Air Traffic Controllers

[Mr. Nobody]

Hello,
I am a junior in high school and interested in a career in aviation. My
dad is a pilot and I always took an interest riding in single engine
airplanes flying across the country.
I am considering an air traffic controller for a future career. I heard
there is a shortage and the FAA is paying 100,000 in starting salaries.
Is this true? Will I end up hating my job? Does anyone have
connections?

Thanks,
Kevin

[[email protected]]

You'll get a different answer on whether or not there's a controller
shortage depending on who you ask. The FAA is not paying new hire
controllers 100k. I've heard from friends in the industry that new
hires make 60-70k but IIRC the FAA is proposing to lower first year pay
to around 40k.

>>>Will I end up hating my job?<<<

Hard to answer that one, you'd have to speak with an ATC type for that.

>>>Does anyone have connections? <<<

For an anonymous poster on Usenet? I doubt it.

[JohnH]

Mr. Nobody wrote:
> Hello,
> I am a junior in high school and interested in a career in aviation.
> My dad is a pilot and I always took an interest riding in single
> engine airplanes flying across the country.
> I am considering an air traffic controller for a future career. I
> heard there is a shortage and the FAA is paying 100,000 in starting
> salaries. Is this true? Will I end up hating my job? Does anyone have
> connections?

If fast food restaurants can offshore their drive through window order
takers (1), the FAA could easily do the same with ATC. The government has
no allegance to it's citizens with regard to fulfilling it's vendor
requirements (2).

It seems the only guaranteed carrer choice in America is welfare - it
doesn't appear you can be displaced from that.

(1) http://www.biz-architect.com/breakthroughs_at_drivethroughs.htm

(2) http://www.techsunite.org/news/techind/031216_wa_offshoring.cfm

[Warren Jones]

"Mr. Nobody" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Hello,
> I am a junior in high school and interested in a career in aviation. My
> dad is a pilot and I always took an interest riding in single engine
> airplanes flying across the country.
> I am considering an air traffic controller for a future career. I heard
> there is a shortage and the FAA is paying 100,000 in starting salaries.
> Is this true? Will I end up hating my job? Does anyone have
> connections?
>
> Thanks,
> Kevin
>

Kevin,

Check out a website called atccti.com (maybe google it). All of your
questions likely answered there, IMO. Best resource on ATC hiring and the
job today that I have found.

Good luck,

Chip, ZTL

[Andrew Gideon]

JohnH wrote:

>
> If fast food restaurants can offshore their drive through window order
> takers (1), the FAA could easily do the same with ATC.Â*Â*TheÂ*governmentÂ*has
> no allegance to it's citizens with regard to fulfilling it's vendor
> requirements (2).

Ignoring the political "hot button" issue of off-shoring for a moment, I've
wondered why ATC hasn't centralized more. For example, when Potomac was
aggregated, why not include more of the east coast's traffic control? I
mean: why that far and no further?

For that matter, why separate Centers and TRACONs, even in name? Why should
it matter to me if I'm told next to contact "New York" or "Boston"?

Redundancy/Resilience? Politics? Cost? Local knowledge[1]?

- Andrew

[1] Not that that stopped aggregation of FSSs, where local knowledge
certainly does have value.

[Mike W.]

There is an article in the May 2005 'Flying' magazine, see if your dad can
get hold of that issue for you.

"Mr. Nobody" > wrote in message
ups.com...
> Hello,
> I am a junior in high school and interested in a career in aviation. My
> dad is a pilot and I always took an interest riding in single engine
> airplanes flying across the country.
> I am considering an air traffic controller for a future career. I heard
> there is a shortage and the FAA is paying 100,000 in starting salaries.
> Is this true? Will I end up hating my job? Does anyone have
> connections?
>
> Thanks,
> Kevin
>

[Capt.Doug]

>"Mr. Nobody" wrote in message
> I am a junior in high school and interested in a career in aviation. My
> dad is a pilot and I always took an interest riding in single engine
> airplanes flying across the country.
> I am considering an air traffic controller for a future career. I heard
> there is a shortage and the FAA is paying 100,000 in starting salaries.
> Is this true? Will I end up hating my job? Does anyone have
> connections?

You won't start at $100k/yr, but it won't take long to reach that level.
Controllers will be in demand for the next few years as senior controllers
reach retirement. All of the controllers I know are happy with the work.
Keep in mind that the job is highly desired and therefore you will have to
have top grades to compete with all the other candidates.

D.

[Robert M. Gary]

> It seems the only guaranteed carrer choice in America is welfare - it
> doesn't appear you can be displaced from that.

Welfare is offshored too. The U.S. gives far more welfare to the rest
of the world than any other nation on the planet. Still, the UN says we
don't give enough. grrrr.
-Robert

[Robert M. Gary]

Seems like controllers make more than pilots. Interesting considering
that a bad day for a controller is nothing compared to a bad day for a
pilot. Of course there is a huge line of people who want to be pilots
though.

-Robert

[Capt.Doug]

>"Robert M. Gary" wrote in message
> Seems like controllers make more than pilots. Interesting considering
> that a bad day for a controller is nothing compared to a bad day for a
> pilot.

I phrase it another way-
What is the value of lives of the couple of hundred people in the cabin?

D.

[Newps]

Capt.Doug wrote:

>>"Robert M. Gary" wrote in message
>>Seems like controllers make more than pilots. Interesting considering
>>that a bad day for a controller is nothing compared to a bad day for a
>>pilot.
>
>
> I phrase it another way-
> What is the value of lives of the couple of hundred people in the cabin?



You're only dealing with a couple hundred. The controller at a center
or hub airport deals with 1-2000 times that every day.

[Robert M. Gary]

> You're only dealing with a couple hundred. The controller at a center
> or hub airport deals with 1-2000 times that every day.

But my understanding is that, as a controller, when you have a very bad
day, you still get to go home. Not the same as having to land a 737 in
Hawaii after the roof has blown off, etc.

-Robert

[Newps]

Robert M. Gary wrote:
>>You're only dealing with a couple hundred. The controller at a center
>>or hub airport deals with 1-2000 times that every day.
>
>
> But my understanding is that, as a controller, when you have a very bad
> day, you still get to go home. Not the same as having to land a 737 in
> Hawaii after the roof has blown off, etc.

The pilots went home after that.

[Warren Jones]

"Robert M. Gary" > wrote in message
ups.com...
>> You're only dealing with a couple hundred. The controller at a center
>> or hub airport deals with 1-2000 times that every day.
>
> But my understanding is that, as a controller, when you have a very bad
> day, you still get to go home.

Unless the wreckage falls on the ARTCC building...

Chip, ZTL

[Gig 601XL Builder]

"Warren Jones" > wrote in message
ink.net...
>
> "Robert M. Gary" > wrote in message
> ups.com...
>>> You're only dealing with a couple hundred. The controller at a center
>>> or hub airport deals with 1-2000 times that every day.
>>
>> But my understanding is that, as a controller, when you have a very bad
>> day, you still get to go home.
>
> Unless the wreckage falls on the ARTCC building...
>
> Chip, ZTL

Which strangely enough has never happened.

[Robert M. Gary]

> The pilots went home after that.

They "went home" as you say but they had a wild ride and were risking
their neck. I didn't see anything to suggest the controllers were in
fear for their lives.

[Robert M. Gary]

> > Unless the wreckage falls on the ARTCC building...
> Chip, ZTL
>Which strangely enough has never happened.

Actually, in the case of the Russian airplane and the European airplane
that crashed over Germany, the controller did die. A Russian man who's
wife and 2 kids died after the controller turned two planes together in
cruise later killed the controller.

-Robert