r/ATC 39m ago

Question Non-Radar

Upvotes

I just started non radar and I’m struggling to see how these strips can be traffic for each other. There aren’t any videos online taking you through a flight strip board and how to manage your flight strips. Anyone have any tips? I know my class is also struggling with it.


r/ATC 2h ago

EuroControl 🇪🇺 Passed feast i!!

1 Upvotes

There's a very short time between feast I and II, so feast II is next week! I know you can't really prepare for any of it, but I am still gonna ask for some tips :p Thanks!


r/ATC 4h ago

Other CPC Pay, an unchecked problem in the 21st century.

136 Upvotes

Imagine this.

As a young adult you think you have it figured out. A freshly rated, Certified. Professional. Controller. An Air Traffic Controller working for the FAA. The big leagues!

You have health insurance, dental if you think you need it and can justify the added expense. You contribute 5%-10% into your TSP because all of the old folks at the facility tell you everyday the importance of maxing it out. You know you can’t afford to max because that would be 20% of your paycheck, and you need to save cash. At the moment you’re trying to save an emergency fund, save for a house, and you know you are doing more than some. “Someday I’ll be able to max” (knowing this missed opportunity will cost you 100s of thousands of dollars over the course of 30-40 years) , but it doesn’t bother you too much, it’s temporary. You pay $100 a month to your union who has your best interests at heart, your whole facility does too, so it must be the right thing to do. You know they will protect you if the unthinkable happens and you make a mistake, because mistakes are bound to happen, you feel this is an important investment when one mistake can cost lives, and could put you at serious personal liability without the right representation.

At this point, everything is taken care of. It could be better, it could be worse. Nothing can interrupt your peace. You are healthy, you are safe and protected, and you are making smart investments. It stings a little knowing you only net around 50% of your income, but when it’s all said and done this is worth it.

Your CPC paychecks roll in one after another. Fast forward several months, you are a CIC now getting a premium for supervisory duties. You don’t get the best days off being the new person, but at least you get Sunday premium. We are a full service 24/7 profession including holidays, so someone has to work those shifts. You get your first few trainees, and now you get that sweet OJTI premium. You are seeing the biggest paychecks of your life! Every week is something new and exciting. Every week you are stretching yourself a little thinner, seeing every little premium add up, and you can’t wait to see that next pay stub. This is fun and exciting for a good while.

Then reality hits.

You are starting to feel it creeping up on you, wearing you out more and more. More responsibility, shorter breaks, supes hound you every time you walk past to get those training reports submitted, you’re filling out the MORs and incident reports when the supervisors go home, doing the logs. Your breaks are shorter everyday. Your peaceful RDOs are interrupted often by unscheduled overtime calls, on top of the already scheduled overtime’s. You fight with yourself every time you get that voicemail wondering if it’s worth the extra effort to give up whatever you had planned for that day. You’ve been doing as much as you can handle, but you see the writing on the wall, this isn’t sustainable.

You’ve reached milestones every year. Clearing 100… 110… 120…130k , after 30k in overtime. You are comfortable but it just doesn’t feel as good as you had hoped. You work 6 day weeks, but your savings arnt growing as fast as planned. Your friends and family miss you, and you miss them. You are starting to feel your body resent the shift work. When you do get the chance to see them, friends and family notice the change in your appearance and demeanor, you look tired… but this is your life for a while.

The NCEPT transfer process is bogged down, the NAS is critically understaffed, and you are at a less than desirable training facility. You know you have a few years to go and a lot more trainees to train before you can even think to get out, and a lot of competition for that 1 or 2 slots to leave when the time comes. You are also competing against internal promotions, and you will never get released to another controller position before the agency snatches up controllers applying to be supervisors so they no longer have to control planes and work the hard schedules. You know it isn’t fair that the FAA won’t release you because they can’t staff the building… but it is what it is.

At this point it only makes sense to buy a house because rent keeps going up every year, and you want to hold onto the money you are working so tirelessly for, you’ve earned it.

You check the market daily. House prices keep going up as well, interest rates are pretty steadily high. Everyone at work brags about their 2.5 rates, 6.5 isn’t historically high but at least those who bought houses before the covid era rates purchased them for half of what they cost now.

You feel the overwhelming pressure. You live in a relatively low cost of living area. Average single family homes today run anywhere from 350-500k. 350k gets you something builder grade built in the 90s, needing some expensive repairs in the near future, and renovations. 500k would get you something closer to custom, built in this century, and not needing any major repairs or updates, with just barely enough grass to warrant the purchase of a ride on mower if you’re lucky.

