What does it take to become an ATC?

[Kaman]

1. A lifetime supply of Maalox Plus.
2. An extra-large tube of Preparation H
3. Coke bottle glasses
4. A Hearing Aid
5. Size 42 waist trousers
6. Unlimited supply of cigarettes and Maxwell House Coffee
7. Superior command of sarcasm, patronization, ad lib, lousy sense of humor. Especially if you work in ROA.

Regards,

ex-Navy rotorhead

P.S. meant as a tongue in cheek. not flamebait. ATC and the FAA are there to help, right??? yeah...Right

 

[RUNNINHORN]

1. A lifetime supply of Maalox Plus.
2. An extra-large tube of Preparation H
3. Coke bottle glasses
4. A Hearing Aid
5. Size 42 waist trousers
6. Unlimited supply of cigarettes and Maxwell House Coffee
7. Superior command of sarcasm, patronization, ad lib, lousy sense of humor. Especially if you work in ROA.

Regards,

ex-Navy rotorhead

P.S. meant as a tongue in cheek. not flamebait. ATC and the FAA are there to help, right??? yeah...Right

huh?

 

[fLYbUDDY]

bump

 

[Catbird]

Controller Stress= Having a couple of Aero Postal, Aeroflot, and assorted South American Cargo carriers arrive in Miami App. at 17:30 with a stuck mike and TRW sliding close to the app and dep corridors. Throw in the American deciding late they have to have 9R. And for a kicker, changing the airport around. Been sitting in the cockpit and decided to do 10 mile legs in peace and let the nut house simmer down. App. controllers EARN the money they make. Clearance delivery would drive a sane person crazy, especially with the A**Holes which are out there these days.

 

[Swass]

If someone joined the MARC program, could they change to a Terminal position once hired? The website says no, but there was talk on this thread that once in the system then all it takes is a transfer. What's the real deal?

 

[ATCER]

Going through MARC there are 2 possible ways to get to the terminal environment.

1 - Go through MARC, get hired into an ARTCC, get fully certified (FPL) and then bid out to a Terminal facility.

2 - Go through MARC, get hired into an ARTCC, and fail out of training. Now, this is not the best route, but one that some take either on purpose or that's the way the cards fall. If you fail out the FAA is not required to place you somewhere else, they legally can terminate you. Most times (and I mean 99.9%) the union gets the person a lower level facility. (tower) where they then have the chance to certify (FPL) and then bid up to a Terminal facility.

Hope that helps.

 

[2LT]

Thanks ATCER...

 

[ratings:all]

center

i used to think i'd rather eat bugs than go to work in a center, now i just wish i had a job!

i cant remember just how much my 2 semesters were at ccbc, but the majority of people go to towers instead of centers, although i had a few classmates who went to a center, specifically n90, although they requested it (they lived in nyc) and they dont turn down anybody that wants n90. a couple also went to cleveland center, and one to san juan. the rest of my class are mostly in the great lakes region. if you have any questions about cost at ccbc, look up their website and call paul arnholt, he's the program head.

 

[BoDEAN]

Has anyone done the Aviation Technology at Purdue university?
I guess this qualifies for ATC training

 

[ATCER]

2LT ... you make some excellent points. Transferring facilites is no small task at times. But... it depends on where you want to go.

N90 (New York Tracon) is an easy one to transfer to... they will take any warm body that wants to transfer there. To get out is another story. There are other facilites around the country that are like that, Atlanta Center, Oakland Center, New York Center, to name a few. There are other ways like hardships, grievances, etc, but that's a whole different story.

As for trying to figure out who from what school goes where... forget it, you work for the Gov't long enough you realize there is no method to the way they do things.

Keep in mind, the training in MARC and OKC is not to train you to work traffic, it's to judge if you can be trained ... once you report to your facility is when the real training begins.

The best advice I can give is to get your foot in the door. Once inside you will see how the system works and learn how you can work the system for yourself.

Good Luck

 

[troyzohner]

Are there any prerequisites to get into CC beaver county program? Upon completion at CCBC are you qualified for FAA ATC or do you have to go onto Oklahoma for further training? If so how much time do you put in Oklahoma for training? What percentage of CCBC grads go onto an sctual FAA job? How long is the process from graduation from CCBC program to an actual FAA ATC career? Are thjere many Non Federal Control towers. I know i have flown to a couple and seen a few on sectionals and such but dont know of many other than few ive been to. BVI GWO Beaver CO PA and Greenwood MS Sorry if i repeated a question already answered but it seems llike a lot more promissing and stable than an actual pilot career.

 

[ratings:all]

Are there any prerequisites to get into CC beaver county program?

--well, you probably should have good vision. no major medical problems, etc. the normal stuff that would keep you from an actual job. i think they'll take just about anyone, but i did have a couple in my class who didnt have the cajones or the brains to finish up.




Upon completion at CCBC are you qualified for FAA ATC or do you have to go onto Oklahoma for further training?

--my class at ccbc was the last to be grandfathered in for training. i believe *everybody* has to go to OKC for further training now, no matter what school you go to. Center training is simple now, though-not the same it used to be. Train to Succeed instead of Train to Fail.




If so how much time do you put in Oklahoma for training?

--dont remember, its like 8 or 10 weeks, i think.





What percentage of CCBC grads go onto an sctual FAA job?

--100% were offered jobs, or so the story goes. the FAA has an agreement with CCBC that they have to hire their grads out of the CTI program at CCBC prior to hiring from Minnesota or Alaska or Purdue, for instance. So your chances will be better at CCBC than the other schools, no matter what the other schools tell you. some decided not to take them. why i dunno. some were offered a job and couldnt take it, due to medical reasons (like myself.) but all were offered jobs.




