FAA Academy Washout - Still Wanting to Pursue Career in ATC

[scudrunner]

Hello,

I am a washout from the FAA Academy that trained En-Route, I made it to the last day of radar evaluations and failed to reach the minimum passing score of 70%. Before attending the academy, I was a student at an AT-CTI school that I had just started at (one semester in). It is to my knowledge that the FAA generally does not re-accept washouts into the academy to train them. Honestly, I still have a tremendous passion for working in this career field, and my results at the academy did not reflect it. I genuinely believe that I could have passed, and my poor results in nonradar made it much harder for me to "survive" as one of my row instructors put it. I have looked into alternative schooling such as AT-CTO programs that can provide direct-contract work with SERCO, but they're extremely expensive and mainly tower-based. I would consider the fast-track 10-week option with AdvancedATC ($25,000) had I been trained in tower operations, but frankly I don't know much about tower control compared to en-route. I'm looking at the military/air force, but was hoping to seek further advice from those in the ATC field on this forum. Please let me know with your thoughts/suggestions. Thank you very much.

Sincerely,
-scudrunner

 

[GulfCharlie]

Take the AdvancedATC (I am a graduate so I might be slightly biased but the quality of instruction and OJTI cannot be beaten) route imho, you want to get in the field quickly and making money, that is the best way. Guessing you had Enroute, which is a beast in its own right. Most if not all the graduates are successfully in the ATC field or related sub fields within aviation.

 

[Hal9000]

En route washouts who did relatively well in academy are considered a good candidate for CTO-P. I once trained an academy ER washout back in a contract tower and he did great compared to many of the military/other controllers we got.

 

[KP-ATC]

Hello,

I am a washout from the FAA Academy that trained En-Route, I made it to the last day of radar evaluations and failed to reach the minimum passing score of 70%. Before attending the academy, I was a student at an AT-CTI school that I had just started at (one semester in). It is to my knowledge that the FAA generally does not re-accept washouts into the academy to train them. Honestly, I still have a tremendous passion for working in this career field, and my results at the academy did not reflect it. I genuinely believe that I could have passed, and my poor results in nonradar made it much harder for me to "survive" as one of my row instructors put it. I have looked into alternative schooling such as AT-CTO programs that can provide direct-contract work with SERCO, but they're extremely expensive and mainly tower-based. I would consider the fast-track 10-week option with AdvancedATC ($25,000) had I been trained in tower operations, but frankly I don't know much about tower control compared to en-route. I'm looking at the military/air force, but was hoping to seek further advice from those in the ATC field on this forum. Please let me know with your thoughts/suggestions. Thank you very much.

Sincerely,
-scudrunner

Air Traffic Control Specialist (1C131) - U.S. Air Force

Are you a problem-solver who thrives under pressure? Consider becoming an Air Traffic Controller (1C131) in the U.S. Air Force. Take control and apply today.

www.airforce.com

 

[Pickle Switch]

Sorry about your situation but let me add this from experience.

Being a CTI grad is meaningless. We just washed out a CTI grad on Ground. First time in over a decade anyone has washed out on Ground. We’ve washed out numerous CTI grads, and certified numerous off-the-streets.

Let this be a lesson to anyone else coming into the field. Don’t lead with how great a CTI grad you are. We couldn’t care less. You can either do the job or not. Period.

 

[KP-ATC]

Sorry about your situation but let me add this from experience.

Being a CTI grad is meaningless. We just washed out a CTI grad on Ground. First time in over a decade anyone has washed out on Ground. We’ve washed out numerous CTI grads, and certified numerous off-the-streets.

Let this be a lesson to anyone else coming into the field. Don’t lead with how great a CTI grad you are. We couldn’t care less. You can either do the job or not. Period.

The CTI education has value but one must also have the appropriate mental state and concept of 3D space to be successful.

 

[32andBelow]

People keep talking about cti like it hasn’t changed. Someone needs to find out if you can do advanced cti degree after you’ve washed out.

 

[Gauff]

People keep talking about cti like it hasn’t changed. Someone needs to find out if you can do advanced cti degree after you’ve washed out.

Like get rehired after going to an advanced CTI school after washing out or just getting accepted to a CTI school after washing out?

I do know multiple people who have washed out of their first FAA facility and gotten rehired on an experience bid and we're fine in training on the next go

 

[32andBelow]

Like get rehired after going to an advanced CTI school after washing out or just getting accepted to a CTI school after washing out?

