Hiring Bid FAA-ATO-20-ALLSRCE-65607

[L2]

The low pass rate has absolutely no affect on you. I wouldn’t pay any attention to how other classes do, otherwise you’ll just psyche yourself out when the time comes. That’s my attitude towards it at least.

Definitely a good attitude to have

 

[spenguin]

Just got the email
En Route 9/3
I believe I fully cleared February 22nd

 

[Light chop]

Just got the email
En Route 9/3
I believe I fully cleared February 22nd

Whose your hr rep? I got an email about another drug test and verbally confirmed 9/3 today but no email yet.

 

[spenguin]

Whose your hr rep? I got an email about another drug test and verbally confirmed 9/3 today but no email yet.

CS
I didn't get a call and wasn't told anything about the drug test

 

[thouzenga]

I also got a call around 2:00 pm with a September 3rd en route start date. She let me choose between the 3 and 13th as well. HR rep DP and was cleared late February

 

[Light chop]

I also got a call around 2:00 pm with a September 3rd en route start date. She let me choose between the 3 and 13th as well. HR rep DP and was cleared late February

Welcome to the group! You get an email yet?

 

[TheHockeyGuyUND]

Was just told the next ATCS General Hiring announcement will be opening on July 30th and will close August 2nd

 

[thouzenga]

Welcome to the group! You get an email yet?

So far only email I got was a warning that my drug test is expired so I’ll have to retest. She said she’d be sending me more information within the week though

 

[Light chop]

So far only email I got was a warning that my drug test is expired so I’ll have to retest. She said she’d be sending me more information within the week though

Okay same. Just wanna make sure I don’t miss anything ?

 

[Twistedpixel7]

I'll agree with everyone else, if you know your phonetic alphabet backwards and forwards and in your sleep that's one less thing you need to worry about when you get there, and it's something you'll use for the rest of your career.

As for the rest of it, there's definitely "the Academy way" and there's definitely a lot in the .65 that won't make a lot of sense until you start applying it. If you're really desperate for something to do you could read Chapters 1 and 2 but I wouldn't recommend reading any more than that. They'll teach you what they want you to know when they want you to know it.

Speaking from experience, I would agree learn the phonetic alphabet and stop there. The way the .65 is worded can be misconstrued. Wait until you have an instructor that can explain any questions that you have.

 

[AClayton003]

My partner recently made it through the academy, and I just got my TOL! Essentially, it’s going to be one month of basics (online day shift), and then three months at the academy (rotating day and night shift). If you get enroute (chances are about 5:1) there will be 6 graded evaluations. Two controller knowledge tests, two aircraft knowledge tests, a non radar evaluation, and a radar evaluation. The points are heavily skewed toward the radar evaluation. I believe it comprises 60 of the total points needed to pass. The academic portions are weighted the least, and I think there were a total of 20 points up for grabs in the non radar portion. 70 points are needed to pass.

That being said, the academy is difficult. Two candidates in my partner’s class entered the radar evaluations in a good position to pass, and didn’t make it. We decided it would be best if I retained my job and held onto the lease while he was at the academy. I visited once about midway through the program. It’s difficult to be away, but with such a high fail rate it’s hard to justify uprooting everything until it’s a done deal.

Students usually receive the facility placement list the week of radar evaluations. So if you pass, you’ll spend the weekend after scrambling to research rental properties in new areas. There are several things to consider when picking facilities. It’s usually easier to transfer out of higher level facilities, but COVID drastically slowed the training rate at some of the upper level areas. We ended up choosing a lower level facility in a low cost of living area. However, my partner will mostly likely begin D side training in the next couple months, while some of his classmates are looking at sitting at graduate pay for nearly two years.

How would someone get stuck with graduate pay for 2 years?

 

[anustart]

How would someone get stuck with graduate pay for 2 years?

Training back log, some centers have D side classes backed up pretty dang well. You get your first raise after D1 which could take months- a year- a couple years depending on how well your centers training program is/ number of trainees there are ahead of you

 

[Pork-upine]

How would someone get stuck with graduate pay for 2 years?

There’s a backlog of trainees. Some facilities were already behind on training before COVID, so it just got way worse

 

[Jsybird2532]

Speaking from experience, I would agree learn the phonetic alphabet and stop there. The way the .65 is worded can be misconstrued. Wait until you have an instructor that can explain any questions that you have.

Is it worth learning morse code as well?

I know you need to know it for Commercial Pilot/IR (IE: for identifying VORs and such). Just wondering if controllers use it too.

Thanks!

 

[simoviator]

Is it worth learning morse code as well?

I know you need to know it for Commercial Pilot/IR (IE: for identifying VORs and such). Just wondering if controllers use it too.

Thanks!

Pilots don’t need to learn morse code. Each station has a unique morse pattern that is spelled out in dashes and dots on VFR/IFR charts & approach plates. You just read the dashes/dots on your chart and make sure the pattern you hear on the audio matches. Also, most modern avionics can identify stations on their own.

 

[Jsybird2532]

Pilots don’t need to learn morse code. Each station has a unique morse pattern that is spelled out in dashes and dots on VFR/IFR charts & approach plates. You just read the dashes/dots on your chart and make sure the pattern you hear on the audio matches. Also, most modern avionics can identify stations on their own.

Yeah but it's a pain to identify a VOR that way when you're flying without a copilot, I'd rather look at my instruments and the horizon than at the chart comparing dits and dashes to what I'm hearing ?.

Also you can't guarantee a rental plane has a radio/NAVAID system that completes the identification process automagically.

I guess the real question is, is it any bit useful to controllers?

 

[AllSeeingFry]

There's something called the Acadamy way. They want you to do things their way. You'll hear "this isn't how we do it in the real world, but this is how we do it here" or "this is a game, play by the rules" more than once.

Best thing to do before the academy IF you really want to do something is just learn about basic aviation stuff, basic pilot stuff, basic navigation and radios just to get familiar with terms. Also, phonetics and numbers if you don't know them yet.

Great advice, I spend a lot of time simming / controlling in-sim and I honestly made myself stop when I got my TOL. I need to relearn a lot when I get there lol

 

[Thugnasty]

Tomorrow is the day playboys, be prepared for the disappointment!

 

[dvinpayne]

Great advice, I spend a lot of time simming / controlling in-sim and I honestly made myself stop when I got my TOL. I need to relearn a lot when I get there lol

Same. Vatsim? One of the IRL controllers who also controlled in-sim with me recommended basically that move. Have fun with it before, but when you get serious stop doing anything controlling-related until you're CPC at your first facility so you don't bring any habits with you that might go against "their way".

 

[strawberrystyles]

Tomorrow is the day playboys, be prepared for the disappointment!

What's tomorrow?