1-1-1. No front-page posts relating to the US hiring process

I’ve been thinking of starting a career in atc via the RAF but most places online say the jobs basically hell on earth but I don’t personally know any people currently working or have worked as a controller was hoping some one here could give me some insight

I received an email inviting me to take the ATSA, and I completed it within the timeframe specified. However, every time I check my score, it says, "You were not referred for hiring under the announcement due to not having an ATSA score."

Is this because my score hasn’t been posted yet? The email mentioned that scores would be posted approximately two weeks after the testing period, which ended on the 13th of this month. I’m wondering if the scores are just delayed, or if there’s an issue preventing me from being considered for hiring—even though I was invited to test and passed the initial screening.

I’m very eager to start my career, and I understand that the hiring process takes time, so I want to ensure everything is moving forward smoothly. If anyone has experience with this process or is currently in the same hiring pool, I’d appreciate your insights!

I do commercial aviation photography at the airports in my region, is it possible to contact an ATC tower and ask to go up for photography purposes? I’ve seen other plane spotters visit towers for spotting at JFK and LAX. My local airport is SEA. Would this be possible at some towers? or is asking to take photos for an hour or so from the tower just not possible? If it is possible, how should one go about contacting a tower for this purpose?

Thanks

I was climbing at roughly 3,000 fpm when was told to climb at a “good rate” through 210. It got me thinking.

Controllers, what do you mean/expect when you say good rate on a climb/descend?

Thank You!

Do you want SAT or TAT for the temp when being given a pirep for icing?

Howdy, I am an intruding pilot here, but in the off chance that the dudes that work the southeast side of KC center on the OK/KS border are here, y'all are great! Probably the best attitudes and see-yuh’s in the game. Appreciate all you ATC’s out there but KC center has got it going on.

Just trying to see if anyone has transferred from a well staffed level 6 to a level 10 center is it possible or do? Or do I have to be at a level 7 to transfer to a level 10?

Hi everyone,

I’m looking to dive deeper into the world of Air Traffic Control and was wondering if anyone could recommend some good books on the subject. I’m interested in both technical guides that explain procedures and regulations, as well as books that share personal experiences, challenges, or interesting stories from ATC professionals.

Would be great if it were beginner friendly

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!

Hello everyone,

I hope you're all doing well. I have a quick question regarding the NAV CANADA ATC recruitment process. After successfully completing FEAST 1 and FEAST 2, is it standard for NAV CANADA to inform candidates about what specific roles or streams they qualify for? My daughter recently passed both assessments, but she was only informed that she passed, without any mention of what she qualified for. Additionally, she has not yet received an invitation for an interview.

I’d appreciate any insights or clarification on this.

Thank you!

Midwest has no company match on 401k and forces you to use their insurance. Also no leave in the first year if you’re considering going contract I highly suggest going another route or going to one that actually has benefits. I’ve never known a big company that didn’t at least match 5% to a 401k.

I understand it's not exactly the same test, but is the difficulty level and type of test the same?

Last Monday holiday got paid a day early. Wondering if any of the credit union guys can see their pay coming in. On vacation, trying to make it rain like NATCA

Getting a loop when I try to log in from my phone

21 y/o Canadian from van isle here working in a high stress hospitality job🤢

ATC caught my interest as I don’t have a college degree or plans of getting one, the pay has for sure caught my eye as well

The life I dream of having is to own a home here on the west coast ($$$😭) and be able to travel the world with financial freedom.

I’m a pretty good problem solver and pride myself in being able to manage stressful situations well, so this job seems like a no brainer- yet I hear from those in the career that it is hell on earth and to stay far away!

I would love love love to hear about your honest experience in the industry, specifically Canadians. Figuring out the future is hard ❤️

In the off chance you're moved from the 50 states to say, Guam, for example. Do you have to vote as a resident of Guam or can I retain my voting rights from the state you moved from (similar to absentee). I ask because I know Guam doesn't have full voting rights like the rest of the United States but do like to cast my ballot for representatives who have floor votes 🥲

Im an air traffic controller in the USMC overseas. I’m not sure if I’m misinterpreting this wake turbulence rule or the office is. For context, we have parallel runways separated by 1352 feet. My question is if I depart a heavy on the outside runway is there anything stopping me from putting a small into LUAW on the inside runway. 3-9-6 D: “Do not issue clearances to a small aircraft to line up and wait on the same runway behind a departing super or heavy aircraft to apply the necessary intervals.” The office is arguing that because heavy wake turbulence affects both runways that it should be considered the same runway and you can’t put the small into LUAW. My argument is that every subsequent section in 3-9-6 specifies a distance minima between parallel runways for seperation and if the FAA wanted to apply the rules for parallel runways they would have specified.

I appreciate any guidance/references. Thanks 🦅

Hi there,

I'm a structural engineer currently looking at a career change into ATC - just wanted to understand the type of questions online that will be asked in the first stage ? Is there any way I can prepare for it for example take general aptitude tests?

Hello everyone,

This week I received a TOL from the FAA, I'm very excited for this opportunity, however, I am currently working at a career that I really enjoy, and I am on the path of becoming a manager so I'm not sure what path to choose. That being said, I have a few days left to reply and I have not had a chance to speak to my employer about this opportunity and ask them if I would be allowed to work remotely while attending the academy assuming I pass all the prerequisite requirements. If I were to accept the TOL and not be able to attend the academy, would I be disqualified from any future opportunities or would I simply have to reapply for the next bid? Would it be possible to attend the academy while working remotely or would work end up being a distraction and cause me to fail? Typically, how long are the classes and are they only Monday through Friday? I was considering doing my best to attend the academy and after the classes I could complete my current work and then start studying. Can anyone provide some insight on this? Thank you for your time and help with this.

Are you required to restate the runway when giving an aircraft closed at an airport with multiple runways?

Hi all! Recently took feast and did not make it for ATC which I'm sad about but made it for FSS, just waiting to be invited for the interview. I'm unsure if I will continue the applicatiom process at this point. Is anyone currently a FSS in Quebec and can give me some insight? I see they're hiring currently for certain areas but are there more areas that are not so remote.. Anything closer to cities that I could eventually try to move to? How likely is it to get a fly in fly out location after training? What can I expect in terms of pay in the first years? Do they compensate in any way for being in these remote locations as well.

hey! i go to a 2 year CTI(i think thats what they keep saying) school, so basically i won't have to go to the FAA academy since my school will hopefully teach it. i really struggled with METARs and my professor had a "sink or swim" philosophy without helping us. what advice could you give to help me understand the METAR format and code better?

also, with my school having that certification, is there anything small but that really helped you in your career that my school might not cover?

I have about 8 months left in my contract with the Air Force. Work and have held my ratings/CTO at a Tower for more than a year now. Want to apply for the prior experience bid that's on USA Jobs right now. When would the ideal time to apply be for me? I know the answers will vary from everyone's personal experience, some have said that it's a little late while a lot of people are telling me it's still too early and that I should wait until about 6 months before I separate. I'm trying to not be without a job after I separate and be stuck waiting for an offer or TOL. By the way when could one expect to receive a TOL and see a list of facilities/region of the country they could work in? Thanks for chiming in.

Sorry this is gonna be a really niche question but a few peers and I were discussing it. So the age cut off for ATC is 30 years unless you have ATC experience in the military. For NFOs who operate the E-2 Hawkeye would that count as ATC experience or is there any workaround? I know it’s not the same, but damn it just seems crazy how you could have all that experience and training but still not be able to do ATC afterwards.

Hi I’m currently in a 2 year program for ATC and wanted to know if controllers here had tips from being early on in ATC. What made things really stick in your head through in the program/off the street that got you here?

I'm based at MMU, and have a couple of questions about IFR releases there.

1. How are we sequenced?
2. With whom are we sequenced? (EWR?)
3. Why can't MMU give us a estimated delay?

I'm not complaining, just curious about the process.

Thanks in advance!

Requirements being :

1.good staffing 2.good moral 3.good money for the location 4.hour on hour off(or close to it) 5.decent city 6.no mandatory OT 7.reasonable traffic

I have about 8 months left in my contract with the Air Force. Work and have held my ratings/CTO at a Tower for more than a year now. Want to apply for the prior experience bid that's on USA Jobs right now. When would the ideal time to apply be for me? I know the answers will vary from everyone's personal experience, some have said that it's a little late while a lot of people are telling me it's still too early and that I should wait until about 6 months before I separate. I'm trying to not be without a job after I separate and be stuck waiting for an offer or TOL. By the way when could one expect to receive a TOL and see a list of facilities/region of the country they could work in? Thanks for chiming in.

If you’re a controller in a nation not covered by the FAA, I’d like to know what your aviation authority does for the usage of Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs).

-Do you get grounded when being prescribed an SSRI?

-If so, for how long?

-If your dosage is increased/decreased do you stay grounded?

-If so, for how long?

The FAA pays us lip service and tells us “they care” while continuing to punish the people strong enough to ask for help.

I’m well aware that there are some illnesses and medications that SHOULD keep us grounded, but in 2021 and within the US, an estimated 21 million adults had at least one major depressive episode, a number that represents 8.3% of all adults in the nation. That number is stupidly high, and it’d be ridiculous to assume that our industry is the only one not directly suffering from it.

I’d like to see what the worldwide averages are, and hopefully see the FAA actually do something more than lip service.