- Messages
- 104
- Facility
- SAN San Diego Tower
Here’s an update from myself, an unsuccessful C90 trainee.
This is a cautionary tale for anyone with no radar experience wanting to try their luck at C90.
Before I get too far, I should say I’m completely grateful management and NATCA at C90 were willing to give me a chance. I convinced them I was a good candidate, but ultimately I don’t believe I, or anyone else with my experience, should have been afforded the opportunity. The facility simply doesn’t appear to have the resources to spend on teaching radar basics.
I should also mention I’m a controller with many years service at a level 8 core 30 tower, but no radar experience. I knew from the beginning my training at C90 would be an uphill climb, but I wanted to be a C90 controller. So I got picked up, sold my home and moved my family across the country.
I took to training like I do anything in life- as long as I apply myself I’d be successful. So I did my best at the academy and absorbed what I could. Soon after returning I started sims. I was given south sat. so I was learning radar foundations while also learning to run a tight final at MDW, the ins and outs of south sat. airspace, et cetera. Almost daily my instructors would mention I should really go to a lower level radar facility, learn the foundations then try my luck at C90. When it came time for my 3 graded runs, I did really well on the first and third, but completely bombed the second. This meant I didn’t have enough points to pass the sim module which automatically triggered a TRB. Since I’d been told repeatedly I should go elsewhere to learn radar basics I began considering if I’d made the right decision to train at C90. I also considered what a drag I would be on the facility if I were given another chance and made it to the floor. Had I been given another chance, it could be possible I’d finish the program and be successful, but would it take longer? Would I be dead weight? Would other controllers see me as a risk? At my TRB I did not advocate to continue training. The panel agreed and without even getting the chance to work live traffic, my time as a trainee at C90 quickly came to a close.
My family and I were devastated. I knew it could happen, but never thought failure would happen so quickly. I was embarrassed; embarrassed to show my face at the facility and embarrassed to explain to my friends and family why we would no longer be living in Chicago.
We loved Chicago and really wanted to stay. I did my best to convince them to let me transfer to another facility in the area… I was even willing to do MKE even though it’s not at all close. But of course C90’s bid MOU only allows training failures to return to their original facility. This sucks, but makes sense… they don’t want controllers using the bid as a path to simply get out of their facility, quit training then transfer elsewhere.
In the end, the monetary price to move across country twice, break and start leases, and everything in between cost far more than the bid allotted. There was also the psychological price of failure with which I’m still dealing.
If you think you’re capable and you want to be at C90, give it a go. The facility used to have a toxic atmosphere, but they seem to have mostly turned that around. Most of the controllers were very welcoming and seemed genuinely excited to see motivated controllers coming through the door.
This is a cautionary tale for anyone with no radar experience wanting to try their luck at C90.
Before I get too far, I should say I’m completely grateful management and NATCA at C90 were willing to give me a chance. I convinced them I was a good candidate, but ultimately I don’t believe I, or anyone else with my experience, should have been afforded the opportunity. The facility simply doesn’t appear to have the resources to spend on teaching radar basics.
I should also mention I’m a controller with many years service at a level 8 core 30 tower, but no radar experience. I knew from the beginning my training at C90 would be an uphill climb, but I wanted to be a C90 controller. So I got picked up, sold my home and moved my family across the country.
I took to training like I do anything in life- as long as I apply myself I’d be successful. So I did my best at the academy and absorbed what I could. Soon after returning I started sims. I was given south sat. so I was learning radar foundations while also learning to run a tight final at MDW, the ins and outs of south sat. airspace, et cetera. Almost daily my instructors would mention I should really go to a lower level radar facility, learn the foundations then try my luck at C90. When it came time for my 3 graded runs, I did really well on the first and third, but completely bombed the second. This meant I didn’t have enough points to pass the sim module which automatically triggered a TRB. Since I’d been told repeatedly I should go elsewhere to learn radar basics I began considering if I’d made the right decision to train at C90. I also considered what a drag I would be on the facility if I were given another chance and made it to the floor. Had I been given another chance, it could be possible I’d finish the program and be successful, but would it take longer? Would I be dead weight? Would other controllers see me as a risk? At my TRB I did not advocate to continue training. The panel agreed and without even getting the chance to work live traffic, my time as a trainee at C90 quickly came to a close.
My family and I were devastated. I knew it could happen, but never thought failure would happen so quickly. I was embarrassed; embarrassed to show my face at the facility and embarrassed to explain to my friends and family why we would no longer be living in Chicago.
We loved Chicago and really wanted to stay. I did my best to convince them to let me transfer to another facility in the area… I was even willing to do MKE even though it’s not at all close. But of course C90’s bid MOU only allows training failures to return to their original facility. This sucks, but makes sense… they don’t want controllers using the bid as a path to simply get out of their facility, quit training then transfer elsewhere.
In the end, the monetary price to move across country twice, break and start leases, and everything in between cost far more than the bid allotted. There was also the psychological price of failure with which I’m still dealing.
If you think you’re capable and you want to be at C90, give it a go. The facility used to have a toxic atmosphere, but they seem to have mostly turned that around. Most of the controllers were very welcoming and seemed genuinely excited to see motivated controllers coming through the door.
