ATC New hire
- Thread starter PurduePilot
- Start date
surreal1221
Well-Known Member
If he (they) can afford it. . .
PurduePilot
New Member
I don't want to start a flame war or anything... but I don't mind the pay. I know it's low compared to years before but there people out there who put their lives (and sometimes their families' lives) on the line everyday for less.
In the Secret Service (under PPD) there is one guy designated to put him/herself in the line of fire and that's his/her only role and that person makes less than I do (once I get to the facility).
I'm just saying is all... being in cushy tower and getting paid $36k/year without threat to myself/family isn't all bad.
Fox Xray
ATC
The low pay and lack of per diem for students attending the academy is an embarrassment for the FAA. It is the ONLY Gov't job where your costs aren't covered on Gov't time. Even those secret service agents when they are sent away for training and away from home on detail are paid per diem.
How many VRA's do you have in your class ??? Probably far less then before the FAA cut the pay. Why is that ? When I attended the academy 60%-70% were VRA. (I was not) The vets who have risked their lives for their country and expected to leave the service and get some payback with a well paying job are turning the job down, they can't afford to take the job. The wage being paid at the academy is at the poverty level. Who can support a family of four away from home for 3 months on 18K ? ... paying bills at home AND in OKC...
The low pay may work in some parts of the country but in your busy facilities, such as your classmates going to N90, they won't be able to dream about buying a house on Long Island New York. They won't get the 10% CIP (Controller Incentive Pay) that was created to help controllers afford to live in high cost areas. Of course the CIP is being kept by every useless POS in the agency except the controllers working the traffic.
I work in one of the busiest level 12 centers in the nation and have already seen 8 new hires quit... they all said the same thing, the new low pay is not worth the stress and hassle, they can make as much or more somewhere else without the stress and nonsense of being a controller.
There is no such thing as a "cushy" tower... in this job when you are working traffic, from a level 6 tower to a level 12 center, you have a tremendous responsibility and should fairly compensated for it.
How many VRA's do you have in your class ??? Probably far less then before the FAA cut the pay. Why is that ? When I attended the academy 60%-70% were VRA. (I was not) The vets who have risked their lives for their country and expected to leave the service and get some payback with a well paying job are turning the job down, they can't afford to take the job. The wage being paid at the academy is at the poverty level. Who can support a family of four away from home for 3 months on 18K ? ... paying bills at home AND in OKC...
The low pay may work in some parts of the country but in your busy facilities, such as your classmates going to N90, they won't be able to dream about buying a house on Long Island New York. They won't get the 10% CIP (Controller Incentive Pay) that was created to help controllers afford to live in high cost areas. Of course the CIP is being kept by every useless POS in the agency except the controllers working the traffic.
I work in one of the busiest level 12 centers in the nation and have already seen 8 new hires quit... they all said the same thing, the new low pay is not worth the stress and hassle, they can make as much or more somewhere else without the stress and nonsense of being a controller.
There is no such thing as a "cushy" tower... in this job when you are working traffic, from a level 6 tower to a level 12 center, you have a tremendous responsibility and should fairly compensated for it.
surreal1221
Well-Known Member
Ah, thank you for speaking out Fox Xray. If only more understood.
Fox Xray
ATC
Aviation is a profession that unless someone can walk in our shoes for a day they cannot fathom what we have to do day in and day out, be it pilot, controller, whatever.
I perfectly understand that PurduePilot is excited about his new career... I think he is just the type of young energetic experienced and educated young blood that is BADLY needed in the controller ranks. I feel very strongly that him and every other person in OKC should be treated FAR better by their employer, the FAA. He should be compensated for the responsibility he will have on his shoulders. This is a job where things go from zero to very bad in a split second.
surreal1221
Well-Known Member
I just hope things change drastically in the coming years, and that it most importantly does not become privatized. What I also envision, is that off-the-street hiring will happen again in the near future. Perhaps that'll be my way back into the air traffic profession, but right now I can't sacrifice my time for such a low pay environment when everything is stacked against us from the start. Taking that AT-SAT a second time will be nice too. . . 
Time will tell.
Time will tell.
PurduePilot
New Member
Day 2:
AT-SAT Day! It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It was a computer-based test and it came in many parts.
