ATC progression

F

flyeagle111

CFO
Hello, I'm a junior in high school interested in ATC and attending the University of Alaska. If I graduated their program and was assigned a class d tower, is it possible to switch over to a class b after five years? How possible is it to get a class C tower right after the academy? I'm still not sure whether I would like to do terminal or enroute. Are there advantages to one over the other?
 
Movement within the FAA as a controller is possible... a lot has to do with how popular of a place you want to transfer to and whether there is an opening. When you are offered the job is when your station (facility) is offered to you. It is not uncommon to get offered very busy places... I was hired straight into a level 12 center and have been there ever since. Getting out of a busy center or tracon is very difficult. They are generally short staffed and they usually take a long time to train someone successfully so they do not release people easily. Since the creation of the ATO centers and terminals (towers tracons) have been split in the eyes of the FAA into completely different regions... meaning moving between terminal and enroute is very difficult due to budget issues. For that reason I feel terminal is a much better place to be, there are a lot more facilities around the country you can move to.
 
Fox Xray said:
Movement within the FAA as a controller is possible... a lot has to do with how popular of a place you want to transfer to and whether there is an opening. When you are offered the job is when your station (facility) is offered to you. It is not uncommon to get offered very busy places... I was hired straight into a level 12 center and have been there ever since. Getting out of a busy center or tracon is very difficult. They are generally short staffed and they usually take a long time to train someone successfully so they do not release people easily. Since the creation of the ATO centers and terminals (towers tracons) have been split in the eyes of the FAA into completely different regions... meaning moving between terminal and enroute is very difficult due to budget issues. For that reason I feel terminal is a much better place to be, there are a lot more facilities around the country you can move to.
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Thats pretty informative, Ill take that into consideration.. Is there anyway to see a chart on the terminal/enroute levels and classifications for the area we will be assigned? Thanks
 
Thanks for the quick reply, it looks like terminal is the way to go. I have two last questions. The first one is about geographical preferences. If I picked Illinois and Wisconsin as the two states I would accept employment in, would I receive one offer at a time or one for each state? Also, is a busy class b tower lower than an enroute facility on the pay scale? Thanks again.
 
flyeagle111 said:
Thanks for the quick reply, it looks like terminal is the way to go. I have two last questions. The first one is about geographical preferences. If I picked Illinois and Wisconsin as the two states I would accept employment in, would I receive one offer at a time or one for each state? Also, is a busy class b tower lower than an enroute facility on the pay scale? Thanks again.
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You will most likely only receive one offer and in your example Illinois has some very short staffed facilities so that might be what the FAA offers. Whatever they offer you you should take... if you turn them down there is a chance you may never get called again. It's not 100% but you are gambling by turning them down.
 
flyeagle111 said:
Also, is a busy class b tower lower than an enroute facility on the pay scale? Thanks again.
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Yes... for the most part. Most ARTCC's are level 12's, I think very few if any stand alone towers are level 12's, JFK, EWR, and LGA are all 10's. Most towers that are rated as 12's are up/downs meaning they work the tower and have a tracon as part of the facility and controllers are rated in both. MIA is a 12 but they also have the radar room, I think MIA is the only 12 in FL. TPA, ORL, and even ZMA are all 11's. That gives you an idea of the traffic worked in a 12.

Going from zero ATC knowledge straight into a level 12 is very difficult and I personally do not feel that new hires should be subjected to that. The level 12 ARTCC I'm at has gotten much more difficult over the past few years, the volume and complexity (holding, wx, etc.) just seem to have gone through the roof. The best thing is to go into a moderate terminal, maybe a level 10 up/down and learn the ropes there, then work your way up.
 
Fox Xray said:
Do you know an area you may be assigned ?
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These are the locations listed in my applications;

Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Ft Myers, Florida
Ft Pierce, Florida
Miami, Florida
Vero Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach, Florida

Unsure weather its tower/center doesnt say ..
 
I don't want to throw bad vibes your way, but a buddy of mine got offered at Vero Beach. Got out of CTI and picked Florida on a lark thinking about the sun and the beaches. He flat turned it down 2 days ago. Told the FAA to ...you get the idea. The FSS deal was more attractive to him. Low level facilities in high rent areas don't work well. Vero Beach is such a place from what he's told me.

I ran across a site that lists facility levels though I believe it to be a year or two old. http://www.silverstateatc.com/Pages-FAA/faa_facility_types.htm
 
icephalt24 said:
I don't want to throw bad vibes your way, but a buddy of mine got offered at Vero Beach. Got out of CTI and picked Florida on a lark thinking about the sun and the beaches. He flat turned it down 2 days ago. Told the FAA to ...you get the idea. The FSS deal was more attractive to him. Low level facilities in high rent areas don't work well. Vero Beach is such a place from what he's told me.

I ran across a site that lists facility levels though I believe it to be a year or two old. http://www.silverstateatc.com/Pages-FAA/faa_facility_types.htm
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Well.. Ok hopefully I dont get vero beach LOL but right now I'll take anything I can get as long as I can afford to live there.. Anyway we can find out facility ratings? Another thing if you turn down a job offer or location what is the chances you will get another offer or what is the next step from that point.. ?
 
dheminger722 said:
These are the locations listed in my applications;

Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Ft Myers, Florida
Ft Pierce, Florida
Miami, Florida
Vero Beach, Florida
West Palm Beach, Florida

Unsure weather its tower/center doesnt say ..
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Those are all terminals (towers) ... MIA could be the center, it is located right next to the airport (I was there once a few years ago). I think MIA tower is the only one with a tracon but don't hold me to that.

As for the pay things may be changing ... stay tuned.
 
Fox Xray said:
Those are all terminals (towers) ... MIA could be the center, it is located right next to the airport (I was there once a few years ago). I think MIA tower is the only one with a tracon but don't hold me to that.

As for the pay things may be changing ... stay tuned.
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the pay changing for the good or for the bad? Little more detailed on last statement..
 
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