| Air traffic controllers are required to regulate air | | | | one or several planes to change its flight plan, or its |
| traffic through FAA airspace, these are called sectors | | | | altitude because of congestion in traffic. If a plane is |
| and they must regulate and control the arrivals and | | | | redirected to another sector, the radar controller will |
| departures of aircraft. The job of an air controller is a | | | | accept responsibility for that particular plane. |
| stressful one, they have control of all airplanes that | | | | The Radar controller is a specialized field and the job |
| fly in and out of airport airspace, they need to make | | | | brings more stress than normal controllers. Radar |
| fast and accurate decisions very quickly, and there is | | | | controller work in semi-darkness, is has been studied |
| no margin for errors. Mostly they work from a | | | | that people who work in darkened spaces will find |
| control tower but sometimes they can work in a | | | | the job more stressful than a person working in |
| radar building. | | | | daylight conditions or even lighted conditions. |
| Excellent eyesight is required as visual observation | | | | Traffic controller work under some pretty stressful |
| training is extremely important. They need to know | | | | situations, as they have to handle several planes at a |
| all the different aircraft and be able to recognize | | | | time, make quick split second decisions, with planes |
| them when they are in the sky. A controller needs to | | | | landing and taking off at the same time, and other |
| know the difference between a Douglas MD-11 or a | | | | planes waiting in the sky for instructions where to |
| Boeing 747 and the many other different aircraft. | | | | land, this is a lot of information to ingest and act |
| Should they come across a non-familiar aircraft they | | | | upon, a wrong decision can create a disaster situation. |
| can access a database to quickly identify the aircraft. | | | | The responsibility is enormous and therefore |
| Stress tests are a necessary part of the job, and | | | | expected to be very stressful. |
| screening an applicant for a traffic controller's position. | | | | The next three years it is expected that there will |
| Inexperienced applicants need to be under 30 years | | | | be an automated air traffic control system in place |
| of age, have attended an FAA approved Air Traffic | | | | that will help air traffic controller to be able to cope |
| Controller Training School, and a four year degree | | | | with increased air traffic. The future will be Global |
| from a recognized college. Certain waivers maybe | | | | Positioning System (GPS) which will take control of |
| accepted, if for instance they have military training. | | | | the air traffic and make things easier for an traffic |
| Joint international conventions have divided airspace | | | | controller. Using these GPS will allow more efficient |
| into sectors, certain sectors are controlled by the air | | | | handling of flight paths and reduce congestion. More |
| traffic controller others by a radar controller. A | | | | traffic will be able to be handled and increase |
| traveling airplane as it near its half-way point will be | | | | productivity as a result. |
| according to the filed flight plan, will be handed off to | | | | The job of an traffic controller offers good job |
| what ever sector is necessary by the Traffic | | | | security as air controllers are very rarely laid off, as |
| controller, probably to the next air space sector | | | | long as the air traffic controller meets the FAA |
| handled by the radar controller. Depending on the | | | | medical requirements and testing procedures. |
| amount of traffic, the controller could arrange for | | | | |