Air Traffic Controller

Air Traffic Controller

Factor

Woodstock, VA

Male, 65

My life in ATC began with 4 years Air Force then another 30 years with the Federal Aviation Admin. working tower & radar at some big international airports. I fought in the 1981 war with PATCO, survived the strike and kept a job that was just too exhilarating to walk away from. While there was nothing better than working airplanes, I did move on through several air traffic supervisory and management positions. It was a long, crazy career but I wouldn't trade a moment of it for love or lucre!

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Last Answer on March 16, 2014

Best Rated

This is so interesting, thanks! I want to know if air traffic controllers develop hyper-vigilance in ALL aspects of their lives? Do you find those habits difficult to leave at the office?

Asked by Kayla almost 12 years ago

Hi Kayla. I’m glad you are enjoying my Jobstr Q&A. How interesting this forum is depends largely on the quality of questions received. I’ve been lucky so far and your question is another great one! While I can’t speak for all controllers, I can tell you that work habits and attitudes followed me and many of my coworkers out the door after each shift (usually to our favorite watering hole, then home).

The hyper-vigilance you mention is an essential on-the-job skill that controllers must master if they are to succeed. We refer to it as “scanning” or “situational awareness.” Without it; we can make a mess of things pretty... Read More +

Have you ever spotted a UFO or seen something strange that you've been unable to explain to this day?

Asked by WRTC about 12 years ago

Interesting question! Yes, it happened one night several years ago when I was on duty in an Air Force control tower. A fellow airman and I were working the midnight shift. It was probably around 3:00 AM and all the planes had long since landed. There was nothing left to do but stare out of the tower windows and talk about the latest squadron gossip. It turned out there would be something to do!

At first, I thought I was “seeing things.” It was a long string of glowing lights, like the passenger windows on an airliner, moving silently across the airfield at nearly treetop level. Only about a mile away, it was moving way too slowly to... Read More +

Even though you're not a pilot, do you think you know enough about planes that you could land a plane in an emergency if you absolutely had to?

Asked by Shane about 12 years ago

That’s a fair question but I’ll have to give you a kind of unfair answer in response. I do hold a commercial pilot license so, if I absolutely had to, I’d give it my best shot! Of course success or failure would depend heavily on what kind of plane it was and the destination weather conditions! I’d be more likely to succeed in a smaller plane during clear weather conditions. But if I was sitting at the controls of a B-747 and the weather was horrible? Well . . .better hope everyone else on board had their affairs in order!

You never know what you’re capable of though! Several years ago, as a newly hired controller,... Read More +

Do air traffic controllers need to be good at math? I'm in junior high and its what i want to be (or a pilot) but my parents say that I need to know algebra but I'm bad at it. Is there a lot of math on the exam to get certified? What kind? Thank you!

Asked by BlairC almost 12 years ago

Blair, I am so glad to finally hear from you! Your first question gives me the chance to tell Jobstr readers all over the world just how badly I suck at math. It’s true. It took me months to learn that milk plus cereal equals breakfast! Learning algebra, like learning to play a musical instrument, may be useful in your future and you should learn both. However, neither will do you much good as an air traffic controller.

Controllers must employ several skills that are hard to teach in schools. They must be able to think on their feet, have excellent short term memory and the ability to concentrate in the middle of a... Read More +

Aside from watching the radar screen, does ATC have to have a set of human eyes follow every landing and departure?

Asked by Krass about 12 years ago

Yes. Air traffic controllers are the ‘all seeing eyes’ of aviation. We watch everything that goes on in ATC to try and prevent the things that go wrong in ATC. Things still go wrong every now and then and it’s often because we weren’t watching! A busy controller has so many things to watch that could, in time, develop into bad situations. The trick is to prioritize and know where to look first!

There are enroute radar facilities (Centers) watching the planes you see pulling those long, white contrails in the high skies. We have terminal radar facilities (TRACONs) working the planes into and out of the airports. Then there are the tower... Read More +

What's one of the crazier stories you can share from your time in the Air Force? (And thank you for your service!)

Asked by TimRainesHOF about 12 years ago

Stories I can share? Hmm. I suspect this forum is rated “G” or, at best, “PG-13” so sharing the craziest stories from my Air Force days might get me thrown off “Jobstr!”. There are a lot of interesting memories though; several of which you can find on my blog (click the link on my Profile above). Once there, search the “Tags” section for “Desolia” and click on it. You’ll find three blog entries about my time at an overseas Air Base I’ve named “Desolation” to, errr, protect the innocent. My tour of duty there definitely ranked high among the crazier times.

Thanks for writing!

I read an article about Boeing's "Wave Rider", and how this technology could eventually mean 45-min flights from NY to LA. Do you think this is a real possibility? (the article: http://huff.to/RRRFvV)

Asked by forthebyrds about 12 years ago

Good question. Yes, I believe such technology is possible and actually inevitable for military applications. It could also be used for civilian air travel but I’m not so sure it would be a cost effective way to fly. The first generation of supersonic commercial aircraft, such as the British Airways Concorde, were never very profitable. They were relatively small inside, uncomfortable and capable of carrying far fewer passengers than a Boeing 747. Yet ticket prices were many times higher than that of a conventional international flight.

If I had to fly from NY to LA; I think I’d just leave a bit earlier on a standard jet liner. The... Read More +