Big Meeting Coming at the FAA

The guy that made the "hooker" remark was standing with one of my former supes.

Can you imagine the squirming and backpedaling that's going on now... and how much more of it there's going to be?

This is great!
 
Insert foot into mouth...a hooker? Come on man. Is that how you pick up the ladies?




I'll have to try that one sometime :bandit:.
 
Hmmm, if you pay me $5 million up front, I'll stay for life guaranteed. Let's see, a savings account at 1.5% interest....
 
Regarding the costs of re-testing... most of it is inconsequential. There won't be a re-eval on psych or security, those don't "expire". Not in any sense that would require you to redo it before the Academy, even if it took years. And medicals and drug tests are cheap; a flight physical is $100 or less and a pee test something like $20. $120 max (probably just the drug test) versus $1,000+... no, they're not going to be dropping us because they don't want to pay that.

And for some more on the en route cancellations... I'm just gonna quote my post from SM rather than rewrite it, since it provides a few more details.

More on the class cancellations for En Route...


I got a call from the training manager at ZSE yesterday in response to an unrelated question from a few days ago. He more or less confirmed the few details that we've heard from the ZOA and ZAU(?) people who've gotten called by HR. The main points:

1. Budget concerns have created training cutbacks, or maybe better said, more training delays. This has been going on for a while now; ZSE started the fiscal year expecting to train 22 people, the number selected at the first panels. After selections, it was cut down to 10, now it's down to 3, all of whom are already at the Academy (jerks).
2. It's uncertain if the cutbacks will stay at the current level. Some places, like ZSE, can't go any further back. Some, like the people who just received those phone calls, can. He didn't know if new spots would open up, but he didn't rule it out -- like HR, he's not being told much.
3. These should be regarded as training delays, rather than cuts, per se. At least that's how my mind wraps around it. When I read "cuts", I understand that to mean that we could be dropped from the process altogether. He said that's not the case; we were just being put on hold for even longer.

I guess it's not surprising, given that every sector of the government (and business, and families) are making budget cuts. Not that it makes it any less frustrating, especially when you see things like the $5 million spent on the FLM gathering in Atlanta... I mean, come on. Really?

Also, for those curious, I asked him if he knew anything about Raytheon training, since I had applied for an RPO job a while back and was wondering if that'd be an interim possibility. He said that they're making cuts as well, so... pretty much a no go. At least for ZSE.
Click to expand...

So, the short of it is that we've still got our jobs, the wait's just longer.
 
Any word on the Raytheon contract? Thats more than likely what's holding up the train for some people since they don't know the status of the raytheon employees (both at okc and in the field)
 
mklatval said:
Any word on the Raytheon contract? Thats more than likely what's holding up the train for some people since they don't know the status of the raytheon employees (both at okc and in the field)
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From my own conversation, he didn't know a lot about it other than that there'd "be cuts". I may get in touch with their Raytheon coordinator to ask; I'll post up anything I find.
 
Rosstafari said:
From my own conversation, he didn't know a lot about it other than that there'd "be cuts". I may get in touch with their Raytheon coordinator to ask; I'll post up anything I find.
Click to expand...
Rumors at the Academy are Raytheon will be eliminating 20-30% of the instructors here.
 
mbalunda said:
Rumors at the Academy are Raytheon will be eliminating 20-30% of the instructors here.
Click to expand...

Well, ATB training manager did tell my class last week that 700 student slots for 2010 were cut. She said that doesn't mean those people won't be hired or will never be here, just wait a little longer. The backlog in facility training is driving the student waiting.
Your facility may vary, your ATM may have told you something else. It's a waiting game.
 
Rosstafari said:
Regarding the costs of re-testing... most of it is inconsequential. There won't be a re-eval on psych or security, those don't "expire". Not in any sense that would require you to redo it before the Academy, even if it took years.
Click to expand...

If the medical expires the MMPI fun must be done again according to E.M. and the security expires after two years.
 
I too have been told on more than one different phone call with my HR rep that my Psych/MMPI stuff would definitely expire a year after I was initially cleared and would need "refreshed" down the road along with my drug test and physical.

I'm getting the feeling they do try to avoid that if in any way possible. It depends on the needs of your facility more than anything else though. Small places like I'm heading mean you have less turnover and open spots. I'm hoping to get a last minute date to squeeze me in before my clearances start to expire in March. I won't be shocked if I am still sitting here talking about waiting on a date NEXT December however.

