Contrary to popular belief, Air Traffic Controllers are NOT the guys out there with the paddles and the funny flashlights. I don't know what the heck their job title is. I think they do things that cause stuff like that poor sap over there to happen. No, Air Traffic Controllers are the people in the Radar rooms, and in the Towers. We are the ones that make sure that you get to Grandma's house and to your sunny little islands. Well, we don't if your drivin' or takin' a bus, but if you're in an airplane, there is a good chance we've had a hand in gettin' where you're goin'. Anyway, it's the responsibility of us ATC'ers to make sure the sky's are safe, and that the planes in the sky get to their destination, without bumping into each other and in the shortest amount of time.

Anyways (I tend to use that word alot, so get used to it...), contrary to what everyone has heard, the FAA does, on occasion, hire people! People just like you and me. Well, at least people like me ;-) You other people seem ta not be looking in the right directions. So then, hopefully the information you'll find here will help you out. Unfortunately, I can't do anything about your other "assorted" problems (that nasty rash, for example...). So let me just say "Sorry" in advance..... Anyways, while I'm not gonna make any guarantees of employment, I should be able to at least make you better off then you are now. Shoot, it took me three freagin' years to get into the FAA, once I got outta the military, so keep that in mind, and don't expect any miracles.

Latest News

July, 2001

Well, it certainly has been a long time since my last update. But since making it into the FAA, there's been very little reason for me to dig for info on hiring. After all, I'm already in. Never the less, there is some good news, and some bad news. First the good. The FAA is filled with old farts. They will be retiring shortly. So, if you've got a few years to spare before you turn 31... Remain vigilant, and keep making those phone calls. If you've done some military time, and you still can't seem to get in... You're being lazy. I'm not even going to bother telling you anything in this update, because all the info you could possibly ever need is already somewhere on this page. Nothing's changed for the military folk.

Now, for the bad news. This is mostly unverified, but it is reasonably accurate. There will NOT be, at least for the next few years, any "new" non-fed facilities. UNITECH did not get those new contracts they were hoping for, and I believe the FAA has enough money in the current budget structure (at least for this fiscal year) to keep all those level 5 and below facilities that the rumor mill was saying the FAA was about to be dump.

Anyways, I got completely checked out at EWR a few months ago. So now I'm a fully fledged, FAA certified, CPC. Yippie. It took me about 1 year and 9 months to pull off, but at least I managed to do it. And at least the guys who came in with me didn't get checked out before me. What can I say, I'm a competitive S.O.B.

January 24, 2001

The FAA has a continuously open bid out now for ex-military, and soon to be ex-military controllers. If you don't get picked up now, it would seem that you must really suck. Maybe you shoulda lied a bit more in your package.

September 7, 2000

What? You still don't have a job? Sweet mother of God, man! What have you been doing? Obviously you haven't been paying attention to what I've been saying. Do yourself a favor, and click here.

September 7, 2000

Well, it's certainly been a long time since I last updated this place. To be honest, there really hasn't been a whole helluva lot to say. I know in the past I said that the people who do the hiring and firing generally have no ATC experience, what-so-ever. Well, this turned out to not be exactly true, in all cases. So what does this mean? And should this change anything? Well, not really. Put your packages in the same way as before. Keep it simple, and straight forward, and don't try and hype your career up with a bunch of meaningless drivel. Don't use terms and words and nomenclatures, that someone would have to break out a dictionary to figure out the meaning. And once you put a package in, be sure to follow up on it. Call the region. Ask to take a prehire physical. Just talk to people, especially someone who has seen your package. Shoot, stop by and visit, if you have to.

April 7, 2000

Uhhh..... Yeah..... Umm..... I'm sure this is alot to ask, but would those of you who work at the Command Center please stop talking to people I work with. I realize you guys ain't got much to do, sittin' down there, doing what ever it is you're supposed to do..... But if you don't believe me, when I say I work for Newark, why not just email me? That is, rather then bug my supervisors...... or call on the land line, when I'm tryin' to work ground.... Do I call you guys, and bitch and moan about how we're being crushed by your silly APREQ's, minutes in trail, and other assorted restrictions? No. (I just cut your restrictions in half...).

On another note....... Some bad news, for those military pogues lookin' fer employement in the good 'ol FAA. It's my understanding, that the FAA has come into agreement with..... well..... somebody, and decided to pick up prior military controllers who've "retired" from the military. So, if you're an old fart military controller, and you can retire..... I suggest you do so, and start puttin' in that paperwork. If you were like me, and did your four years, and punched out...... You might wanna start lookin' into some non-fed stuff, or one of those CTI schools. Hell, I went to one of them thar CTI schools after the military, and I still learned alot. And the FAA pogues who're in charge of the hiring seem to be sportin' wood over the CTI grads, so it could be your best shot of gaining FAA employment.

March 29, 2000

I cannot stress enough how critical it is for FAA wanna-be's to check the FAA's job website, every stinkin' day. The FAA puts all their job announcments on it. If your looking to get in via the VRA, you really need to be checkin' that website every day, as well as calling the regions once every couple of weeks to find out when they will be accepting VRA applicants. About once or twice a year, a region will start accepting "VRA Only" applications under a general announcment. If your tired of getting your packages sent back to you, I recommend you apply for the positions available off the FAA's website, even though you don't qualify. It'll keep your package from getting sent back to you, and get your info in the system. Just remember to state in your cover letter, that you'll move yourself, and that you'd like to be considered for that Managerial position under the VRA.....

March 24, 2000

I feel like a real knucklehead for lettin' this one slip by me. There's a company called UNITECH which is supposed to have hired some 200 controllers last year. I put in an application, before I got into the FAA. They kept sendin' me emails, tellin' me things were progressing well, and going according to plans. But then I got picked up, changed my email address, and pretty much hadn't heard anything since. In any event, they were supposed to be pickin' up a bunch of FAA level 2 facilities. I guess in conjunction with Serco... I'm not real sure. I just checked out their website. You can get more info by sending an email/resume to jobs@unitech1.com. The old email I found said the man to contact is Bill Behan. He's a pretty nice fellow (or at least he was....), so hopefully he can give you more information than I can. I've included the address, and phone numbers way down there, with the rest of the Non-Feds.

Oh yeah, before I forget.... I also added a link to a company that helps controllers get ATC jobs. It's called the National Career Networking Association. That's where I first got the info on UNITECH. Anyways, for a small fee, they'll send you a news letter with a lots of good stuff. I think they'll even help you set up a resume, and get it out to the various employers. Good stuff indeed.

March 19, 2000

OK, I heard this from a friend, who heard it from a friend, who heard it from a..... You get the picture. The FAA plans on picking up a total of 200 new hires this year. Most of whom are going to go to the Western Pacific, and Alaskan region. The Eastern, and Great Lakes regions are supposed to pick up something like 20 new hires each, this year. I was also told that if you put a package in to the Central region, you're gonna get picked up..... fast. Seems in the past few years, they've hired everyone who's put a package in. It's not that they are so short staffed (which I'm sure they are), it's that no one ever applies to that region. So suck it up, and send them your stinkin' package. For those of you hoping to get picked up by the Southern region, give it up. The Southern Region is overstaffed by something like 250 warm bodies. So until some of them warm bodies become cold, chances are you ain't gettin' in.

Keep in mind that I heard this "through the grapevine". While the actual numbers may be suspect, I am 90% sure the rest is accurate. It's really the same stuff I've been hearing over, and over again. If you want to get picked up, your best chances are the Western Pac, Alaskan, and the Central region. End of story. Otherwise, plan on waiting. How many years you got to 31 again? Think about it...

March 15, 2000

Well, seems some people have been having problems downloading the SF171 pages. Make sure you right click the files, and select "save file as". At least that's the option in Netscape. It might say something different in Internet Explorer. I think it's something like "save to disk", or what not. I also corrected the phone numbers for Serco, which has indeed taken over all the Barton Towers. I also know that Serco is picking up all virtually all the level 2 & 3 FAA facilities, so if you want to work some good traffic, that's the company to get hooked up with. I hear they'll also pick up people with radar backgrounds, as some of those facilities are "up and down".

I also have a bit of good news, and a bit of bad news. Bad news is, all these facilities that the FAA is dumping off to Serco..... well..... the controllers are mostly staying in the FAA. This is because (to the best of my information) the FAA is letting them move on to the facility of their choice. That means there's less of a need for outside hiring. So, I don't believe there'll be too many "new-hires" this year. Of course this is merely speculation on my part, so take that for what it's worth. Now, onto the good news. The eastern region seems to be getting ready to pick a few people up. A friend of mine, who is a DOD controller, was just asked to come up to the region early April, to take a pre-hire physical. The FAA is a stingy bitch, and doesn't waist cash on physicals if they're not gonna pick people up. So if you haven't placed a call to the eastern region lately, you best getsta crackin'. Remember, persistence pays off, and you only have yourself to blame if you don't get picked up.

