Quote:
Originally Posted by pilot221
It is hard some days seeing airplanes buzzing around (including the airline you would have been working for or have worked for) but some days it's pretty cool.
That's how I imagine it may be for me if I make the switch. If you were a pilot, how can you look out at those planes and not wish you were flying one? That part of me will probably never go away, we all love flying here after all.
So how is your experience with the job so far? Is management as bad as they say it is? What kind of hours do you work? I know one of the biggest gripes for some controllers is shift work... I don't think that'd be much problem for me, because I work some long and crazy hours (switching from morning/night days all the time) at my regional anyways, pretty used to the lifestyle by now.
One of my biggest problems with my current job.... is not getting compensated for work. I actually like working a lot. I just HATE it so much when I work a 15 hr day and get paid only 6.8 hours for it. I think with ATC you get paid for every single hour you work (like any normal hourly job actually, lol). Please correct me if I'm mistaken.
Also, my ****tyass regional loves to jip us on pay. They would deliberately take away legit pay credit and maybe hope you never notice because they do it TWO WEEKS after the fact. Unfortunately for them I check my pay credit religiously and know exactly, down to the minute, how much pay credit I've accrued at any given moment. I hate that I have to be so anal about it, but this company gives me no choice.. And I won't knowingly let them rip me off on pay. Even it's only a 20 minute credit.. it's the principle of the matter. In the end, I have to fight and fight at least a few times every month to get the correct pay.
I can't tell you HOW MUCH stress it causes me.
This kind of issue doesn't really exist with ATC, does it? I would assume that pay rules are pretty straightforward with the FAA. Because if it isn't, the whole point of moving over to that side and not having to deal with the stress anymore is moot.
Also, is it true that the FAA is no longer letting controllers have flying jobs on the side? I'd like to keep flying if possible, through any kind of part 91 or 135.