My HR rep keeps telling me class sizes have been cut down significantly and the number of classes have also been greatly reduced. She said it is due to less money for training and new controllers after the renegotiated contract with the Union, eligible retirees suddenly staying on unexpectedly due to retirement account hits, and just the economy in general causing budget cuts across the board for the FAA.

She said eventually I will be a controller if I keep waiting, but she isn't allowed to guarantee it, and can give me nothing remotely close to a definite timeframe. All she says is if/when my facility has a need again I am on the list and will get the call. My age is locked in. Just wait.

Don't quit your day jobs people. It's gonna be a while.
 
I like the sound of that. I wish there could be a guarantee though! It's like, "wait 2 years and you'll get it, but I can't make any promises.." it drives me crazy! I'll wait 3 years, 4 years, however long - I just want to know that my name won't be dropped through the cracks and suddenly something I've been holding out for has now disappeared after years of anticipation. What's to say a new applicant isn't just worth putting through ahead of us after 2 years of waiting and all our clearances expire, ya know? That puts us back at square 1, with a TOL none the less but no clearances. It's definitely nerve racking.
 
Rosstafari said:
Regarding the costs of re-testing... most of it is inconsequential. There won't be a re-eval on psych or security, those don't "expire". Not in any sense that would require you to redo it before the Academy, even if it took years. And medicals and drug tests are cheap; a flight physical is $100 or less and a pee test something like $20. $120 max (probably just the drug test) versus $1,000+... no, they're not going to be dropping us because they don't want to pay that.
Click to expand...

True, even if they don't "expire", I know private businesses pay 10-20 grand to get employees their security clearances. You would think that when the FAA drops that kind of money on you they'd be interested in getting you through the system before you say "**** this I'm too damn tired of waiting".
 
prominence said:
What's to say a new applicant isn't just worth putting through ahead of us after 2 years of waiting and all our clearances expire, ya know? That puts us back at square 1, with a TOL none the less but no clearances. It's definitely nerve racking.
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Exactly. If the clearance does expire and your back in the 3 plus month period of trying to renew it and a spot opens up at your facility, you think you still have your place in line? No way.
 
aviator5ds said:
True, even if they don't "expire", I know private businesses pay 10-20 grand to get employees their security clearances. You would think that when the FAA drops that kind of money on you they'd be interested in getting you through the system before you say "**** this I'm too damn tired of waiting".
Click to expand...

I've only been in the process for six months and I'm already tired of waiting. I couldn't imagine having a TOL and waiting ANOTHER two years to start working. I mean, how long can you put your life on hold?
 
mbalunda said:
Rumors at the Academy are Raytheon will be eliminating 20-30% of the instructors here.
Click to expand...

That'd help explain the cuts... ugh

aviator5ds said:
True, even if they don't "expire", I know private businesses pay 10-20 grand to get employees their security clearances. You would think that when the FAA drops that kind of money on you they'd be interested in getting you through the system before you say "**** this I'm too damn tired of waiting".
Click to expand...

I agree. I have the feeling that's another reason that they kept trying to push people through, even when they shouldn't have been... to avoid attrition. Although at this point, having some people drop out would probably help us all.

flyingwriter said:
I've only been in the process for six months and I'm already tired of waiting. I couldn't imagine having a TOL and waiting ANOTHER two years to start working. I mean, how long can you put your life on hold?
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Ugh. I'm right at the year and a half point. The thought of waiting yet another year on top of this is more than I can handle. The upside to being told that it may not happen this fiscal year is that I now have a definite timeframe of when I probably won't be starting -- 10+ months. That's enough to try to nail down a job; I applied to positions with jetBlue and Virgin America yesterday.

What else are y'all going to be doing in the meantime?
 
I'm DONE with the aviation industry. Done. Finished. Finito. I've interviewed for a job as a store manager at a mattress outlet, and hopefully I'll be hired there. I also applied for another job in case that doesn't work out. ATC is the furthest thing from my mid right now. IF the FAA ever calls me back, I'll probably be so far into my career that I won't want to leave.
 
flyingwriter said:
I'm DONE with the aviation industry. Done. Finished. Finito. I've interviewed for a job as a store manager at a mattress outlet, and hopefully I'll be hired there. I also applied for another job in case that doesn't work out. ATC is the furthest thing from my mid right now. IF the FAA ever calls me back, I'll probably be so far into my career that I won't want to leave.
Click to expand...

Keep your doors open, things can always turn around. I wouldn't make my life revolve around this mess of a recruitment system. I'm hopeful, but I'm not quitting my job until I'm 2 weeks away from moving.

Merry Christmas everyone!
 
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