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Utah Air Guardsman appointed DOD manager for SeeAndAvoid.org

By Airman 1st Class Lillian Chatwin, 151st ARW/PA / Published September 18, 2009

OSHKOSH, Wis. (Left to right) Col. Wayne Lee, Utah Air National Guard Headquarters, Mr. James Callahan, 57th Wing, Nellis Air Force Base, Capt. Todd Lobato, 101st Information Operations Flight, Utah ANG, and Master Sgt. Hugh Marstella, 151st Air Refueling Wing flight safety, pose for a photo at a recent SeeAndAvoid.org ceremony here. Captain Lobato was appointed as the DOD program manager for SeeAndAvoid.org on July 30.
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OSHKOSH, Wis. (Left to right) Col. Wayne Lee, Utah Air National Guard Headquarters, Mr. James Callahan, 57th Wing, Nellis Air Force Base, Capt. Todd Lobato, 101st Information Operations Flight, Utah ANG, and Master Sgt. Hugh Marstella, 151st Air Refueling Wing flight safety, pose for a photo at a recent SeeAndAvoid.org ceremony here. Captain Lobato was appointed as the DOD program manager for SeeAndAvoid.org on July 30.

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OSHKOSH, Wis. -- Capt. Todd Lobato, 101st Information Operations Flight, was recently appointed DOD program manager for SeeAndAvoid.org at a ceremony in Oshkosh, Wis. July 30.

Captain Lobato was responsible for linking the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Safety website, faasafety.gov, and seeandavoid.org together as a one-stop shop for all real-time air operations.

"I sent one email to Bryan Neville, who maintains the FAA Safety site, and asked what it would take to link our sites together. Less than two days later it was complete, and I was asked to take over See and Avoid," said Captain Lobato.

This idea also earned Captain Lobato the Outstanding Individual Safety Officer of the Year Award for the Air National Guard last October.

See and Avoid is a global-level website that acts as a resource for pilots to learn the status of Special Use airspace, find the locations of Military Training Routes and to access Mid-Air Collision Avoidance (MACA).

The FAA Safety site, which offers many online air safety and educational courses, links over 500,000 participants to See and Avoid.

Captain Lobato attributes the juncture of the two websites as powerful aviation safety tools.

"There are two major contributors to aviation safety sites that when used right, can increase the level of flying safety. They are faasafety.gov and seeandavoid.org," said Captain Lobato.

"The motto of See and Avoid is don't fly naked," said Captain Lobato. "Pilots can get the information they need before going airborne, especially if they are flying a new flight path. Most Special Use Airspace violators have two things in common: they are not local to the area, and they are flying GPS direct. The website assists pilots in situational awareness."

SeeAndAvoid.org highlights on satellite maps all restricted flying areas, and temporary flight restrictions. Among other things, the site provides a history of safety issues. It marks mid-air collision areas, and near mid-air collision areas, along with an account of those incidences.

See and Avoid is also the main interface for the public to find out about military operations.

"It does not show current military missions," said Captain Lobato. "It won't show information that can be used against us."