Criteria: Worn by Air Traffic Controllers (AC) with ranks from Petty Officer 3rd Class (E-4) to Petty Officer 1st Class (E-6). Air Traffic Controllers are responsible for the flow of air traffic by directing aircraft.
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There are three types of air traffic controllers. These are tower controllers, terminal controllers and en route controllers. The diagram below shows who is in control at various stages of flight.
A GS-11 and higher Air Traffic Control Specialist is a graduate of a formal DoD/DOT basic air traffic control course and will obtain and maintain facility-ratings in dual ATC facilities (RFC/GCA/Radar Approach Control (RAPCON)/Control Tower).
Duties. Air traffic controllers typically do the following: Monitor and direct the movement of aircraft on the ground and in the air. Control all ground traffic at airport runways and taxiways. Issue takeoff and landing instructions to pilots.
Being an air traffic controller is an extremely high-stress job, with workers responsible for the movement and direction of thousands of lives onboard commercial and general aviation aircraft every day.
Air Traffic Controller Pay DistributionThe average pay for an Air Traffic Controller is $138,492.60. The highest paid Air Traffic Controller made $219,776 in 2022.
The need for air traffic controllers is expected to grow in the coming years, providing job security and stability. Good earning potential. Air traffic controllers are well-compensated for their work, with the median annual salary being around $122,990 according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
But it can also be a high-stress job, and becoming an air traffic controller involves a grueling training process that can typically take between 18 months and three years. The training requires a series of tests, skills assessments, and both physical and psychological exams.
How much does an Air Traffic Controller make in New York, NY? The average Air Traffic Controller salary in New York, NY is $99,691 as of September 25, 2023, but the salary range typically falls between $81,681 and $122,710.
Although air traffic controllers may not get free flights like flight attendants do, they still have attractive employee benefits. For example, their employers often give them permanent discounts which they can use to buy tickets and other products that the airport or a specific airline carries.
And then there's the issue of age: In the US, air traffic controllers are required to retire at the age of 56, and the FAA won't hire anyone older than age 31, because they want candidates to have at least a 25-year career path. “We have 1,200 fewer air traffic controllers today than we had 10 years ago,” says Freeman.
Because air traffic control facilities operate 24 hours per day, they often work over 40 hours per week. Air traffic controllers are subject to federal regulations that require them to work shifts of 10 hours and take a minimum of nine-hour breaks between shifts.
Air traffic control is a high-pressure job that requires quick thinking and decision-making in high-stress situations. Demanding work schedules. Air traffic controllers often work long and irregular hours, including overnight and weekend shifts, which can be challenging for maintaining a work-life balance.
On average, air traffic controllers are paid six-figure salaries because the nature of the work is stressful, exhausting, and leaves no room for error. 2021 data from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the median salary of air traffic controllers per year is $129,750 / $62.38 per hour.
Work patternsTypically, controllers work on position for 90 to 120 minutes followed by a 30-minute break. Except at quieter airports, air traffic control is a 24-hour, 365-day-a-year job where controllers usually work rotating shifts, including nights, weekends, and public holidays.
When we fly, our personal safety and the safety of other people on the plane is always of paramount importance. That is precisely why pilots and air traffic controllers speak one common language worldwide – English. It makes perfect sense that pilots and controllers throughout the world speak the same language.
Currently in the U.S., the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) operates 22 ARTCCs. After the 1956 Grand Canyon mid-air collision, killing all 128 on board, the FAA was given the air-traffic responsibility over the United States in 1958, and this was followed by other countries.
Air traffic controller is a six-figure job that doesn't require a four-year degree. People with this position are responsible for making sure that aircraft are operating at a safe distance from each other.