Suggest you give consideration to finishing your ATC career, fly for fun on the side, retire at 56 and then pursue an airline career. Have you thought about transferring to Flight Check?
Stay with the Feds, max out your TSP and secure that 1.7% FERS. You will thank yourself later for the awesome nest egg and retirement health care benefits. Try finding similar benefits in industry. The economy (and airline industry) is cyclical. We are overdue for another down turn. I guess its up to you to weigh the Risk vs Reward.
I agree with this. In an era called the Dot-Com boom, folks were quitting their 9-5 office jobs and becoming day traders.
Then the market tanked.