interested in Air Traffic Control

[jmoran1097]

can anyone here shed some light on this job/A school other than the obvious functions of an ATC? curriculum involved and whatnot.

i'm strongly interested in pursuing this AFTER the navy as well.

[sailor_pianist]

can anyone here shed some light on this job/A school other than the obvious functions of an ATC? curriculum involved and whatnot.

i'm strongly interested in pursuing this AFTER the navy as well.


Hi,

I'm going into ATC as well in the Navy, and leave this June. I get most of my information about Military ATC from: www.stuckmic.com.

It contains forums and info about EVERYTHING ATC, and I'm sure will be of great help to you.

As for ATC, I notice it says you are already 24 going in. I'm the same age and in the same boat as you. If you leave for the Navy this year 2010, then you'll get out when you're 29 (after your 5-year commitment). This will give you two years to get hired by the FAA (I assume this is what you want to do after the Navy). You have to be hired by the FAA before you reach the age of 31, AND you must have a CTO and 52 weeks of consecutive ATC experience before you can apply under the Veteran's Announcement. Sometimes, if you're given ship duty in the Navy, you won't get a CTO (Control Tower Operator's) license and thus won't be eligible to work for the FAA as an air traffic controller or the Department of Defense as a controller. In order to select shore duty, you have to have a high GPA/class rank during A school, so study hard. If you finish first in your class, they'll allow you to pick first from the list of available orders.
Be sure to choose a NAS (Naval Air Station) to help ensure you get a CTO and the experience.

I hope to also work for the FAA when/if I get out of the Navy. The salary is great, but the training is hard.

Anyway, just check out the stuckmic site and learn everything you can about ATC before you go. Don't worry about school though, they'll spoon-feed you everything you need to know.

[jmoran1097]

thanks very much for all of this.

[sailor_pianist]

Were you able to get ATC guaranteed in your contract?

[billegoat]

Just curious - how did things work out for you two?

[VaBchMom]

Unfortunately things didn't work out.

[sailor_pianist]

Hi Billegoat,

Well, when I got to basic training, I found out that a heart surgery I had as a child disqualified me from being an AC in the Navy. The Navy had given me a waiver to join, but I guess my recruiters didn't realize I had to have a flight physical. The flight surgeon said that waivers were only granted to candidates who were already in, and since I was an initial candidate, I wasn't eligible for a waiver. I left because AC was really all I wanted to do, and wrote the FAA about the possibility of getting a waiver from them. They sounded positive, and I'm in the process of getting the necessary medical records/tests from my doctor to apply for the waiver. If I am granted the waiver, I'll be in a CTI school this fall so I can apply to the FAA through that route. I really want to do ATC, and I just hate it that I can't do it through the Navy, so I have to pay/go to school for it.


Could I keep in touch with you? I'm sure I'll have plenty of questions during school (if I'm cleared of course). :) Being a Chief, I'm sure you have no problem keeping em' separated.

[VaBchMom]

I'm glad to see you were able to answer him much better then I ever could. Good luck to you! :smile:

[Retired Navy Chief]

Master chief ... this young lady and her mom have both gone to great lengths over the past few months to get things straightened out. I advised them to pay the CMC and school's leadership a visit to try to get things ironed out ... which she did but still hit a brick wall.

I'm very proud of the persistance she has shown .... many others would've thrown their hands up and quit by now.

Cheers,
PISTOL

[sailor_pianist]

Just to give you all an update:

I went to an Aviation Medical Examiner yesterday and passed the physical. He said I should have no problems passing the FAA's Air Traffic Control physical. With that being said, I've decided to go back to school for Air Traffic Control. It'll only take me a year to complete the degree since I've already finished college, and afterward I'll apply to work with the FAA as a controller. I hate that I couldn't do it in the Navy. I guess their requirements are much more stringent than the FAA's even though they're essentially doing the same job. Anyhow, that's what's going on. I'll be in Georgia for school starting in April. When I finish, I know that I would like to enter either the Air National Guard or the Navy Reserves (I haven't decided yet).

[VaBchMom]

This is really great to hear and good luck with your future plans! :woohoo: