r/ATC

What's everyone's go-to stripmarking pen?

Brand?

0.5 or 0.7?

Gel or ballpoint?

Color?

I'm asking completely unironically.

I'm not autistic.

I am currently exploring potential career paths, and one profession that has particularly captured my interest is Air Traffic Control (ATC). Several of my aunts and uncles have worked in the field, and I have heard a variety of perspectives regarding the profession. One of my greatest concerns about pursuing this career is the possibility of making an error that could place others in danger. How common are situations in which a decision could have such serious consequences, and how difficult are those situations for air traffic controllers to manage?

If you had to make a checklist, what should be on it? I’m thinking taxi, takeoff, closed traffic, landing clearance, go around, and asking ATC to repeat.

Is there a set list of things that make you lose your medical ? If so where can I find it. Or is that something you just check with the flight surgeon

Hello!

When departing from a very busy Class Charlie airspace, departure likes to keep me on frequency for flight following for up to 30-40 miles, but frequently is too busy to provide traffic alerts. Is there a polite and professional way to request to switch over to center’s frequency for flight following services rather than staying with them and not getting proper attention or outright canceling

Thanks!

I've got a meeting with some of the big wigs and wanted y'all's input of how things went from your perspective. Any issues, coordination good or bad, shout outs, literally any feedback. Might be useful for the next large scale aviation event (pls God no). Happy 4th everyone! 200~ planes on display is no light work.

Looking for insight on the facility and surrounding area.

Apparently some facilities do things differently.

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Hi all! My name is Sam Ogozalek, I cover transportation policy for Politico, I posted here a few days back. Thought I would pass this along: I asked the FAA what, exactly, Administrator Bryan Bedford wants from NATCA as a condition for providing the pay raise in the DHS spending bill. Here’s what the agency said — it’s not too specific but is the most I’ve heard so far:

https://preview.redd.it/m3rcorytitah1.png?width=1384&format=png&auto=webp&s=497408755ba2d21de1838ea321fe3ee70981103b

Always happy to chat off-the-record via Signal: samogozalek.26. I appreciate your responses to my last post!

I was a former CPC at a level 7. I transferred to DoD and was a capped out 12 since like 2015. I recently went on a bit of a career “adventure” and wound up outside of ATC but still a federal employee with no breaks in service. I’m being brought back as an On-the-Spot hire to a level 5.

Here’s the scenario: when I transfer back to the FAA from my current agency will they start me as a D3 or at CPC pay? Yes I’ll be a CPC-IT but my highest previous rate (my GS 12 position) is higher than the top of the CPC pay at a level 5. So will they top me out at the top of the CPC pay band right at the beginning or start me at the top of the D3 and then once I cert bump me up to the top of the CPC pay? Or maybe they take my current pay which is lower than the top of the D3 and use that. In the past when I went from a GS11 to the FAA Level 7 where I got my CPC they matched my GS11 pay to start off.

Scenario 2:
I leave my agency as a resignation while I go through the process with the FAA. What pay do they set me at as basically a fed employee reinstate?

I’ve got a newborn and am trying to learn the trends of plane noise to help get him to sleep better.

I thought Logan avoids 33L overnight after the late evening push to clear out international departure. But last night there were quite a few 33L departures at 3am and 4:30am. These woke my baby up because I programmed the noise machine off from 1am to 6am.

Is this something I can predict and adjust sound machine levels for? Is noise abatement protocol not a guaranteed quiet time?

Edit: thank you so much for answering. this is really just looking for insight into how things operate, not complaining. I know I live near an international airport!

Does anyone know who that super nice lady is who works DFW ground/ tower? Always has the nicest tone and always says “Safe travels”

**edit: I did not. Am lowly AG and they gave the 1.6% upfront.

I just checked my Employee express. I just got my first D sides so I was going to see if it had applied, it has not but there is a line saying “contractual award” for $752 bringing my total check to $2,392 which is substantially more than I normally make. $752 is almost dead on my math for 2.8% dated back to January.

Just asking because if it’s an over payment I want them to take that shit back now and not when I’m dead broke in the future.

Anyone have the inside scoop on what is happening with the Alaska Flight Service Stations? That is a lot of locations to shut down over employee misconduct. Is this the end of Alaska Flight Services and these locations are going to be closed forever?

FAAO JO 7110.65 Para 5-5-4j

"TERMINAL. 2.5 NAUTICAL MILES SEPARATION IS AUTHORIZED BETWEEN AIRCRAFT ESTABLISHED ON THE FINAL APPROACH COURSE WITHIN 10 NAUTICAL MILES OF THE LANDING RUNWAY WHEN OPERATING IN FUSION OR SINGLE SENSOR SLANT PAGE MODE IF THE AIRCRAFT REMAINS WITHIN 40 MILES OF THE ANTENNA AND: ...etc"

Is this a sneaky new change? I work at a busy GA airport with a ton of practice approaches. Is this saying I don't need 3 miles any more?!

2.5 miles separation is a game changer!

If you transfer FAA to DOD and your pay transfers to step 10 of GS-10. Is the 5% Premium pay in that already or does it get added afterwards.

Example:
GS-10 step 10 in the SSR 35% table : $101,897

5% of $101,897 is $5094.85

So will the pay become $106,991? Or is the 5% included in the $101,897?

I am a trainee in Canada and I’m seeking input on how to best handle aircraft that go around unexpectedly? I am unsure what to say when Center (Moncton) gives me a heading to give the aircraft instead of doing the published missed approach. I don’t know a good time to tell the pilot the instructions before they start the published procedures…

Hello! I work in a high stress, almost 911 call center type of career and I love travel and have wanted to go into ATC for some time. To keep a long story as short as possible, I went through an abusive relationship with I was 17-19 and thought I had bipolar. I saw a clinical social worker once, basically knew all the symptoms I thought were bipolar and she diagnosed me with bipolar 2. I saw her once more and that was about it. The relationship ended and so did the “symptoms” any mental health professional I’ve seen since I advised I don’t think I actually have bipolar.

I reviewed my MyChart recently and noticed it was “resolved” a couple years back. I’m curious what y’all think my prospects are for ATC? Is there any way I can undergo a mental health test to prove I don’t actually have this and it was a misdiagnosis based on a situation I was in at the time?

Thanks for the help!