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!
Thanks for your questions! I was still onboard when Uberlingen happened. As you can imagine, controllers are always fascinated by aviation accidents – especially those involving air traffic control. That’s why you’d find copies of the latest National Transportation Safety Board accident reports in many controller break rooms. We’d talk about each accident; attempting to reconstruct the events and decisions leading up to it in a way that might change the outcome. Sometimes 15 or 20 minutes of second guessing and saying things like “I sure wouldn’t have done anything that stupid!” or “Why didn’t they do (whatever)?” had the effect of distancing... Read More +
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Requirements have changed some since I signed on. For the absolute latest developments, I suggest doing a web search for air traffic controller education requirements. The last time I checked, applicants had to enroll in one of the education programs authorized by the FAA, pass a pre-employment aptitude test for the job and have either completed four years of college, have three years of work experience or a combination of both. It was also possible to get in with military experience. Once accepted into training, expect 12 weeks of intensive instruction at FAA’s Academy in Oklahoma City (a great town!). It’s a tough three months and about... Read More +
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This is an important question. I’ll attempt to answer it with callous objectivity - tainted by a sprinkling of subjective sentiments and a smidgen of erratic rationale. Always the controller.
The Country actually needs more controllers at the busiest FAA facilities and fewer to none at the less active locations. I would suggest a redistribution of resources except for the fact that controllers from the closing towers are not FAA employees. They work for private air traffic control services under contract to the FAA; the same FAA who pays them around a half million of our tax dollars per year, per tower. The airports these contract... Read More +
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This is another great question for anyone considering an ATC profession! Actually; if you are 31, you are already too old to become an FAA controller. Here’s an excerpt from their policy; “...a maximum age of 30 years is established for entry into civilian air traffic control positions in the Federal Aviation Administration...” The only exception I know of would apply if you have prior military experience as a controller. The are private companies who provide ATC services but I have no knowledge of their age requirements.
At the other end of an ATC career, the FAA also has a maximum retention age for those “actively engaged... Read More +
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Claims Adjuster
What happens when NEITHER driver is at fault?
Stand-Up Comedian
What's your worst bombing story?
Security / Bodyguard
Are you expected to take a bullet that's meant for someone you're guarding?
Thanks for writing, Dave. Although many air traffic controllers work for private companies, most are employed by the Federal Government, in either the Department of Defense (DOD) or the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). I spent most of my ATC time in the FAA.
I don’t know much about how difficult it is to oust an employee from other Government agencies but to throw a controller out of the FAA is very, very difficult. In fact, you’d have better luck trying to throw a bowling ball into an open window on a speeding train. A “single high-profile mistake” should be sufficient justification if the employee was proven to have been grossly... Read More +
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Wow. Now there’s a question more chilling than the beer coolers we kept in the tower! If the FAA had banned “Airplane” quotes, it would undoubtedly have lead to even more fistfights with those wimps in Management. Not that knocking a Supervisor down the tower steps would be a big problem – but it might have wakened the controllers trying to get some sleep downstairs! Then we’d have TWO problems; pissed off controllers and the indefinite loss of a Supervisor who kept us all supplied with amphetamines, beer and glue! Damn! Everybody would have to go back to rehab; where the meals are worse than airline food! Thinking about... Read More +
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Complete communications failures are extremely rare. What we see more often is known as a “stuck mike.” That’s when one aircraft on a control frequency transmits (usually by pushing a button) and that button sticks. This leaves the aircraft’s radio in a continuous transmit mode; meaning no one else on that control frequency is able to transmit – including the controller! (And they wonder why we drink.) It’s like using a walkie-talkie to communicate with with twelve other people. If you make a call and your transmit button sticks – everyone will hear you but will not be able to respond. In such situations, the pilot won’t become aware of what... Read More +
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