Factor
Woodstock, VA
Male, 65
My life in ATC began with 4 years Air Force then another 30 years with the Federal Aviation Admin. working tower & radar at some big international airports. I fought in the 1981 war with PATCO, survived the strike and kept a job that was just too exhilarating to walk away from. While there was nothing better than working airplanes, I did move on through several air traffic supervisory and management positions. It was a long, crazy career but I wouldn't trade a moment of it for love or lucre!
Hello “No. 1 Uncle,” and a happy 4th back at you! I hope you enjoyed a fabulous fireworks display.
In order to obtain a permit for public fireworks displays, the organizers must obtain approval from the Federal Aviation Administration. Any conditions the FAA imposes must be followed in order to receive that permit. The FAA then makes the information on such events available to those who need to know.
I can’t say there have never been aircraft accidents due to fireworks displays. Using absolutes like “always” or “never” tend to get me into trouble. I’ll just say I don’t recall hearing of any and that makes sense to me. After all, aeronautical charts clearly indicate minimum safe altitudes (MSA) to fly at. Planes rarely operate below the MSA unless they are taking off or landing. It’s a pretty safe bet your FAA won’t approve fireworks displays near an airport, along those departure or arrival paths. Besides, fireworks don’t go much higher that a few hundred feet. Certain flights do operate at those altitudes but only during daylight hours; a bad time for fireworks. These planes are involved in such things as crop-dusting, banner towing, aerial photography or some other low altitude mission.
I hope this answers your question. Thanks for writing!
Factor
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Hello Jim! Thanks for bringing up a very important issue. Whether pilot or controller; thunderstorms are the bane of their workday. All three factors you mentioned can affect the safety of flight. Lightning can be pretty disconcerting but not as dangerous to an airplane as you might imagine. Today’s planes are given extensive lightning certification tests to ensure the safety of their design. That could be why the last commercial plane crash attributed to lightning happened in 1967.
The lack of visibility, although a hazard in some instances, is not a major problem for pilots flying in or near thunderstorms. Rather than looking out the cockpit windows, they’re normally relying on the aircraft’s flight instruments to keep it properly oriented.
By far, the biggest safety hazard relates to the tricky winds found in and around those things! Accident investigation reports are rife with accounts of what can happen when airplanes experience the vertical wind shears and microbursts associated with thunderstorms (See Eastern Airlines Flight 66 landing JFK in 1975 or Delta Flight 191 landing DFW in 1985 as examples). Especially hazardous when planes are operating near the ground (taking off or landing), such winds can cause the aircraft’s wings to lose the lift they need to maintain flight. If this happens to a landing airplane (and it can happen instantly), all the available engine power may not be enough to save it.
When a plane loses the lift needed to maintain flight it becomes more like a brick that someone has thrown. It may still be traveling forward but only due to forward momentum and only for a very short time. I saw this happen from one of the control towers I worked in. An airliner flew through a thunderstorm situated on the final approach course and turned into that “brick” within a mile of the runway. When I finally saw the plane; it was no longer really flying but wallowing left and right as it fell. Fortunately, it fell onto the grass adjacent to the runway and eventually slid to a stop. The aircraft was destroyed but incredibly, there were no fatalities. I’ll tell you though; my shift couldn’t have ended fast enough.
Thank you for writing,
Factor
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Hi Liv. Your question is most interesting because there are so many ways to answer! It’s like asking if there is a particular electrical appliance that should not be plugged in and thrown into the bathtub while someone is bathing. There are so many!
In answering your question, I suppose I need to separate, in my own mind, the character traits that are merely annoying from the ones that make ATC the wrong choice for a career. There are also common traits shared by every successful controller I’ve worked with. Lacking one of these traits may not completely disqualify a person for the job but they may wish it had. Keep in mind that what I say here is based solely on my experience and opinions. Far from scientific.
