Answer me this...

[savemecalifornia]

I've heard some people say air traffic control is a very difficult job(they make it sound like it takes someone superhuman), and some say it's just knowing and following a set of rules. What do you all think? Also, what kind of person does it take to do the job?

[TonyWilliams]

Right now? It takes a high resolve to put up with crappy schedules, a hostile employer, and a "b" pay scale. You'll notice that I didn't even mention the actual performance of a job.

Can you make? I have no idea, since nobody has developed the test that can effectively screen out folks (100% anyway).

Just like flying, or ditch digging, it can be a JOB. But most controllers do get satisfaction out of the job. My opinion, and that of many, is that it can be one of the best jobs for those with "the right stuff", but unfortunately for one of the worst employers.

FAA ranks at the bottom of employee satisfaction out of about 275 federal agencies. That oughta tell ya a lot.

[rvatornate]

Originally Posted by TonyWilliams

FAA ranks at the bottom of employee satisfaction out of about 275 federal agencies. That oughta tell ya a lot.

I would be very interested in viewing these comparisons, could you point me in that direction.

Thanks.

Nathan

[Fox Xray]

Not long ago one of the career oriented websites or something put out a list that included where Gov't jobs ranked and the FAA was in the toilet. Working for the current collection of wing nuts, tools, and ATC zero's is a challenge on a daily basis. I would not know where to begin in describing the day to day operations of the people making decisions...

For the original question ... What kind of person does it take to do the job ?

IMHO there is no real trait or way to tell if someone can do the job... they either can or can't and the only way one finds out is to sit down and try. It's a very weird job, I have seen people who barley made it out of school and can't even tie their own shoes and they can push tin like nobody's business. Then you have the triple PhD who can split the atom but can't see two planes head on at the same altitude.

Brother Tony... nice to see you on here. I have been following things with you on the Natca BBS. Welcome aboard... this is a nice place to talk aviation with a lot of good folks, a nice change from spending the day under Maid Marion's empire.

[DE727UPS]

When I went through the academy, only 4 in my class of 20 passed. The first phase was a basically a private pilot ground school that lasted a week. There was this goofy California surfer dude who I, as a CFI, helped drag through that class. Later on, my experience as a pilot was no real help as the final week of graded problems overwhelmed most of us. I did well enough to get an ATA job at LA Tracon but officially washed out of the controller screen. I could have gone back and tried it again, as most ATA's did, but decided to get back into flying (good move).

The surfer dude? He was one of the four that made it...

There's no doubt in my mind I'd have made a good controller after working at LA Tracon for a year. The FPL's I worked with just kinda laughed, shook their heads, and said the academy screening system was more about washing people out than picking who the best controller prospect was gonna be.

What was really sad about the whole thing was people with families quit decent jobs to go to the academy for two months with the prospect of becoming a controller. Nobody really knew that such a low pass rate of 20% was thinkable (I guess some classes with different instructors had better pass rates). It was no big deal for me just to get back into flying little Cessnas but I'm sure some of those guys had to totally rebuild their lives.

[ATC RET 2003]

Aside from dealing with the current working conditions, the job itself doesn't really require any superhuman capabilities... most normal human traits are sufficient.

It CAN be done by just knowing and following a set of rules, but in my opinion, that usually produces the type of controller that pilots and other controllers spend a lot of their time trying to work around.

As far as what kind of person it takes to do the job... the previous responses have all stated very well that it varies. If I were to make a list of qualities, I'd start with the ablity to think quickly in conjunction with the ability to decide what needs to be done (or equally as important... what needs to be left alone). Back in the dark ages, you had to be able to talk and write at the same time. These days, that's been replaced with speed on a computer keyboard. Spatial analysis skills and situational awareness abilities will always rank up there. Also, it doesn't hurt to have a sense of humor... but that brings us back to dealing with the current working conditions.