ATC Roller Coaster

One Armer...

2011-10-18T22:31:00.000-07:00

That's what we call a trainee who is certified in the tower or radar, but not both. That is the status I received almost a month ago. I'm now a tower one armer. Now I can be used for schedule coverage and "get" overtime. It's nice to get another certification under my belt and get my CTO. I only have one more certification, Radar, to go to reach CPC status. I won't start training on that until after the first of the year. I'm getting "seasoning" time right now until I have my local radar class. As nice as it would be to have my radar class now and start training I don't mind seasoning so other trainees, who waited their turn while I was training, get their shot.

I'm gaining confidence each and every day in my newly certified position. Last Wednesday I worked a very busy session involving (this my not be much for a lot of places, but here it was a busy session) 2 C17s, 3 or 4 Boeing Jets (787s,748, and738), a King Air, and a few local college training aircraft (BE19/BE23) mixed in. It wasn't perfect, but I felt like I did a pretty good job. It was some of the busiest traffic I've seen on the position in a long time even while I was training.

So....

2011-06-15T22:52:00.000-07:00

So...it's been over two years since my last post. I don't know if anybody checks this blog out anymore, but I plan on posting to it again. A few times a month is all I'm shooting for. I've played around with the look of the blog a little, but I don't know if will keep it that way or not. That's all for now, I will post again soon with an update of my training.

Update...

2009-05-30T20:35:00.002-07:00

I know it's been a while. I don't have much of a reason why I haven't posted. It became part of my routine (I like routines) when I was at the academy and then when I finished I slacked off for a couple weeks, which has now turned into a few months. I will get back to a more regular posts, but nothing more than once every week or two. On to updating...

I've now been at my facility for almost 4 months. At the moment training (only on ground) is hit or miss. I'm not a priority in the training pecking order, so I only get trained when they don't have others to train. There are three trainees with priority over me and once they get a checkrides or at least further in their training then I will train more.

Another thing that effects my training is our traffic...or lack there off. We have traffic (not much), but it is very very sporadic. A lot of our traffic is students from the local community college and when the weather is bad they don't fly. We also have Air Force and Navy who visit, but there is no consistency. Boeing does a lot of test flights here, but they hardly ever talk to ground, they normally do two auto coupled (plane lands it's self) approaches and head home (BFI or PAE). Also, if and when we do have traffic it is pretty much Monday through Thursday. Not much goes on on Friday's and I'm told even less goes on on Saturday and Sundays. So when you cut it down to Mon-Thur and have a total of 5 trainees (2 more due next month) and only 7 CPCs to train things can really get limited.

That's all for this post. I've got a lot I could write about, but I will save those for future posts.

Wow! I just realized I've had this blog for over a year now! Cool!

It's been a while...

2009-03-07T13:07:00.002-08:00

Sorry for the lack of updates. I will write a much longer post here soon, however I can tell you that I passed my PV's (those were interesting) and I'm now at my facility. I'm just about done with all my requirements to begin working ground, which I'm hoping I will start sometime this week. Anyways, I will post again in the next few days.

Days 17-27 Tower Cab Basics

2009-01-28T15:09:00.003-08:00

0700-1530/1530-0000/0700-1530

Well, things are going good. Passed the CTO (Certified Tower Operator) a couple weeks ago. I have good runs and bad runs, the bad runs are becoming less and less. My confidence is still pretty low, but day by day it's getting better. Now much to post as we are doing labs every day now and I'm not going to give you any info on those. However I can tell you that they are new problems and my class along with our sister class are running them for the first time. The PV is still the same, but that will change in some months down the road...just a heads up. All in all things are progressing and the PV is only a week away. If I don't post before the PV then my next one won't be till I get to my facility.

Days 8-16 Tower Cab Basics

2009-01-11T12:48:00.003-08:00

0700-1530 & 1530-0000

The last week of academics finished!! Yay! I think we were all very happy it was over. The last week covered: Wake Turbulence, VFR Arrivals, VFR Departures, IFR Arrivals & Departures, Visual Operations, and Runway Incursions. The week ended with our Comprehensive Exam which the class as a whole did fairly well on.

This past week we finally began controlling (fake) aircraft in the Table Top and 3D labs. You know it's one thing to read and be taught this stuff, but then to actually key up and say it is all together different. Waaaaaayyyyyy different! Making traffic calls, wake turbulence, same runway separation, enter left/right down wind, enter left/right base, make straight in, etc. etc. etc.... I can honestly say I was intimidated when I first sat down and had to key up. Monday and Tuesday were rough, Wednesday and Thursday were much better, and then Friday was ok. My phraseology is coming along pretty well. All in all things are getting better, slowly, but getting better. It is pretty cool to see the progress the class has made in just one week and it makes me look forward to seeing the progress we make in the next few weeks.

I can honestly say I had my first "What the F&%# did I get my self into?!?!" thought Monday after class. I feel I can do this, it's just a bit hard at the moment to see a light at the end of the tunnel. However I will keep plugging along and getting better every day.

This week we have one day of Table Tops/3D Labs, then we take the CTO exam, do a one day IFR lab, and then move into the TSS labs which is where we will be from here on out. The TSS is basically a Tower Cab Simulator with a 180 degree screen and all the bells and whistles a real life tower cab would have. It should be fun, a little intimidating at first, but fun none the less.

That's all for now....

Oh, and Happy New Year everyone!!

Days 4-7 Tower Cab Basics

2008-12-28T19:24:00.003-08:00

0700-1530

I hope everyone had a nice Christmas, mine was uneventful and it was nice to have 4 days off.

Since I wrote last we have begun getting into more specific stuff regarding Academy Airport. Here are the topics we have covered in the past 4 days: Academy airport layout, academy airspace, Strip Marking (this was a Computer Based Instruction...we have done two of these so far and I believe that's all we do), ATIS, Clearance Delivery & ATC Clearances, FDIO, General Control, Position Relief, Ground Control, Taxi & Ground Movement, Wind Shear-LLWAS, and Local Control. All of these are individual lessons and none of them are too bad. Although the amount you get out of a topic will depend, at least a bit, on who teaches it.

The last 4 class days has also seen us take three more tests with one of them certifying me to take Tower Visibility (It may sound cool, but it really isn't). We have three more tests this week: Block IV, Block V, and the Comprehensive Exam. I think most of us are getting tired of the classroom work and are anxious to get into the labs and simulators. First up will be the table tops labs which will last for 7 days then we move into the simulators for the rest of our time here.

It's hard to believe we have already been here for almost two months. Time really has gone by quick and I'm sure the last five weeks will go by just as quickly.

Days 1-3 Tower Cab Basics

2008-12-18T15:36:00.003-08:00

0700-1530

Well I'm three days into Tower Cab Basics and so far it has pretty much been review of stuff we went over in Terminal Basics. We have had a couple of lessons covering new stuff such as a more in depth look at the ASOS as well as tower visibility. Tower visibility was taught by a NWS person and if we pass a test tomorrow with an 80% or better we will be certified to take Tower Visibility observations. The lesson wasn't bad and I don't expect the test will be either.

We took our first block test today (I passed) which only requires a 70% to pass these ones. There are 4 or 5 total (don't have the number in front of me) and eventually we will all take the CTO (Certified Tower Operator) exam in a couple/few weeks.

We have already begun working on phraseology and practicing saying it correctly. The last half hour of class one of our instructors worked with us on using a note pad (while working local) and giving us a few pointers on markings, etc.

Well, that's about it. We have 11 days of classroom work before we move into the table tops, then its table tops or sims the rest of the way. Also, I won't be posting for every day as I did for basics, so if anyone wants specifics let me know (if you email me give me a few days to get back to you).

Day 25 Terminal Basics

2008-12-15T17:11:00.002-08:00

0700-1530

We came in this morning and began the final test. It really wasn't what I expected, in fact it was a bit easier than I thought it would be. I did very well on it and the class as a whole did pretty good. All 36 of us passed!

