I'm pretty sure that new controllers will not have as good of a future payscale as "legacy" controllers...Tony?

 

They are pretty much direct hiring into facilities these days. Take the AT-SAT exam and they are pretty much placing well qualified individuals into the facility of their choosing IF there is a spot. You are given a location before you even go to OKC. I took the AT-SAT for the heck of it....We'll see..

 

I don't think it's misleading at all. Right now the most formal education that the FAA is requiring applicants to have is a high school degree. Most high school grads in other job sectors will never see a payscale like that of an ATC, esp within only a few years on the job. Sure there are occasional success stories like dropout-self-made-millionaire types but most decent, well paying professions require a college or even more advanced degree. Even if it's not required, it's competitive to have one.

Same here.. I actually had an offer letter in my hand but when it came down to it I just couldnt see myself being happy doing that. I thought of myself in the future sitting up in the tower looking around at the planes and I knew that I would be wishing that I were in a plane instead. The salary and pension were incredibly tempting.. I wondered if I earned enough money to never worry about bills again and also have pension, could that security and peace of mind be enough to compensate for doing a job I don't enjoy... that was such a tough call but for me ultimately the answer was no.

 

I'd rather be in the cockpit making half that amount

 

who ever said controllers can't fly? I know a handful that fly contract corporate, instruct, one owns his own J3....Stick around with hopes of flying a 777 someday? seriously? RJ, 73, 777...it's all the same job guys...Is your ego that important you have to fly a 777 someday? your willing to starve to get there? Hope you look back in the end and say it was worth it...5 years in and three airframes later...a wife, a baby, no benies, no pension...I'm out! You can have my #!

 

The screening process before the class was hired was also not easy. So 50% still washed out.

 

In 1988, no, I didn't get to chose. I think now that they are assigned a specific facility before being hired.

As I stated above, the determination was based on our academy scores as to what facility type (enroute center, terminal, or flight service) you would be assigned. You could haggle a little bit within the region that you were hired into, which is why I could have gotten ZLA or ZOA.

Also, the academy is no longer a screening process, but training. Almost nobody washes out at the academy, therefore folks who would have been kicked to the street 20 years ago are now just sent on their agreed upon facility.

Historically, if you washed out at the academy, you were fired. If you washed out at a center, you were sent to a tower. If you wash out of a tower, you were sent to Flight Service. And if you washed out of FSS; probably the end of the road.



Most towers do not have a combined approach control (so-called "up/downs"), so I'll say that in general, no. You will start at clearance / flight data / ground control first, however.

 

Au contraire !!! Our union, NATCA, was able to turn that around. As of October 1, 2009, controllers are once again enjoying "legacy" benefits, and the "B scale" controllers will be ramped up in pay over several years.

I don't know if a new hire today will make what I did on my last day on their last day, but it should be similar. My contemporaries at ZOA have a base pay of about $170,000 now, and should have the highest base pay in the country due to the highest government locality pay.

But, as I warned; the past four years saw FSS contracted out, and guys with days to go to retirement were kicked to the street. Absolutely sickening. Then, the agency unilaterally imposed their own pay and work rules until this recent change. This change would not have happened without intervention from the president of the US.

So, like the airlines, bad stuff can happen at no fault of your own.

At ZOA, we had several airline guys (regional airlines were still just "commuters" then ;-) One, whose dad was seniority number 1 at TWA for a long time (John Maris), was hired after being furloughed right out of TWA new hire class (I think an FE in the B707?). He retired over ten years ago, after 25 years at ZOA. I'm sure he'd think it was a good plan.

We had another who was recalled by PanAm after 15 years at FAA. We went to the class, but came back to ATC. I don't think he completed ground school. That was about 1990 !!!! He also retired.

By the way, you don't have to "make a career out of it". If you're furloughed, go for it. When hiring turns around, start throwing out the apps. If you fail at ATC, there's no PRIA !!!!!

 

Ya, I almost forgot about the test you had to take to get the interview. I scored 90-ish something I think. It took about one year from application in summer 1987 until I was hired on in the fall of 1988.

They offered a September class, but I'd just bought a house literally days before, so I deferred until the Oct 5 class. I didn't know how important that could be for seniority then !!!

 

How long after getting a well qualified do people usually hear back?