How easy is it to transfer

[MagioX1]

Just curious. How easy is it to transfer to your desired facility after you have been certified? Like is it very likely that you will be stuck at the facility you receive at the end of the academy for the next 5-10 years or can you move around fairly easily after you become a CPC?

 

[Dontbotherme]

Just curious. How easy is it to transfer to your desired facility after you have been certified? Like is it very likely that you will be stuck at the facility you receive at the end of the academy for the next 5-10 years or can you move around fairly easily after you become a CPC?

As long as your desired facility is N90, you could move very quickly after certifying.

If you end up at a shorter staffed facility, you could spend 5-10 years there before maybe getting released to another facility.

 

[eltors0]

As long as your desired facility is N90, you could move very quickly after certifying.

If you end up at a shorter staffed facility, you could spend 5-10 years there before maybe getting released to another facility.

Just like Robertb stated, it is not easy to transfer at all. It cannot be stressed or emphasized enough that there are no guarantees beyond your first assigned facility. Even if you are at a well staffed facility, you can easily be stuck with no way out because your performance, facility seniority, and current total cpc time have no bearing on how you are selected for another facility. Your peers and eventual trainees that you train and certify will be on equal footing as you. There are a myriad of other factors as well aka dynamic decisions that affect the transfer program.

 

[flying_dutchman]

Just like Robertb stated, it is not easy to transfer at all. It cannot be stressed or emphasized enough that there are no guarantees beyond your first assigned facility. Even if you are at a well staffed facility, you can easily be stuck with no way out because your performance, facility seniority, and current total cpc time have no bearing on how you are selected for another facility. Your peers and eventual trainees that you train and certify will be on equal footing as you. There are a myriad of other factors as well aka dynamic decisions that affect the transfer program.

Truth

 

[Phillyman2633]

I'll be at my 3rd facility as of next April (6 years in the agency)...first move was for high 3 and now I'm headed home. There are a few guys in my Academy class who have been trying to transfer since day 1. It all depends on where you are willing to put paperwork in to (I applied to every core 30 to get my high 3), combined with factors that are out of your control like staffing levels and now this absurd priority list. My first facility just happened to be 100% when I was trying to get out and my home facility happened to be very high on the priority list, so there was a planetary alignment for me...but if you're trying to transfer from Fairbanks to Des Moines, it's probably not going to happen in this lifetime.

 

[MagioX1]

Thanks for the info guys. I guess I have another question then. When I look at the placement list it seems most of the facilities are the larger ones and hundreds of smaller facilities especially the towers are never on the list. How do they go about staffing those facilities?

I know a lot of people want to reach the pinnacle of this career but I for one would like to get into one of the lower level facilities in my state and not have as much stress as working N90 or A80 all my life. Is that really possible to do?

 

[ABACUS]

Thanks for the info guys. I guess I have another question then. When I look at the placement list it seems most of the facilities are the larger ones and hundreds of smaller facilities especially the towers are never on the list. How do they go about staffing those facilities?

I know a lot of people want to reach the pinnacle of this career but I for one would like to get into one of the lower level facilities in my state and not have as much stress as working N90 or A80 all my life. Is that really possible to do?

Academy Grads are the ones filling all the low level towers.

 

[CF]

Just like Robertb stated, it is not easy to transfer at all. It cannot be stressed or emphasized enough that there are no guarantees beyond your first assigned facility. Even if you are at a well staffed facility, you can easily be stuck with no way out because your performance, facility seniority, and current total cpc time have no bearing on how you are selected for another facility. Your peers and eventual trainees that you train and certify will be on equal footing as you. There are a myriad of other factors as well aka dynamic decisions that affect the transfer program.

 

[corn4ahead]

You will learn the acronym NCEPT, and you will learn to hate it.

 

[PushingTin]

Its only easy if you use big league Nepotism, become a manager, or want to go somewhere most consider undesirable.

There is a man called Mick who is gatekeeper to all things transferring. He can loosely be compared to the "Watcher In The Water" in the Fellowship of the Ring; just w a Boston accent. As Gandalf said: "there are older and fouler things than Orcs in the deep places of the agency." He is pretty much undefeated. Every quarter they release the Kraken, but it usually devours all hope before you can escape to your dream facility. Sorry kid!

