Atc questions

[wzgrza]

Hey guys. I am a pilot with a U.S Regional and have some ATC questions.

There is a chance that in the future I may be looking to do ATC in a foreign country and had some questions.

How long does schooling to become a controller usually take? How long would it take for me already being a pilot, knowing the lingo, the navigation, etc. etc. Would that be an advantage? Big, small?

On a 0-100% scale, as a pilot, roughly how much of the required knowledge to do ATC do I already have? (in case you havent noticed I am hoping that what I know about flying will be a big advantage as opposed to starting from scratch like some guys do, hehe) how much new stuff from that scale would I have to learn?

What do they look for when hiring someone as a ATC?

Are there any controllers from Europe on this board, or people who know about European ATC? Pay? Application/selection process?

I am pretty clueless about all this, and any info would be good. If anyone has any links or article, or feels like telling me about a typical day of an ATC guy that would be much appreciated as well. Thanks a lot!

Thanks a lot guys for any replies/help. Much appreciate it.

 

[Prino]

There is a chance that in the future I may be looking to do ATC in a foreign country and had some questions.

How long does schooling to become a controller usually take? How long would it take for me already being a pilot, knowing the lingo, the navigation, etc. etc. Would that be an advantage? Big, small?

On a 0-100% scale, as a pilot, roughly how much of the required knowledge to do ATC do I already have? (in case you havent noticed I am hoping that what I know about flying will be a big advantage as opposed to starting from scratch like some guys do, hehe) how much new stuff from that scale would I have to learn?

What do they look for when hiring someone as a ATC?

Are there any controllers from Europe on this board, or people who know about European ATC? Pay? Application/selection process?

I am pretty clueless about all this, and any info would be good. If anyone has any links or article, or feels like telling me about a typical day of an ATC guy that would be much appreciated as well. Thanks a lot!

Thanks a lot guys for any replies/help. Much appreciate it.

i dont know that much about what goes on in European countries with respect to atc, but i know its pretty much contracted out to outside companies, as opposed to the US side of things where (most) controllers work for the government. You will probably need a work visa, maybe even citizenship for that country. here in the states if you want to get into a contract tower you generally have to have a cto (certified tower operator) certificate for at least a year (which generally takes about 6 months to get). i dont know what your particular situation is like but it would probably be easier for you to just be a pilot in whatever country you want to live in. there are quite a few controllers who havent even flown in a general aviation airplane, so just because you are a pilot doesnt mean you will fall right into being a controller, however knowing the phraseology is very important. im curious why youd want to be a controller overseas rather than here, or jump from being a pilot to controller. good luck

ps, european atc pay isnt any better than their us counterparts, last time i heard (pre IWR) it was worse. and remember that most european countries have substantially higher tax rates than the US

 

[LawnGnome]

There are at least three people you could talk to about European ATC on my forum....I know this guy is a brit Rogervisual and this one is a Macedonian: ATC@LWSK and this guy is somewhere over there too: Wolffang

Here is a thread I believe they both chimed in about European ATC....Hope this helps.

European ATC

 

[Raydon]

Gnome sighting!!!anic:

Where ya been?

 

[wzgrza]

Thanks for the replies so far guys.

I do have EU citizenship so that would not be a problem. One of my goals is to eventually move back to my home country where I hear they are a little short on ATC guys. I also hear the pay is pretty attractive. I would prefer to fly vs. ATC but the move back home is really crucial for me. To do that and fly there I would have to convert my licenses which is expensive, and with the money I am making here, it is near impossible to save that much as I almost qualify for food stamps. If the ATC pays well then I might make twice what I do here, so I would be able to save up for the conversion as well as get rid of some debt.. then jump back in it. I would plan it on being a temporary thing, a few years maybe.. but who knows, maybe I would like it more.

Lawngnome, thanks for that site, I will check it out.

 

[LawnGnome]

I've been very busy getting ready to move into our house in two weeks, work, kids, wife, web design...doesn't leave too much time for anything else....take care!