One trait I believe should disqualify an ATC candidate is an inability to track several developing situations simultaneously, take action on each one at a precise moment while assessing new situations as they develop and predicting when they’ll need further attention. Whew! If the aspiring controller can’t manage an ever changing air traffic picture continuously, over the course of one or two hours; they might want to seek a different profession. Unfortunately, deficiencies in this area are usually uncovered sometime after the candidate has been hired. Pre-employment aptitude tests are no substitute for the crucible of a live air traffic control facility.
Another ‘must have’ trait is self-motivation. Controllers work independently; without direct supervision. Normally, there won’t be someone there to tell them what to do and when to do it. If our candidate is the kind of person who needs frequent direction and guidance to get through the workday; they should stay away from ATC.
A good controller must also be able to accept, if not embrace, change. The ATC environment is constantly changing. It’s not just the volume, type and complexity of air traffic either. There are continuous changes in weather conditions and changes on the airport surface that require controllers to immediately adjust. And let’s not forget about technological changes. ATC equipment – the tools of a controller’s trade – are ever changing. New aircraft, such as the Boeing Dreamliner, are coming on line and with them; new flight characteristics the controllers must adjust to.
There are the more obvious ‘show-stoppers’ such as substance abuse, alcoholism, and flatulence. (Maybe I’m just kidding about the flatulence but try spending several hours in the confines of a control tower with someone who has it!)
I could go on but don’t want to bore you. The bottom line is; there are several behavior or character traits that don’t really work well in the ATC environment. Unfortunately, the FAA’s pre-employment screening process isn’t 100 percent effective.
Thanks for a great question! Hope I wasn’t too long-winded.
Cheers,
Factor
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Hi there, “ATC Wannabe.” I really hate it when I can’t answer a reader’s question but just going to have to buck up and admit defeat. I have no idea what O”Hare or the Great Lakes Regional Office’s hiring policies are. O”Hare Airport is within The Great Lakes Region’s authority. As in the previous reader’s question, I recommend you call the Great lakes Region when you are ready and ask them about ATC job openings. I also recommend you take your friend’s opinion as well intended but likely to be uninformed. As a “high schooler” – you have plenty of time to position yourself as a viable ATC candidate - anywhere.
As to the idea of starting your career off in one of the many busy facilities; there are differing opinions. The skeptics and those motivated by ego will say you must be an experienced and exceptional controller before setting foot in the door. While I understand their argument I disagree. Having started my own FAA career in a very busy facility, I can attest to the benefits of learning how to handle complex and heavy traffic conditions right off the bat. I also know that, later in my career, when I was training folks who transferred in from less active facilities, it was hard breaking them of their more laid back work habits. When you start off in a busy place, you learn to work quickly and efficiently. Plus; the steady pace of traffic makes for more frequent and meaningful training opportunities. This is something the smaller facilities can’t always provide.
I’m happy to hear of your enthusiasm for air traffic control and wish you all the best in your pursuit of a career.
Cheers,
Factor
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Ice Sculptor
What was the raciest sculpture you ever made?
Help Desk Technician
Are people appreciative when you help them or do they just treat you like a support monkey?
Beauty Queen
Is there truth to the stereotypes of “pageant parents?”
Howdy Arizonagirl13 and welcome to my tiny piece of Jobstr real estate. Looks like it’s time to pay the rent! You’ve posed an excellent question and I’m hoping my answer will keep me from being evicted.
Although it is true that English is recognized worldwide as the language of air traffic control, I am sure there are occasional deviations. Pilots in non-English speaking countries who fly in and out of airports that handle only regional traffic probably converse with controllers in their native language. Why not? Their home language is familiar to all concerned, so there is less chance for any misunderstandings. I’ve worked as a controller at a foreign airport and know this to be true. However, if one of those pilots had to use an airport that handled flights from other countries; that pilot had better be familiar with the jargon of ATC in English. The same principle would apply if an English speaking pilot arrived at a foreign, regional airport. The controllers there would be expected to do their work in English.