 

[JNev]

I'll start at a place I really wanted to go less than two years after my academy start date. There are stories on each end of the spectrum. I think it has to do with #1 how well staffed your current facility is, how many places you're willing to go, and if you're willing to put in any effort to get there. We were able to release two people but the one other person with transfer paperwork in didn't even try and shake hands with anyone at the facility he had paperwork into, and it was less than a 3 hour drive away. He did not get picked up and now everyone in the tower but 1 person has paperwork into at least 3 facilities. You have to be very opportunistic

 

[jdatc]

philyman

3 in 6 years I’d say is pretty good.

likewise I am on my 3rd facility. First was an understaffed 12, which I spent 11 years and then through luck of the draw and good timing I got out pre-NCEPT. But before my escape, releases were sparse to say the least and no one left my area that didn’t wash, retire, hardship or become a supervisor.

Then 4 years later, I was at a fairly well staffed 10, and got out during the second NCEPT. It was fairly benign.

Currently I have an ERR in to get out of my 11, but it will be a few more years Due to staffing Oh well, such is life. 3 facilities in 17+ years in and capped out at an 11 ain’t bad. However, I’d probably sing a different tune if I started at a 5 and was stuck there,

But some of it is pure luck, in 5 years there is a good chance NCEPT will be but a distant memory.... and then the current system could be worse, where it’s all about only giving supervisors releases....

 

[Rico]

3 in 6 years I’d say is pretty good.

likewise I am on my 3rd facility. First was an understaffed 12, which I spent 11 years and then through luck of the draw and good timing I got out pre-NCEPT. But before my escape, releases were sparse to say the least and no one left my area that didn’t wash, retire, hardship or become a supervisor.

Then 4 years later, I was at a fairly well staffed 10, and got out during the second NCEPT. It was fairly benign.

Currently I have an ERR in to get out of my 11, but it will be a few more years Due to staffing Oh well, such is life. 3 facilities in 17+ years in and capped out at an 11 ain’t bad. However, I’d probably sing a different tune if I started at a 5 and was stuck there,

But some of it is pure luck, in 5 years there is a good chance NCEPT will be but a distant memory.... and then the current system could be worse, where it’s all about only giving supervisors releases....

You should stay at your 11. They’d miss you terribly. ?

 

[Robert_Boucher]

I'll start at a place I really wanted to go less than two years after my academy start date. There are stories on each end of the spectrum. I think it has to do with #1 how well staffed your current facility is, how many places you're willing to go, and if you're willing to put in any effort to get there. We were able to release two people but the one other person with transfer paperwork in didn't even try and shake hands with anyone at the facility he had paperwork into, and it was less than a 3 hour drive away. He did not get picked up and now everyone in the tower but 1 person has paperwork into at least 3 facilities. You have to be very opportunistic

To be fair you could be at a well staffed facility have a bunch of ERRs in, visit facilities and still not get picked up. I know for a fact that a facility I had in for ranked me number one but because of #dynamicdecisions round 2 selections were all but scrapped but hey they have picked up 3 folks since that panel from hardships and NEST. My new strategy might be to to a high level facility then hope I can NEST to the place I actually want to be.

 

[MagioX1]

Is the answer to why it's so hard to move the typical " cause the government sucks"? To me it seems like if a facility is not fully staffed they should allow anyone who wants to transfer to do so. Whats the point in not allowing you to transfer to an understaffed facility?

 

[boots]

To be fair you could be at a well staffed facility have a bunch of ERRs in, visit facilities and still not get picked up. I know for a fact that a facility I had in for ranked me number one but because of #dynamicdecisions round 2 selections were all but scrapped but hey they have picked up 3 folks since that panel from hardships and NEST. My new strategy might be to to a high level facility then hope I can NEST to the place I actually want to be.

Until you wash out of the place you want to be and get removed

 

[Phillyman2633]

Is the answer to why it's so hard to move the typical " cause the government sucks"? To me it seems like if a facility is not fully staffed they should allow anyone who wants to transfer to do so. Whats the point in not allowing you to transfer to an understaffed facility?

Because the entirety of the FAA is understaffed. But yes the government sucks.

 

[Robert_Boucher]

Until you wash out of the place you want to be and get removed

I'll take my chances! I'm fairly confident in my abilities to work touch and gos on parallel runways. I appreciate your concern tho.

 

[Super Salt]

I'll take my chances! I'm fairly confident in my abilities to work touch and gos on parallel runways. I appreciate your concern tho.

Straight up DABs!

 

[Robert_Boucher]

Straight up DABs!

I do have in for DAB but that's not the one I was referring to.