A80

[Rico]

Move money?

 

[bravoindia]

I'll throw in my two cents. If working 6 days a week, 25 min breaks, no spot leave, and legitimate busy level 12 radar (not like those country club consolidated tracons) for the next 20 years sounds like it's for you, then give it a shot. A80 has a few pros, and a lot of cons.

Yes, the money is nice, especially with all the mandatory OT. Peachtree City is a suburban utopia that I didn't think existed in today's world. Everyone is welcoming with that southern charm, 0 crime, good schools, and the kids are well behaved and respectful. It was really a refreshing sight. The controllers were a good group of guys but you can tell the FAA's inability to properly staff that place has sucked some life out of them. So morale isn't very good. The supes and OMs are also good dudes. Everyone wants new people to succeed.

The cons are mostly staffing related. Like I said, short breaks and really no spot leave available. They work hard and can get close to 2 hours if they have to go into monitors. With the current state of the ncept and the terrible rules, I doubt they ever get staffed. A couple guys that were certified on 1 of the 3 walls had their training delayed like 5 months so they could staff.

As far as training environment, it seemed mixed. I don't think it was toxic by any means. I just think it's hard and there's a lot who aren't cut out for it. There have been at least 5 washout/withdraws within the last 6 months but there were also quite a few certifying on scopes and doing well. The last 5 trainees on the sat wall (hardest in the building) all certified (they all had level 8/9 radar.) They started trying to put the higher level radar transfers exclusively on that side and lower level guys on the MCN/CSG/ATL departures in an effort to improve the success rate.

I had a now or never hardship available and it would've been a lose lose for me to try and stay. If I certified, the quality of life blows forever. If i washed, I'd have to go back to the low level shit hole I came from with a training failure on the record after it already took forever to ERR out of there. The no nest policy was the biggest deciding factor for me to go through with it instead of trying to stick it out and use up all my leave with FMLA to take care of family business just to see if I had what it took. Unfortunately, the risk just wasn't worth the reward.

I liked the people and Peachtree City enough that I'd be open to going back someday but only if the no nest mou is terminated and their staffing is meaningfully better, which seems unlikely. I'd suggest only bidding if you are the best controller at your level 5 and you truly are going to be okay with shit RDOs for 10 years and poor quality of life for the rest of your career.

Sorry for the novel.

This. All of this.

Move money?

No move money. Who knows who we’ll get esp in the housing market it’s got to be a legitimate concern that if you sell your house where you are and decide to come here without move money and don’t make it, then you go back and have to buy half the house you used to have for equal money or more. Shitty situation.

 

[Maverick]

This. All of this.

We’re on 6 day work weeks where I’m at now so that wouldn’t be different. Atlanta is home for me so that’s the benefit

 

[Rnavsrdumb]

How's the work environment at A80? I'm at a super chill facility with easy traffic. It's a level 7 in an amazing area. Did a tour to a couple of east coast facilities a couple of months ago, and had one planned for A80 until a guy who left A80 for another facility said it was a very toxic work environment. I really don't want to leave a place where I'm fairly happy already just to chase traffic and money and be in a bad work environment. No offense to any current A80 guys. A80 clearly isn't for everyone.

I want to see if I can work the traffic. But I don't want to regret leaving a great place with great people.

Any of you guys leave a relaxed place for A80? Is it worth it to you? Or do you guys have some regrets about it?

 

[GoodEnough]

How's the work environment at A80? I'm at a super chill facility with easy traffic. It's a level 7 in an amazing area. Did a tour to a couple of east coast facilities a couple of months ago, and had one planned for A80 until a guy who left A80 for another facility said it was a very toxic work environment. I really don't want to leave a place where I'm fairly happy already just to chase traffic and money and be in a bad work environment. No offense to any current A80 guys. A80 clearly isn't for everyone.

I want to see if I can work the traffic. But I don't want to regret leaving a great place with great people.

Any of you guys leave a relaxed place for A80? Is it worth it to you? Or do you guys have some regrets about it?

I was there for a little over 4 years and recently left. In my personal opinion, all the people that say it’s toxic there suck at working traffic or have shit personalities. It’s definitely work, but there’s a great group of people there. If you’re the sensitive type, then you better be ready to get shit on because everyone is watching you all the time and almost everyone there can move some traffic while simultaneously talking shit about some else.

 

[corn4ahead]

I was there for a little over 4 years and recently left. In my personal opinion, all the people that say it’s toxic there suck at working traffic or have shit personalities. It’s definitely work, but there’s a great group of people there. If you’re the sensitive type, then you better be ready to get shit on because everyone is watching you all the time and almost everyone there can move some traffic while simultaneously talking shit about some else.

