unplugging a few wires and sticking something else in. It was a huge evolution."

Dealy said that even after working through the night and completing the installation, Pietrzak continued working on the control processor, making sure all the wiring was secure with cable ties.

"He started on the cosmetics of the installation and he didn't leave until everything was complete. It is a tribute to his work ethic," Dealy said. "He took his responsibilities seriously and very thoroughly, every aspect of it he owned up to."

Pietrzak, a native of Blaine, Minn., arrived at Pax River in May 2001 from USS Carl Vinson (CVN 70). Since arriving here, he has been working toward an engineering degree from the College of Southern Maryland.

In addition to winning this award, Pietrzak was notified Oct. 20 that he had been selected into the pilot option for the Seaman to Admiral commissioning program. This program is one way for enlisted Sailors to receive commissions as Naval officers.

Starting next year, Pietrzak will go to officer preparation and indoctrination classes at the Naval Science Institute in Newport, R.I. After completing the training, Pietrzak will attend a Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps-affiliated college or university to finish his college degree, and will then report to flight school at Pensacola.

-USN-

ET2(SW/AW) Nicholas Pietrzak of the Ground Electronics Maintenance Division received the ATCA's Airway Transportation Systems Specialist of the Year Award for his exemplary work in support of air traffic control.