Air Traffic Controllers' Salaries

Air Traffic Controllers' Salaries

On 08.12.10, In General, by Wayne Farley

Government officials in Spain are calling Spanish air traffic controllers’ salaries ‘millionaire salaries’ as they announced plans to cut cost in that sector. Usually, air traffic controllers, salaries and millionaire are not bundled together in the same sentence.

Government officials in Spain are calling Spanish air traffic controllers’ salaries ‘millionaire salaries’ as they announced plans to cut the cost of its loss-making state-operated Aeropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aérea (AENA). Usually, air traffic controllers, salaries and millionaire are not bundled together in the same sentence so I had to investigate.

It was revealed that some Spanish air traffic controllers were earning as much as 10 times more than the Prime Minister and 50 times the average Spanish worker salary. Spain’s Prime Minister receives an annual salary of around 92,000 euros, while the average worker earns less than 18,000 euros per year. Here’s what an audit of the controllers’ salaries in 2009 revealed:

• 10 earned between 810,000 and 900,000 euros,
• 226 earned between 450,000 and 540,000 euros,
• 701 earned between 270,000 and 360,000 euros, and
• the average basic salary is 200,000 euros but most double or triple this amount by working overtime.

These Spanish controllers are perhaps the poster boys and girls of this profession. Air traffic controllers everywhere dream of this sort of wages. Personally, I am happy to know that somebody somewhere has acknowledged the worth of air traffic controllers and was prepared to reward them accordingly.

Moving on, it should be noted here that air traffic controlling is perhaps the most stressful job on Earth, earning the title for the snap decisions that are constantly being made to ensure safety in the busy skies above us. We do not have the luxury of second guessing our decisions, and instructions given to pilots must be correct 100 percent of the times. Anything short of this could result in deadly consequences.

So what do the Spanish controllers give in return for their wages? Controllers work 12-hour days made up of two four-hour shifts and two, two-hour rest periods. According to the Spanish government, most do an average of 1,200 hours with 400 hours overtime a year. They must have a degree, speak good English and pass a medical examination. Pretty routine stuff, however, I think the daily hours are way too long, and can give way to fatigue.

By comparison, British air traffic controllers are paid £60,000 to £90,000, U.S. controllers make $90 to $160,000, and the French controllers take home €110,000. That said, I am too ashamed to say what controllers in this part of the world take home.

What salary would be enough to keep you quiet in your profession? Controllers and non-controllers can weigh in here.

Credit: WayneFarleyAviation.com/

13 Characteristics of an Air Traffic Controller

13 Characteristics of an Air Traffic Controller

On 09.07.10, In Human Factors, by Wayne Farley

Air traffic controllers are super humans. Well, almost. Akin to the stripes on a tiger, here are a handful of characteristics that air traffic controllers must possess in order to keep aircraft safe in the skies.

Air traffic controllers are super humans. Well, almost. How else are these professionals able to maintain safety and order in the increasingly busy skies above us? Sure enough, there are tools to help get the job done, but the human element is an important piece of the puzzle and cannot be ignored. Here are a handful of characteristics that air traffic controllers must possess [like the stripes on a tiger] in order to succeed at what they do:

1. Spatial awareness – the ability to mentally build a three dimensional picture of where each aircraft is relative to the others and to foresee any potential conflicts is one of many characteristics an air traffic controller must possess.
2. Simultaneous capacity – multitasking ranks in the top tier of characteristics that air traffic controllers must possess. Reading instruments, transmitting or receiving and writing simultaneously are just part of the routine of controllers on duty. [Can you rub your tummy and pat your head?]
3. Excellent memory – the task of controlling aircraft requires air traffic controllers to remember both distant and recent events, even thought these may be aided by memory joggers. The multiplicity of air traffic control tasks competing for attention can easily interfere with one’s ability to remember. [Controllers are the elephants of the human race]
4. Respect for authority and the rules – aviation is a highly regulated industry, which requires adherence to maintain safety. Regulations are the products of many years of industry experience and conventional wisdom and are undoubtedly superior to any single person’s judgment. Having respect for these will be a controller’s greatest asset. [I can almost hear someone saying “that” is a stupid rule]
5. Making decisions under pressure – air traffic controllers must think faster than an aircraft can fly if they are to keep safety in the air. Decisions cannot be postponed when working live traffic traveling at speeds as much as 8 miles a minute. Every wasted minute brings conflicting aircraft dangerously close to one another.
6. Exercising effective personal authority – the word “control” can only have meaning if air traffic controllers exercise their authority effectively. Being resolute earns a controller respect and gives pilots confidence in his/her ability. [This is not an excuse to exclaim “shut up”]
7. Paying attention to details – “never assume, determine” is a phrase that air traffic controllers have repeatedly heard, and is synonymous with getting the details right. Like making quick decisions, the lack or wrong assumption of some detail can lead to dire consequences.
8. Visual-motor coordination – try playing a video game without this ability… the result will be a resounding defeat. Controlling air traffic is like a complex video game, except that real lives and millions of dollars worth of aircraft are involved. Radar controllers and aerodrome controllers particularly must rely of visual-motor coordination for observing traffic and issuing instructions accordingly.
9. Teamwork skills – a chain is as strong as its weakest link. That said, air traffic controllers must work together like the proverbial chain to maintain the safe and orderly flow of traffic. One blunder in the order can replicate itself throughout the chain. The defense mechanism in place, however, is often sufficient to stymie the development of any problems.
10. Tolerance to frustration – this is easier said than done, but controllers cannot allow extraneous issues to interfere with their performance. When a controller enters an ATC unit, he must check all annoyances at the door if he is to carry out the exacting tasks ahead on his watch.
11. Emotional stability – emotions almost always clouds one’s judgment, and air traffic controllers must keep these at bay. Like frustrations, emotions must be checked at the door.
12. Willingness to accept criticism – an observer on the outside looking in is likely to be at an advantage, and criticism of from him/her should be accepted. It is likely that controllers can achieve the same objective using different methods, so it is wise to accept other points of view. [hmmm…controllers are gods unto themselves]
13. Resistance to boredom – boredom leads to complacency. [no more explanation needed here]

The list of characteristics is by no means exhaustive, so tell me what are some other characteristics that an air traffic controller must possess.

Credit: WayneFarleyAviation.com

How to prepare for a career in air traffic control

How to prepare for a career in air traffic control

On 03.01.16, In General, by Wayne Farley

Want to be an air traffic controller? Here is a list of recommended reading material for candidates worldwide who want to make ATC a career.

Over the years, I have been asked by candidates for the ATC career worldwide for advice on how to prepare for the profession. Conventional wisdom suggests that knowledge is power, so my advice would simply be to read as much aviation related materials that you can access.

At the time that I joined the ATC profession, there were not many resources available and access to the internet was not as common as it is today. That said, potential candidates for the ATC profession today literally have power at the fingertips.

To get started, here are a few things that I recommend you learn about while you wait to begin your ATC journey:

1. Aircraft – like the words sheep and furniture, aircraft is both singular and plural. I may be prepared to give people who are not a part of the aviation fraternity a break if they say aircrafts. It is however annoying to hear it coming from the mouth of someone that is already in the aviation profession. While we are on the subject, learn about the classification of aircraft. Aircraft classification is contained in ICAO Annex 7: Aircraft Nationality and Registration Marks.
2. ICAO – the International Civil Aviation Organization is the world’s governing body for all civil aviation matters. It is important to learn the history and workings of this body. Countries that are members of ICAO are referred to as contracting states and aviation legislation, regulations and procedure manuals are largely based upon ICAO’sstandards and recommended practices (SARPS).
3. Phonetic alphabet – the words that are used in voice communication to enunciate each letter of the alphabet. For example, an aircraft with registration XA-BCD would be referred to in voice communications as xray alpha bravo charlie delta. The alphabet is contained in ICAO Annex 10, Volume II, Chapter 5.
4. 4-letter airport indicators – ICAO has developed a uniform standard for identifying airports around the world. These indicators are based on the geographical location. In the USA, for example, all airports that have been assigned a location indicator begin with the letter K. John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York is therefore KJFK. It would be helpful to learn the indicators for the airports in your country and those international location indicators that aircraft operate into from your country. The document that these are contained in is titled Location Indicators, Doc. 7910.
5. Aircraft type designators – similar to the location indicators, ICAO has developed a uniform standard for identifying aircraft. These designators have a maximum of four alpha-numeric characters. The designator for a Boeing 737-800 aircraft is B738 and a Citation X is C750. It would be helpful to learn the designators for those aircraft that are common in your jurisdiction. The document that these are contained in is titled Aircraft Type Designators, Doc. 8643.
6. Abbreviations and codes – the abbreviations and codes that are used in aviation are contained in ICAO Doc. 8400. The abbreviations and codes contained therin are for worldwide use in the international aeronautical telecommunication service and in aeronautical information documents, as well as uniform abbreviated phraseology for use in pre-flight information bulletins and ATS data link communications.
7. Phraseology – there are some basic words and phrases that are used in voice communications that are important to learn. One such word is Roger which means “I have received all of your last transmission.” This list is contained in ICAO Annex 10, Volume II, Chapter 5.
8. Navigation aids – there are a number of navigation aids including VOR, ILS, GNSS, RADAR, and ADS-B. It would be useful to learn how these work and together with any other kind of navigational aids that are in use in your country.
9. Theory of flight – if you are to control aircraft, it is essential to learn how flight is sustained. What are the four forces acting on an airfoil? This is just one of many questions that will be answered when you read up on the subject.
10. Air accident investigations – there are many YouTube videos that you can watch to give you the awareness of the chain of actions that can lead to an incident or accident. Amongst the things that you will gain an insight into are how be behave as humans (Human Factors) and how to mitigate risks.

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it offers you a fair idea of the journey that you are about to embark upon. If you find any interesting other stuff during your research, please feel free to share.

Credit: WayneFarleyAviation.com

NEWS ARE UPDATED !!!

News for week 9 already been updated...

NEWS ARE UPDATED !!!

News for week 8 already been updated...

AVIATION MOVIES ALREADY UPDATED !!!

I just updated with the latest movie I had watch: Sully. The details about movie and trailer.

A MOVIE REVIEW: SULLY

"Sully" official poster

Just now, I just went to saw movie which titled "Sully" in nearby cinema with some of my classmates. Right now, I want to make my first review to aviation movie. Start right now, first this movie is not tragedy or disaster genre movie. For who would seen it as these type of genre, you guys must be very disappointed. So, am I. I still remembered first time I saw its trailer, I thought it is tragedy movie. But it is not, it is totally a drama type of movie. The storyline is always being around the investigation after the incident. The movie also really described how the captain's emotion and feeling after the incident and during NTSB investigate his case. The movie also represented back what is the point of New York's citizens toward Captain and this incident. I can say that this movie doesn't has so much climax where will let you feel panic and afraid. This movie was shoot with recall techniques. There are a few scene of the captain recall back his memory to the process of incident before incident happened. The movie also bring how the captain and first officer take care with each other when the investigation towards them are on-going. The investigation of NTSB started with all evidences are not bring benefits to them but the captain managed to bring victory to them with one important factor in the incident, human factor. The movie ended with happy ending. If you ask me about the scene that I like the most in the movie is in the ending, which captain managed to bring the benefit evidence to him and first officer when they in the NTSB investigation. The scene that let me remembered the most is the really Captain Sully reunion with the passengers and cabin crews after a few year. They become like friends and families after the incident. If the rating is from 0 to 5.0, I will give this movie with the rating of 4.5. That's all for my review.

Tom Hanks as Captain Sully 

Captain Sully

One of  the scenes in the movie

Youtube Trailer

Movie Details

On Jan. 15, 2009, Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger (Tom Hanks) tries to make an emergency landing in New York's Hudson River after US Airways Flight 1549 strikes a flock of geese. Miraculously, all of the 155 passengers and crew survive the harrowing ordeal, and Sullenberger becomes a national hero in the eyes of the public and the media. Despite the accolades, the famed pilot now faces an investigation that threatens to destroy his career and reputation.

Release date: September 9, 2016 (USA)

Director: Clint Eastwood

Distributed by: Warner Bros.

Music by: Christian Jacob

Produced by: Clint Eastwood, Frank Marshall

Notes: This is totally my own opinion to this movie. I doesn't mean to offense anyone if anyone don't agree with my point...