Earn a GED or High School Diploma
Most air traffic control degree programs and the armed services require you to have a high school or GED diploma to enroll or enlist.
Complete Pre-Employment Education and Experience Requirements
- In addition to meeting certain medical and age requirements, you must complete pre-training. The FAA provides different ways to complete your pre-training. You may:
- Work for at least three years in progressively responsible roles
- Earn a four-year degree
- Combine education and work experience for a total of three years (E.g., Complete a two-year degree and military service)
Additional Training
The above are minimum requirements. To strengthen your application, consider completing a degree at an Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative (AT-CTI) school. These programs teach students air traffic management and other aviation subjects. They are located at several colleges throughout the country. Graduates may receive a letter of recommendation to help them land a job.
You can also gain air traffic control experience in the military. Veterans may earn credits toward an air traffic degree.
Apply for a Job During a Hiring Window
Apply for an air traffic controller job through USAJOBS or another online hiring site. Air traffic controller jobs typically accept applicants for just a few days, so it's a good idea to sign up for USAJOBS alerts.
Attend the FAA Academy
The FAA academy trains air traffic controllers through classroom learning and simulations. Trainees may complete coursework in 2-5 months. It is located in Oklahoma City.
In an interview on the FAA's Up in the Air podcast, academy director Jim Doskow said that students with higher course scores may get to choose their site assignment first, whereas students with lower scores choose last. How's that for an incentive to study?
Work on Assignment as a Developmental Controller
Sort of like an apprentice, developmental controllers work under supervision while training for another 1.5-3 years.
Become Certified
After completing all of the necessary training components to work in a tower or radar facility, you can become an FAA-certified professional controller (CPC).
Basic Requirements to become an Air Traffic Controller
What does an Air Traffic Controller do?
Air traffic controllers typically do the following:
- Monitor and direct the movement of aircraft on the ground and in the air
- Control all ground traffic at airport runways and taxiways
- Issue landing and takeoff instructions to pilots
- Transfer control of departing flights to other traffic control centers and accept control of arriving flights
- Inform pilots about weather, runway closures, and other critical information
- Alert airport response staff in the event of an aircraft emergency
Air traffic controllers’ primary concern is safety, but they also must direct aircraft efficiently to minimize delays. They manage the flow of aircraft into and out of the airport airspace, guide pilots during takeoff and landing, and monitor aircraft as they travel through the skies. Air traffic controllers use radar, computers, or visual references to monitor and direct the movement of the aircraft in the skies and ground traffic at airports.
Controllers usually manage multiple aircraft at the same time and must make quick decisions to ensure the safety of aircraft. For example, a controller might direct one aircraft on its landing approach while providing another aircraft with weather information.
The following are examples of types of air traffic controllers:
Tower controllers direct the movement of vehicles, including aircraft, on runways and taxiways. They check flight plans, give pilots clearance for takeoff or landing, and direct the movement of aircraft and other traffic on the runways and in other parts of the airport. Most work from control towers, observing the traffic they control. Tower controllers manage traffic from the airport to a radius of 3 to 30 miles out.
Approach and departure controllers ensure that aircraft traveling within an airport’s airspace maintain minimum separation for safety. They give clearances to enter controlled airspace and hand off control of aircraft to en route controllers. Approach and departure controllers use radar equipment to monitor flight paths and work in buildings known as Terminal Radar Approach Control Centers (TRACONs). They also inform pilots about weather conditions and other critical notices. Terminal approach controllers assist the aircraft until it reaches the edge of the facility’s airspace, usually about 20 to 50 miles from the airport and up to about 17,000 feet in the air.
En route controllers monitor aircraft once they leave an airport’s airspace. They work at air route traffic control centers located throughout the country, which typically are not located at airports. Each center is assigned an airspace based on the geography and air traffic in the area in which it is located. As an airplane approaches and flies through a center’s airspace, en route controllers guide the airplane along its route. They may adjust the flight path of aircraft to avoid collisions and for safety in general. Route controllers direct the aircraft for the bulk of the flight before handing to terminal approach controllers.
Some air traffic controllers work at the Air Traffic Control Systems Command Center, where they monitor traffic within the entire national airspace. When they identify a bottleneck, they provide instructions to other controllers, helping to prevent traffic jams. Their objective is to keep traffic levels manageable for the airports and for en route controllers.
Work environment?
Most controllers work for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
Air traffic controllers work in control towers, approach control facilities, or en route centers. Many tower and approach/departure controllers work near large airports. En route controllers work in secure office buildings located across the country, which typically are not located at airports.
Approach and departure controllers often work in semidark rooms. The aircraft they control appear as points of light moving across their radar screens, and a well-lit room would make it difficult to see the screens properly.
Air traffic controllers must react quickly and efficiently while maintaining maximum concentration. The mental stress of being responsible for the safety of aircraft and their passengers can be tiring. As a result, controllers retire earlier than most workers. Those with 20 years of experience are eligible to retire at age 50, while those with 25 years of service may retire earlier than that. Controllers are required to retire at age 56.
Work Schedules
Most air traffic controllers work full time, and some work additional hours. The FAA regulates the hours that an air traffic controller may work. Controllers may not work more than 10 straight hours during a shift and must have 9 hours’ rest before their next shift.
Controllers may rotate shifts among day, evening, and night, because major control facilities operate continuously. Controllers also work weekend and holiday shifts. Less busy airports may have towers that do not operate on a 24-hour basis. Controllers at these airports may have standard work schedules.
Pay?
The median annual wage for air traffic controllers was $129,750 in May 2021. The median wage is the wage at which half the workers in an occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $71,880, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $185,990.
The salaries for development controllers increase as they complete successive levels of training. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the salaries for more advanced controllers who have completed on-the-job training varies with the location of the facility, the complexity of the flight paths, and other factors. A full explanation of the pay ranges for air traffic controllers can be found on the FAA Pay & Benefits page.
Most air traffic controllers work full time, and some work additional hours. The FAA regulates the hours that an air traffic controller may work. Controllers may not work more than 10 straight hours during a shift and must have 9 hours’ rest before their next shift.
Controllers may rotate shifts among day, evening, and night, because major control facilities operate continuously. Controllers also work weekend and holiday shifts. Less busy airports may have towers that do not operate on a 24-hour basis. Controllers at these airports may have more normal work schedules.
