Air Traffic Controller
An Air Traffic Controller (ATC) is a professional responsible for ensuring the safety and efficiency of air traffic in and around airports. They guide aircraft during all phases of flight, from departure to arrival, and coordinate movements on the ground, including managing emergency vehicles and airport logistics. ATCs work in complex environments, typically in rotating shifts at airport towers or control centers, using radar screens and radio communications to monitor and direct flights. Their decision-making is critical, especially given the high volume of air traffic and the need to adapt to changing weather conditions.
Air traffic controllers typically hold a bachelor's degree or equivalent experience and must complete specialized training programs, such as the FAA Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative. The profession can be highly stressful due to the need for constant vigilance and quick decision-making but offers competitive salaries and opportunities for career advancement. As air traffic is projected to increase, the demand for controllers may not grow proportionally due to advancements in safety technology. Overall, ATCs play a vital role in maintaining the operational integrity of the aviation industry, ensuring the safety of millions of travelers daily.
Air Traffic Controller
Snapshot
Career Cluster(s): Transportation, Distribution & Logistics
Interests: Monitoring planes, making decisions quickly, juggling many tasks, gathering information, communicating with others
Earnings (Yearly Median):$132,250 per year $63.58 per hour
Employment & Outlook: 1% (Little or no change)
Entry-Level Education Associate's degree
Related Work Experience None
On-the-job-Training Long-term on-the-job training
Overview
Sphere of Work.Air traffic controllers regulate air traffic in and around airports for the purposes of safety and efficiency. Some air traffic controllers monitor planes while in flight, guiding them to airports, assigning landing strips, and directing them to the proper terminals. Others oversee the entire air traffic control system from a monitoring center in Virginia. Air traffic controllers make quick decisions about information gathered from radar screens to coordinate with pilots, regional traffic control centers, and ground crews and ensure the safe and efficient movement of air traffic throughout geographical sectors. They also manage the airport’s ground traffic, including emergency vehicles, luggage and fuel trucks, and taxiing planes.
Work Environment. Air traffic controllers generally work a forty-hour week in rotating shifts at airports of all sizes. Major and regional airports, as well as the towers in which controllers work, are extremely busy and complex environments, with many flights arriving and departing during a typical day. The constant activity and decision making required can place a great deal of stress on air traffic controllers, as they are expected to keep traffic flowing efficiently and safely in all weather conditions, day and night. Most air traffic controllers never see the planes they are working, relying instead on radar screens and radio communication to guide planes into and out of airports.
The majority of air traffic controllers work for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or the Department of Defense, although some work at smaller, private airports as well.
Occupation Interest. Air traffic controllers are essential to modern air travel, and those who work at major international airports are responsible for the safety of hundreds of flights per day as well as the safety of millions of travelers, airport visitors, and personnel. The daily life of air traffic controllers is rarely boring—these individuals are constantly monitoring flights and ground activities. Furthermore, air traffic controllers enjoy highly competitive salaries to compensate for the stress inherent to their jobs and have opportunities for advancement. Although the total amount of air traffic is expected to rise sharply, air traffic controller job openings are not expected to increase at the same rate, as planes are being developed with new safety technologies.
A Day in the Life—Duties and Responsibilities. The daily tasks of air traffic controllers vary based on the particular area in which they are working. For example, terminal controllers monitor and manage all planes traveling in an airport’s airspace, while ground controllers manage all plane and vehicle movement on the tarmac. Radar controllers, meanwhile, only use radar screens to monitor air traffic, while tower flight data controllers use a series of computer programs to sequence flight arrivals and departures. Meanwhile, tower flight data controllers receive flight plans and enter them into the airport’s computer records for use by other air traffic controllers and tower personnel. TRACON (terminal radar approach control room) controllers do not work in control towers but direct air traffic from remote terminals.
In general, air traffic controllers maintain and operate a vast network within the airport and its airspace. They coordinate with planes both on the ground and in flight, issuing meteorological reports, receiving and relaying emergency information, offering guidance on altitude changes, clearing takeoffs and landings, and directing alternate routes. They also coordinate with regional air traffic centers, handing off and receiving flights from those centers as flights enter and leave their airspace. As required by federal law, air traffic controllers conduct frequent inspections of airport systems, such as radar and lighting equipment, and maintain detailed logs and records of daily activities and events.
Occupations Specialties
Air-Traffic Control Specialists, Tower (193.162-018). Air-Traffic Control Specialists, Tower control the air traffic within the vicinity of the airport. They issue instructions to landing and departing planes.
Air-Traffic Control Specialists, Center (193.162-018). Air-Traffic Control Specialists, Center direct air traffic operating under instrument flight rules beyond airport control tower areas and between tower jurisdictions.
Air-Traffic Control Specialists, Station (193.162-014). Air-Traffic Control Specialists, Station receive and transmit flight plans, meteorological, navigational and other information in an air traffic control station to perform preflight service for airplane pilots.
Chief Controllers (193.167-010). Chief Controllers coordinate and supervise the activities of air-traffic controllers in traffic control towers and centers.
Dispatchers (912.167-010). Dispatchers authorize, regulate, and control commercial airline flights according to government and company regulations.
Work Environment
Immediate Physical Environment. Air traffic controllers work in airport towers or at offsite control facilities (since many airports do not have control towers) and centers. These environments are highly complex, with many individuals acting independently yet cooperatively to manage a large number of flights as they enter and depart the airport’s vicinity. The intensity of such environments can be both exhausting and stressful.
Human Environment. Air traffic controllers work regularly with other airport personnel, flight crews, and government officials. They consistently maintain contact with incoming and outgoing pilots and flight crews, regional air traffic personnel, and ground crews. Air traffic controllers also work with emergency personnel.
Technological Environment. Air traffic controllers must work with computers and sophisticated electronic equipment, including radar-based tracking and guidance systems and multi-center traffic management software. They should also be skilled in the use of communications systems, including high-frequency, ultra high-frequency, and very high-frequency radios. They should be capable of using a wide array of guidance systems, including distance-measuring equipment and the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS).
Education, Training, and Advancement
High School/Secondary. High school students should study mathematics, including algebra and geometry. They will also need training in physics, electronics, and computer science. Because communication is so crucial to an air traffic controller’s job, courses that build this skill are very important.
Postsecondary. Competition for air traffic controller positions is intense. Air traffic controllers are generally required to have completed four years of undergraduate study and/or three years of related work experience. Civilian air traffic controllers must also complete a FAA Air Traffic Collegiate Training Initiative (AT-CTI) program (two- and four-year aviation and air traffic control programs), which are offered at over two dozen accredited schools. Upon completion of these programs, candidates who pass the Pre-Employment Test and meet all other standards may be selected to attend an intensive twelve-week FAA Academy program. Aspiring military air traffic controllers will need to complete similar Department of Defense training programs.
Related Occupations
Bibliography
"Air Traffic Controllers." Occupational Outlook Handbook. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 6 Sept. 2023, www.bls.gov/ooh/transportation-and-material-moving/air-traffic-controllers.htm. Accessed 9 Sept. 2023.