How long is the process from graduation from CCBC program to an actual FAA ATC career?

--it took me 2 months. it depends on the ebb and flow of the fiscal year cycles, and which region you want to work in. eastern and southern and great lakes are going to hire you faster than if you pick westpac or socal. If you're brave enough to ask for SanJuan Center, you can just keep your bags packed from when you move from school-youll be on a plane to Puerto Rico within a week. More pay there, but you have to chain your door shut. You actually get Hazard pay for workin at TJSU. But after you do your 2-3 years at SJU, you can write your own ticket to wherever you want to go. Just about any tower you go to has a former beaverite there-just go and ask.




Are thjere many Non Federal Control towers.

--there are several hundred NFCTs. pay sucks, though. call midwest aviation if you're interested in the contract towers. there are going to be a lot more contract towers soon, the feds gonna cut funding eventually to some of the low traffic count ones. I have a list of contract towers, but why would you want to work at one. last i remember, pay was around 15 to 20k.

 

[neflier]

I've heard that there is an age 30 cap on getting into ATC. Is there any possible way for a 34 year old to get into this profession?

Thanks in advance,

 

[ATCER]

I've heard that there is an age 30 cap on getting into ATC. Is there any possible way for a 34 year old to get into this profession?

Thanks in advance,

I hate to be the one with the bad news but the cap is age 31. This is because minimum time put in for retirement is 25 years and there is mandatory retirement at age 56. It's my understanding that there have been some challenges to this but the rules have stood up.

A couple of things I want to add to some of the posts... OKC has gone back to pass / fail. It's been that way for about a year or so now. I have no info on pass / fail #'s.

Length of OKC depends on what you are there for but 8-10 weeks is a good estimate. ARTCC training is 86 days, that was what I heard from someone recently. The one plus about going through OKC is that it doesn't cost you a dime. You are paid your salary and per diem, when you attend MARC it's like going to college, you pay for everything out of pocket.

 

[fLYbUDDY]

Another question while this thread is going. How does your collage GPA effect getting hired? Obviously, I would imagine it has some influence but how much of an influence. I have a very high one but was wondering what the HR people like to see. Thanks in advance!

 

[ATCER]

GPA has no effect on getting hired... I am not kidding. Keep in mind that many of the people hired after the strike and up through the early 90's only have HS. The only things that will hurt you getting hired are medical, DWI (even that people get hired), or something in the background check.

I'm a bit out of the loop on the whole hiring process but talking to recent hires not much has changed over the years. About 6 months ago I was told by someone "in the loop" that over the next 5-6 years projections estimate MARC, CTI, and Military will NOT put out enough bodies to keep up with the #'s that need to be hired. That is why you may here about the ATSAT test being given to the public. I know they have given the test to the public in areas that have been tough to staff, L.A. , New York, and I think they gave it somewhere in the midwest but I can't swear to it.

A high GPA will not even help in getting into management, in the Gov't it seems the bigger moron you are, the farther you will go, not how smart someone is. That subject is for another time...

Besides... management is a pay cut...


I hope my rambling here answered your question.

Good Luck.

 

[ratings:all]

gpa

yeah, although gpa doesnt mean much, the colleges will 'process' the paperwork faster for those with higher gpa's, or so the rumor goes. faa will hire in about the order they get your application. but other than that, i know a guy that couldnt control his way outta a wet paper bag, and he's working traffic somewhere, God help us.

 

[fLYbUDDY]

Thankx everyone for taking the time to reply to my question and all those other great questions as well. Your info is much appreciated by me!

 

[fLYbUDDY]

BTW-- I'm not sure if any of you already mentioned this but if any of the ATCers out there want to post your facility location I think it would be very interesting. Thanks again for all the help!

 

[Ravengirl]

GPA has no effect on getting hired... I am not kidding. Keep in mind that many of the people hired after the strike and up through the early 90's only have HS. The only things that will hurt you getting hired are medical, DWI (even that people get hired), or something in the background check.

I'm a bit out of the loop on the whole hiring process but talking to recent hires not much has changed over the years. About 6 months ago I was told by someone "in the loop" that over the next 5-6 years projections estimate MARC, CTI, and Military will NOT put out enough bodies to keep up with the #'s that need to be hired. That is why you may here about the ATSAT test being given to the public. I know they have given the test to the public in areas that have been tough to staff, L.A. , New York, and I think they gave it somewhere in the midwest but I can't swear to it.

A high GPA will not even help in getting into management, in the Gov't it seems the bigger moron you are, the farther you will go, not how smart someone is. That subject is for another time...

Besides... management is a pay cut...


I hope my rambling here answered your question.

Good Luck.

Interesting...didn't know that management would be a pay cut, but that just shows what I don't know yet.

We haven't heard of the AT-SAT being given to the public here in LA, but they did give it up in Oakland to fill positions at ZOA. A friend of mine took the weekend off, ran to Oakland on a whim to take the test, and is now at the Academy. I'm kicking myself for not joining him!

My teachers continually go on about how a high GPA is key for hiring. My school guarantees that when you graduate from the program, you are recommended to the FAA for hire- so they submit our names ranked by GPA. We have been told repeatedly that the FAA will hire based on GPA. Those with a high GPA are given a choice of location, versus someone with a lower GPA, etc, etc...ad nauseum. If this is actually incorrect, I'd love to know...

Stephanie