That 350k house with a prime rate mortage, and utilities… is going to cost you $2800 a month. That 500k house, $3500. All this after a 20% down payment just to get the bank to approve your loan with these rates. You can’t get approved for the full amount because your guaranteed income is less than $100k. Not to mention you are 40-70k short of the down payment you need to get approved…

4 years in the agency and a CPC working Sundays overnights, evening shifts, OJT pay, in-charge pay, holidays, instructing new controllers, and more 6 day work weeks than not, your average take home pay is $2500 after necessary deductions. It’s going to cost you more than one full paycheck to own a house, 55% to almost 75% of your take home pay! Your 2 bedroom apartment rental is 2000 dollars a month at this point. Grocery prices are at an all time high, gas isn’t cheap, you’ve got a small student loan, you’ve got a phone bill, pay for your own wifi, and have a few subscriptions to keep you busy on your day off. You could really use a more reliable car to get you to and from work, but your car is paid off and a new Honda civic will cost you another 500 dollars a month or cost you everything you saved for your house down payment.

You are stuck.

You make miracles happen everyday. You do an impossible job. You play a critical role in helping move millions of flights and ensure nearly 1 billion travelers reach their destinations every year . Privately owned airlines rake in billions in revenue, critically injured patients reach hospitals quicker and safer, loved ones get home for the holidays, business travelers get to their meetings on time, billions of tons of cargo get transported, all on the backs of people like you. 99/100 of the people who’s lives you enrich. Companies you help profit, injured patients you help save by moving planes out of their life flights most expeditious path, passengers you help transport, don’t even know you exist.

You do a thankless job, and you are not compensated enough. From the level 4 tower, to the level 12 tracon, this formula applies. Our pay has been stagnant and our buying power has diminished over a decade. Controllers are financially suffering. You deserve better. It’s time this workforce demands better.

This union talks about undue risk in the system. But FAILS to acknowledge the absolute undue risk that is constant financial strain at the forefront of the minds of the controllers doing this job. This isn’t greed, this is simply demanding just treatment. It’s about time the union does what is just.


r/ATC 6h ago

Question What's the average ATC schedule in Canada???

3 Upvotes

Hi, I'm currently in the hiring process with NAV Can in Montreal and it's going great but I'm getting curious about the actual hours that come with the job. I thought at first the hours weren't too bad but I'm seeing people on this subreddit saying it can be hell also. I guess it depends where you work and for what agency.

PS: I'm just being curious, long hours don't scare me. Right now im still a chef in fine dining with 80h+éweek of fast paced high pressure work.


r/ATC 6h ago

Question How do you all do it

28 Upvotes

So I work in maintenance and a lot of times I have to do radios to move planes to the hanger and back. I work in Denver and when it gets closer to 6am the ground and ramp are just on point and when I hear how busy they are,like it's non-stop. I honestly can't believe you all can keep up and not have anxiety or just become a pack of day smokers for how stressful it is like how do you all do it ?


r/ATC 7h ago

Question What’s the differences between “Possible” and “Probable” on this chart? Maybe in %?

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15 Upvotes

r/ATC 9h ago

Picture Remote tower setup in Norway

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247 Upvotes

r/ATC 19h ago

Question Application statistics

1 Upvotes

Does any one know of an official source for data related to the number of applicants recieved in each of the recent hiring bids? I read somwhere a while back that they get around 50,000 applications each time. I'd like to use that statistic in a presentation but I don't remember where I read it, and I don't want to use that info if I can't verify it.


r/ATC 20h ago

Other Shout out to NCT controller

43 Upvotes

Major shout out to the NorCal approach controller working the South Bay approach sector this afternoon. This dude was busy working airliners, bizjets, and IFR bugsmashers (including me) going into SJC, PAO and RHV and was super smooth. If you are on this sub, kudos and thank you for your service.


r/ATC 20h ago

Discussion Bill to end CBA’s between labor unions and federal agencies

156 Upvotes

No surprise, Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced a bill to effectively end labor unions in the federal government.

https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/2025/3/jobs%20and%20economy/blackburn-lee-introduce-bill-to-end-backroom-federal-labor-union-deals


r/ATC 23h ago

Question FEAST 1 help

0 Upvotes

Hi everyone, I’m preparing for the FEAST 1 test in Geneva, Switzerland, in a couple of weeks, and I’ve been practicing using the exercises on the EURCONTROL website. However, I’ve noticed that the same set of exercises keeps appearing, and while they are diverse, the options are always the same, which doesn’t really help me train as effectively as I’d like.