After we were given our scores we did a course critique and then had an extra long lunch and then took some tests (they have to do with the AT-SAT in some way) and that was it. Phase I is over!

Couple notes on the class:

If you get either Burt or Dave for your lead instructor you are very lucky! They are both great guys and excellent teachers. You can tell they really enjoy what they do. I feel fortunate they were teachers for our class, they really made the 5 weeks go by in a flash!

Secondly, this class will be different than any other you have taken before. There is no break in information. As soon as you end a test and go over it your jump right back into the fire and keep chugging along. The information itself is not difficult, what could make it difficult is the nonstop nature of the class.

Tomorrow begins Tower Cab Basics!

Day 24 Terminal Basics

2008-12-15T17:05:00.002-08:00

1530-0000

Today began with a game called the BOZO BOWL!! Fun stuff (my team won 49-21....yeah we dominated)! I will leave it at that so those of you heading to class can find out for yourself.

After the BOZO BOWL we did our final round of Jeopardy and then began our very last lesson on Clearances. This was a quick lesson which covered the 11 types (amended, taxi, takeoff, departure, approach, through, altitude reservation, holding, cruise, landing, and composite) of clearances air traffic controllers will use. We also covered the different clearance items and their correct order.

We reviewed for the last couple hours and called it a week.

Day 23 Terminal Basics

2008-12-15T16:51:00.002-08:00

1530-0000

We began the day with a communications quiz, which was fun. They showed stuff on the board and we had to say what the put on there with the correct phraseology. Everyone did pretty well.

Next we began a lesson on Strip Marking. We went over the different types of strips (Terminal, ARTCC, and FSS), abbreviations, and control symbols used on the flight progress strips.

Day 22 Terminal Basics

2008-12-15T16:28:00.002-08:00

1530-0000

We began the day with our Block 4 test. I passed again on the first go round. Not bad, the test really could have been very tough considering the amount of weather information we covered.

After the test we began a lesson on basic communications. This covered basic phraseology, aircraft ID prefixes for the military, special military operations prefixes, and coordination.

Today there was a meet and greet with FAA facility managers from all over the place. The couple I met were nice, but they didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. Actually, I think they have these things every couple/few months. About the only best thing was it was in the building were tower cab training will be held so we were able to get a look at the table top labs and the tower sims (which are Cool!).

Day 21 Terminal Basics

2008-12-11T09:27:00.003-08:00

1530-0000

We continued our lesson on Forecasts and Advisories. Today we finished up TAF's and moved into Area Forecasts (FA), AIRMETs, SIGMETs, Convective SIGMETs, Center Weather Advisory (CWA), Meteorological Impact Statement (MIS), and Wind's and Temperatures Aloft Forecast (FB).

Our final lesson on weather was pilot reports or PIREPs. These are pilot reported weather conditions. Often times air traffic controllers will not know the severity of turbulence or icing unless pilots share that information. PIREPs are solicited by air traffic controllers when specific conditions exist and then are passed on to other facilities and other aircraft.

We finished this lesson (no more weather! yay!), played Jeopardy, and then reviewed for the Block 4 test.

Day 20 Terminal Basics

2008-12-11T09:13:00.003-08:00

1530-0000

We spent a good part of class looking at Current Weather. This lesson was all about METARs. We covered their purpose, what they contain, and how to decode (read) them. This lesson had a lot of information, but was pretty straight forward.

Next we moved into a lesson on Forecasts and Advisories. We didn't get too far into the lesson, but we did cover TAFs. This is a Terminal Aerodrome Forecast. They are weather forecast for the area within a 5 statute mile radius of the center of the airport. These forecasts are good for 24 hours and are used mostly by landing and departing aircraft.

Day 19 Terminal Basics

2008-12-11T08:59:00.003-08:00

0700-1530

Having finished the fundamentals of weather less the previous day we began this morning with a lesson on Hazardous Weather. We talked about fog, haze and smoke, blowing dust, and volcanic ash. Then we talked about turbulence, its intensities (light, moderate, severe, and extreme), the different types (convective, mechanical, clear air turbulence, wind shear, and down bursts) and the specific hazards they cause in aviation. Icing was next with our focus on the types (clear, rime, mixed, frost, induction system icing, and instrument) and their hazards to aircraft. We finished the lesson with thunderstorms and hurricanes.

Random fact: Did you know near Australia a tropical cyclone (hurricane) is called a "willy-willy."

We began the next lesson with little time left in class, so there is not much to write about that right now.

Day 18 Terminal Basics

2008-12-11T08:46:00.002-08:00

0700-1530

We began the day finishing up search and rescue procedures for overdue VFR aircraft. Then we looked at the procedures for IFR aircraft, which are quite a bit shorter than VFR. All the steps taken for VFR are skipped except for one. We finished this up pretty quickly this morning and then went right into weather.

The weather portion of class is taught by the NWS. The first lesson he taught was the basic fundamentals of weather. This covered the characteristics of the atmosphere, atmospheric temperatures and pressures, air masses, fronts, winds, convection currents, the formation and types of clouds, and the formation and types of precipitation.

Day 17 Terminal Basics

2008-12-03T17:16:00.002-08:00

0700-1530

The day began with Block Test #3. I did well again and passed on the first shot. I think this was the most difficult test up to this point. Honestly though I haven't studied much up to this point, although I think this next block could be the most difficult as it is pretty much all about weather. We will see...

After the test we began a lesson on Emergencies. This covered the two classes of emergencies (Distress and Urgency), the Universal Emergency frequencies (VHF 121.5 and UHF 243.0), the kinds of information we as controllers need to get from pilots, as well as a few specific situations which we may face.

The next lesson went into more depth and covered Search & Rescue. We covered the National Search and Rescue Plan, the FAAs role in that plan, and began looking at the procedures taken when for an overdue aircraft flying VFR. This took the rest of the day and we will pick it back up in the morning.

After we finish that we jump head first into about 4 days worth of weather. Fun fun.

Day 16 Terminal Basics

2008-12-02T18:26:00.002-08:00

0700-1530

Today we began the morning with our last lesson for Block 3. This covered the pilots environment. We looked at basic instruments (Altimeter, Vertical Speed Indicator, Airspeed Indicator, Turn Coordinator, Heading Indicator, and Attitude indicator) and their purpose. We also looked at some navigation instruments, the FMS (Flight Management System), and physiological factors that can affect flight (hypoxia, hyperventilation, etc.). This lesson took us till lunch, then it was review time.

We began by getting into our groups for Jeopardy. We do this before every block test as a means of review. All the groups did pretty well this time and had fun (as usual). After Jeopardy we took a break and reviewed for the rest of the day. Tomorrow is Block #3 test. I'm feeling pretty good about it, but I won't know for sure till I get the test and take it. There certainly has been a lot of information in this Block, so we will see.

Day 15 Terminal Basics

2008-12-02T18:14:00.002-08:00

0700-1530

We began the day looking at SIDs (Standard Instrument Departures) and STARs (Standard Terminal Arrival Routes). Essentially SIDs are used to simplify clearance delivery so controllers don't have to continually vector and clear aircraft to different altitudes and headings (although they still can and may). They are also used to expedite traffic and reduce pilot and controller workloads (as metioned above). They basically take the aircraft from the terminal environment to the enroute environment. STARs on the other hand take the aircraft from the en route environment to a point where the terminal area takes back over for the aircrafts approach to landing.

After lunch we began a new lesson on Approaches. We covered precision (ILS, MLS, and PAR...ILS is by far the most widely used) and non-precision (LOC, VOR, VOR/DME, TACAN, GPS, NDB, & ASR). This lesson also covered the 4 segments of an approach as well as approach plates.

