|
Three defense companies have qualified
to bid on a portion of an FAA contract to
upgrade the nation's air traffic control
system. Lockheed Martin, Raytheon and ITT
may bid on the contract, which is expected
to be awarded as soon as July. The FAA hopes
the system improves runway operations and
increases the number of planes that can
fly safely at the same time. However, no
one must overlook the most critical component
of the air traffic control system. Of course,
we're talking about the controllers themselves.
Nearly all air traffic controllers are
employed by the Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA). Others work in contract towers operated
by private organizations in cooperation
with the FAA. They coordinate the movement
of air traffic to make certain that aircraft
stay a safe distance apart. Their immediate
concern is safety, but controllers also
must direct traffic efficiently to minimize
delays. Some regulate airport traffic through
designated airspaces; others regulate airport
arrivals and departures.
Although airport tower controllers or
terminal controllers track all aircraft
traveling through their airspace, their
main responsibility is to organize the flow
of aircraft into and out of the airport.
Relying on radar and visual observation,
also controllers keep pilots informed about
changes in weather conditions such as wind
shear, a sudden change in the velocity or
direction of the wind that can cause the
pilot concern or lose control of the aircraft.
The Process
of Controlling Aircraft
During arrival or departure, several controllers
direct each aircraft around the busiest
of airports. As an aircraft approaches,
the pilot radios ahead to inform the terminal
of the plane's presence. The controller
in the radar room, just beneath the control
tower, has a copy of the plane's flight
plan and already has observed the airplane
on radar. If the path is clear, the controller
directs the pilot to a runway; if the airport
is busy, the plane is fitted into a traffic
pattern with other aircraft waiting to land.
As the plane nears the runway, the pilot
is asked to contact the tower. There, another
controller, who also is watching the plane
on radar, monitors the aircraft the last
few miles or so to the runway, delaying
any departures that would interfere with
the plane's landing. Once the plane has
landed, a ground controller in the tower
directs it along the taxiways to its assigned
gate or parking area on the ramp. The ground
controller usually works entirely by sight,
but may use radar if visibility is very
poor.
The procedure is reversed for departures.
The ground controller directs aircraft to
the proper runway. The local controller
then informs the pilot about conditions
at the airport, such as weather, speed and
direction of wind, and visibility and also
issues a runway clearance for the pilot
to take off. Once in the air, the flight
is guided out of the airport's airspace
by the departure controller.
After each plane departs, airport tower
controllers notify enroot controllers who
will next take charge. There are 20 air
route traffic control centers located around
the country, each employing 300 to 700 controllers,
with more than 150 on duty during peak hours
at the busiest facilities. Airplanes usually
fly along designated routes; each center
is assigned a certain airspace containing
many of these routes. Enroot controllers
work in teams of up to three members, depending
on how heavy traffic is; each team is responsible
for a section of the center's airspace.
A team, for example, might be responsible
for all air traffic that are between 30
and 100 miles north of an airport and flying
at an altitude between 6,000 and 18,000
feet.
The radar controller, who is the senior
team member, observes the traffic in the
team's airspace on radar and communicates
with the pilots when necessary. Radar controllers
warn pilots about nearby planes, bad weather
conditions, and other potential hazards.
Two planes on a collision course will be
directed around each other. If a pilot wants
to change altitude in search of better flying
conditions, the controller will check to
determine that no other aircraft will be
along the proposed path. As the flight progresses,
the team responsible for the aircraft notifies
the next team in charge of the airspace
ahead. Through team coordination, the flight
arrives safely at its destination.
Both airport tower and enroot controllers
usually control several planes at a time;
often, they have to make quick decisions
about completely different activities. For
example, a controller might direct an airplane
on its landing approach and at the same
time provide pilots entering the airport's
airspace with information about conditions
at the airport. While instructing these
pilots, the controller also might observe
other planes in the vicinity, such as those
in a holding pattern waiting for permission
to land, to ensure that they remain well
separated.
Other Air Traffic
Control Functions
In addition to airport towers and enroot
centers, air traffic controllers also work
in flight service stations operated at more
than 100 locations. These flight service
specialists provide pilots with information
on the station's particular area, including
terrain, preflight and in-flight weather
information, suggested routes, and other
information important to the safety of a
flight. Flight service specialists help
pilots in emergency situations and initiate
and coordinate searches for missing or overdue
aircraft. However, they are not involved
in actively managing air traffic.
Some air traffic controllers work at
the FAA's Air Traffic Control Systems Command
Center in Herndon, VA, where they oversee
the entire system. They look for situations
that will create bottlenecks or other problems
in the system, then respond with a management
plan for traffic into and out of the troubled
sector. The objective is to keep traffic
levels in the trouble spots manageable for
the controllers working at enroot centers.
Working Conditions
Controllers work a basic 40-hour week; however,
they may work additional hours, for which
they receive overtime, or premium, pay or
equal time off. Because most busy control
towers and centers operate 24 hours a day,
7 days a week, controllers often rotate
night and weekend shifts.
During busy times, controllers must work
rapidly and efficiently. Total concentration
is required to keep track of several planes
at the same time and to make certain that
all pilots receive correct instructions.
The mental stress of being responsible for
the safety of several aircraft and their
passengers can be exhausting.
We invite you to join us as we visit
with the controllers at the Miami International
Airport.
