Hiring Bid Air Traffic Control Specialist - Trainee: FAA-ATO-18-ALLSRCE-57792

[RDO]

Can you take a couple days vacation between academy graduation and starting at your facility to find housing normally?

 

[Jacobmontana]

I actually just emailed my POC about this, I’ll let you know what I hear. It sounds like that’s the only thing that hasn’t cleared yet

When you all are emailing to find out about your clearances, are you emailing the medical POC or the HR POC? I'm trying to find the right person to contact to find out what I'm still waiting on.

 

[GulfBravoPapa]

Your MMPI is a part of your medical clearance. It will all clear at once if you have no issues.

 

[AMD]

When you all are emailing to find out about your clearances, are you emailing the medical POC or the HR POC? I'm trying to find the right person to contact to find out what I'm still waiting on.

I emailed HR first and she said they’re still waiting on my medical so I emailed my medical POC and she said the RFS has received my stuff and is reviewing it.

 

[zachsss]

Received a few "Pre Employment Documents" today they asked me to sign and return. I assume this is different from the CIL?

Yeah that's something different. You'll get a email specifically about your CIL.

 

[ClearanceClarence]

Yeah that's something different. You'll get a email specifically about your CIL.

Thank you! I just received my TOL a few days ago, so I know I'm a bit behind everyone else, trying to catch up on what happens when. I'm just happy to be in the running though lol! 🙂

 

[jballen004 Tubadude2]

Thank you! I just received my TOL a few days ago, so I know I'm a bit behind everyone else, trying to catch up on what happens when. I'm just happy to be in the running though lol! 🙂

Whoa this seems like a new development. What day did you get your TOL? A third wave being sent out? Btw congrats!

 

[OKbusyB]

Can you take a couple days vacation between academy graduation and starting at your facility to find housing normally?

Yes. You get travel day(s) depending on what facility and 8 change of station leave days that you can use all or none of within the first 2 years I believe.

 

[ATCHopeful]

Looking at the people with TOLs lol

 

[ClearanceClarence]

Whoa this seems like a new development. What day did you get your TOL? A third wave being sent out? Btw congrats!

Thank you very much!! I received mine last Friday. Being so late in the game, my guess is that somebody dropped out or was eliminated and I was just lucky enough to be at the top of the list as a "backup" candidate. I'll take it though lol! Over 2+ years of applying has paid off at last! I'm so excited!

 

[jballen004 Tubadude2]

Yes. You get travel day(s) depending on what facility and 8 change of station leave days that you can use all or none of within the first 2 years I believe.

This is something I’ve always wanted clarity on so I’m glad it came up. I’ll be leaving behind a wife, three kids, and a mortgage when I go to okc, so getting fully relocated will take some time.. as long as I physically report to my facility within the allotted number of travel days, would I be able to turn right around and immediately use my station leave days? I know it says pending mgmt approval, but is that typically going to be approved?

 

[Sir_Unable]

This is something I’ve always wanted clarity on so I’m glad it came up. I’ll be leaving behind a wife, three kids, and a mortgage when I go to okc, so getting fully relocated will take some time.. as long as I physically report to my facility within the allotted number of travel days, would I be able to turn right around and immediately use my station leave days? I know it says pending mgmt approval, but is that typically going to be approved?

You’ll call the facility when you pass and say how much you want to CoS you want to use. I used all of mine and they gave me a reporting date. I imagine if you don’t use it all at once, you just have to put in a request.
Not sure about the last part though. No one in my class had a spouse/kids, and they used all their leave at once.

 

[OKbusyB]

This is something I’ve always wanted clarity on so I’m glad it came up. I’ll be leaving behind a wife, three kids, and a mortgage when I go to okc, so getting fully relocated will take some time.. as long as I physically report to my facility within the allotted number of travel days, would I be able to turn right around and immediately use my station leave days? I know it says pending mgmt approval, but is that typically going to be approved?

You most likely will only get 1-2 travel days unless you get a facility on the far west/east coast. It’s 8 business days. So if you string them together, it effectively gives you 2 weeks to move. You don’t have to report right away, and then take the days off. You can group it together however you want and work it out with your facility.

 

[yup]

ou don’t have to report right away, and then take the days off. You can group it together however you want and work it out with your facility.

Out of curiosity, how does that work with facility/NATCA sonority? Say two people go from the academy to a facility, one reports immediately but then takes all their COS leave while one takes the travel days but then starts right away...

 

[BillyBob]

Does the FOL call come from an OKC area code? Also, I’m assuming finding a place to live in that small amount of time is what’s expected? Seems difficult

 

[DL0509]

Out of curiosity, how does that work with facility/NATCA sonority? Say two people go from the academy to a facility, one reports immediately but then takes all their COS leave while one takes the travel days but then starts right away...

I'm pretty sure your seniority date would be the day you first report to your facility, so whoever gets there first but I could be wrong.

 

[MJ]

Out of curiosity, how does that work with facility/NATCA sonority? Say two people go from the academy to a facility, one reports immediately but then takes all their COS leave while one takes the travel days but then starts right away...

When does my seniority start? ?

 

[SavannahATC]

Are you actually able to trade between terminal and enroute with other people that may want to switch with you? Is it at all possible to determine what path you follow yourself or is it 100% decided by the FAA?

 

[schiff]

As far as differences between the two options I couldn't explain that as I've never worked at a center. I just know that as a tower controller the portion of the .65 we use is way smaller than what center or tracing controller uses.

Select a locality in the attachment. The CPC line is what you can expect after certification. Level 4-7 for terminal out of the Academy, and level 8-12 for centers (I may be wrong about the centers).

Terminal: level 7 or below tower or up-down facility. You may or may not get radar experience.

If you're at a standalone tower you will work clearance delivery, ground control, and local. Arrivals, departures, pattern traffic. Depending upon airport maybe helicopters or other small aircraft. Very little airspace owned, little to no vectoring.

Up-down facility: a combined tower and tracon will afford you radar training. You will work the same tower positions listed above but your facility will also have a radar approach which actually owns real airspace. You'll have to go back to OKC to attend RTF at some point and thus training will be longer than a standalone. Likely your radar will be an arrival and a departure position, potential combined, potentially combined in the tower cab. Learn to use an ABCDE keyboard.

Enroute: level 10+ facilities, typically higher failure rate at the Academy but higher pay. Much longer training process once at the facility. Depending upon the center you may or may not work non-radar. High altitude enroute (think about how many times a day you can ask how the ride is) where you will sequence into whatever the majority of airport in the area is. A lot more automation tools are available to center controllers including a QWERY keyboard. Many sectors also own to the ground and may occasionally run approaches into uncontrolled airports. Centers are significantly larger facilities and can have upwards of 300 employees... This means you'll also have more amenities at work such as a kitchen, gym, quiet room, etc.

These are great and clear up a lot of my questions. One more that I didn't seem to find an answer about (maybe I'm looking in the wrong place} is how long does it typically take to certify and reach the CPC band? Terminal vs en route? I feel like I remember seeing in some forum here that it varies and there was no definite answer but I can't remember for certain and can't find it again.

 

[GulfBravoPapa]

Are you actually able to trade between terminal and enroute with other people that may want to switch with you? Is it at all possible to determine what path you follow yourself or is it 100% decided by the FAA?

It is at the FAA's discretion