Day 14 Terminal Basics

2008-11-29T09:37:00.002-08:00

0700-1530

Today was filled, start to finish, with charts, charts, charts. We finished off looking at low altitude in route charts and moved onto high altitude charts. The only differences between the two are the high altitude (18000ft and up) cover more area, show only two types of airspace (Classes A & E), high has less airports included (only airports with hard surfaced 5,000 foot or longer runways), show different routes, and less specific information on airports and frequencies. There are a few other differences but nothing really major. We did an exercise consisting of 30 questions using the two maps to find the answers. I felt I was starting to get all the info, but doing the exercise really helped.

I should tell you there will be a number of times when we do group/team exercises. So, if any of you waiting to go to the academy don't like to do that stuff, you might as well get over it now, because you won't have a choice once you get here. Also, if you have a problem speaking in class, get over that too and be ready, you will have to speak in class.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

2008-11-27T14:42:00.001-08:00

Happy Turkey Day everyone! I hope you all have a wonderful day!

Day 13 Terminal Basics

2008-11-27T14:29:00.002-08:00

1530-0000

Today was a continuation of the VFR Charts and Publications lesson. We began by doing an exercise where we "planned" a flight and answered questions about it. Not too bad. After lunch we finished it and took the end of lesson test.

Our next lesson, another long one, we began looking at En Route IFR Charts. We haven't looked at the chart yet, but instead we spent much of the evening looking at the Chart Legend and the many symbols used on the charts. On Friday we will get into the chart and do some exercises to gain a better understanding. It should be interesting.

Day 12 Terminal Basics

2008-11-27T14:19:00.002-08:00

1530-0000

Today we began our lesson about VFR Charts and Publications. We talked about the different types: Sectional Charts, Terminal Area Charts (TAC - you will only find these for busier airports and they show the area in more detail and give a better idea of the airspace), World Aeronautical Charts (cover large portions of airspace), IFR/VFR Planning Charts (shows the entire US and are for preflight and en route flight planning), and we looked through Airport Facility Directores (books published for different geographical regions and list all airports within that region).

That is basically what the lesson consisted of. This lesson lasted all day today and continues into tomorrow.

Day 11 Terminal Basics

2008-11-25T09:25:00.003-08:00

1530-0000

We started off the day reviewing what we went over on Friday. We then looked at deviation, what causes it (the structure and equipment of the aircraft), and how compass heading is found (Magnetic Heading +/- deviation = compass heading). Then we talked about navigation using dead reckoning (nav by means of computations based on airspeed, course heading, wind direction and speed, ground speed, and elapsed time), pilotage (basic navigation using landmarks), and radio navigation (using VORs, VORTACs, RNAV, etc.)

The next lesson covered Radio and Satellite Navigation in more depth. The lesson took us till lunch and the rest of the day. We looked at 11 different types of radio and satellite navigation. They were: VHF Omni-Directional Range (VOR), Tactical Air Navigation (TACAN is a military navigation system), Distance Measuring Equipment (DME), VHF Omni-Directional Range/Tactical Air Navigation (VORTAC - this is basically a VOR & TACAN put together), Area Navigation (RNAV), Intertial Navigaion System (INS), Long Range Navigation (LORAN), Nondirectional Radio Beacon (NDB), Instrument Landing System (ILS), Microwave Landing System (MLS), and Global Positioning System (GPS). For the ILS we looked at the components (localizer, glide slope, marker beacons, and approach light) and the three ILS approach categories.

We rounded out the lesson looking at the different airways and routes. We have airways (found in Class E airspace), the jet route system (Class A airspace), and RNAV routes (Class A and Class E airspace).

Tuesday we jump right into VFR charts.

Day 10 Terminal Basics

2008-11-22T10:14:00.002-08:00

0700-1530

Friday began with the class taking the Block 2 test. I passed again on the first try...yes!

After the test we began a long lesson covering basic navigation. We stared off covering the Parallels of Latitude and Meridians of Longitude, and great circle routes. Then we moved into measurements of distance like the Nautical Mile (NM = 6076.1ft) and Statute Mile (SM=5280ft) and the conversions (SM to NM and NM to SM) of the two. We looked at Zulu/Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). We also looked at the different airspeed's: Indicated Airspeed (IAS), True Airspeed (TAS), Ground Speed (GS), and Mach. The lesson also covered the winds effect on speed and True Course (TC) and Magnetic Variation (The angular difference between true north and magnetic north).

And that ended our week. The week went by quickly even though we covered a lot of information. I'm glad it's the weekend. Next week we continue with navigation and get into VFR, IFR, and En Route charts. Oh and we are on nights...fun fun.

Day 9 Terminal Basics

2008-11-22T10:03:00.002-08:00

0700-1530

We picked up with more aircraft recognition. We looked closely at the 35 aircraft and picked out unique identifying features of each one. This took us till lunch. After lunch we got into groups and did an aircraft recognition tournament. This was fun as the instructors flashed an aircraft up on the screen for about 3 seconds and then the member of the team who was up would have to answer. It was fun.

After the tournament we stayed in the groups and played Jeopardy. It was fun, even though my group didn't do so well. Well...at least till final Jeopardy when we won...haha! After Jeopardy we reviewed for the block 2 test and went home.

Day 8 Terminal Basics

2008-11-22T09:40:00.002-08:00

Sorry for the delay posting. We covered a lot of information in a short amount of time and we had a test yesterday to cap off the week. Anyways....back to posting.

0700-1530

We picked up Wednesday and got right into the principles of flight. We covered basic helicopter control, stalls, and icing.

The next lesson covered Wake Turbulence, which, for us terminal folks, is something we will be dealing with on a daily basis. We looked at the basics of wake turbulence looking how it is formed and the factors which contribute to greater (or lesser) wake turbulence. We looked at the vortex behavior, vortex sink rate, the "ground effect" (the effect when an airplane gets close to the ground and what effect that has on wake turbulence), and induced roll. This lesson also covered helicopters and the turbulence they produce (down wash from the rotors and vortices from forward flight).

Our next lesson covered aircraft characteristics as well as recognition. We covered the aircraft categories (I,II,III), weight classes (small,large, heavy), and the factors which contribute (positive and negative) aircraft performance. The next part of the lesson covered identification features of aircraft. Such things as: aircraft size, engine location (under wing or attached to fuselage) and number, engine type (prop, turbojet, etc), wing placement (high, mid, low), wing configuration, tail configuration ("v" tail, "t" tail, standard, and others), windows (shape, number, etc.), fuselage shape, and landing gear. We then began looking at the aircraft we will have to know once we get into Phase 2.

Day 7 Terminal Basics

2008-11-18T16:51:00.002-08:00

0700-1530

We began the day with the 5 or so people who didn't pass the test yesterday doing their retake. After that we reviewed the previous days material and took the end of lesson test.

The next lesson covered FAR Part 91 and lasted the rest of the morning and about an hour into the afternoon. We covered flight plans, their different types (VFR, IFR, and DVFR) and looked at a couple example flight plans. We did spend time talking about each type along with Special VFR (SVFR). Next we looked at basic VFR weather minimums in class B, C, D, E, and G airspace (Class A is IFR flying only). VFR altitudes were looked at as well as VFR-on-Top and when Special VFR could be conducted. We continued on with IFR landing and takeoff minimums, cruising altitudes, IFR communications, radio failure procedures, and oxygen requirements.

The last couple hours of class were all about the principles of flight. We will finish the lesson tomorrow morning, however we did get into some very interesting stuff. We looked at the four forces on an aircraft in flight (lift, weight, drag, and thrust) as well as the affects of atmospheric changes on flight. We ended the day there and will pick it back up in the morning.

Day 6 Terminal Basics

2008-11-18T16:35:00.002-08:00

0700-1530

We began the day taking our first block test. I passed it on the first try, yay! I believe only 5 people didn't pass, which really is quite good considering the class has 36 students. We were given over an hour to finish the test so we had a break after we finished.