We hope you enjoy this streaming video report
produced by
Avjobs.
|
 |
Training, Other Qualifications
and Advancement
To become an air traffic controller, a person
must enroll in an FAA-approved education
program and pass a pre-employment test that
measures his or her ability to learn the
controller's duties. Exceptions are air
traffic controllers with prior experience
and military veterans. The pre-employment
test is currently offered only to students
in the FAA Air Traffic Collegiate Training
Initiative Program and a couple of other
recognized institutions. The test is administered
by computer and takes about 8 hours to complete.
To take the test, an applicant must apply
under an open advertisement for air traffic
control positions and be chosen to take
the examination. When there are many more
applicants than available positions, applicants
are selected to take the test through random
selection. In addition to the pre-employment
test, applicants must have 3 years of full-time
work experience, have completed a full 4
years of college, or a combination of both.
In combining education and experience, 1
year of undergraduate study 30 semester
or 45 quarter hours Is equivalent to 9
months of work experience. Certain kinds
of aviation experience also may be substituted
for these requirements.
Upon successful completion
of an FAA-approved program, individuals
who receive school recommendation, meet
the basic qualification requirements (including
being less than 31 years of age) in accordance
with Federal law, and achieve a qualifying
score on the FAA-authorized pre-employment
test become eligible for employment as an
air traffic controller. Candidates also
must pass a medical exam, undergo drug screening,
and obtain a security clearance before they
can be hired.
Upon selection, employees
attend the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City,
OK, for 12 weeks of training, during which
they learn the fundamentals of the airway
system, FAA regulations, controller equipment,
and aircraft performance characteristics,
as well as more specialized tasks.
After graduation, candidates
assigned to an air traffic control facility
are classified as 'developmental controllers'
until they complete all requirements to
be certified for all of the air traffic
control positions within a defined area
of a given facility. Generally, it takes
new controllers with only initial controller
training between 2 and 4 years, depending
on the facility and the availability of
facility staff or contractors to provide
on-the-job training, to complete all the
certification requirements to become certified
professional controllers. Individuals who
have had prior controller experience normally
take less time to become fully certified.
Controllers who fail to complete either
the academy or the on-the-job portion of
the training usually is dismissed. Controllers
must pass a physical examination each year
and a job performance examination twice
each year. Failure to become certified in
any position at a facility within a specified
time also may result in dismissal. Controllers
also are subject to drug screening as a
condition of continuing employment.
Air traffic controllers
must be articulate to give pilots directions
quickly and clearly. Intelligence and a
good memory also are important because controllers
constantly receive information that they
must immediately grasp, interpret, and remember.
Decisiveness also is required because controllers
often have to make quick decisions. The
ability to concentrate is crucial because
controllers must make these decisions in
the midst of noise and other distractions.
At airports, new controllers
begin by supplying pilots with basic flight
data and airport information. They then
advance to the position of ground controller,
then local controller, departure controller,
and, finally, arrival controller. At an
air route traffic control center, new controllers
first deliver printed flight plans to teams,
gradually advancing to radar associate controller
and then radar controller.
Controllers can transfer
to jobs at different locations or advance
to supervisory positions, including management
or staff jobs, such as air traffic control
data systems computer specialist, in air
traffic control and top administrative jobs
in the FAA. However, there are only limited
opportunities for a controller to switch
from a position in an enroot center to a
tower.
Job Outlook
Employment of air traffic controllers is
expected to grow about as fast as average
for all occupations through the year 2014.
Increasing air traffic will require more
controllers to handle the additional work.
Employment growth, however, is not expected
to keep pace with growth in the number of
aircraft flying. New computerized systems
will assist the controller by automatically
making many of the routine decisions. This
will allow controllers to handle more traffic,
thus increasing their productivity. In addition,
Federal budget constraints may limit hiring
of air traffic controllers.
More job openings are expected
as the result of replacement needs from
workers leaving the occupation. The majority
of toady's air traffic controllers will
be eligible to retire over the next decade,
although not all are expected to do so.
Nevertheless, replacement needs will result
in job opportunities each year for those
graduating from the FAA training programs.
Despite the increasing number of jobs coming
open, competition to get into the FAA training
programs is expected to remain keen, as
there generally are many more applicants
to get into the schools than there are openings,
but those who graduate have good prospects
of getting a job as a controller.
Air traffic controllers
who continue to meet the proficiency and
medical requirements enjoy more job security
than do most workers. The demand for air
travel and the workloads of air traffic
controllers decline during recessions, but
controllers seldom are laid off.
Earnings
The Air Traffic Control pay system classifies
each air traffic facility into one of eight
levels with corresponding pay bands. Under
this pay system, controllers salaries are
determined by the rating of the facility.
The higher the rating, the higher the controller's
salary and the greater the demand on the
controller's judgment, skill, and decision
making ability. We suggest you visit Avjobs
Aviation Career Salary Ranges page,
which lists typical salaries by job category.
Depending on length of service,
air traffic controllers receive 13 to 26
days of paid vacation and 13 days of paid
sick leave each year, in addition to life
insurance and health benefits. Controllers
also can retire at an earlier age and with
fewer years of service than other Federal
employees. Air traffic controllers are eligible
to retire at age 50 with 20 years of service
as an active air traffic controller or after
25 years of active service at any age. There
is a mandatory retirement age of 56 for
controllers who manage air traffic. However,
federal law provides for exemptions to the
mandatory age of 56, up to age 61, for controllers
having exceptional skills and experience.
See What It's All About
There is much more to being an air traffic
controller. You can read all about this
and other aviation careers at Avjobs
Federal Government Aviation Career Overviews
site. Avjobs members can also access the
Quick Start Job Search database for
a jump on who's hiring for all jobs in the
aviation industry.
|
|
