Need some Advice...Please

MAC_ATTALI

New Member
Im new to all these Forum , threads etc... I’m 28 Year old living in the big apple, I recently retired from the NY Police department and decided to go for ATC, In June I received my Private Pilot License and now finishing up Instrument, with 180 Hours I’m not far off from my Commercial and then CFI if I have the time. ATC is my primary goal I’m going for OTS, however I’m having hard time with all the USAJOB vacancy announcement etc...Can’t get hold of anyone in the FAA aviation Career department. I looked over the current Vacancies and I don’t fall into any of them currently
1) Am I only looking for Air Traffic Control Specialist Trainee announcement considering I have no other experience??
2) Is that the announcements that will sign me up to take the AT-SAT??
3) Just to be clear what is PUBNAT? and were can I sign up for next one? Is there another one?
4) What is the possibility, I will be called before my age limitation runs out?
I filled out my ASAP forms, just kind of lost as to which way to turn, also considering my age etc...I would like to get a move on things, I sincerely appreciate any advice anyone can offer or links etc.... THANK YOU!
 
Hey, welcome to the forums. I am new here also, but I have been lurking forever.

You will want to apply to PUBNAT 7 which will probably be coming up towards the end of the month if not sooner. It is the national public off the street opening. That is the one that will get you invited to take the AT-SAT.

I am 27 and applied to PUBNAT 2 which closed 05/02/08, and I think your age should be fine. The entire process appears to take about a year, give or take a few months from application to academy. Once you attend a PEPC (Pre-employment Processing Center, I think) you will receive a Tentative Offer Letter (TOL) and your age will be forzen. As long as that happens before your 31st b-day you are good to go.

These folks are pretty good around here, so I'm sure others will chime in with more info, but most info on the whole process is hearsay and speculation. A lot is inferred by watching the pace of the PUBNAT announcements before us. Look around the forum and you will get a good feel for the overall process.

Again, welcome.
 
1. Yes you are looking for trainee unless you have previous ATC experience.

2. PUBNAT is a application that is nationwide and open to the public. You are looking for one that is open to all sources as you are not a graduate of a CTI program.

3. There is currently not an open PUBNAT but it is speculated PUBNAT7 will be generated this month.

4. Your age shouldn't be an issue. I believe it is "frozen" when you recieve a "TOL" (tenative offer letter) and you have a couple of years before your age runs out.


You apply then wait. And wait some more. Might get selected to take the ATSAT, you wait some more. After a little more waiting, you schedule the atsat, wait for the scores, after more waiting, wait for the geographical preference e-mail, wait for the referral list, wait, wait, more wait, then PEPC interview, then maybe, if the gods of atc shine upon you, you get an offer. Thats' it in a nutshell. There is a TON of info laying in wait for you on these forums. Bottom line: a lot of waiting!!!!!!
 
Every bit of information Helps I really Appreciate it....
Any recomendations for the Best AT-SAT study guides?
Also Were exactly am I keeping my eyes on to see when the next Pubnat will be offered?
Much Appreciated.....
 
Hey mac. You need to apply when you see an air traffic control trainee job appear. You can search for one in asap. If one isn't on there then you have to wait for one to show up. I believe they have one every few months but I could be wrong. Once you apply and the application end date closes out, you will then be notified on your asap page a month or so later as to being approved to take your at-sat. They give you a number to call to schedule. I recommend getting a copy of the green atc book with cd to study. Do a search on this site. The test is not hard especially if you passed the nypd entrance exam. I am originally from queens and have now lived in Florida for the past 4 years. Most of my family were and still are police officers for the NYPD. As to your age, I wouldn't worry too much. You have plenty of time. You have until your 31 st bday to get a tentative offer letter. I turn 31 in december so I am worried. I applyied to PUBNAT 2. These are the announcements throughout the year. I know PUBNAT1 was the Feb. anouncement for apllications and PUBNAT2 was may. I recommend doing searches and reading the sticky's on this website to familiarize yourself with the step after the at sat is completed. Good luck!
 
Every bit of information Helps I really Appreciate it....
Any recomendations for the Best AT-SAT study guides?
Also Were exactly am I keeping my eyes on to see when the next Pubnat will be offered?
Much Appreciated.....

Like they said above, the Next PUBNAT is suspected to be out the middle/end of this month. Rumor has it that they have been.are going to be released once a month until the new fiscal year. So speculation has it that the Spet one will be the last one for a while, perfect timing for you.

Anyways, just pay attention to the forums and read what you can while you are waiting, there will be A LOT of waiting, and I guarantee someone will post on here the minute that a New PUBNAT opens up on ASAP. Then all you have to do is log onto ASAP and go to the Online Jobs tab and look for an announcement # that looks similar to this: AAC-AMH-08-PUBNAT7-11384. Which as you will note has "PUBNAT" in the Title.
 
Every bit of information Helps I really Appreciate it....
Any recomendations for the Best AT-SAT study guides?
Also Were exactly am I keeping my eyes on to see when the next Pubnat will be offered?
Much Appreciated.....

Look to ASAP for anything coming from the FAA - they try to do as much as they can through there. Job announcements, AT-SAT selection, and so on... it's all there.

It's pretty early to start studying for your AT-SAT, but I suppose extra preparation couldn't hurt anyone. As mentioned already, the Green Book (Amazon) is pretty much the only commercial guide available. I'm also partial to what I wrote up following my own AT-SAT, which is, of course, free.

When PUBNAT7 opens up, keep your eyes open for a PUBNAT7 thread here; each group has its own. Read through them for an idea of what's to come -- PUBNAT1 has gone through the interview process, PUBNAT2 just did their geographic preferences, PUBNAT3 has received their AT-SAT scores, PUBNAT4 just got invited to take the AT-SATs, and 5 and 6 are still waiting.

Speaking of waiting, prepare to do a lot of it. It's a long, long process, so be prepared to not begin training in OKC -- if everything goes well -- for a year, possibly more.
 
The past few PUBNAT announcements have come out right around the 15th of the month, so if September holds the pattern, start looking for PUBNAT7 to be posted on ASAP sometime next week.
For the AT-SAT, definitely check out the green book - or at least the disc that comes with it. The book is more informational than helpful, but the disc was really great. Also, you'll need to get the patch for that disc, which can be found at http://www.asa2fly.com/files/support...ss13vpatch.exe
And you might want to try out the scenarios part at www.jeremyjustice.com for more of a feel for the way the test was set up.
And if you have any other questions, (most) people on these forums are really nice, so just ask.
 
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