I’m a 737 pilot. Personally I don’t think I have what it takes to to be an air traffic controller. These men and women are a different breed. It may not sound great, but there’s a reason it’s there’s a high attrition rate. They keep us safe.

I'm an Air Traffic Controller up in Canada, I love it. I've been at the tower at YVR for 3 years now, I just turned 23. I got hired at 18 and spent 2 years doing training and on the job training. I am the youngest Air Traffic Controller at any major airport within Canada by about 9 years. My salary is fantastic, I am able to comfortably support my wife and my step kids and we live downtown Vancouver, so I can take the Skytrain to work (Huge bonus about working at YVR). I wouldn't change it for the world.

I'm just happy they showed us the table-top training room. I remember visiting the FAA ATC academy as a kid back in 2011, and the concept of a bunch of grown adults playing with expensive small model planes while another group roleplay's as controllers in the ATC section of the room makes me chuckle even to this day.

The FAA's been on a 5-7 year to full staffing goal since 1981.

I live in OKC and visited that place. It will blow your mind about what you can see there.

ATC: All aircraft, switch to CTAF. Figure it out" Pilot: But, it's 11:30AM ATC: Figure it out.

In the 80's I wanted to become an air traffic controller. I was 29 when I took the test. Got an 80% without any preparation. The guy sitting next to me was an ex-military ATC and said he got a 97% the last time and still didn't get hired. He told me they won't call you unless you get 100%. Well, I'm too old now but already wanted to be in ATC.

Thank you traffic controllers. You guys are the best

What a change. I went thru ATC training in 1960.

30% wash out rate? That's incorrect. It's much much higher

I got stressed just watching this. I quit.

I had the chance to do this as a college elective. After a 30 min sim session you wanted to jump out of a window.

I’ll be going to Oklahoma City for training next month, I’m super excited

I’m praying I’m accepted this spring 😩 🙏🏽 Can I get a like for good luck? 👍🏽

When I went through we had 4/12 pass our enroute class. I saw wash rates when I was there in 2016/2017 more like 50%.

in okc right now at the academy for terminal its really interesting stuff. very challenging though!

And at night or when there's a little traffic they will only have one controller on who has to do everything from clearance to ground control to tower.

If they're not making 6 figures a year than it's not enough. With that many lives in their hands you make sure they're paid well and taken care of.

Mike Monroney aeronatical center. Me failed the screening process there in 1986, and it all looked quite different back then.

I would love this job but I am 44 and don’t meet their age requirements. Listen to LiveATC daily as a hobby and fly as a private pilot

I'll listen to liveatc while cycling to work to keep my mind occupied. Sometimes I'll sit on the lookout and planespot, just watching the chaos and trying to make sense of it. It started when I found Kennedy Steve's recordings 2 weeks ago. I know they were from years ago. I knew barely anything about the workings of an airport. In the past 2 weeks, I've memorized a good chunk of the terminology, and the taxiway layout simply so that I can understand the jokes, what the directions are, and picture what's going on. After a while, it became like listening to a program. you start to recognize the "characters." Steve trolling the tugs, his ongoing war with Ramp, and the pilots who get involved are just awesome. :D He always stayed professional and got the job done while adding levity to keep things calm. :) JetBlue, American, and British Airways had some of the best pilots with a sense of humor who enjoyed running with the jokes. I'm sure those encounters lightened up the air for them a bit to bring the stress down. :) This is no way I could do this job. I've wanted to become a pilot since I was a kid, but I can't do that either. It's not for lack of intelligence. I have a brain that runs on windows in a world that runs on Mac. a.k.a ADHD. Even though I'm a gamer, and I'm highly detail oriented - give me something to study and I will find every tiny detail about it - I can't retain a lot of information for long. Too much coming at me at once makes it nearly impossible to prioritize and I get overwhelmed. Full Respect to her and anyone who can be an ATC. You guys have a seriously stressful job. Thank you. :)

I just passed and I’m going to Boston center!

What an interesting in-depth look inside of the Academy

For simulation wonder if they use fsx or fs2020

I just applied for ATC 2 days ago. Hope and pray that I will get in

Wash out rate at the academy needs to be higher. We’re washing out 50% at our facility and that is a huge waste of time and money.

FAA needs to get rid of the maximum starting age. They're basically only hiring people in their mid 20s so their pool of potential employees is extremely limited.

Just because they’re “high demand”, doesn’t make it easy to get the job. The high stakes nature and low retention rate leads to a far more selective hiring process. I’ve been trying to get into it for 2 Years.

They forgot one key requirement: Be age 30 or under (on the closing date of the application period). If you’re over age 30, you’re SOL.

They should change the age limit to 35. I gained interest by the time I was too old to apply (32)

I’m 19 I’d like to learn what do I have to do?

How do you become an air traffic controller?

Iam sure they can tell who has played alot on the Vatsim Network on flightsim either as a controller or pilot. I've spent hundreds of hours on vatsim and honestly can't tell between real life atc and online atc it's so realistic.

As a college freshman pursuing a degree in air traffic control, there’s a possibility that college programs will be overhauled such that graduates will go straight to training at a tower instead of spending another year at the FAA academy.

To say they are a different bruised an understatement. 😆 I’m housing provider to these guys when they come to train in OKC. The funnest part is they are super intelligent but lack common basic common knowledge about so much. Simple things like left or right, east or west they are clueless. I offer private housing not shared. That definitely helps our students get through the academy, focus & cracks down on the potential for partying or goofing off.

I attempted to apply but was turned down because I was too old.

Pay them well!