How To Get a Job In The FAA

Gettin' Hired w/ Experience
Hmmmm. I guess there's two types of wanna-be Air Traffic Controllers. Those with prior experience (military), and those without experience. Let me help out my fellow military brethren first, and foremost. The rest of you can just skip this stuff. If you have some military experience, then I suggest you do the following. Fill out an SF171, and mail it to each and every regional office. Now, you're gonna be tempted to pile in every little tidbit of gobley gook you can scrounge up. You must endeavor to resist these silly temptations. Believe me, the people examining your resume have no idea what a FPN63, or a PRC-77 is, so don't even bother stickin' it in there. They could care less what kind of equipment you used. Keep it short, and sweet. What I did, was put each facility I worked at, and then compared it to an FAA facility. For example.... "I was a Tower Watch Supervisor and MCAS Shmuckatelly. This facility could be compared to a Level 4 facility in the FAA, characterized by primarily heavy jet operations, as well as a steady mix of VFR traffic." Then briefly list each position you were rated on, and then any other extra curricular activities you were required to perform. The goal here, is to fill up the available space, and then stop. If you have to include "extra" paper, just to blabber on about some poe-dunk military facility, your going to lose the interest of the person reading your SF171. Keep in mind that this guy probably has no ATC experience, and is only looking for a few key words.

Now, unfortunately, this alone won't get you hired. You see, you also must include a cover letter, stating that you "....wish to be excepted into the FAA under the Veterans Readjustment Act (VRA)". Anyway, also state that you are capable of a self move, and are willing to go anywhere. This is very important, as the bean counters will be more apt to pick you up if they know you'll move yourself on your own dime.

Unfortunately, even this won't get you hired. You see, the FAA has to be hiring, and excepting applications. The problem is, it's very difficult to find out when they are hiring. How do you do this? Keep sendin' them paperwork until they send you "the package". The package is for your F.B.I. security background check, and your pre-hire physical. If you get this, then you're more or less "in like Flynn". I have no idea who this Flynn cat is, but I'm sure he's a cool dude. Anyways, You should also check out the FAA's job website, as many openings are posted there. Too bad they're not the ones you qualify for, but they'll give you a good idea which regions are hurting for people, and more likely to give you the time of day. For more information on the FAA's, as well as the D.O.D.'s job website, check out the links below.

So then, what does a brotha do while he waits on the FAA? There's a number of things you can do. You can go draw some unemployment, and be a leech on society, or you can read below, and take the backdoor in.... [no homosexual references implied or suggested]

Gettin' Hired w/ no Experience
What? You say you have no experience? And you've wanted to be an Air Traffic Controller all your miserable life? (j/k) Well despair not young jedi. There's hope for you yet. You can take your ass to school! Yeah, that's right, go get yerself an edge-juh-mah-kay-shun (that's education, in redneck-ese). There's a number of schools offering FAA accredited Air Traffic Control programs. Here's just a small list of schools/ school administrators offering ATC programs.

So then. You wanna get into the FAA? Go ahead and call them fella's up, and listen to what they gotsta say. Personally, I recommend the Community College of Beaver County. Only because I've been through their program (Tell Paul that Sean over at Newark Tower said hi...). And It's the only ATC program that I know of, that gets you experience in an actual tower, talking to real live airplanes, at a real live airport (vice a dead one...). Not to mention that it's only a two year program (as little as two semesters if you have prior ATC experience). Upon completion of the school, you'll be an actual Air Traffic Controller, a private pilot, and have at least an Associates degree. Oh, and you'll be on "the list". And everyone who's been on the list, and wanted employment in the FAA, has managed to get into the FAA. Not too shabby.

Once you've completed any of those schools programs, or if you happen to have an actual CTO from your military career, you might want to look into trying out one of the Non-Fed towers, while you wait for the FAA. There's plenty of 'em out there, and they're frequently looking for new controllers. Especially now that the FAA is contracting out more level 2, 3, and even level 4 facilities (so I've heard....)!!! Crazy stuff, indeed! Hey, I put some time in a non-fed, so you should to. You can find links to lists of the various non-fed towers below. I recommend you try Serco out first, because they seem to be picking up all of Barton's contracts, as well as all the level 2 and level 3 facilities the FAA is dumping off.

Other Important Stuff
Here's a few addresses and phone numbers you should write down, as well as a few files and assorted other semi-usefull info. The Non-Feds, while not as "cushy" as the FAA, still have allot to offer. And it sure beats turnin' in food stamps at McDonalds for a cheeseburger (just barely though...).

Here's a list of all the regional offices. Be sure and send each and everyone one of 'em a package, including an SF171, a cover letter saying you're desperate, will go anywhere (on your own dime!), and that you wish to be considered under the VRA (prior military only).

My ATC Experience
I'm not exactly sure why you guys wanna know this, but I'm getting tired of everyone askin', so here it is... Hopefully this will motivate some of you who actually have "meaningful" ATC experience, to start bustin' your ass and puttin' in that paperwork. Anyways, here's how my amazing Air Traffic Control career has gone so far, from my glory days in the Marine Corp, up till my current FAA position at Newark Tower, in New Jersey (7 different facilities, and 2 different ATC schools....).