After the break we dove right in the block two stuff beginning with Airspace. This lesson was more in depth than anything we have done so far. We covered the 6 classes of airspace: A, B, C, D, E, and G. We looked at their characteristics such as their size and requirements to fly in the airspace. We also looked at Special Use Airspace including: Prohibited Areas (flight not permitted), Restricted Areas (flight not completely prohibited, but there are restrictions), Warning Areas (activity in area may be hazardous), Alert Areas (e.g. would be an area with a high number of flight training), Controlled Firing Areas, Military Operating Areas, and National Security Areas. This lesson covered the remainder of the morning and part of the afternoon.

Next, we moved into a lesson about Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs). We covered some general definitions (aircraft, balloon, airship, VFR, IFR, etc.). We looked at the basics of the following FARs: FAR 1, FAR 65, FAR 67, FAR71, FAR 73, and FAR 91. We rounded out the day looking at Right of Way rules, Aircraft speed restrictions in different airspace, and Minimum Safe altitudes.

Day 5 Terminal Basics

2008-11-15T09:46:00.002-08:00

1530-0000

We began the day reviewing the fundamentals of Radar. This covered the two types primary and secondary, their advantages and disadvantages, and other aspects of both. Then we took our end of lesson test.

Our next lesson was an introduction to FAA Orders and Manuals. We broke into groups and were given one of the orders or manuals to look through and share with the class.

We covered the following Orders/Manuals:
7110.10 - Applies to Flight Service Stations and contains their procedures and phraseology
7110.65 - Air Traffic Controllers procedures and phraseology. This is something we all will get very familiar with.
7210.3 - Air Facility management hand book
7340.1 - This covers approved words and phrases used by the FAA
7350.7 - Contains locations identifiers from the FAA and Transport Canada, US airspace fixes and procedures, etc.
AIM - Aeronautical Information Manual

During this lesson we covered 4 important words we will see a lot of from here on out:
May - Procedure is optional
Shall - Procedure is non-negotiable and must be done
Should - Procedure is recommended
Will - Procedure is not required, futurity

Our last lesson of the day covered Letters of Agreement (LOA) and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP). Basically LOAs are designed to minimize the manual coordination and are for inter facility use. Examples of participants would be: two facilities, a facility and the airport manager, a facility and adjacent land owners, etc. SOP's are set up by your facilty manager and layout guidelines about how the facility is run. SOP's can cover such things as: in facility directives, position releif breifings, stripmaking procedures, equipment usage, etc.

After taking our end of lesson test and a break we broke into groups again and played a little ATC Jeopardy as a review. After this we reviewed for our Block 1 test on Monday and then headed home. I'm feeling pretty good about the test, I feel like I have a pretty decent grasp on the material and with some study this weekend I should be just fine.

Day 4 Terminal Basics

2008-11-14T09:20:00.002-08:00

1530-0000

Yesterday was the first day of night class. It wasn't too bad except we had to take lunch at 6pm so instead of having the shorter part of the day after lunch we had the longer. Oh well, night class today and then day class all next week.

We began the day by taking an end of lesson test to finish off airport marking and lighting. Then we got into separation. This was a basic lesson covering the 6 types of separation: vertical, lateral, longitudinal, radar, visual, and runway. We also talked briefly about holding procedures then we took an end of lesson test.

Next we moved into Notice to Airmen (NOTAMs). We talked about who initiates and disseminates them and the five types: NOTAM D, FDC NOTAM, NOTAM L, POINTER NOTAM, and MILITARY NOTAM's. We had a lunch in here somewhere, but I don't remember during which lesson, just that it was at 6pm.

We rounded out the day talking about the fundamentals of radar. This covered the primary and secondary radar. We talked about the various advantages and disadvantages of both and their basic components. The day ended before we could take the end of lesson test, so that will come first thing today.

Day 3 Terminal Basics

2008-11-12T18:26:00.006-08:00

0700-1530

No class yesterday because it was Veterans Day.

Today we continued Monday's lesson. We got into the basic aspects, responsibilities, and staff positions of the Automated Flight Service Stations (AFSS), Airport Traffic Control Towers (ATCT), Terminal Radar Approach Controls (TRACON, sometimes referred as Approach Control), Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC), and the Traffic Management System (TMS). This took us the entire morning and about a half an hour after lunch to finish and then we took an end of lesson test.

A few notes on tests. After every lesson (I think there are 30) we will take a test. The tests are not graded, you do find out what you missed, but all the instructors get is a print out of how the class did as a whole so they can address any questions that a lot of people missed. The tests don't count towards passing the class, but rather to check what you know and may need to look over more. There will be 4 Block tests (about every 7 lessons) during the five weeks, which are graded. These tests need a 90% or better to pass and you get one retake. I believe you still continue if you fail the retake, but I believe you have to talk to the instructors. Our instructors said that the only results your future facility will get/ask for is the final test. They can ask for the block test scores, but that seems to be quite rare.

After we went through the end of lesson test, took a break, and were back to the books. This lesson was all about airports. This again was basic and got into airport lighting and markings. We didn't finish quite in time to take the end of lesson test, so we will do that first thing tomorrow.

The next two days we are switching to nights (1530-0000) so my posts will probably come the following day.

Day 2 Terminal Basics

2008-11-10T19:50:00.004-08:00

0700-1530

Today felt like it went much faster than Friday. I think it's because on Friday I was expecting the day to be long and filled with presentations. Today we started off with an overview of the class and what we should expect during the next five weeks.

Next we took the Air Traffic Basics "Pre-Test" which was a 100 question test that is suppose to be quite similar to the final. I felt as if I had a pretty good grasp on a decent portion of the test. The test doesn't really matter though as they use is to test our knowledge at the beginning of the class compared to when we finish. I definitely think if you've had any aviation classes, CTI classes, flight lessons, or have picked up knowledge on your own it will help. I don't think it is necessary (remember this is a "Basics" class), but any little bit would help.

The next portion of the day, before and after lunch, was filled with introductions from both the instructors and the students. I enjoyed this part as it was interesting to hear a little bit about the people in the class. We have people from all over the country going to all corners of the country and we have people from many different backgrounds. I think it is great and I think the class is made up of some pretty good group of people and will be a lot of fun.

We ended the day beginning our first lesson about the basics of the National Airspace System (NAS). We got through a brief history of the FAA, the FAA Organizational makeup, and then we got a bit into the Air Traffic Control (ATC) System before the day ended.

First day

2008-11-07T15:11:00.003-08:00

0700-1530

The day is over! Finally! It really was a long day with a LOT of presentations, paperwork, sitting, listening, and trying to stay awake. Although the last one had a lot to do with getting very little sleep. It was a mixture of nervousness and anxiousness I think. All in all the day did go pretty smoothly. The coolest part of the day definitely was being sworn in as a federal employee. I felt like it was finally official and now my learning can begin. What can I say I'm excited and looking forward to the many challenges that lie ahead!

I'm going to keep this short today, so if anyone wants more specific info about the day just let me know. Have a good weekend!

I made it...

2008-11-06T16:05:00.001-08:00

Well, I'm here. Moved into my apartment this afternoon and now I'm just relaxing and waiting for tomorrow to get here. Not much else to write about sooooo I'll type at y'all tomorrow.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

2008-10-31T11:24:00.003-07:00

Happy Halloween everyone! Don't eat too much candy ;-)

I got my welcome packet for the Academy today! Nothing special really, just information for the first day of class (where to check in and room number) and a few other academy related things (housing info, Academy & area maps, and a some legal stuff). I was able, thanks to an awesome lady down in OKC, to get it sent to my friends here in Wisconsin as I would have missed it had it went to Tennessee.

The next time you hear from me will be in OKC! Only a week away!!

Email

2008-10-28T17:59:00.002-07:00

I've set up an email address for the blog, so if anyone would like to email me go right ahead. I've had a couple people ask for one and since I will be starting the academy very soon I thought it may be nice if anyone had any questions they wanted to ask they could. I can't guarantee I will know the answers, but I sure will do my best.

10 days...

