Newbie to ATC

mavsfan31

Well-Known Member
So my plan all along has been to be a pilot, working my way from flight instructor to regionals to a major (or something along those lines).

I've been starting to think lately about going the ATC route instead. I really don't know much of anything about going this route though.

Instead of pestering you guys right away with questions, are there any websites I can go to to learn more about this route?
 
So my plan all along has been to be a pilot, working my way from flight instructor to regionals to a major (or something along those lines).

I've been starting to think lately about going the ATC route instead. I really don't know much of anything about going this route though.

Instead of pestering you guys right away with questions, are there any websites I can go to to learn more about this route?


u found it
 
So my plan all along has been to be a pilot, working my way from flight instructor to regionals to a major (or something along those lines).

I've been starting to think lately about going the ATC route instead. I really don't know much of anything about going this route though.

Instead of pestering you guys right away with questions, are there any websites I can go to to learn more about this route?
There are hundreds of threads on this site that will probably answer your questions. Might have to read a lot though.
 
JetCareers is a good start. Don't be afraid to ask questions - but people always appreciate it when someone does a little bit of searching on their own first, of course.

These two articles are pretty good overviews. The first is about the job itself, the second is about the application process, which is long, often frustrating, long, hard to predict, and long. Both come from another good ATC website.

What is an Air Traffic Controller

ATC New Hire Information

Good luck!
 
So my plan all along has been to be a pilot, working my way from flight instructor to regionals to a major (or something along those lines).

I've been starting to think lately about going the ATC route instead. I really don't know much of anything about going this route though.

Instead of pestering you guys right away with questions, are there any websites I can go to to learn more about this route?

This type of question gets asked a lot, and I think it would be beneficial for there to be some kind of "Read This First" sticky to help out the newbies, but I digress.

The FAA is hiring new employees by means of: OTS (Off The Streets), VRA (Veteran's Rehire Act?), and CTI (Collegiate Training Initiative).

To see if there are any announcements, you need to go to http://jobs.faa.gov and click on "Online Applications" on the left. Scroll down and click on the link that says ASAP. From here, you're on your own because if you can't get past this, you probably don't need to be a controller. :laff:

All kidding aside, there is NOT always an announcement open to the public (Also known as a PUBNAT). When you apply for a PUBNAT (I think 7 or 8 is the next one but I have not been keeping up) you MIGHT get selected to take the AT-SAT. If you do well on the AT-SAT, about two months after receiving your score, you will get a geographic preferences email. You get to pick two states in which you would like to work. Some people get exactly where they want to be (like I did) and others get displaced across the country--IF they get selected for a facility.

If you are one of the lucky folks that gets selected, you will then be given the option of attending a PEPC (Pre-employment processing center, pronounced like PEPSI) or going the traditional route and getting your clearances on your own.

About three hours after leaving your PEPC and getting your TOL (Tentative offer letter), you will be contacted by your HR rep and given your FOL (Firm offer letter) and class date. :sarcasm:

After this speedy application process, you will be off to the FAA Training Academy in Oklahoma City, OK where you will learn the basics of ATC and then be shipped back to your facility for OJT (On-the-job training)

Hope this helps a bit!
 
About three hours after leaving your PEPC and getting your TOL (Tentative offer letter), you will be contacted by your HR rep and given your FOL (Firm offer letter) and class date. :sarcasm:

I *WISH* it worked that fast! If you got your FOL a mere 3 hours after your PEPC, then I want to know who your HR rep is and how they got your clearances through that quick... :confused:
 
Haha, it's kind of sad that 3 months is considered quick. With that said, I wish mine was that quick too.
 
Back
Top