ATC as a Job

[SammyG]

So among the many things that I'm considering doing with my life, becoming an Air Traffic Controller has grabbed my curiosity.

I have a 4 year degree. So what other pre-reqs would I require?

And how about quality of life and pay? Since these two issues have presented two big strikes against my considering becoming an airline pilot, how are these two issues with regard to becoming/being ATC?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Lrjtcaptain]

Well, the ATC career is a good career but it's not just something you decide to do and then do it.

The FAA has projected that there are going to be thousands of controllers retiring in the next 10 years and they need to replace them. As of now, the academy is not producing anyone. This contract FSS stuff has really slowed stuff down for us already in the ATC world. No moving going on whatsoever. The FSS people who want to be controllers are being offered anything and everything practically not giving us people who have done it the right way and certified everywhere we've been to move up. Its a wierd system. For example, a few years ago a controller goes to a center and washes out, they then move on to a level 7,8,or 9 tower, washout, move to a 5 certifiy, keep the level 11 or 12 pay from the center and work the smaller facilities. Then you take people whom the FAA throw in small facilties as a starting point, certify, make 3/4 what the was out makes and in most cases has a better control of traffic and produces a much safer enviornment for pilots. I think its a messed up system and it has fianlly changed. You get hired and washed now your gonna get the boot which is the way it should be.

Other issues, our NATCA contract is up come september. The old administrator was fine with the old contract and kept things as is. The new one is into cutting the budget so much that alot of things are going to change. I wouldn't be suprised to see CIP pay cut, overtime pay cut, and sunday pay cut. Facilties are understaffed as is and with more and more overtime being avaliable for anyone at any facilty, not being fairly compensated for the overtime in my opinion is a lack of respect from our management and the higher ups as to what service we actually give to the public. Nothing worse then a tired controller working lots of traffic when they don't want to be there. Its a dangerous situation.

In my opinion, the FAA isn't going to hire as many people as they say they are. They are going to keep staffing tight which is going to affect every controllers work schedule and leave. Its gonna be a hard thing to get leave, to take your vacation when you want to and so on.

My humble opinion is it is going to get worse, and the only wake up call the FAA is going to get that the staffing crisis isn't a myth, is when they have multiple midairs and then maybe they will understand that they can't have us working under these conditions. I know first hand that ZOA is running manditory 6 days. If they lost the overtime anyone elegible to retire will and then where will they be? Oh, we need to get some people there to work, well it takes anywhere between 2 to 3 years to certify at a center and I have a feeling corners will be cut and people who don't apply the rules and don't have a nack at this business are going to be un supervised and working long hours.

Im not saying you have to be a god to be a controller, im pretty close....j/k, but it takes the right personality and the right mentality to pull it off. This job is an art. I wish you the best if you decide to come along for the ride but things aren't the way they used to be.

I went to the academy in sep03. Level5salary pay plus 3k perdium for 7 weeks. Now days at the academy, perdium is cut, there is none and I think salary is like 15k a year, you will qualify for foodstamps. "WELCOME to the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT!" I love this job but there is alot of unfairness. I know life isn't fair but its difficult to move up in this business right now when they have no one to replace you with.

The money is great and so are the benefits, but in all respect, if i made 40k a year flying a CRJ or ERJ rightnow id trade it anytime.

MK

 

[labbats]

Get back in the air where you belong LrjtCpt.

 

[405]

Don't go into dispatch

I was a controller in the military. It wasn't the FAA but it was still a really fun job in my opinion. I couldn't stay with it because I got too old for the FAA.

Whatever you do though, DO NOT under any circumstances consider going into aircraft dispatch. It's a totally thankless job.

Do whatever you have to do to be a controller.

 

[ISaidRightTurns]

...is when they have multiple midairs and then maybe they will understand that they can't have us working under these conditions.

We should file this under things best left implied and not said. These guys on this board really don't want to know.

Sammy, if you really wanna know, search the board for the past 2 months, this has come up several times (especially since that stupid Flying article). Also, check out the FAA website for hiring information, and browse stuckmic.com, there are a ton of wanna-bes there.

 

[trafficontrolr]

DO IT!

You may not have a choice of location but there's no other job like this one.

 

[Lrjtcaptain]

I know sometimes its better to not put things in writing, and I doubt it will ever happen because none of us ever want that to happen nor will we let it, but it my humble opinion, I think these cost cuts are going to make the air a much unsafer place to be.

LABBATS, you are right, I need to be back flying. We had some fun flying back in the day didn't we? I miss it every day I watch these planes fly.

 

[Icelandair]

Now wasn't there a thread just a bit down the page of a pilot grumbling about how he didn't want to be flying? And here's someone grumbling that he wishes he could be flying? Grass isn't always greener i suppose...

 

[Vector4fun]

Sammy,

In my own case, taking an ATC job was, overall, a good choice. It's not for everyone though.

Understand some things if choose to persue it:

To FAA management, you are an over-paid, under-worked, whining cog in their career advancement machine. Probably not much different than a lot of work environments though.

Don't expect a lot of recognition, though I've noticed pilots saying more nice things lately. (Thanks)

It's a 24/7/365 job. You'll be junior. You'll work more than your share of mids, Holidays, Sundays, and probably almost every Fri/Sat eve for the next ten years. Deal with it. Work your shifts and don't expect to complain about how "unfair" it is. We all had to. Expect to work rotating shifts, and go to work a different time each day. If you have a family, they'll have to deal with this too.

Don't expect to be real choosy about where you work. You may get where you want to go eventually, but be prepaired to work almost anywhere.

 

[check6]

Yeah,

I made the mistake of becoming a pilot. My girlfriend is waiting to be hired currently. She'll make more money than me for a long, long, long time. I keep asking her if I can go back to school for it, but she says no. I think she wants to order me around!!!