The Transportation Safety Institute (TSI), a long-time tenant of the Aeronautical Center moved into their new building late December 2018, as the Multi-Purpose Building was scheduled for remodeling. The move included a lot of coordination between TSI, the FAA, and contractors. Then for the next few months, finishing touches were put on the building, while TSI was unpacking, excessing equipment, and learning the new technologies that were housed in the modern, state-of-the-art classrooms. All this, to further support TSI’s mission of improving the safety of the worldwide transportation system. With all the relocation activities occurring, it was business as usual with no interruptions to the classroom schedules and teachings.
TSI plays a critical role in supporting the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) mission. It is to ensure safety and security of the nation’s transportation system through instruction to those entrusted with enforcement and those committed to compliance. It is organized into four training divisions with expertise in specific transportation safety and security topics. The most cross-cutting subjects are taught by nationally recognized subject matter experts. TSI develops and delivers customized professional safety training to fit the specific needs of its clients and is committed to providing economical, yet innovative training methods and services to meet customer training requirements.
TSI now occupies state-of-the-art offices and classrooms in the newly renovated Flight Inspection Building (Building #4), their classrooms also include an open-air "boneyard" containing a wide variety of actual aircraft wreckage in various configurations so that students can practice determining the root cause of an aviation accident. The Flight Inspection Building (FIB) was completely remodeled in FY 2010 and at the time was home to the United States Air Force (USAF) for a few years. Eventually, the USAF worked to obtain a new location closer to Tinker Air Force Base. In 2018, when the USAF obtained a new off-site building, the timing was perfect as a large amount of space on both the first and second floors of Building #4 became an ideal location for TSI administrative offices and classrooms.
In anticipation of the USAF’s departure, conceptual design work first began in early 2016 with TSI working closely with the Office of Facility Management’s Architecture and Engineering Division’s (AMP-400) Design Team to outline and define the new capabilities and functions of the available space at Building #4. The remodel design and construction documents were completed in early 2018 with construction starting in the fall of the same year.
The construction contract was awarded to Shellback General Contracting of Oklahoma City and due to the approaching Multi-Purpose Building renovation start date, the construction was held to a very tight schedule and was accomplished in just 3 months. This achievement was accomplished by not only the coordination efforts of TSI, AMP, and Shellback but also with the collaboration of many team members and organizations such as the Enterprise Services Center, AMP-400’s Moving Services, and Ford Audio-Video.
The Ribbon Cutting Celebration for the newly remodeled FIB was held July, 8, 2019. TSI Director, Dr. Kevin C. Womack, provided opening remarks and introduced special guest speakers such as AMC Leadership, Kim Sheppard and OST-R Deputy Assistant Secretary, Diana Furchtgott-Roth. A welcoming reception was held in the Building #4 atrium followed by TSI division presentations and facility tours.
The remodel features 28,000 square feet of renovated space including five state-of-the-art multimedia classrooms, executive and administrative office space, IT lab and server room, student and employee break rooms, virtual live training room, dedicated packing and shipping department, and conference rooms with video teleconferencing technology.
Each classroom is equipped with large TV monitors, surround sound speakers, and wireless instructor microphones. Cameras also provide the capability for online web broadcasting and instructor tracking, making the newly renovated building an innovative training facility, capable of supporting the mission of the Transportation Safety Institute.
The Institute has been offering transit, aviation, motor carrier, traffic, hazardous material, pipeline safety, and related safety and security training nationally and internationally for more than 45 years at the FAA’s Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center.
TSI trains thousands of transportation professionals every year and contributes to the safety of the traveling public beyond the classroom. TSI’s adult learning environment is geared to speed the application of training back to the job. As technologies and techniques change, so does the curriculum at TSI. More sophisticated materials, safety systems, and infrastructure ensure more advanced training for the transportation safety professionals of tomorrow. The goal of safer transportation permeates everything TSI does and influences the Institute’s future.
A successful federal fee-for-service organization, TSI is part of DOT’s Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research & Technology, whose mission is to advance multi-disciplinary research, cutting-edge technologies, and ultimately the promise of innovation to make the nation’s transportation system safer, more competitive and sustainable today, tomorrow and for future generations.
More information about the Transportation Safety Institute and their course offerings
