The current retirement for ATC, which can be changed over your 25-ish year by congress at any time, is:

1. An immediate monthly pension of a percentage of your highest 36 month consecutive earnings.

a. 1.7% of the above amount multiplied by your first 20 years.

b. Then, an additional 1% per each additional year you work.

So, if you work 22 years, and earn $100,000/yr for 3 years, you'll get 36% of that until you die (under current rules).

2. 401(k) type plan called Thrift Savings Plan

3. Immediate payment of a social security at retirement

4. Continued government health insurance


You need to be age 50 with at least 20 years of service, or 25 years service at any age. Max age is 56. Oldest age to hire on is 31.

 

What are the definitions of AG, D1, D2, D3, and CPC? Also what do the numbers MIN/MAX 4 - 12 signify? I'm guessing those are different levels of facilities...

 

AG = Academy Graduate (You've just left Oklahoma City and are now at your facility)

D1, D2, D3 = Different Developmental Levels (working your way to CPC)

CPC = Certified Professional Controller (you are now fully certified and can work on your own)

The MIN/MAX is exactly that... the minimum is your base pay and you get a percentage increase every year with the Max being the Max you can earn... remember these figures do not include Locality percentage pay.

Yes you are correct... the numbers at the top are Facility Levels.

 

You need to look for a public application opening on the website. They have been coming about every 6 months and are call "Pubnat" The next one coming will be Pubnat9. Expect this to be open around x-mass (probably after, sometime in jan.)

Most people get the option to take the AT-SAT (Air Traffic Selection and Training) Test. If they have either a current commercial license or similar experience. I believe they have taken many ppl with a four year degree, but I am not sure.

Of course if you do the CTI thing you can apply at anytime, but CTI programs just give you AT-SAT at the end of your program anyways.

 

I'm just curious, has anybody on here applied to the PUBNAT 8 and heard anything about the geo prof selection yet? I don't remember the date I applied, but I did not have to retake the AT-SAT test since I was in PUBNAT 7 and for whatever reason the dice were not rolled in my favor when those panels met. \

As for knowing guys who have made the jump, I keep hearing about more and more, but I know one personally who left about 6 months ago. Last I heard he was really enjoying it, and he had jumped from the left seat, so that should say something about this industry. Another friend of mine is going to be leaving for OKC in January, so I'm hoping to get feedback from him before I eventually make my decision.

 

I applied to pubnat8. And I have not heard anything other than when to take the at-sat and I took that in oct. You can go to stuckmic.com and they have forums about the pubnats. And a time table for past tubnats.

 

I applied to Pubnat 8. Took the AT-SAT test yesterday. No geoprefs yet. On stuckmic some folks were saying the last ATSAT test for pubnat 8 is on dec. 16th, so I would expect they would send out geoprefs at some point after that. I would doubt it if it were before then end of the year.

 

The pay bands for new controllers, aka "B" scale, is not as good as we had hoped for in the contract. The premise is that the newer generation will never see the same $$ that us older guys are making.

I don't recall all the specifics but even after 20 years, they won't make what us older guys are making after 20 years...

They are placing a lot of new hires in the centers and high volume Tracons. Some do get to go to lower level facilities and actually have a fighting chance to learn the trade but unless you have a gift, going to a center is going to be a rough ride. Training programs of 3 years or more at these places... Again, that's just what I hear thru the grapevine...

The FAA has made it so we basically have to pay our own way to advance so those of us at garden spots are just going to stay.. No incentive any more to move up so all the new people fill the empty spots at the higher level places.

AG
COS TRACON/20+, 5 to go!

 

Does anybody have any idea how the military route to becoming an atc works? I'm active duty right now still in training but i want to reclass to atc. I know there are jobs in the military that when your done you will still have to redo everything over again to do it as a civilian. just wondering if its a smooth transition from military atc to civilian atc?

 

Anybody here apply to PUNBNAT 8? I know it was a long time ago, but I just received the email for the geographic preference yesterday. Of course this happens after I had kind of given up on the ATC thing since I was passed on PUBNAT 8 and have since bought a house. I would hate to have to move now, but at the same time I don't really have a positive outlook for the airline industry.