Definition
The FAA Technical Center is the Federal Aviation Administration's primary research, development, test, and evaluation facility, located at Atlantic City International Airport in New Jersey. It supports the National Airspace System by testing air traffic control procedures, navigation equipment, communications systems, airport technologies, and aviation safety programs before they are deployed in the field.
Plain English
It is the FAA's main hub for trying out and proving new aviation technology and procedures before they are used across the country.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA acronym lists, FAA publications, notices, and technical references where an FAA organization or source of testing is being identified.
Why Pilots Care
Most of the equipment and procedures pilots rely on every day — from new approach designs to ATC system upgrades — passed through the FAATC before reaching real-world operations.
Intuition Check
Do not read the “ATC” inside FAATC as air traffic control. In this acronym, FAATC means FAA Technical Center.
Example Sentence 1
The new ADS-B procedures were validated at the FAATC before being rolled out nationally.
Example Sentence 2
Data from FAATC studies help shape future air traffic control improvements that pilots will use in daily operations.