I do know multiple people who have washed out of their first FAA facility and gotten rehired on an experience bid and we're fine in training on the next go

Yah the enhanced cti skips the academy

 

[FightingIrish2012]

Sorry about your situation but let me add this from experience.

Being a CTI grad is meaningless. We just washed out a CTI grad on Ground. First time in over a decade anyone has washed out on Ground. We’ve washed out numerous CTI grads, and certified numerous off-the-streets.

Let this be a lesson to anyone else coming into the field. Don’t lead with how great a CTI grad you are. We couldn’t care less. You can either do the job or not. Period.

Brother? Are you still stuck at the same low level facility you have been at for 7 years or so? Washing out people on GC won’t help that. If this continues, you will never “eventually be the last person at the facility who wants to leave” and be able to NCEPT out in 2039.

 

[Pickle Switch]

Brother? Are you still stuck at the same low level facility you have been at for 7 years or so? Washing out people on GC won’t help that. If this continues, you will never “eventually be the last person at the facility who wants to leave” and be able to NCEPT out in 2039.

So just certify people to get numbers. Regardless of how bad they are. Great plan.

 

[bomber996]

People keep talking about cti like it hasn’t changed. Someone needs to find out if you can do advanced cti degree after you’ve washed out.

This is the data point we need.

 

[tangolima]

you should look into the new enhanced cti schools instead of advantage atc if you live near one of the schools, might be cheaper but also takes longer. i think its 2 years or 1 year if you have a college degree? and i believe its direct hire/prior experience so maybe washing out of the academy might not be a problem, but would def double check that with someone

 

[Raise when?]

My honest advice is to give it up bro. If this job doesn’t come somewhat naturally to you then your natural skill ceiling will be lower = more stress, traffic dodging, scam seeking behaviors.

I am not trying to be mean when I say this but we are getting so many at my center who are absolutely terrible yet make it through the academy so I figure if the academy truly stumps you, it’s best to hang it up..I say this very seriously, and in no way in a trolling manner. that’s not even discussing the pay degradation the career has faced the past 10 years. You are eating 2-5% pay cuts literally every single year with no end in sight

 

[TangoBearFox]

I would look it as a blessing in disguise, this career isn't going in the right direction and won't be for the foreseeable future.

 

[J-one-s]

You could go AK FSS. It's natca, 2152, good time. And, supposedly, natca is working on getting FSS in the NCEPT. I'll Believe it when I see it. Would be hilarious, because FSS is staffed relatively well. FSS would be moving around, while others are stuck... people would be pissed. Which is why I think they're not trying very hard to get FSS in the NCEPT.

 

[FightingIrish2012]

You could go AK FSS. It's natca, 2152, good time. And, supposedly, natca is working on getting FSS in the NCEPT. I'll Believe it when I see it. Would be hilarious, because FSS is staffed relatively well. FSS would be moving around, while others are stuck... people would be pissed. Which is why I think they're not trying very hard to get FSS in the NCEPT.

NATCA is NOT working to get FSS in NCEPT. Clint Lancaster lied and strung along a bunch of them for years regarding that, but then when he was sick of being bothered about it, finally told them it’s never happening and said “I have empathy but not sympathy for you”.

If you go way back there is a hundred page thread about all that, it was about 7 years ago near the dawn of this website.

But there has never been a credible word about it since then and there never will be, and Lancaster continues to run unopposed ever since.

 

[Bandit117]

You could go AK FSS. It's natca, 2152, good time. And, supposedly, natca is working on getting FSS in the NCEPT. I'll Believe it when I see it. Would be hilarious, because FSS is staffed relatively well. FSS would be moving around, while others are stuck... people would be pissed. Which is why I think they're not trying very hard to get FSS in the NCEPT.

I feel like the moment they open the door a lot of people in fss would be going to ATC. A lot of them are in fss bc they washed from atc, no? With that in mind I can’t see the natca pushing to give people more chances.

 

[32andBelow]

I feel like the moment they open the door a lot of people in fss would be going to ATC. A lot of them are in fss bc they washed from atc, no? With that in mind I can’t see the natca pushing to give people more chances.

They are 2152. NATCA shouldn’t even get a say.

 

[Bandit117]

They are 2152. NATCA shouldn’t even get a say.

They shouldn’t. But I suspect the faa higher ups don’t want to let people who may have washed out once another chance. Natca won’t ever say no to daddy faa and so they stand by and let the FSS people get fucked over and raise their hands in defeat and say well we can’t really do anything.

Natca is Schrodinger’s union - they simultaneously have a seat at the table and a say in how things are run but at the same time can’t use any of their influence to get anything done.