William J. Hughes Technical Center

The FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center is an aviation research and development, and test and evaluation facility. The Technical Center serves as the national scientific test base for the Federal Aviation Administration. Technical Center programs include research and development, test and evaluation, and verification and validation in air traffic control, communications, navigation, airports, aircraft safety, and security. They also include long-range development of aviation systems and concepts, development of new air traffic control equipment and software, and modification of existing systems and procedures. Through a series of initiatives known collectively as NextGen, the Technical Center is contributing to the Next Generation Air Transportation System.[1]

It is alongside Atlantic City International Airport[2] in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey,[3] 10 miles (16 km) northwest of Atlantic City, and covers over 5,000 acres (2,023 ha). The Technical Center consists of laboratories, test facilities, support facilities, the Atlantic City International Airport, and a non-commercial aircraft hangar. The Technical Center is also home to the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Air Marshal Service Training Center,[4] Transportation Security Lab, and the Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, as well as the New Jersey Air National Guard 177th Fighter Wing. While the Technical Center works mainly in aviation, it also provides other services for the Department of Homeland Security.[1] Portions of the land of the technical center are in Galloway Township,[5] and Hamilton Township.[6]

The Technical Center site's soil and groundwater were contaminated with pollutants including mercury, perfluorinated compounds,[7] arsenic, benzene, cadmium, chloroform, lead, toluene, and numerous other toxic or environmentally harmful chemicals[8] by US Navy, airport, and FAA operations from the 1940s to the 1970s.[7] The Technical Center is now a Superfund site, where the FAA[9] and EPA are engaged in cleaning up the pollution and preventing it from spreading outside the site.[7]

  1. ^ a b "Welcome to the William J. Hughes Technical Center". Federal Aviation Administration.
  2. ^ "William J. Hughes Technical Center Visitor Information". Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved February 11, 2023. The FAA William J. Hughes Technical Center is co-located with the Atlantic City Airport[...]
  3. ^ "Egg Harbor Township Municipal Zoning Boundaries December 2011 Atlantic County, NJ" (PDF). Atlantic County, New Jersey. Retrieved February 11, 2023. - Compare map to the location of the facility in the embedded map, view larger map at Google Maps
  4. ^ "Federal Air Marshal Service Training Center". Federal Law Enforcement Training Accreditation.
  5. ^ "C.A. III Municipal Zoning Galloway Township Atlantic County, NJ" (PDF). Galloway Township. Retrieved July 1, 2023. F.A.A. Tech. Center
  6. ^ "Hamilton Township Municipal Zoning Boundaries Atlantic County, NJ" (PDF). Atlantic County, New Jersey. Retrieved July 1, 2023. FAATC
  7. ^ a b c "Superfund Site: FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION TECHNICAL CENTER (USDOT) ATLANTIC COUNTY, NJ Cleanup Activities". EPA. Archived from the original on December 17, 2021.
  8. ^ "Superfund Site: FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION TECHNICAL CENTER (USDOT) ATLANTIC COUNTY, NJ Contaminant List". EPA. Archived from the original on December 17, 2021.
  9. ^ Post, Michelle Brunetti (November 14, 2018). "Tech Center, Atlantic City airport face 9 more years of Superfund cleanup". Press of Atlantic City. Archived from the original on December 17, 2021.