Career in the FAA or ATC?

[Rally]

Hello,

Just about to make the step into the regionals. Believe it or not after seeing the pay, life style, all you guys taking about divorce etc I am contemplating a new career. I want to stick around aviation but want something stable. I almost have a four year degree (I have a two year), have about 2100 TT 240 ME ATP CFI-I MEI (blah blah, not that the flight time matters for ATC). Just wondering what it would take to get into ATC? Is it difficult? Whats the normal cost of a program? One thing I am worried about is that the FAA is not hiring currently. I would hate to go into it just to have it not hire me in. On the other hand I think the FAA will wait as long as they can and then start going crazy? Opinions?

Now for the second part.

How about a career in the FAA? Maybe a general ops inspector? Anybody here do that? How hard is it to get in? Do you have to have time in a/c over 12,500 pounds? I meet all of the other requirements.

Thanks

 

[Rogue5]

Flying a desk

Many of your questions regarding the Aviation Safety Inspector job can be answered by reading the vacancy announcement at www.faa.gov:

http://jobs.faa.gov/announcement_detail.asp?vac_id=27152
or
http://jobs.faa.gov/announcement_detail.asp?vac_id=73668

Looks like those guys make some pretty good coin...

Also, see below for the announce on the ATC job:

http://jobs.faa.gov/announcement_detail.asp?vac_id=52569

 

[Ravengirl]

I know there are at least a few controllers that frequent the board, hopefully one of them will take a look at this thread Also, do some reading at these two sites: http://www.stuckmic.com and http://www.atccti.com.

I've been out of school 8 months awaiting hire by the FAA- please feel free to PM me if you have any questions for me!

Stephanie

 

[ATCER]

First I'll ask my standard question... how old are ya ??? Age 31 is the cutoff for ATC. If you fall under that can you wait out a hiring freeze ??? We are in one right now... (more on that in a second) Read the following links ~>

http://www.natca.org/about/howatc.msp

http://www.faa.gov/careers/employment/atc.htm

Your route would probably be CTI ... are you near any of the schools listed on the site ???

You bring up a good point... working for the FAA is pretty good, you have job security, benefits, retirement, and for a civil service job you make some good $$$ as opposed to many other civil service jobs out there (cop, etc.). Every now and then on the evening shift we work the FAA system guys (flight check) who test the ILS's, VOR's, etc. I think they are always in King Air's, here in NY I think they are based out of ACY but don't hold me to that. Seems like a nice gig, I chatted with them one night while I had them in a hold

Hiring Freeze... they have not hired a single body in close to 2 years... why I have no idea... The administrator says we are "overstaffed" ... yea, maybe at some small lower level places but many of your big facilities in NY, Chicago, Atlanta, Oakalnd, etc, are not. Here in NY the tracon (N90) and the center (ZNY) are short, we're all working 6 day weeks. At ZNY it looks like the new Billion $$$+ oceanic system ATOP (Advanced Technologies and Oceanic Procedures) is going to be delayed because neither of the 2 oceanic areas can spare bodies to go train on the system. Not to mention that during ATOP training they also wanted to take bodies off the floor for RVSM training ??? There were all sorts of rumors about us getting people, transfers, new hires... we were told the other day not to expect help any time soon...

If you can wait them out about 2 years I think you'll see things pick up... they have to... we are losing people every year, we lost 3 this year already.

Anyway, enough ranting... read the info on the links and if you have any questions post them up. Sometimes I don't get on here for a few days but I do make it a point to scan the board once or twice a week so I'll get to any questions you have.

Good Luck

 

[ATCER]

Article

Here is some hope... it has not been passed BUT ... some money was proposed for hiring.

Aviation Daily: House Approves $14 Billion For FAA Operations

Monday, July 26, 2004



House appropriators last week reported out an $89.9 billion Fiscal Year 2005 transportation treasury funding bill that includes $14 billion for FAA -- $7.2 billion for FAA operations, of which $6 billion would come from the Airport and Airway Trust Fund and $1.7 from the general fund.

The bill increases operations funding by $238 million.

FAA spending covers air traffic control organization, aviation regulation and certification, research and acquisition, commercial space transportation, human resources and other operational activities. It gives $86 million to the contract tower program but does not reflect an estimate on new contracts for FY 2005. It assumes an air traffic control staffing level of 15,333 by yearend, just short of FAA's estimate of 15,350. It includes $9 million above the Administration request to hire and train new controllers.

The report recommends $916.9 million for aviation regulation and certification, $224 million for research and acquisition and $69.8 million for human resources, $8.8 million below the budget estimate. It also includes $3.5 billion for the Airport Improvement Program and $102 million for Essential Air Service. -DM

 

[Snakum]

How about a career in the FAA? Maybe a general ops inspector?

Yeah ... then you, too, could be a worthless, self-important, incompetent, slug feeding off the government teat while making life miserable for thousands of pilots and managers who endeavor to do nothing more than follow the rules which change daily, depending on which inspector/FSDO-geek/Administrator/Aeromedical-rep you happen to be talking to at any given moment.

I vote for ATC, instead. Then you'd be among some of the most dedicated, professional, and above all ... knowledgeable folks in the aviation field. I wouldn't piss on an FAA Inspector if he was on fire. I actually had an FAA representative tell me emphatically that the form 8500 required a pilot to list every traffic violation one had ever received. The fact that I was reading section 18 from an 8500 form that I was holding in my hand did nothing to convince him otherwise. Neither did it help when I directed him to the URL where could be found DETAILED guidance for AMEs on exactly what information the 8500 required. Is that a killer ... or what?!

Minh

FAA - "I'm from the FAA, and I'm here to help."
Minh - "Here's how you can help ... go f@ck yourself ... alright?"

 

[wildbill]

Sorry to tell you, but the FAA has changed their motto.

FAA: We're not happy, until your unhappy...

 

[jobear]

Faa= Bohicia

 

[ATCER]

Yeah ... then you, too, could be a worthless, self-important, incompetent, slug feeding off the government teat while making life miserable for thousands of pilots and managers who endeavor to do nothing more than follow the rules which change daily, depending on which inspector/FSDO-geek/Administrator/Aeromedical-rep you happen to be talking to at any given moment.


FAA - "I'm from the FAA, and I'm here to help."
Minh - "Here's how you can help ... go f@ck yourself ... alright?"

Breath man... BREATH ! LOL

When things get stressful for me (more then one plane in my sector, guys asking for shortcuts, something about an engine problem) I take a deep breath and say to myself...

Serenity Now !​

​

I wise man named Frank Costanza taught me it...​

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Now that we're calm... can you tell us how you really feel ???​

​

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J/K ... if it makes ya feel any better they give us a hard time also (FSDO, AME's, etc.)​

​

​

 

[Lrjtcaptain]

We are on a hiring freeze which I am sure you are aware of. With that the case don't expect to get hired anytime soon due to the fact that there are tons of people in the hiring pool just sitting around.

As for CTI/Off the street hiring. They were hiring off the street last year but Im not completly sure whether or not they are going to keep that up. Ive heard talk of the FAA downsizing the CTI programs to just a few major schools and basically just ridding themselves of the MMAC at OKC. I don't know what is going to happen but Its not the best time to try and start a career. Don't get me wrong. They are gonna have to hire a ton of controllers in the next 10 years but no one knows what is happening.

Ive heard hiring will resume early next year, and heard not until 2006. If your patient and meet the requirments then go for it. Good pay/benefits and your home every night. Unless you work the midnight shifts but you know what I mean. If you want a quick start I don't know what the story is with the MARC's college in MSP. Look into that. Its a quick in if you can pass the course.

MK