The first part was called "flight strips." It wasn't a 'flight strip' in the normal sense of the idea, but rather it tested the applicant's ability to quickly search for numbers outside of a range. Many 'flight strips' like this would show up on the screen: U76/090 and the range of numbers would be something like 600-800. If the flight strip fell outside that range, then you would type in "090." Sounds simple enough but with like 25 of these things on the screen at any given time and the range changing every few minutes it was easy to screw up.
The next part was "letter factory." This 'game' tested the applicant's ability to multitask and short-term memory. The applicant had to sort colored letters into their proper boxes (four letters to a box: A, B, C, D), while watching out for wrong letters (if another letter showed up on the belt, you had to call "Quality Control" before it got to be too late) and reordering boxes. Then in the middle of everything it would cut to a series of multiple choice questions that asked you things like: "what color boxes did you use?" "which letter is closest to the cut-off?" and "what letter do you need to complete the green box?" If I got one of those questions right, I would be surprised.
The next part was "TRACON." It was a basic TRACON simulator where you'd accept handoffs and guide the planes to two "airports" and four "gates." You had your choice of Fast, Medium, Slow for speeds and 1-4 for altitudes. You can't have an airplane overfly an airport and sometimes the handoffs would appear right next to airport. Needless to say, I had many crashes!
Then the last part was a mini-psych test. This test turned out to be a 5-6 hour ordeal (breaking 1 hour for lunch).
On the plus side, this has no bearing on your career and is used for "research purposes only." That's probably government double-speak for "your score is going to be sent up the flag-pole and your future tower manager will know how bad you've done."
If you folks have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask!
AT-SAT Day! It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. It was a computer-based test and it came in many parts.
The first part was called "flight strips." It wasn't a 'flight strip' in the normal sense of the idea, but rather it tested the applicant's ability to quickly search for numbers outside of a range. Many 'flight strips' like this would show up on the screen: U76/090 and the range of numbers would be something like 600-800. If the flight strip fell outside that range, then you would type in "090." Sounds simple enough but with like 25 of these things on the screen at any given time and the range changing every few minutes it was easy to screw up.
The next part was "letter factory." This 'game' tested the applicant's ability to multitask and short-term memory. The applicant had to sort colored letters into their proper boxes (four letters to a box: A, B, C, D), while watching out for wrong letters (if another letter showed up on the belt, you had to call "Quality Control" before it got to be too late) and reordering boxes. Then in the middle of everything it would cut to a series of multiple choice questions that asked you things like: "what color boxes did you use?" "which letter is closest to the cut-off?" and "what letter do you need to complete the green box?" If I got one of those questions right, I would be surprised.
The next part was "TRACON." It was a basic TRACON simulator where you'd accept handoffs and guide the planes to two "airports" and four "gates." You had your choice of Fast, Medium, Slow for speeds and 1-4 for altitudes. You can't have an airplane overfly an airport and sometimes the handoffs would appear right next to airport. Needless to say, I had many crashes!
Then the last part was a mini-psych test. This test turned out to be a 5-6 hour ordeal (breaking 1 hour for lunch).
On the plus side, this has no bearing on your career and is used for "research purposes only." That's probably government double-speak for "your score is going to be sent up the flag-pole and your future tower manager will know how bad you've done."
If you folks have any other questions, don't hesitate to ask!
dheminger722
New Member
I'm just checking is there anyone that can give me some advice.. I just applied for the 05/02 for LA ATC position.. there still isnt any referals yet.. Is this normal.. or will they let me know if I get accepted to take the ATSAT or Declined? I have been wanting to become an ATC since I was a kid.. so I'm hoping that there is a good chance of at least taking the ATSAT.. Thanks
PurduePilot
New Member
If you applied online and did all the forms, then I'd say just wait. It will take some time for the FAA to get back to you.
ComplexHiAv8r
Well-Known Member
He didnt end up coming to CAK. But if you ever get an overnight here, let me know...Always willing to meet some JC'r.
And I won't stalk you like Ethan, I promise!
PurduePilot
New Member
If anyone's ever in ACK... they've got a blanket invite. Just PM me to let me know when you're due in.
EDUC8-or
Well-Known Member
He didnt end up coming to CAK. But if you ever get an overnight here, let me know...Always willing to meet some JC'r.
And I won't stalk you like Ethan, I promise!
I'll be there Saturday night, but I think it's for a short overnight. I'll let you know when I'm in for something a little longer.
pilotnate23
Well-Known Member
Purdue, maybe I missed it but was there any medical exam or did you just show up with a 2nd class medical?