2008-10-28T17:31:00.002-07:00

10 days from now the real "Roller Coaster" will begin. It's not to say the process hasn't been a roller coaster, but it's nothing like actually learning and doing the job. Honestly I haven't been terribly excited as I've had enough other stuff to worry about that I hadn't given myself the chance to get excited. Well...now I am! I got all the utilities and the cable & internet set to be turned off along with a few other things, so I'm set there. All that's left are a few things around the apartment. The days can't go by quick enough!

I'm going to miss the Nashville area. It's really grown on me since I got here last December. If by some chance I would have been placed at the Nashville Airport (BNA) I would have had no problem staying here. I don't live in the city, but I'm close enough that I can get downtown within a half an hour or so depending on the traffic. The parts of Nashville I've visited are great and the city it's self is pretty awesome. I'll definitely return someday, heck I wouldn't even rule out returning here for work at some point in the future. Time will tell.

Catching Up...

2008-10-18T18:27:00.002-07:00

Well, it's been almost a month since my last post. Honestly, I haven't felt like doing much blogging lately and there hasn't been much to report FAA wise. Just watching the days slowly go by waiting for my class date to begin. Anyways, here is an update about what has been going on in the last month.

My last post was in regards to a friends passing. I won't go too much into it other than to say the services were all very nice with many in attendance. The funeral itself had the church completely full, I was sitting with the family so I couldn't exactly tell, but I believe some people actually had to stand. I had a chance to say a few words before the funeral where the family and close friends gathered to say goodbye and leave various mementos in the casket. This part was the most difficult for me and I broke down while talking. The passing of my friend has left a bit of an impact on me and has left me with quite a bit to think about.

I moved most of my stuff last week to Moses Lake. That was an interesting trip. I left here bright, well actually it was dark when I left, and early on the 7th at 6 am. I live around Nashville and I wanted to get through before the heavy morning commute. That day took me up through Kentucky, Illinois, hung a left into Missouri which took me through St. Louis and Kansas City, took a right in Kansas City and headed north into Iowa. I ended up staying in Sioux City that night and traveled about 865 miles that day. I should mention the rental truck had NO cruise control (booooo).

The second day began again early at 6:30am heading north to Sioux Falls, SD where I hung a left and began a long drive through South Dakota. Couple of things about South Dakota: 1) I find something beautiful about the scenery even though it is relatively flat (until you reach the Black Hills), but I was glad once I reached Wyoming, 2) Wall Drug is ANNOYING....well their signs are anyways and because of the signs I don't know if I ever want to visit the place. My journey continued with a pleasant drive through Wyoming and then into Montana where I hung another left at Billings and ended my day in the Bozeman area. This day covered about 922 miles.

The third day was quite short in comparison with the first two. I slept in a bit and didn't leave till 11am. I made one stop in Missoula for gas and another at the 50,000 Silver Dollar Bar (I've been to this place MANY times and is somewhat of a must stop for me). The only obstacles I faced during this third and final day were three mountain passes I had to tackle. The Butte pass, Lookout Pass which serves as the border between Montana and Idaho, and 4th of July pass. I wasn't sure what kind of guts my rental truck had, however it was just fine and I got though the passes no problem at all. It was smart of me to go through when I did as that night as parts of Montana were due to get some pretty good snow fall. The day ended in Spokane having only driven 420.

While in Washington I got my stuff put in storage, saw my new niece and nephew along with other family, and spend quality time with friends. All in all it was a good trip, tiring, but a good trip.

Now I'm back in Tennessee and living in a VERY bare apartment. I will be here till the 30th when I hand in my keys and head to the airport to catch a flight to Wisconsin (A buddy found a great airfare...only $175 round trip). I'm going to visit a couple close friends for a few days before I fly back and drive to Oklahoma City and begin class.

I'll post at least a couple more times before class beings and then once I'm in class I will be posting just about every day. Less than three weeks till I begin....Yay!!

Sad...

2008-09-21T23:20:00.003-07:00

Unfortunately this is a post of sadness and loss. Last night I received a phone call from one of my oldest friends to tell me his younger (22 year old) brother was killed this past Thursday. The young man was riding his bike to work, in the Seattle area, when his tires slipped on some grass causing him to fall into the path of an oncoming gravel truck. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

This was a young man with such a bright future ahead of him. He just graduated college in the spring and was beginning his first engineering job in Seattle. He comes from a Mother and Father I consider to be second parents. He leaves behind a brother whom I've been friends with for over 16 years. He leaves this world far far too soon.

This was a young man who I had known since he was 6 years old. I've always thought of him as a younger brother and loved him as one.

I know it hasn't fully hit me yet and I know it won't till this Wednesday night when I walk into the funeral home for the vigil service. Right now it's still hard to believe and I keep thinking to myself: 22 year old's are not suppose to be dead....22 year old's are not suppose to be dead....its just doesn't seem right....

I won't be blogging for a couple/few weeks as I will be out of town for the funeral this week and then I have the move to get get ready for.

I end this post by saying: I will see you again...until then goodbye my brother.

Lack of updates...

2008-09-17T20:57:00.002-07:00

I know its been well over a week since my last post, but honestly there really isn't too much to write about. At least in terms of ATC stuff. Now that I have my FOL the next step is starting at the academy and that's about 7 weeks away. Although, I did line up a roommate for OKC, so that's positive. I've also begun planning the move of my stuff. I want to get all my stuff out to Washington before I start the academy, so when I finish there I can head right to Washington.

My posts will most likely be a bit sparse from here until the academy, however I will post at least once a week with any news or other developments.

FOL

2008-09-05T15:35:00.002-07:00

Got it! Yes! I got it (along with a bunch more paperwork to fill out and send back) through email yesterday evening. I'm all set to begin my training at the academy in Oklahoma City on November 7th.

Now planning for my move and getting ready for the academy begins. I haven't even made my list of what I will need to do yet. It's going to be long, oh well at least I have a good two months to get everything planned and taken care of. Luckily I got one thing taken care of this morning when I secured housing in OKC. The first place I called had openings so I'm good to go when I get there.

Have a good weekend.

Nada

2008-09-02T21:23:00.002-07:00

No firm offer letter yet, so nothing much to report. My patience is being tested more now than at anytime during this process. I'm so close to basically being all set, I just need that FOL and I will be good to go. It really is a good thing I am a very patient person as I know others in my situation are going crazy. Oh well, it will come when it comes.

At least there was a great weekend of football this past weekend to make the weekend to by fast. Oh and what a start to the college football season it was! Close games and not so close games, it was all great. I've been listening to a local sports talk radio show here for the past couple of months and I will tell you I never knew how fanatical they are about their football down here in the south! Wow! I don't think it matters if it is high school, college, or pro these people are crazy about their teams. Definitely a new experience for me. I've never lived in a place that is as nuts about football as these people are. I lived in Michigan for about 5 years and I thought they were pretty into their teams, but not like the people down here. I admit it gets me up for games a little more than I normally would, I wouldn't ever get to their level, but it does make things a little more fun.

That's all for now...hopefully I will hear something soon.

November 7th

2008-08-21T16:06:00.003-07:00

Yep, November 7th is my class date. I got an email just after I finished writing my last post asking if I was available for that date. So yay! I was told by my HR rep he would be sending my FOL (Firm Offer Letter) in the next few days. Once I have that I will be golden and can really start planning stuff. They said 4-6 weeks at the PEPC and tomorrow would have been 4 exactly, not bad, not bad at all. I think my patience and not bugging them paid off. I will let y'all know when I get the FOL.

Something to think about...

2008-08-21T11:30:00.003-07:00

I've been seeing something on message boards that has begun to really bug me and I thought I would address it here.

The FAA recently had state specific openings for Hawaii and Alaska. It appears a good number of people from the message boards I frequent have applied for the positions. Most, if not all, of these people are of the "I will go anywhere" type of applicants. I think it is great that people have that type of attitude for the job and frankly when I started this process I counted myself as one of them. However, the further I traveled down this path and the more knowledge I gained the more I realized that I didn't want to just go anywhere. I wanted to go someplace I would be happy. Now, had I been chosen for employment in another state other than the two (WA & OR) I chose I most likely would have accepted it, however I would have done some research on the facilities in the state before I decided to go ahead with it.

