Complete Pre-Employment Education and Experience Requirements: In addition to meeting certain medical and age requirements, you must complete pre-training. Earn a GED or High School Diploma: Most air traffic control degree programs and the armed services require you to have a high school or GED diploma to enroll or enlist. The path to becoming an air traffic controller is unique and takes several levels of training. Step-by-Step to Becoming an Air Traffic Controller This article lists the steps to becoming an air traffic controller and answers questions about the job. However, becoming an air traffic controller takes years of commitment. The median air traffic controller salary in 2021 was $129,750, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Some air traffic controllers make six figures. They watch out for weather and traffic congestion and reroute planes if necessary. While pilots do the flying, air traffic controllers, also called air traffic control specialists, guide and instruct pilots. On any given day, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) handles over 45,000 flights, carrying more than 2.9 million passengers. New controllers continue training on the job to gain certification within three years.After landing a job, trainees complete months of special academy training.The federal government hires air traffic trainees during a short window each year.Many air traffic controllers have an associate degree in air traffic management.The Public Ivies, Little Ivies, and Other Ivy League Equivalents.When you are lucky enough to be sitting safely on an aircraft again, perhaps you will spare a thought for those unsung heroes keeping our skies safe 365 days of the year. So what will happen when they are needed again when the traffic returns? However, there is likely to be a number of redundancies of these highly skilled people if the situation does not improve. Prospect, the air traffic controllers union, is calling on the government to nationalize the company to ensure it continues as a going concern. Whether they will be able to continue with so little income remains to be seen. government only owns 49% of the company plus a golden share. ATC as unlike most ATC companies they are not state-owned. The airport side of the business is also likely to be affected long term as airports seek to cut costs. This is due to Eurocontrol, the EU ATC body, allowing airlines to defer payments during the current situation. In the U.K., the Area Control or en-route side of the business currently has no income. Not only are they trained at the start of their career, but they are given continuous training to keep them current and prepared for infrequent scenarios.ĪTC has been hit badly by the current travel crisis, and many air traffic service providers are suffering dire financial implications. In high levels of traffic, bad weather, or emergencies, it can indeed be stressful, but controllers are highly trained to deal with these types of situations. It also means sometimes missing birthdays, important family occasions and Christmas as ATC is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Controllers work morning, afternoon and night shifts, generally on a six day pattern followed by four days off. Usually they work no more than one and a half to two hours at a time before they must have a 30 minute break. To ensure they can maintain concentration, rules govern how long they can work for. A controller needs to be able to be alert at all times, even at 3 a.m. One of the hardest things to cope with is the shifts. Then just as you are at your most tired, the traffic starts to build up again! At night it can be very quiet and rather dull when you have over 8 hours of very little to sit through and maintain alertness. So is it the world's most stressful job? Well, it is undoubtedly one of the most responsible, but although there are times when it is highly stressful, a lot of the time it is very routine. Images via Getty Images) PA Images via Getty Images A radar screen showing all the aircraft flying over England and Wales (Photo by Steve Parsons/PA.
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