What disqualifies you from being an ATC?


What disqualifies you from being an ATC? The applicant must have no established medical history or clinical diagnosis of any of the following: (1) A psychosis; (2) A neurosis; (3) Any personality disorder or mental disorder that the Federal Air Surgeon determines clearly indicates a potential hazard to safety in the Air Traffic Control System.


What happens if you fail ATC Academy?

Most often, developmental controllers who fail field qualification training are terminated from employment. However, in some cases, field-training failures may request reassignment to a lower volume and less complex ATC facility.


What is the age cutoff for FAA ATC?

To meet the FAA's requirements to become an air traffic controller, you must: Be a U.S. citizen. Be 30 years old or younger. Pass a medical examination — and continue to pass it annually once you're hired.


Do you enjoy being an air traffic controller?

Benefit from rewarding work. While working as an air traffic controller is undoubtedly stressful, those with the right mentality for the role often find their career choice incredibly satisfying.


How many people pass the ATC test?

0.5% of applicants are successful.


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.


What are the two types of air traffic controllers?

There are typically three different kinds of air traffic controllers: tower, approach and departure, and en route controllers.


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.


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.


Why do air traffic controllers have to retire at 56?

On top of contollers' rocky history, federal law requires that they retire at 56, in part because controllers have to stay current on advancing technology. The Federal Aviation Administration argues burnout gets more acute for workers by their mid 50s.


What is the busiest ATC center in the US?

The primary responsibility of Atlanta Center is sequencing and separation of over-flights, arrivals, and departures in order to provide safe, orderly, and expeditious flow of aircraft. Atlanta Center is the busiest air traffic control facility in the world.


Is ATC 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.


Can you be an ATC with ADHD?

Moreover, the position of the air traffic controller requires some of the strictest medical and mental requirements for any profession in the world; conditions such as diabetes, epilepsy, heart disease, and many psychiatric disorders (e.g., clinical depression, ADHD, bipolar disorder, a history of drug abuse) almost ...