Hiring Bid FAA-ATO-19-ALLSRCE-61676

[the_legend_of_ri]

How many years do you think we can get in before automation takes over ATC...?

Some say it'll never fully happen due to the fact that the job requires and relies largely on human sense/touch. Currently, the best automation can do is to better aide human air traffic controllers in being more efficient at performing their jobs. Correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[MikeHotel]

How many years do you think we can get in before automation takes over ATC...?

Hi all, new here. Pool 1, WQ, referred. Kaymules—I’m hoping that as long as there are human pilots, making human errors, there will need to be human controllers too.

 

[corn4ahead]

Some say it'll never fully happen due to the fact that the job requires and relies largely on human sense/touch. Currently, the best automation can do is to better aide human air traffic controllers in being more efficient at performing their jobs. Correct me if I'm wrong.

I find this to be accurate. I can't imagine a computer being able to 100% take over for us. All the tools and tricks that we can use because of things like automation are awesome!

Also, as y'all can see, EVERYTHING in the FAA takes forever. So don't expect anything major to happen any time soon as far as us getting replaced goes.

 

[penaltyvectors]

Also, as y'all can see, EVERYTHING in the FAA takes forever. So don't expect anything major to happen any time soon as far as us getting replaced goes.

Honestly this is what makes me feel totally secure that the job won’t be replaced by automation in my lifetime. I can imagine a theoretical world where technology could replace many of the things I do every day, but the idea of the FAA spending the time and money to make it happen is laughable. They just took several years of research and development to change the font on our flight strips, so I feel pretty confident that fully autonomous ATC is still several generations away.

 

[corn4ahead]

Honestly this is what makes me feel totally secure that the job won’t be replaced by automation in my lifetime. I can imagine a theoretical world where technology could replace many of the things I do every day, but the idea of the FAA spending the time and money to make it happen is laughable. They just took several years of research and development to change the font on our flight strips, so I feel pretty confident that fully autonomous ATC is still several generations away.

But the more concerning thing is that they spent so much money replacing all our strip printers that didn't need replaced. Those older ones never ever broke. That new ones have such an unsatisfying sound and they break daily!

 

[Mike Kilo]

I feel like enroute will be the first to go automated. They will have a monitor watching still so the human element won’t be gone entirely, but they will also watch over a larger area than they currently do.

I’m not sure how a computer would handle the compression from the Tracon to Tower environment with our same rules. About that time they will do 4500 feet same runway arrival separation for jets lol.

 

[pfalance]

Can someone explain to me the difference between enroute and tower as far as difficulty, quality of schedule, pay... is there an online resource about this kind of thing? I know what the duties of the two jobs are but I sense that one is preferred over the other (enroute>tower). Maybe that’s just me but I would love an explanation.

 

[zealforce]

Can someone explain to me the difference between enroute and tower as far as difficulty, quality of schedule, pay... is there an online resource about this kind of thing? I know what the duties of the two jobs are but I sense that one is preferred over the other (enroute>tower). Maybe that’s just me but I would love an explanation.

123atc.com (regarding salaries and average training)

 

[penaltyvectors]

I’m not sure how a computer would handle the compression from the Tracon to Tower environment with our same rules. About that time they will do 4500 feet same runway arrival separation for jets lol.

It wouldn’t use our same rules. Part of why we use 3/5 and 1000 is because radar is only so accurate, and it takes a long time for a controller to notice something, tell it to a pilot, and have him turn the plane. If/when this theoretical technology comes around, it would be calculating separation between every plane several times per second and could command an immediate turn, so the “separation standards” would be very different than what we have today. Similar concept to the future of self-driving cars - when they’re fully integrated, they won’t roll up to red lights and wait like we do today, rather the technology would vary the speed and route in a way that made red lights unnecessary

Can someone explain to me the difference between enroute and tower as far as difficulty, quality of schedule, pay... is there an online resource about this kind of thing? I know what the duties of the two jobs are but I sense that one is preferred over the other (enroute>tower). Maybe that’s just me but I would love an explanation.

Different strokes for different folks. You’ll make more in your first facility as a center controller than in tower, since centers are level 10-12 and you’ll only get a level 5/6 tower out of the academy. However, center generally takes a lot longer to check out - figure 2-3 years versus potentially a year or less at a small tower. There are also way more towers than centers, so you theoretically have way more options of places to work versus centers. One isn’t really “better” than the other except on an individual level, and since you don’t get to choose your initial track anyway, it doesn’t make much of a difference.