There is a lot more to take into account when accepting a facility than just the facility itself. This is where my worries and irritation come into play. I feel like most of these people have absolutely no idea what they would be getting into by moving to a place like AK or HI. I am not saying anything bad about either of these places, I've never been to them. However, they are different places to live than the mainland US. Costs there are higher and there are challenges to living in remote places that we do not face down here in the lower 48. To me they are the type of places that "sound cool" to live there. But, when you really take the time to research everything from taxes to weather to cost of living to education to lifestyle to government etc. they may not be for everybody. Something else to keep in mind is the cost of moving to one of those places. It will NOT be cheap. Heck the total cost for me to move from Tennessee to Washington State will be around $3,000. Now think how much more it would be ship stuff to Hawaii or Alaska (or Guam or the US VI). My guess it would be at least twice that amount if not much more.

It worries and baffles me why these people don't put in the necessary research before they decide to apply/accept employment at a location. I think people get caught up in the the excitement they feel and forget there is and should be much more thought put into their decisions. Personally I see it as a bit of immaturity, but hey I don't have to live with their decisions.

All I ask, if anyone is reading this who this may pertain to, is to do your homework before you apply/accept/put a state on geographic preference and don't put a state down just because it would be "cool" to live there. Take the time and look into those things that are currently, and those things that will be in the future, important to you in a place you will live.

Remember there will be more to life than being a controller.

Three Weeks...

2008-08-15T15:42:00.002-07:00

It's been three weeks since the PEPC in Memphis and things seem to be progressing nicely for me. I have had a couple people receive paperwork from the FAA to fill out, which is a bonus, and I haven't had any calls regarding anything yet, so yay.

Again, sorry for the lack of updating, I would prefer to write something new twice a week at the least, but there really isn't much to write about at the moment. However, I have seen a few other terminal folks from the Memphis PEPC (one of them attended the same day I did) receive OKC class dates, which is good. They must be going to facilities in need. Its nice to see things are moving along well for other Memphis PEPC attendees. I'm not getting my hopes up that I will get anything soon regarding a class date as I said before I doubt the facility I'm going to is critically staffed.

Have a good weekend.

Two Weeks Down

2008-08-09T18:30:00.003-07:00

Two weeks down and at least 2-4 more to go before I hear anything. I know it's been over a week since my last up date, however there really isn't much to post about. There is nothing to do other than wait for my medical, psych, and security clearances to go through. I haven't heard anything regarding them yet. I take this as good news, you know no news is good news, meaning they don't have any questions regarding the clearances up to this point. I suppose I could call and find out the status, but that would do no good as we were told 4-6 weeks before we (other Memphis PEPC attendees) were to get Firm Offer Letters (FOLs). If it gets past the 6 week mark then I may try calling, but until then I wait.

New classes have been added for the Fiscal year 2009 (begins Oct 1). Air Traffic Basics classes have been added all the way through March, with two to three new classes every month starting in October. It would be great to get a start time in October, however I doubt that will happen. I have a feeling the facility I'm headed to (MWH) is not "critically" manned and therefore is not at the top of the list for controllers. Critically manned facilities have priority when sending applicants to the academy. With this in mind I'm thinking a November or December start time is more realistic.

One more thing...what is is about the Olympics that causes me to watch sports that I wouldn't watch otherwise? Really! This morning I watched fencing! Is that sport even on TV outside of the Olympics. I've also watched, just today, men's and women's beach volleyball, women's indoor volleyball, cycling road race, swimming, and men's gymnastics. Other than the indoor volleyball I wouldn't watch those unless they have to do with the Olympics or some other World Championship. For me it's something about the world stage that draws me in and I have to watch. And I will watch all hours of the day and then when it's over I will say, as I always do, man I can't wait for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver or whatever the next Olympics will be. I love it!

How about that opening ceremony! Had to be the best one I have watched! The lighting of the Olympic torch/cauldron was really cool, however the best for me was the 1992 Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona when the archer shot the arrow up into the cauldron and lit it that way. I remember getting goosebumps and thinking that was pretty awesome. However, every Olympic Games to come will have quite a task to even equal what the Chinese did during the opening ceremonies. All I can say is AWESOME!

Every Olympic Games Opening Ceremony I watch reaffirms in me the life goal to attend an Opening Ceremony. I HAVE to attend one.

My Future Facility...

2008-07-31T19:18:00.005-07:00

Wow, so I thought I put where I was going in my last post. Hmmm I meant to, but I believe I got distracted when I was typing it up and forgot to put it in there. Oh well.

I have been placed.....drum roll please....at the facility in Moses Lake, WA, FAA identifier MWH. I will be perfectly honest and say it was not my first choice of facilities. However, the more I have looked into the facility, the more I feel it will be a great place to learn this job. The facility is a level 6 (FAA facilities range 4-12) up/down, which will allow me to learn both the tower and TRACON portions of air traffic control. There is not a great deal of traffic, however the traffic they do have there looks to be very interesting (link below). The traffic is a mix of general aviation, military ops, and commercial ops. The traffic there is quite a mix as well ranging from small Cessna 172s up to Boeing 777s. It appears, just a guess, that Boeing does test flights to Moses Lake from Boeing Field (BFI) in Seattle or Paine Field (PAE) in Everett.

Grant County International Airport activity & Information:
KMWH Activity

KMWH Info

PEPC experience

2008-07-29T15:25:00.003-07:00

First I will give a brief synopsis of my experience at the Memphis PEPC this past Friday.

-My PEPC experienced started at 9:45am when I showed up checked in and waited for my interview. After all the other 10am attendees (actually I think I may have been the last to show up) arrived we were given a little overview of the days activities. After that, I met my interviewer who was a gentleman who is a supervisor in a tower in South Carolina (I think).

-The interview took about 50 minutes for me and was pretty straight forward and I believe was one of the longer interviews of the 10am people.

-Next came a visit to the Human Resources people who gave me my job offer and had me sign a couple things.

-After that I was escorted (you are escorted everywhere) to the Medical area where I filled out a little paper work and was then lead back to take my physical (including giving a urine sample). Pretty standard here so no need to explain. Then I was escorted to a a trailer where I was given my EKG, had my vision tested, and had my hearing tested. I had to be retested for vision as I didn't do as well as I should have on the near sight stuff and my field of vision. So, that's where I headed next, which I passed just fine. I attribute the first vision test being what it was to the test administrator who was not the most friendly person (everyone else there were are great people and very helpful) there. Anyways, after that was done and I was signed off by the flight surgeon.

-Next came the psych evaluation which consisted of taking the MMPI2 test. Basically this was a 370 questionnaire with a whole variety of questions.

-After that finished I was escorted to another building where I input my security information into their online database/website. This took the longest amount of time for the entire day at about 1:40 which included being fingerprinted.

-With that finished I headed back to HR, handed in a couple things, and headed for my hotel. My day ended just after 3pm. So, I was there for about 5:10. It would have been a little shorter if I didn't have to redo the couple of eyesight tests. But, all in all not bad.

That's it. The whole PEPC process was very positive and very well run. I never had to wait more than 5 minutes for anything and everyone there were nice and helpful. I feel grateful I had the opportunity to get all of those things done at once rather than doing it the old way which would have probably taken a couple months to schedule and do. All in all the experience was stressful and tiring, but positive.

I know...

2008-07-29T15:15:00.003-07:00

I know I said I would update this thing in Saturday after I returned from Memphis, but when I got home I really didn't feel like it. I was tired! I didn't sleep well on Thursday night and then I slept OK on Friday night so after the drive home I was pretty tired and went to bed early. As for the past couple of day's I don't have much of an excuse other than I haven't felt like posting. Now I do, so on to the next post!

Here we go...