If pilots and controllers are not on the same page (language-wise), chaos can quickly gain momentum. The foreign airport I mentioned above was actually a joint-use military base and a glaring exception to the ATC language standards. Our tower was staffed with both American and locally grown controllers. The locals were responsible for any flights operated by pilots of their own nationality; using their native language. We worked all our traffic in English. As if that wasn’t chaotic enough, there was an interpreter in the tower, who’s job it was to keep each set of controllers advised about what was going on. Without someone with knowledge of both languages to translate, neither side knew what the other was doing. Unfortunately for all of us, our interpreter was about as helpful as a rodeo clown in a slaughterhouse. Inattentive, lazy and frequently absent, we all learned to work around him and deal with the mayhem on our own. All that to say that clear communication between everyone involved in maintaining safety of flight is essential; no matter what part of the planet the planes are flying in.
Thanks for writing and I hope my answer was helpful.
Cheers,
Factor
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Thanks for writing, Doctor Hank. I’m glad you caught me during office hours. You’ve raised some great questions but, unfortunately, I don’t make house calls.
In fact, I was trained in stress management and the ways of coping with pressure - but the FAA didn’t provide this training. They did, however, provide the learning environment. Our primary means of dealing with pressure was simply understanding that nearly everyone else on the crew was dealing with it too – perhaps even simultaneously. There was a strong team “will” to meet and defeat the challenge. No one had to face the dragons alone and knowing that made a big difference.
Then, after those dragons were dispensed with, we’d all come together for the best kind of therapy we knew. We’d meet at our favorite after-work bar and rehash the shift’s best and worst moments in a non-judgmental environment. As you know; talking about your issues with others who have been through the same thing is both calming and cathartic. As a result; we’d usually show up for our next shift - free of regret, revitalized and ready to do it all over again.
Everyone had their own individual ways of coping with pressure; some more obvious than others. As a floor Supervisor, you’d learn to recognize the signs that a controller was feeling the squeeze. A change in body posture, pumping a leg, drumming fingers, changes in voice level, cursing or throwing things were a few of the more obvious signs. Others were more subtle but a good Supervisor knew them all and acted quickly to assist.
One thing we all tried not to do during periods of high stress was to imagine the number of lives in our hands and the consequences if something went wrong. Stuff like that is distracting and will quickly throw your whole game off.
As to the ability to handle pressure being factor in hiring controllers; I cannot speak for FAA's current policies. I can say that, during my career, there was no reliable way of assessing a potential new employee’s strength in that area. Everyone, including the new employee, had to find out during their first few dips in the crucible. Some did the backstroke and others burned up. Going into the profession, I doubt that many people know how they’ll react when the vise begins to close. I sure didn’t. Although their coworkers may notice some early indicators; most controllers don’t recognize that emotional squeeze until it’s too late. Robert Burns nailed it when he wrote; “O would some power the giftie gie us to see ourselves as others see us.”
Thanks again,
Factor
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Hello again! Getting into the basics of your question; you will need either some related military air traffic control experience or two to four years of college in aviation related degrees. If you decide on college rather than the military, you should look for colleges that offer the Air Traffic – Collegiate Training Initiative (AT-CTI).
Three years of progressive work experience or a combination of college and work experience is another possible pathway in. The kind of “work experience” they’re looking for would be in jobs such as a commercial pilot, navigator or air dispatcher. Those are the standard, ‘paper’ requirements necessary to be eligible but there are more ambiguous job requirements that are so important in ATC work.
The ability to multi-task and keep a fast moving, three dimensional traffic picture in your head is essential. The ability to concentrate in an environment rife with distractions and keep up with frequently changing rules and technology is equally important. You’ll need to handle pressure well and be pretty thick-skinned. Most controllers I knew could be brutally blunt at times and were masters in the art of sarcasm. All in good fun and necessary forms of stress relief in an environment that could really heap it on at times. The trainees I knew who failed did so - not because they didn’t have the necessary knowledge but because they didn’t have these and other necessary abilities.
ATC is like many other jobs in that a person can get all the required book-learning but still be unable to enjoy the work and do it effectively. Looking at other “Jobstr” contributors and learning what they do, I shake my head, knowing I’d fall into that category.
By the way, Oklahoma City is a great place to visit and the academy a terrific place to learn. I always enjoyed going down there for one course or another. You will too!
Best of luck to you!
Factor
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