• Feb 93-Jun 93: NAS Memphis, ACA1 Air Traffic Control School.

• Jul 93-Jun 94: MCAS Futenma [ROTM], Okinawa, Japan: PAR/ASR, Radar Flight Data/Coordinator, Ground Control, Tower Flight Data.

• Jul 94-Aug 96: MCAS New River [NCA], Jacksonville, NC: PAR/ASR, Radar Flight Data/Coordinator.

• - Sept 94-Oct 94 & Mar 95-Apr 95: MCASYuma [YUM], AZ: PAR/ASR, Radar Flight Data/Coordinator.

• - Mar 96: MCOLF Oak Grove, NC: Local, Ground, Tower Flight Data/Coordinator.

• Jan 98-Aug 98: Beaver County Tower [BVI], Beaver Falls, PA: Local, Ground, Tower Flight Data. Completed the ATC courses (CTI) at the Community College of Beaver County.

• Oct 98-Jun 99: Airborne Airpark [ILN], Wilmington, OH: Local, Ground, DOC/AOC (flow control...), CIC.

• July 99-current: Newark International Airport [EWR], Newark, NJ: FPL/CPC [Clearance Delivery, Flight Data, Flow Control (GC2), Ground Control (GC1), Local (1&2), CBA, & Cab Coordinator]

SF171
Need an SF171 (don't even bother with an OF612)? Don't know where to get one? What would you say if I said you could type one up on your computer? Because I'm so stinkin' nice, I've put up a special program, called Formatta, on my server. This little program, plus the accompanying files, will let you edit, and print, the SF171 right on your computer. Pretty cool stuff, and definitely a worthy download.

Formatta (4.07MB): formatta.exe
SF171 (get both pages!!!): page #1 page #2 (right click each link, and select "save file as")

ATC Links
I know I'm missing a few links you guys have sent me. So please try and forgive me, and re-send me them damned links! In the meantime, feel free to peruse my fine collection of ATC related links. Limited time offer, good only while supplies last....

FAA Job Search- Type 2152 in the series slot, and pick which ever category you fit into at the top. Usually non-federal employee.

Fedworld Job Search- Enter Air in one space, and Traffic in the other. Select 50 in the number of announcements, select every state and hit Start Job Search. 

WLATC- A nice sight with some ATC info and an Air Traffic Control message board.

Stuck Mic- Not what you think. Check it out. A damn good bbs for us Controller types....

FAA Certificate Search- If your lookin for a friend and he holds an FAA certificate or license, this search engine will find him, or his last reported address.

ATC World Library- Thanks to the tireless efforts of Ron "DX" Desormeaux, a fellow controller in the U.S. Air Force, you can now access the 7110.65, the 7210.3 and the 7110.10, all online! Very cool stuff!

FAA Air Traffic Publications Library- Those kind FAA computer geeks were nice enough to put up a whole bucket load of pub's, online, and ready for your perusal. Including, but not limited to.... the 7110.65, the FAA Supervisors Handbook, Location Identifiers (7350.6), and even the NATCA contract. All kindsa good stuff here boys.

FAA/Air Traffic (AT) Compensation System- Hey, ever wanna know how much that lucky bastard (that would be me...) who snuck into the FAA makes? Well you can find out the base salaries for all FAA Air Traffic Controllers, at every facility, simply by goin' here. If you're a military controller, and you re-enlisted, I suggest you not swing by.... Otherwise, I cannot be held accountable if you commit suicide after checkin' out what you decided to pass on....

Non-Fed Contract Towers #1- Pretty self explanatory....

Non-Fed Contract Towers #2- See previous comment...

ATC Related Links- This guy needs a hobby other then collecting ATC links.... Or maybe he needs to take up drinking... I dunno... Tough call.

Newark International Airport- Lots of good info on the Airport I work at.

ATC Hiring Info- More of what you see here.

FAA Air Traffic Services- Um..... Stuff. Lots of aviation "stuff".

NCNA- These guys have quite the plethora of ATC job info.... They want you to pay for some of it though. But hey, if it keeps you from having to cash in them foodstamps at the mini mart so your kids can have fresh milk in the morning, then it's well worth it.

ATC Help- Everything you'll find here, and more. Well, except for my dashing wit and charm. They seem to be having some server/website issues, though. Should be pretty nice whenever they're outta FUBAR status though...

EUROCONTOL- Can't hack it in the States? Well, looks like Europe needs air traffic controllers too... Who knows, maybe you'll get lucky.