Originally Posted by
jmcmanna
Something else to consider . . . if you take a tower job somewhere and want to leave, it will probably be a minimum 3-4 years after you certify before they'll let you go. To leave my first tower, I quit and worked at a contract tower, then re-applied and got back into the FAA 4 months later (where I wanted to be). I've heard rumors that they're catching on to this little game though, so take that into consideration.
I think I read your story on the NATCA BBS. Certainly, it could be longer than 4 months. It took me ten years to get out of my first facility. There's a reason guys used to wear shirts at LA center adorned with "ZLA, Doing 25 to life". People did quit and get rehired where they wanted to go, but there was an unofficial one year out policy. They're so screwed up now, anything is possible, or not possible.
Many of these issues are a repeat of the post strike era (Aug 3, 1981). I hired on in the 80's, and because I scored over a certain threshold at the FAA academy, I was assigned a center (we didn't hire on to a facility, it was assigned based on merit). I think under a 70% score was failure, although I know of one who scored 69% and was offered Flight Service. Between 70% and 80% were assigned towers, above that to centers. No new hires went to stand alone approach controls then, like SoCal TRACON.
Then, the FAA academy was a 50% washout rate, and about a 40% washout rate at ZOA (Oakland Center, San Francisco Bay area), where I started, and spent my first 10 years.
Now, I'm told virtually everybody passes the academy, and it is no longer a "screen". At the facility level, there's a lot of pressure to sign off everybody (that includes marginal performers) because of the horrendous staffing at many, if not most facilities.
Six day work weeks, and ten hour days are in effect at many facilities. Low moral, a more marginal management team than their normal marginal level (fully staffed, by the way), and lots of hate and discontent. Over 200 quit last year. Not retired, not moving on to the "major" ATC company. Quit. Plenty got fired in their one year probationary time, one for not making it to work in weather that others didn't make to work either. 12 seasoned controllers from New York Approach (TRACON) were fired for "culture change", after they failed to check box 18a on their medical applications, and list their already FAA approved work compensation (NATCA got every one of them their jobs back in arbitration, without calling a witness). By the way, if you want to see these guys, watch the movie UAL93. They played the controllers in the movie while they were out of work.
Good luck.