2008-07-24T08:36:00.002-07:00

Well, the day is almost here. I just have to do a few more things around the apartment and then I will be off to Memphis. I'm really starting to feel the butterflies, stress, anxiousness, and nervousness. Man, tomorrow at this time I will be interviewing! Craziness!

OK, check back on Saturday or Sunday to hear where I have been placed and my experience at the PEPC.

Starting Time

2008-07-19T17:59:00.002-07:00

My PEPC experience begins at 10am on Friday. I received the email stating it on Thursday. I'm happy with the time. I won't have to get up really early and deal with morning rush hour traffic around Memphis. I would say it will allow me to sleep in, but honestly I KNOW I will have a hard time sleeping on Thursday. Between being excited and nervous and worrying that I will sleep past the alarm will have me waking up every 10 to 15 minutes. Haha, oh well, the lack of sleep will be for a good cause and well worth it. As of now, I'm pretty much ready to go. So, this next week will be SLOW! Heck this past week has seemed to drag on like no other.

As for The Open Championship, wow! I know the ratings will be down with out Tiger Wood's there, but dang 53 year old Greg Norman (a.k.a The Shark) is the 54 hole leader by 2 strokes! That's awesome! I'm watching tomorrow and rooting for him to finish it off and become the oldest Open Champion ever. It's been a great story already, but if he wins, WOW!

I will check back in before I head to Memphis.

Dog Poop

2008-07-15T22:19:00.003-07:00

Yes I said dog poop. I live in an apartment complex. It's nice, comfortable, and has a nice mixture of residents. Well this is an apartment complex that allows pets and you guessed it dogs. I don't have anything against dogs or pets, I'm not a pet person, I just don't have anything against them. One thing that does bug me though are the dog's owners who don't pick up after their pets. Is it really that hard? No its not! I think I've seen one person actually pick up after their pet.

Little story...well it appears one of the other residents in my breezeway on the second floor happened to step in some dog poop and proceeded to scrap it off their shoes all the way up the stairs to the second floor! WTF!?! Come on! Just because you stepped in the shit doesn't mean the rest of us on the second floor should have to share it with you. Really! Scrape it off on the grass or take the shoes off, its not hard. Remember those things you learned to tie as a little kid, yep those, they are called shoe laces and if you tug on one of the ends the knot will come loose and you can take the shoe off. Easy, no? Better yet if your shoes don't have laces, then they are most likely a slip on of some type, then just "slip" them off or undo the velcro (if you roll that way of course) and take them off. All I'm saying is don't be a lazy ass and have a little consideration for the others on the floor, it is NOT tough!

Gotten

2008-07-15T22:00:00.003-07:00

I don't like how that word sounds when I read it. Actually the word bugs me. I've been reading it in stuff and it always seems out of place to me and I find myself thinking of what word would have worked much better in it's place. But, yeah not a fan of the word.

Nothing new going on as far as the PEPC. I've pretty much finished the paperwork with the exception of a couple things, but nothing major. The security paperwork is a little tedious, but no were near as tedious as the security paperwork for en-route folks. Theirs is at least twice as long and twice as involved.

So, with that done all I'm doing is watching the day's pass, quite slowly I should add, till next Thursday when I head to Memphis. I'm a rather patient guy so the waiting has not been bad up till now. I feel I'm getting very close to where I want to be, almost like I can just about reach it but it's just past my finger tips. Luckily there happens to be lots of golf to watch this weekend, so that will help.

Oh, I should be hearing on Thursday what my start time for the PEPC is. I'm hoping for a 9 or 10am start time, that way I will be done in the early afternoon and if I want to go do something in the area I will have the time to do just that.

I will let y'all know what time I get on Thursday.

Make it Friday

2008-07-11T17:32:00.002-07:00

My PEPC date has been switched to Friday July 25th. I got a call this afternoon from the coordinator of the PEPC's and she said that it was an "emergency" for some people to go on the 23rd. So, being the nice guy that I am I switched. She (the coordinator) seemed pretty relieved to have me agree to the switch. Personally I think these people with "emergencies" had already booked their hotels, rental cars, airplane tickets etc. before they had a confirmed date and they couldn't switch. Which, if you ask me, is stupid. Why would you book something like that before you have a CONFIRMED date? I wouldn't, but I guess some people did/do. Now, I understand some people actually have stuff to do, but in this case I doubt it. Actually, it works out better in terms of cost as I will be able to get better rate at a hotel (which I now have booked). I just hope this doesn't push me way back in my potential OKC Academy start date.

Well, the pizza is about ready to come out of the oven, so I'm off...

Appointment

2008-07-10T13:13:00.002-07:00

I just got the email confirming July 23 as the day I will attend the Memphis, PEPC! Yay! It's nice to get the notice early enough that I shouldn't have any problem securing a good hotel and getting everything else together that I will need for the PEPC.

Also, I'm thinking my guess at attending class in September is probably a good one. A NYC PEPC attendee has a date for 29th of this month! Pretty quick turn around. I've also seen people with dates throughout August. So, here's hoping. I wont know till I get there.

Now onto a hotel reservation. I've heard staying close to the airport (the PEPC will be at a building close to the airport) is not the best idea as the area is not great and depending on where a hotel room is located I could be awaken at 3am FedEx airplanes landing and taking off. So, I think I will look a little farther out of the city, perhaps in a suburb.

That's all for now.

Driving me nuts!

2008-07-07T05:50:00.003-07:00

You know what's killing me? Not knowing what facility I have been assigned to. It's driving me crazy! Every day I find myself going through all the different locations I could go to and what are the possibilities of that happening. It really wouldn't be so bad, but I have already seen people picked for GEG (Spokane), SEA (Seattle International), and S46 (Seattle TRACON). I'm happy for these people, but I can't help but think that those selections means one less spot I could have been chosen for. I know I could be assigned to any of those facilities, but it's still hard not to think that way. Oh well...all part of the process and I will find out in a couple weeks where I'm going anyways.

And the Family Grows...

2008-07-04T19:48:00.002-07:00

As of June 30th! Another new niece and nephew! The mom and the kids are all doing well. Yay! Definitely makes moving back to Washington even more exciting than it already is. They have awesome parents and a great big brother, so they are in very good hands.

Woooohoooooo!

Great Weekend, New Shoes, and Forgotten Candy...

2008-07-01T14:48:00.003-07:00

I spent this past weekend in northern Wisconsin visiting a couple friends at their family cabin. It was a great weekend! We fished (first time doing that in years), ate tons a good (unhealthy) food, smoked cigars, drank cheap cold beverages, and lounged around. Like I said a great weekend!

Fishing was a lot of fun and I even caught a few fish. I'm not the greatest fisherman and I'm generally the one who doesn't catch many fish so catching 3 in during a three day weekend is pretty good as far as I'm concerned. Personally catching fish is great, but what I really love about fishing is sitting out in a boat and just BSing. Yes, it's always more fun when you catch something, but I get just as excited when others catch a big one as I would if I caught a big one. I don't know if I could ever be a hard core fisherman. Anyways, here's what I caught: A 22inch Northern_pike, a 25 1/2 inch and a 27inch Tiger Muskie (scroll down the page a bit). These were firsts for me, all I've ever fished for were Trout, Salmon, and Perch. Surprisingly the first two fish I caught (the pike and the larger Muskie) didn't fight at all. In fact I thought I was caught on seaweed! haha

I'm sure some of you are happy to read that I finally got some new shoes. I have had more than one comment about the big hole on my old pair of shoes, so today I figured I would head out and find a new pair. Lucky for me the very first store I went into had the exact same style of shoe I was wearing! I was sold! The colors are different, but I loved my old shoes so much that I couldn't pass up on getting them again. Yay!