 

[Southern]

One isn’t really “better” than the other except on an individual level, and since you don’t get to choose your initial track anyway, it doesn’t make much of a difference.

Boy isn’t that the truth, this forum is the perfect example of that. You’ll have people trying to convince you tower is best or center is best. Realistically, you have a job, it pays, and the benefits are amazing.

 

[zealforce]

Anyone worried about how the government close to running out of funding in a few days affecting the TOLs getting sent out?

 

[HalfPR]

Anyone worried about how the government close to running out of funding in a few days affecting the TOLs getting sent out?

Take a look at last year's thread when we went through the same issue. Shutdown made a mess of the whole thing. TOL's went out a couple days before but their process was stalled until it was reopened. Based on what people are saying, I'm guessing the TOL's will go out before the November 21st date then everyone will wait if we have another shutdown.

 

[zealforce]

Y

Take a look at last year's thread when we went through the same issue. Shutdown made a mess of the whole thing. TOL's went out a couple days before but their process was stalled until it was reopened. Based on what people are saying, I'm guessing the TOL's will go out before the November 21st date then everyone will wait if we have another shutdown.

yup, if the project TOL date is accurate then TOLs will be sent out then the government will shut down shortly after lol....

hopefully congress passes a bill before the shut down but doubt it’ll happen with the impeachment stuff going on...

 

[wrestlingtwin3]

Take a look at last year's thread when we went through the same issue. Shutdown made a mess of the whole thing. TOL's went out a couple days before but their process was stalled until it was reopened. Based on what people are saying, I'm guessing the TOL's will go out before the November 21st date then everyone will wait if we have another shutdown.

isn't the faa funded for the next few years?

 

[HalfPR]

isn't the faa funded for the next few years?

Idk, just going by last year. I'd assume the money would stop going to FAA if a shutdown happens.

 

[pfalance]

Different strokes for different folks. You’ll make more in your first facility as a center controller than in tower, since centers are level 10-12 and you’ll only get a level 5/6 tower out of the academy. However, center generally takes a lot longer to check out - figure 2-3 years versus potentially a year or less at a small tower. There are also way more towers than centers, so you theoretically have way more options of places to work versus centers. One isn’t really “better” than the other except on an individual level, and since you don’t get to choose your initial track anyway, it doesn’t make much of a difference.
[/QUOTE]

Awesome! That's exactly what i needed to hear lol. So much "info" being thrown around here it's hard to distinguish the truth from embellishment

 

[peeta736]

Adding to the data here.

Pool 2; best qualified; referred.

Felt absolutely horrible walking out of the test and resigned myself to staying in my current job for at least another year.

Needless to say, I was/am shocked. Very excited and trying to reign in my expectations but that is proving rather difficult.

 

[Shawshanked]

Pool 2 - Qualified - Not Referred

Any rumors yet on the next open bid?
How are people moving from Pool 2 (2018 ) to Pool 1 (2019) assuming they're not gaining military experience or a CTI in the year between the two bids?

I was still in the military when I applied last year but I wasn't within 120 days of separation when the bid closed so I didn't have a DD214 and I couldn't provide a document from the Air Force stating that I would be discharged or released from active duty within 120 days so I applied as a Pool 2 candidate.

 

[Yukatan]

I see a lot of people talking about how the Personality section of the ATSAT may weigh in heavily on the results, but how much does speed in which you finish everything matter? I felt like I speedran it and finished before everyone else in my group, didn't feel like i aced it by any means, but my timing overall was GDQ levels. best qualified -referred

 

[the_legend_of_ri]

I see a lot of people talking about how the Personality section of the ATSAT may weigh in heavily on the results, but how much does speed in which you finish everything matter? I felt like I speedran it and finished before everyone else in my group, didn't feel like i aced it by any means, but my timing overall was GDQ levels. best qualified -referred

I finished mine in about 2 hours and something minutes with quite a bit of time left over. Even then, I felt most of my time was spent on doing the practice problems. But sure, I felt I also flew threw every section. BQ-R. At the same time, I'm sure I aced the first section with the memory games of differences and variables, the spacial relationship section, and the reading comprehension, so I'm assuming being SPEEDY and yet still retaining a high sense of ACCURACY for some parts of the test makes a desirable candidate. Just my two cents.