Is air traffic control a stressful job?


Is air traffic control a stressful job? Being an air traffic controller is an extremely high-stress job, with workers responsible for the movement and direction of thousands of lives onboard commercial and general aviation aircraft every day.


What are the cons of being an air traffic controller?

Air traffic control is a high-pressure job that requires quick thinking and decision-making in high-stress situations. Demanding work schedules. Air traffic controllers often work long and irregular hours, including overnight and weekend shifts, which can be challenging for maintaining a work-life balance.


Do air traffic controllers go home?

“I'm an air traffic controller, and there are about 139 federal standalone control towers in the United States,” he explained. “I work with one of them, and every night, 84 of those, about 60%, shut down. And all the controllers go home, and there's nobody there to work traffic.


Do air traffic controllers fly free?

Although air traffic controllers may not get free flights like flight attendants do, they still have attractive employee benefits. For example, their employers often give them permanent discounts which they can use to buy tickets and other products that the airport or a specific airline carries.


What is the hardest part of being an air traffic controller?

The work can be high-stress and sometimes boring. Being an air traffic controller can be stressful due to the heavy workload and high-consequence environment, however, the job can also be dull and boring depending on how busy the skies are.


What are the chances of getting hired as an air traffic controller?

Controllers train for many years to qualify for the job, and only around 1% of applicants make it through to qualify. Initially, a controller will spend approximately 12 months studying both the practical and theoretical sides of air traffic control at a specialist college.


What personality type is an air traffic controller?

The highly logical and organized Introverted-Sensing-Thinking-Judging (ISTJ) Myers-Briggs test type is often a good fit for this career.


Is air traffic controller really stressful?

Being an air traffic controller is an extremely high-stress job, with workers responsible for the movement and direction of thousands of lives onboard commercial and general aviation aircraft every day.


Is there math in air traffic controller?

Air traffic control is a fast-paced job that requires a mathematics background. The required math knowledge includes geometry and calculus.


Is air traffic controller job hard?

But it can also be a high-stress job, and becoming an air traffic controller involves a grueling training process that can typically take between 18 months and three years. The training requires a series of tests, skills assessments, and both physical and psychological exams.


How many days off do air traffic controllers get?

Air traffic controllers receive 13 to 26 days of paid vacation and 13 days of paid sick leave each year. They are eligible to retire at age 50 with 20 years of service as an active air traffic controller or after 25 years of active service at any age.


Do air traffic controllers choose where they work?

When air traffic controllers are hired as trainees by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), they choose a geographical area in which they want to work. Beyond that, they usually don't have a lot of choice in the type of job they then enter, at least at first.


Is 35 too old to be an air traffic controller?

Applicants to air traffic controller positions who are maintaining 52 weeks of ATC experience involving the full-time active separation of air traffic after receiving an air traffic certification or ATC facility rating, must be age 35 or below on closing date of the announcement.


Is 33 too old to become air traffic controller?

What are the age requirements for individuals without previous air traffic control (ATC) experience? Candidates applying to an ATCS Trainee announcement must be age 30 or below, cannot be age 31 as of the closing date of the vacancy.


Which is more stressful pilot or ATC?

This shows that most pilots may have less worry about their financial problems and therefore less stress. In conclusion, the ATC position is more stressful than being a pilot because they have larger responsibility to control lives in the air and on the ground in same time.


What are the disadvantages of being an air traffic controller?

Air traffic control is a high-pressure job that requires quick thinking and decision-making in high-stress situations. Demanding work schedules. Air traffic controllers often work long and irregular hours, including overnight and weekend shifts, which can be challenging for maintaining a work-life balance.