I looked up how much they made and I was shocked. In one of the highest paying states California, they have a starting salary of $55 to $89,000 per year. Pay more and more people will actually stay in the career or be interested in it. All that stress is worth more money.

I am a vatsim controller and it is stressful. Not for me irl.

I love that college grads go straight to OJT. What degree do they need for that?

Ah yes… the PTSD lol

We're just gonna act like the OTS N90 courses didn't exist...

56 years old is quite young for mandatory retirement

Why is there a mandatory retirement age of 56 . that is so young? What is this 1925?

The WORST trainees I had were gamers. They had no ability to "think outside the box." They're creativity was lacking as they were used to operating within certain parameters. The only parameter in ATC is the individual aircraft performance and the rules. I'm just glad I was forced retired at 56. It was a great career and I had an absolute blast working LAX TRACON (now SCT) traffic!

"Pushing Tin"

It would help the whole country if every airline is forced to fly much bigger planes, less frequency. This way there is less planes in the sky with the same capacity, and its safer to fly with the amount of controllers now. Competition between airlines and routes has made many airlines have alot of frequency to many destinations, but smaller planes.

State & Federal Hiring is broken and outdated. The burn out rate and mental health side also not in the story.

Gen Z Air traffic controllers? No thanks! I will walk 😂

A role with little room for error. I guess a meteorologist wouldn’t stand a chance in this role if they decided to do something different.

I am a graduate of Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology with a Bachelors degree majoring in Airport Management with a minor in Air Traffic Control. I also got a Masters degree in Aviation and Aerospace Management. Graduated from Vaughn in 2014 and graduated from Purdue University in 2022. Since then I haven’t got a call from the FAA for the hiring process. Since I lost interest I have a better job working for Fedex. All I could say is that the FAA government hiring process is slow. The same goes for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and the airlines. A lot of people like my self have the education, start hiring us.

See ya

CPDLC get it done.

Video gme to the rescue

As a GA pilot we tend to pay close attention to ATC just in case they do make a mistake because we pay the price

They seriously limit themselves with a limit of not being older than 30 years old to apply

Just use AI the planes already land using ILS , gca, mls, gbas and other radar auto pilot systems

What's so stupid is the maximum hiring age. They will not hire retired military controllers on a permanent contract. There are literally thousands of us already qualified but they won't even talk to us. I'm 43. I could still have a full second career but NOOOO. I could go to the post office, I guess, but not the FAA.

They are using the same tech from the 60s. The private sector would solve this problem in a year.

Forced to retire at 56!?! Make it 60yrs old!!

Looks eas

“It takes more time to train to be a barber than it does to be an Air Traffic Controller.” Oh wait, people only make that false statement about police because they’re mad about a speeding ticket they got last year.

Expecting top safety and qualifications from an agency that thought changing Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) needed to be changed to Notice to Air Mission? I do believe their priorities are elsewhere.

I’ll get your more staff. Convince congress to waive the age requirements. I’m 37 and there’s no logical reason I shouldn’t be able to do this job, other than plain and simple age discrimination.

I thought AI was talking over these jobs and filling the gaps. Huh?🤔

Video games to the rescue once again and as always video game propelle tech and thus proppel humanity

All that stress and training to not even make $100k a year 💀

Where do they train the people who have mental disabilities, the blind, the deaf, and the other unqualified people in the name of “inclusion?”

March 1, 2024 Irene Imanil here to inform you that the latest airline travel of me was on November 19, 2019 originating from the island of Guam to Honolulu, HI. No airline travel since then. From now on, vett passengers travelling as Irene Imanil, Norma Laca, Orlando Imanil, Orly Imanil, Jonathan Imanil, Myra Imanil out of Imanil bloodline to cancel their trips. Something must be done even if rules of engagement amongst airline exist to allow thieves of our identities to ensure we're unblock from land bank money withdrawal, ownership of our real estate, and to ensure our long term survival. Because of monetary block, we are becoming slowly and surely poor, yet still strong but there is one fake Irene Imanil named Gloria Casupang Calimlim, backed by Clinton who want us dead. HI's holo (ro in other places) caused many of my nieces and nephews at least seriously wounded, much less death.

We need to take DEI as far away as possible for this job. Could you imagine wokies controlling our airspace?

Is the FAA liable for lawsuits flying illegals from other countries or illegals that have already crossed the border and flying them within the US

Underpaid and overworked horrible profession to get into

So 30% quit because they have to go to work and can’t pick their shift.

Mandatory retirement shouldn't be until the age of full social security benefits

A 30 percent washout rate means a poor selection process is used.

They can automate half of this work no problem just have a person double check for safety.

FAA traffic controllers work long shifts? No they don’t. They work a finite eight hour shift which includes breaks and lunch. Anyone who works beyond eight hours, up to 2 additional hours, is a journeyman and he/she compensated very well for that extra two hours of work in a day.

It is ok for a president to be 80 year old senile but have to retire ATC at 56 years old? Airline pilots are flying til 65 so why not controllers?

Democrats enforcing communist style racial and gender quotas would make Karl Marx proud

Too bad they age limit ATC or I’d love to join. :///

No offense but probably the FAA Air Traffic Control environment is toxic as well

Extend the mandatory retirement age!!!! This is not rocket science! I’m 63 in a very stressful IT career field and I can contest that I haven’t lost any mental capacity, but I have gained more experience!!!!! 56 is too young to force people out, especially when you are risking peoples’ lives by shorting facilities of needed controllers!!!!! Waiting 5-7 years to catch up is unacceptable!