We've been inside the system you're trying to work with.
Technical systems fail FAA operational acceptance. Contractors miss requirements that only a controller would catch. Airlines get blindsided by flow program changes that cost millions. ALS exists to prevent all of that — combining 15+ years of front-line operational expertise with advanced AI capabilities that keep our clients ahead of the curve.
The contractors and integrators driving NAS modernization are posting roles they struggle to fill — ATC SMEs, Traffic Management Liaisons, Senior Aviation Advisors — because operational FAA credibility can't be engineered. It has to be earned. ALS has earned it.
The contractors and integrators awarded NAS modernization work are posting roles with salary ranges up to $282,000 — for ATC SMEs, Traffic Management Liaisons, and Senior Aviation Advisors. Every one of those postings describes the same gap: they need people who have actually worked inside the FAA. People who know JO 7110.65, TBFM, ERAM, and STARS. Who have sat at the scope during a ground stop, managed national flow programs at a major cargo hub, or supervised a sector at a high-density ARTCC. That profile is rare — and ALS has it.
But winning the hire doesn't solve the problem. Senior operational hires take 60 to 90 days to recruit, often require relocation to the DC area, and carry full benefits, overhead, and long-term commitment. ALS delivers the same operational depth as a flexible consulting engagement — available immediately, scalable to the work, and without the infrastructure of a permanent hire.
For airlines and operators, the challenge is different but the gap is the same. FAA decisions — flow program changes, airspace redesigns, BNATCS implementation sequencing — affect schedule reliability, fuel costs, and on-time performance. Airlines need an advocate who speaks the FAA's language before those decisions are made. ALS provides that voice.
"Help ensure technical direction remains grounded in operational reality and aligned to stakeholder expectations — serve as a senior thought partner on aviation systems, advanced capability adoption, and customer-facing strategy."
— Active NAS modernization program job posting, 2026 · Advertised salary: $176,000–$282,000You're recruiting for ATC SMEs, Traffic Management Liaisons, and Senior Aviation Advisors — roles with salary ceilings up to $282K — because you need the operational layer your engineering team doesn't have. ALS delivers all three capability areas as a single consulting engagement. Operational from day one, no relocation required, no recruiting cycle, no benefits overhead.
SME · Liaison · Strategic Advisory · ValidationEvery FAA decision about traffic flow, airspace redesign, or BNATCS implementation has a direct cost to your operation. ALS gives you advance intelligence and an advocate who speaks the FAA's language — so you influence those decisions before they're made, not scramble to adapt after.
Advocacy · Impact Assessment · Early IntelWinning FAA work and executing it successfully are two different challenges. ALS helps technology firms build operational credibility, validate that their solutions work in real-world NAS environments, and avoid the costly mismatch between technical capability and operational reality.
Market Entry · Credibility · NAS ValidationEach service line maps directly to a documented pain point facing contractors, airlines, and technology firms working in the NAS today. This isn't a menu of generic consulting offerings — it's a set of capabilities built for exactly this moment in aviation history.
Your engineers know the technology. ALS makes sure they understand the operational environment it has to live in. We provide the "day in the life" NAS perspective that modernization contractors say they can't find — across ARTCC, TRACON, Tower, and TMU environments.
The FAA doesn't respond well to contractors who don't understand it. ALS serves as your primary interface with FAA operational staff, program teams, and field facilities — translating your technical objectives into language the FAA acts on, and their requirements into specs your team can execute.
A system that passes engineering review can still fail operational acceptance. ALS reviews your requirements documents, design proposals, and test plans against how the NAS actually works — catching the gaps that only an experienced controller would catch, before they become expensive program failures.
BNATCS will force every controller in the NAS to learn new systems on a compressed timeline — while keeping the airspace safe. ALS helps contractors design training that actually prepares controllers, assess facility readiness, and plan transitions that don't create safety gaps or operational disruptions.
When the FAA changes a flow program, redesigns airspace, or rolls out new automation, airlines find out after the decision is made. ALS puts you in the room before that happens — monitoring FAA proceedings, assessing operational and financial impacts, and advocating for your interests with people who speak the FAA's language.
ALS integrates advanced AI capabilities directly into how we work — monitoring FAA proceedings, surfacing relevant opportunities, and producing research and analysis at a pace that traditional consulting firms can't match. Our clients benefit from faster, better-supported recommendations without paying for the overhead that usually comes with them.
You can hire systems engineers anywhere. You can't hire a team that has managed national traffic flows, supervised ARTCC sectors, and built relationships inside FAA facilities over a 15-year career — unless you engage ALS.
ALS was founded on a simple premise: the people who understand the NAS best are the ones who worked in it. Contractors building the next generation of air traffic control infrastructure need more than engineers and project managers. They need people who have sat at the radar scope, managed national traffic flows, supervised controller teams, and navigated the culture and processes of the FAA from the inside.
Our team brings collective experience spanning every type of ATC facility — ARTCCs, TRACONs, and Towers — as well as Traffic Management, Quality Control, and Operational Supervision. That breadth means ALS can speak credibly to any aspect of NAS operations, from en route airspace management to terminal sequencing to national flow program execution.
We are not a staffing company. ALS provides strategic consulting, operational advisory, and liaison services. When a client needs to understand how a proposed system change will affect controller workload at a busy ARTCC, or how a new procedure will interact with existing traffic flows at a high-density TRACON, ALS delivers that answer — grounded in real operational experience, not theory.
As ALS grows, we continue to expand our team by bringing on contractors with deep specializations across the NAS. Our founder, James Kerr, established the company with a deliberate intent to build a bench of the most operationally credible aviation consulting talent available.
ARTCC en route, TRACON approach, and Tower — operational knowledge across the full ATC spectrum.
Certified TMC experience managing national flow programs, TBFM, SUA, and cargo/passenger operations.
Internal compliance, skills assessments, MOR processes, and corrective action planning within FAA standards.
First-line ATC supervisory experience with direct responsibility for safety, staffing, and NAS performance.
Capabilities earned through years of operational service — not credentials earned in a classroom.
NAS operational fluency — ALS consultants have managed real traffic in real airspace across every facility type. We bring the "day in the life" perspective that NAS modernization contractors cite as a core requirement in their job postings — and struggle to find.
FAA institutional knowledge — we understand how the FAA thinks, how it makes decisions, what it values, and how contractors can build productive working relationships within its culture.
Cross-facility perspective — experience across ARTCCs, TRACONs, and Towers means ALS can evaluate system changes holistically — understanding how a decision at one level of the NAS cascades through the others.
Established professional networks — relationships built over 15+ years across multiple FAA facilities and specialties, giving clients access to the operational community that will ultimately use what they build.
Technology-integrated delivery — ALS has built AI into the core of how we operate, not as a novelty but as a genuine capability multiplier. Our clients receive faster research, better-supported analysis, and more timely intelligence than they would from a conventional consulting engagement of comparable size.
Scalable team model — ALS covers capabilities that NAS modernization contractors are currently recruiting for at salaries up to $282K per position. As engagement scope grows, we scale — bringing in additional SMEs without the overhead of expanding your own headcount.
NAS modernization is accelerating. The Brand New Air Traffic Control System is the largest single opportunity in this space — and one where ALS is uniquely positioned to contribute. But it is one of many arenas where we operate.
Whether you're a government contractor seeking operational domain expertise, an airline navigating FAA modernization, or a technology company that needs to understand how the NAS actually works — ALS is ready to engage.