Hey everyone,

This maybe off the regional topics but this forum gets the most hits it seems ans the best chance for a good answer. Im 27 have a commercial multi and was thinking of getting my CFI soon. However with the way things have been going with airlines and starting to furlough of go under completly I was thinking about ATC and what that entails. Like I said I have my comm multi, and also a 4yr degree from UVSC. Could anyone explain the ATC road and what it takes to get into (training ect.). What are the odds of getting my home city of KROC and staying here. I really really dont want to move. Just any info would be really great! Thanks!

 

I dont know much of anything about the process but from what I hear a move is almost inevitable.

 

My girlfriend got hired off the street. It took her a few months of applying to just about every open position listed on the FAA's website, but they eventually called and she went to take the written for them in New York. Not long after that she interviewed for a position here in West Lafayette, and they hired her originally for Alaska. She requested the West coast (and technically got it...) and she was able to work them so they put her first in a tower at a Class D airport near LA, but when she found out there were open positions, they put her in SoCal TRACON.

From the sounds of things, if you have a family or roots somewhere they will work with you as best they can to get you close. She told them we were engaged, and I was in San Diego and she got it so you never know. They are hurting for controllers almost everywhere so the ball is for the most part going to be in your court, as long as you stay persistent and put up with the usual FAA bullsh*t. If you have any questions, PM me and I'll put you in contact with her and she'll give you the details as to what she had to do.

 

Hey, good news. $8.75 / hour to start !!! There are reasons they are "hurting" for controllers. Get some insight at: www.natca.org

Probably the single best source for newhire infor is www.atccti.com

Being a new hire, presumably off the street, no experience, and being sent to SoCal is like going to slaughter, in my opinion. This NEVER happened in the past, and even with experienced controllers, there were still washouts. By the way, I'm a former fully area rated controller at SoCal.

The only thing I can offer about comparing an ATC career with an airline career right now is that both are rocky roads.

 

I suggest the video "Pushing Tin", it's a very informative documentary on the life of an air traffic controller

Obviously I really have nothing relevant to offer, but the best of luck to you!

 

Tonywilliams,

Any help having a 4yr degree and a comm. multi? Do they take those into consideration for anything like getting hired? Thanks!

 

In the past, you had to have the degree with MARC or CTI credentials. Now, if you can chew gum and walk, you're in.

The only thing that would sink you would be a criminal record, drunk driving, etc. The same stuff that would likely tank starting an airline career.

They also don't care if you're a pilot. It won't help you much in a radar enviroment (about 75% of ATC is at radar facilities), and may give you a small benefit in a tower.

 

You need to go to the FAA website and apply for the postion via their ASAP program. Once you fill out the user info that can be used for any applications you want to send to the FAA in the future. After that, apply for the FAA position. You need to make sure you apply to one that's available to the general public, not qualified controllers or CTI grads. The FAA is currently accepting applicants off the street.

After that, you will be contacted to take the AT-SAT if your application is accepted. It's an 8 hour test spanning 8 different cognitive subjects (Math, Angles, Dials, Letter Factory, Traffic Control etc.) There's an ASA book with a cd available to practice. You're looking for a score of at least 85% (that's considered "Well Qualified"). After that, you'll interview, fill out a geographical preference, take some medical and psychological tests, plus go through a small security clearance/background investigation so make sure your credit is in order. Pending successful completion of all that you will be offered a class date in OKC.

Pay at OKC is approx. $33,100.00. You make that until you get to your training facility, which is the facility you accepted the position for. Once there, you are given pay raises based on how far along in the training you go. You get incremental pay raises for completing 25%, 50%, and 75% then receive full pay once you are completely qualified for the facility. It takes about 2 years to go from zero to fully qualified. This is around the 90K area but depends on the level of the facility you are working at. You are also given a "locality pay" on top of your salary. The base locality pay is an extra 13.5% of your annual salary. The highest locality pay right now is for controllers in the Houston area at roughly 27%. So, a Houston controller (Level 12 facility) would make between 90K-120K plus an extra 27% of that.

The pay rates for new controllers are significantly lower than that of older controllers. All controllers are on year 3 of a 7 year "pay freeze". Basically, there's no real significant pay increases except at the discretion of your supervisor. This can be a pretty "political" event. Also, controllers had their "Non-tract" imposed on them with a limited amount of room to maneuver to better their postion (as demonstrated by Regan in the 80's). The moral of the story is ATC has it's pro's and con's. As a certificated pilot, you'll have a leg up on hiring beyond some guy that doesn't know what an airplane looks like. Hope this helps, PM me if you have any additional questions.

 

Does anyone know for certain what kind of pension federal controllers receive after retirement?

and sharky, you obviously know what you are talking about, thanks for the info. but just a small correction... pay during training is actually about 19k (about 1600/month) with a daily per diem. you get the 33k after you finish training I believe. also, MAX pay at level 11 (the highest level available on the new payscale) is $98,525 (not including locality.) so, the MAX base pay any of the new hires can possibly earn is 98k, not sure where you got the upper range of 120k. possible you know something i dont.
the thing that makes me wonder when looking at this pay chart... there is "minimum" and "maximum" pay for each level... for example, the payscale says that at 100% qualified and level 11, the max pay is 98k, and the min pay is 68k. to me, it seems like they are saying that you are guaranteed 68k, but may or may never reach 98k (and you certainly wont go over that). (kind of like min guarantee in the airlines.. you're guaranteed 75 hrs, and it may be possible to make more than guarantee, but that doesnt mean you ever will.)
because that's a difference of 30k! 98k is a respectable sum of money, but 68k for slaving away at the busiest tracons and towers in the country? not so much.

 

From what i've heard, you have to be hired by the FAA by the time your 28 years old. Now that doesn't give you much time to go through training which will probably take a couple years since you're already 27. But the good news is, that I believe the age 28 rule is only if you work as an FAA controller, you can still be a controller at a contract tower and make really good money, as in 60k to 70k to start. The reason contract towers must pay more is because they want experience before they'll hire you, which means someone would have to quit an FAA job and go work for them, which suprise suprise, doesn't happen too often. But if you can get on working a towered field for a couple years, I would say you have a really good chance of getting hired at a contract tower.