Career Spotlight: Eagle eyes

“That sealed my plans,” she says. “I traveled a lot, so I always felt at home at airports and on airplanes. So when I thought about what I wanted to do after high school, my mind went to aviation.” After seeing the energy and excitement in the air traffic control tower, she found a college program that met her needs. Today she is a full-time air traffic controller in a busy East Coast facility.

“Every day is the same except when it’s not. You get used to the same flights and their departure and destinations, the ebbs and flows, but throw in one different variable, and the whole picture changes,” she says. “A few more GA aircraft, a weather system, turbulence, an emergency, holiday traffic, or military flyovers and suddenly it’s different and dynamic.”

Saying that the training process was difficult, she adds: “Patience is a virtue. Training, especially in the center, is long. Your flexibility and dedication can make a huge difference in how quickly you get through it.”

Job responsibilities of an air traffic controller include managing the flow of aircraft into and out of an airport’s airspace, guiding pilots in all weather conditions, directing aircraft efficiently to minimize delays at airports, and ensuring the safety of all aircraft operations. Maximum concentration is required.

An unusual aspect of the job most people wouldn’t expect is voice command: “The key is sounding like you know what you’re doing even when you don’t. We say during training that there’s no possible way for trainers to train you for every possible scenario. But we’re trained to draw on what we do know and what questions to ask in order to deal with a new, unfamiliar scenario or situation.” FT

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