Pay Grade Question

HenryTheAce

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Hello all,

So I understand the pay grade levels (letters) and how they work (so I think)

I was looking at pay for some people in the agency I know at lower level facilities and the pay grade they were under was:

EJ (meaning a level 5) as I understand it but what does J mean??

From my understanding there's only 3 pay levels I thought at a level 5: AG, EG, & EH
 
Hello all,

So I understand the pay grade levels (letters) and how they work (so I think)

I was looking at pay for some people in the agency I know at lower level facilities and the pay grade they were under was:

EJ (meaning a level 5) as I understand it but what does J mean??

From my understanding there's only 3 pay levels I thought at a level 5: AG, EG, & EH
The J is when you start getting into the mss (management) pay bands...
 
For others wondering, the breakdown is as follows...

First letter:
D = level 4
E = level 5
F = level 6
G = level 7
H = level 8
I = level 9
J = level 10
K = level 11
L = level 12

Second letter:
C = AG (academy grad)
D = D1
F = D2
G = D3
H = CPC
I = Staff Support Specialist
J = FLM
K = Ops Manager
L - ATM
 
Last edited:
For others wondering, the breakdown is as follows...

First letter:
E = level 5
F = level 6
G = level 7
H = level 8
I = level 9
J = level 10
K = level 11
L = level 12

Second letter:
C = AG (academy grad)
D = D1
F = D2
G = D3
H = CPC
J = FLM
K = Ops Manager
L - ATM
First letter being a "D" would be a level 4.
Second letter being an "I" would be Staff Support jobs, the MSS-1 positions.
 
I didn't want to start a thread but does anyone know historically what happens when Faa closes a tower level 4 (and what you would think with the ncept and all) what would happen to controllers there? I'm seriously considering going from 6 up down to a 4 tower only because the 9 up/down one I prefer is going to be seriously hard to ever get into and that's the location I want to be in..
Invol workforce reorganization policy answers are in the contract
 
Without starting a new thread since the pay scale info is here already, i have a question. At what points do you move from AG to D1 to D2, etc.? I assume it is all different training levels within the specific location you are at but do you drop a level if you change locations?
 
Without starting a new thread since the pay scale info is here already, i have a question. At what points do you move from AG to D1 to D2, etc.? I assume it is all different training levels within the specific location you are at but do you drop a level if you change locations?
It is defined in back of slate book.
 
Without starting a new thread since the pay scale info is here already, i have a question. At what points do you move from AG to D1 to D2, etc.? I assume it is all different training levels within the specific location you are at but do you drop a level if you change locations?
You never lose pay unless your pay is above the max of whatever band you’re moving to.
 
Read through the slate book and think I have an understanding of how the pay works. Seems pretty simple how it works out. What is a typical amount of time spent in one Developmental level at, let's say, a level 7 spot?
Obv depends on what type of facility... A lvl7 tower only will progress faster as there are no radar quals to achieve... So whereas a lvl7 updown tower can be certified on all twr positions and likely only making D3... A twr only is CPC ... Checkout the priority placement tool Excel sheet on either KSN (from govt computers), natca, or even available on .65 in the resources I believe... It has facility specific avg checkout times... So find the facility you're interested in... And for simplicity sake divide the avg checkout time by the number of Dev raises that facility is eligible for (most lvl7 don't have D1 or D2) to get a ballpark timeframe on your raises...
 
Obv depends on what type of facility... A lvl7 tower only will progress faster as there are no radar quals to achieve... So whereas a lvl7 updown tower can be certified on all twr positions and likely only making D3... A twr only is CPC ... Checkout the priority placement tool Excel sheet on either KSN (from govt computers), natca, or even available on .65 in the resources I believe... It has facility specific avg checkout times... So find the facility you're interested in... And for simplicity sake divide the avg checkout time by the number of Dev raises that facility is eligible for (most lvl7 don't have D1 or D2) to get a ballpark timeframe on your raises...

I started at a level 7 up/down. Got D2 pay when I got ground/clearance certified. Stayed D2 after local, went to RTF and was training in radar still D2. The radar room positions were handoff and 1 radar position. Got handoff certified and I was D3, the next day radar certified and was CPC. Handoff only needed 5 hours I think, and radar was 100 minimum. That was normal to do them back to back at the end because that way you didn't have to keep current on handoff which was basically never open, maybe 30 minutes a day average.
 
Level 7 up/down here; we were AG until we finished in the tower plus TD in radar. Once we got the tower plus TD, we were D2. There are 5 scopes in radar so once you got 2 scopes you were D3. Then when you got all 5 scopes you were CPC.

Typical timelines for most are about 10-12 months for tower plus TD, then another 8-10 months to get 2 scopes. Another 2 months for most to get the last 3 scopes.
 
I noticed while looking at the pay scales for different facilities that each pay grade has a range of pay. I'm a veteran so I understand how both the military pay charts and GS pay charts work, but can't figure out (on my own) how the FAA pay chart deciphers the pay range within the pay grades. For example a D2 at ZDC gets $99,587-$123,147, what is used to determine what you are paid between those amounts?
 
$123147 is the top most in that band, which while at D2 status you can’t make more than this.
$99587 is the lowest, which you would be paid upon completion of D2.

If you get D2 in April you’ll make $99587. In June there is a 1.6% pay raise, without a raise in the band minimum, so your pay increases to approximately $101180. The band minimum stays the same, so if you got D2 in July you’d only be making $99587.
 
$123147 is the top most in that band, which while at D2 status you can’t make more than this.
$99587 is the lowest, which you would be paid upon completion of D2.

If you get D2 in April you’ll make $99587. In June there is a 1.6% pay raise, without a raise in the band minimum, so your pay increases to approximately $101180. The band minimum stays the same, so if you got D2 in July you’d only be making $99587.
So how does one get all the way up to 123k? Or is it only when there are pay increases that are not applied to the band minimum and your pay continually increases within the band because they give pay increases and you have just not moved past D2?
 
So how does one get all the way up to 123k? Or is it only when there are pay increases that are not applied to the band minimum and your pay continually increases within the band because they give pay increases and you have just not moved past D2?
If you reach the top of a D band there's some serious problems... Otherwise, the only realistic way it happens is washing out and being reassigned to a much lower level facility.

For CPCs its usually achieved by moving between facilities.
 
If you reach the top of a D band there's some serious problems... Otherwise, the only realistic way it happens is washing out and being reassigned to a much lower level facility.

For CPCs its usually achieved by moving between facilities.
Ok. So it's essentially sitting within a pay band for far too long while receiving the pay raises however often they give them?
 
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