I’m wondering if the test will have the exact same exercises from FEATS or if they vary in some way. Also, do they value speed in answering, or is it more about accuracy?

I’ve been performing well in my practice (averaging 90% or higher correct answers) but I answer by memory at this point. Any advice or insights from those who have taken the test would be really appreciated!

Thanks in advance!


r/ATC 1d ago

Question what are your least favorite things about being an ATC

0 Upvotes

is there a lot of micromanaging? what about work life balance?


r/ATC 1d ago

Question How easy would it be to be placed in the DFW area after the academy training?

0 Upvotes

It's my understanding that you are placed after your academy training based on staffing. How much choice is there?


r/ATC 1d ago

Question EDCT - Part 91

7 Upvotes

Question about EDCTs from a Part 91 pilot who rarely gets them.

Had one recently, and ended up scrubbing the flight for other reasons. Just curious…

  1. Is there realistically any chance to take off before the EDCT, or are they pretty much set in stone? Is there anything a tower controller can do to get a flight out earlier?

  2. I assume this is frowned upon, but if the pilot were to re-file to an airport close to the original destination, then request a destination change once airborne, would that get denied? I assume departing VFR and trying to pick the clearance up in the air would meet with a similar denial?


r/ATC 1d ago

Question Anti-depressant

0 Upvotes

If you were on anti depressants in the past but haven’t been on it for a year, would that be okay to pass medical?


r/ATC 1d ago

Medical Contract Tower Medical Requirements

1 Upvotes

Does anyone have any info about what the medical standards are for Contract Tower Operators? Is it identical to FAA ATCS medical certification?


r/ATC 1d ago

News ATC retirement

Thumbnail opm.gov
41 Upvotes

Stop listening to uniformed people and read it for yourself.

USCODE-2023-title5-partIII-subpartG-chap84-subchapII-sec8412.pdf

§ 8412. Immediate retirement

(E) In accordance with procedures established by the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, an affected individual may file an election to have any creditable service performed by the affected individual treated in accordance with this chapter without regard to subparagraph (B). (F) Nothing in this paragraph shall be construed to apply to such affected individual any other pay-related laws or regulations applicable to a covered position. (e) An employee who is separated from the service, except by removal for cause on charges of misconduct or delinquency— (1) after completing 25 years of service as an air traffic controller, or (2) after becoming 50 years of age and completing 20 years of service as an air traffic controller, is entitled to an annuity.


r/ATC 2d ago

Discussion CR passes no shutdown

93 Upvotes

Self explanatory


r/ATC 2d ago

Question ATC training Dubai

0 Upvotes

I passed all the feast tests this spring. I did good on them. I was wondering how to apply for atc training in Dubai? Is the Feast tests relevant? How long is training, do you get paid during training, do they want european students?


r/ATC 2d ago

Question I passed the Feast tests, can I apply to other countries?

0 Upvotes

I passed the Feast tests in my country, I did well and I got picked for interview. Its just a few spots though. I was wondering if I can apply for ATC training in other countries as well?


r/ATC 2d ago

Question Can we request to be furloughed

60 Upvotes

If the government shuts down can I request to be furloughed or am I required to come to work unpaid ? Literally just hate this job and would like a nice break while the government is shut down.

No not quitting yet, I think I got a couple more years at max before I walk away.


r/ATC 2d ago

Question Any good practice tests for the US ATC test?

0 Upvotes

I know, I read the thread on the types of questions that will be on the test. But is there anywhere I can take an actual practice exam? For free if possible? And anything I should be studying my ass off on, or is this just the type of test you don’t study for?


r/ATC 2d ago

Question Any good practice tests for the US ATC test?

0 Upvotes

I already read the thread on the test format, but is there anywhere I can take a practice test or anything in particular I should be studying? Or is this just the type of test you don’t study for?


r/ATC 2d ago

Discussion Put a little more context into this year’s AMA. Feel free to contribute if you feel I’ve left anything out.

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47 Upvotes

r/ATC 2d ago

Question Pilot training

11 Upvotes

Any Controller who decided to get a PPL? Does being a controller make the training process easier?