I feel like this is the case for most facilities, especially larger ones. There is a controller "type" that tends to get along well with most coworkers. And then there are the ones that dont fare so well.

 

[Spiralbox21]

Whats your experience with people with no radar experience coming to A80? Is there even a chance? Would love to get to the atlanta metro area

 

[Hallock36]

Whats your experience with people with no radar experience coming to A80? Is there even a chance? Would love to get to the atlanta metro area

I mean the chance is pretty low. This is not the place to be learning radar. I think it’s been done before but it’s not the norm. Unlike other larger TRACONS we don’t have separate areas that have less traffic than others. Overall my opinion is that unless you plan on learning all the basics of working a radar on your own and before you hit the floor then that may help you, but there is too much traffic during a normal day to try to teach someone things they should already know. We literally have people that have come here and can’t even read a clearance and have washed out on flight data.

How's the work environment at A80? I'm at a super chill facility with easy traffic. It's a level 7 in an amazing area. Did a tour to a couple of east coast facilities a couple of months ago, and had one planned for A80 until a guy who left A80 for another facility said it was a very toxic work environment. I really don't want to leave a place where I'm fairly happy already just to chase traffic and money and be in a bad work environment. No offense to any current A80 guys. A80 clearly isn't for everyone.

I want to see if I can work the traffic. But I don't want to regret leaving a great place with great people.

Any of you guys leave a relaxed place for A80? Is it worth it to you? Or do you guys have some regrets about it?

As the other guy said, anyone who says it’s a toxic work environment is just someone who didn’t make it. We work traffic, but we have fun doing it. Great group of guys and gals. Someone thinks it’s toxic because we have a standard here (even though the bar has been lowered in recent years). We try to enforce it…talk back to your trainer and you’re going to get unplugged…don’t know where an airport is or something in an LOA…going to get unplugged. Relations with management are whatever, they dicked around with the schedule negotiations but it seems like that was nationwide this year. Front line Supes are mostly former A80 controllers so they actually get it, but just about any level about that and they don’t seem to have a clue into what we need or do.

My opinion is it’s a great place to work. Not a lot of sweet level 12s, nestled in the quieter suburbs of ATL. A lot of dudes live within 5 miles of work, so no wasting time doing a commute. Schools are great, crime is low. Housing costs have gone up but that’s about the worst of it.

 

[Dolan]

don’t know where an airport is or something in an LOA…going to get unplugged.

Ewwww. Naw, fuck right off with that.

 

[Acquired Taste]

We literally have people that have come here and can’t even read a clearance and have washed out on flight data.

 

[bravoindia]

I was there for a little over 4 years and recently left. In my personal opinion, all the people that say it’s toxic there suck at working traffic or have shit personalities. It’s definitely work, but there’s a great group of people there. If you’re the sensitive type, then you better be ready to get shit on because everyone is watching you all the time and almost everyone there can move some traffic while simultaneously talking shit about some else.

Fax. It’s only toxic if you’re a sensitive bitch. Even our worst 5-8 CPCs would certify anywhere except maybe C90 and N90 and even then would have a fighting chance. That being said they’re all stars at any level 10 and below. This place is great and anyone that says otherwise either started here or forgot how shitty the place was they left. We have our problems and growing pains just like anyone else but we’re too busy for the petty bullshit. In the room there’s shit talking but it’s over who is running a shitty final not who parked in my parking spot.

 

[RalphBeast]

Fax. It’s only toxic if you’re a sensitive bitch. Even our worst 5-8 CPCs would certify anywhere except maybe C90 and N90 and even then would have a fighting chance. That being said they’re all stars at any level 10 and below. This place is great and anyone that says otherwise either started here or forgot how shitty the place was they left. We have our problems and growing pains just like anyone else but we’re too busy for the petty bullshit. In the room there’s shit talking but it’s over who is running a shitty final not who parked in my parking spot.

I work at the most difficult and busiest area in our level 12 Z and I gotta say that's one nice thing about actually working difficult traffic, is that even the "worst" CPC is minimally competent when they are on position and not traffic dodging. Not all of the controllers are all stars, but in my 20 years here I've never seen someone anyone near the level of the AUS bro even come close to checking out in our area. Of course we get heat for the same shit from our dumbass washouts... unfair trainers, toxic training environment, unsupportive mentors, got treated like an idiot (newsflash, you are one), uncomfortable chairs, and all the usual nonsense.