When I was in Wisconsin, we went into the little town near my friends cabin and went into a great local candy store. Well what do I see when I walk in.....SALT WATER TAFFY!! Yes!! I love this stuff!!! One of my top two candies ever (comes in a close second to Charleston Chews). So I get a little basket and start grabbing handfuls of the flavors, I ended up with over 2lbs of taffy. Well after the weekend is over, I spent Sunday night in a hotel so I could catch an early flight out yesterday. When I got to the room I put the taffy in the mini fridge, they had become a little to soft for my liking. Well, I'm sure you guessed it by now, I forgot them in the hotel room mini fridge! Damn! I still had most of it left! Oh well, I guess the housekeeping staff got a nice treat then.

Mosquito's really like me. I wasn't at that cabin for five minutes and I already had a bite. They got be pretty good: a couple on each arm, four or five the back of my head and neck (good thing I was wearing a hat most the weekend otherwise my whole head could have been filled with bites), three or four on each leg, and two right next to each other on the outside of my left ankle. Those last two have been killer. I can't tell you how hard it has been to keep from itching those. They are better today, but man for a couple of days there it was tough!

I smoked the best cigar I've every had there. It wasn't the best in terms of flavor or strength. It was pretty mild, however I was able to smoke that thing for at least an hour and a half. It was great. Now if only every cigar would last that long. I don't smoke them much, maybe 3 to 4 times a year (on special occasions), but I think it would be nice to get a small humidor and keep a few in there at a time. Eh, just a thought.

Well, that's about it. Nothing new on the ATC front. I think they are getting everyone squared away for the NYC PEPC next week and then they will move on to those of us going to Memphis.

Reserved...

2008-06-26T10:20:00.002-07:00

It looks like I will be interviewing in Memphis on July 23. Yes! I was hoping I would be able to interview at the PEPC rather than locally. It's a whole lot faster and much easier than driving all over the place around here to get all the interviews and evaluations taken care of. I should say that I have a spot "reserved" for the Memphis PEPC and I chose the 23rd. I haven't received the email confirming that date (or I could get the 24th) yet, however I expect to get that within the next week or so. I feel lucky to have the opportunity to attend a PEPC. They just started to do these this year, so there are a lot of people who had to do it the "old way." So, yeah I feel pretty fortunate.

The paper work has begun. I received the first few pieces of paper work to fill out yesterday. Just basic stuff and just the beginning of what will be quite a stack. I've gathered most of the information I will need, although I'm sure there will be more I will have to search out or ask family about. I have pens at the ready so bring it on!!

I took a look at the class schedules to try and get an idea about when I may be heading to OKC. The earliest class date that I think would be possible is the end of August (8/26). Then September has the following start days - 9/5, 9/16, and 9/25. I don't have the list in front of me, but I think a couple of those dates may have multiple classes starting the same day. I think September is much more likely, but we will see. Recent PEPC attendees have been given tentative class dates at the PEPC, so I would guess I will find out then too. Starting class in September would put me finishing classes/training some time in December. Not bad, the drive could suck at that time of year, but I can handle that.

One more thing, I really dislike car alarms! Someone in my apartment complex has an alarm and it's gone off 3 times in the past 12 hours. Who has a car alarm anymore? Really, come on! Especially in an apartment complex with a bunch of children running around. They don't work and are more annoying than anything. Well ain't that something, just as I'm typing this the stupid alarm goes off again! Stupid car alarms!!!

YEP!

2008-06-20T20:14:00.002-07:00

I just got this in an e-mail earlier today...

Congratulations. You have been chosen for further consideration for an Air Traffic Control Specialist (ATCS) position in a terminal facility in the state of Washington.

WOOT!! I'm totally psyched! I wasn't expecting these emails to come out for another week. But, they did so yessss!! Actually, I guess they started to send out emails yesterday (mostly en-route people) and then today. Needless to say I didn't sleep well last night and I was a nervous wreck today until I got the email today.

So what does this mean? Well it means now I get to schedule an interview and as long as I pass (I don't forsee any problems here) all of those I should be hired. In the email I was given the opportunity to choose one of three PEPC's to attend: July 7-11 in NYC, July 21-25 in Memphis TN, and August 11-15 in Chicago IL. I chose the Memphis (closest to me) location, although it was noted that going to a PEPC was not automatic and it all depended on how many spots they have open. So, if I don't get to go to the Memphis PEPC then I will have to go the "old" way and do my interview locally as well as the security screening, medical eval, psych eval, and drug test. That way wouldn't be bad, but the PEPC is much faster as everything is taken care of in one day so I definitely prefer to go that route. Now I just have to wait and see if I will be able to go to Memphis.

I feel pretty fortunate to have been chosen for Washington State, it was my first choice and its home. I have been gone for quite some time and I very much look forward to going back. Some people were not so lucky. One guy put down Idaho and Colorado as his geographic preferences and was chosen for a spot in Alaska (oh and I think the dude currently lives in Florida)! Crazy huh? Well I got one better! Another applicant chose Florida only as their preference and was chosen......wait for it...........Guam! Wow, I know. I've never been there so I have no idea what it would be like, but wow, craziness!

Well, that's it for this post. I will let y'all know when I find out about the PEPC. I hope everyone has a great Friday Night and an Awesome Weekend. I know I will!!!

WOOT!!!

Nothing new.

2008-06-16T18:43:00.002-07:00

No word yet. I didn't really expect to hear anything last week, but I could anytime in the next couple weeks. So, the waiting continues.

You know it's not at all out of the realm of possibility that I could end up in a state other than the two I put down. There are states (California for example) out there that seem to be hurting bad for controllers and I could be placed there. This isn't based on anything other than personal observations of others experiences, but it has happened enough that I need to keep it in mind. I'm doing a little research into states I think are possibilities. I don't want to be complete blind sided by a facility assignment. Again, I don't know if this will happen, I just want to have all my bases covered.

By the way, Tiger Woods = AWESOME!!

Nervous and Anxious...

2008-06-09T21:46:00.003-07:00

Yes I am! I was ok until just a few minutes ago when I read on a forum that another applicant found out he/she got picked by Boise, ID (BOI). Now this individual has a connection at the facility so he/she was able to find out early, however I didn't think the panels were meeting till tomorrow. I guess, and it makes sense, with all the states meeting at once that doing the selections could take a couple days. I already have a hard enough time falling asleep as it is and now I will have this running through my mind!! I also know that it could be a week or two till I find out anything, but still I was anticipating tomorrow as the day that I may or may not be picked. I knew I would be nervous and anxious tomorrow, but now that has started early. Aaaahhhh!

I can't lie, I want this BAD! I have tried my best to keep an even keel ever since I applied in February, but now it is becoming very difficult. I've mostly tried to stay even in the event that something goes negative for me then it won't be as big of a let down. Now it doesn't matter cause I REALLY want this! I will do everything I can to excel at this job and be good at it. There are very few things I have wanted more than this. Besides it's about time I become a productive member of society and completely support myself. Yep, it's about time.

Ok, well hopefully my next post will be good news...

Oh, and Ken Griffey Jr. hit his 600th career home run today!! To bad it was at the Marlins where they don't draw fans at all. Oh well, I'm glad I got to watch it on TV today. He has been my favorite baseball player since 1989 when he first came up as a rookie. That was the first MLB game I ever attended. Heck that was back when his Dad was on the team too. I hope some how he is able to finish his career in Seattle.

Hmmmm...

2008-06-06T16:39:00.003-07:00

I just saw something on a forum that got me thinking. With the hiring panel meeting next week and with all states involved there may be a chance that anyone could be chosen by multiple facilities. I hadn't thought about this before, I know I posted earlier about other people given 2-4 facilities to choose from, but I never thought that would happen for those of use in the Feb08 announcement. Now that I think about it, I think that could be a possibility. With that in mind I need to rank all the facilities from Washington State (It bugs me that I have to specify "State" at the end because if I don't then people automatically think I'm talking about D.C. I know it's silly, just a little pet peeve I guess.) and Oregon in order from most desirable to least desirable. Now I know of a few facilities that would be at the top of the list and the one that would be at the bottom, but I don't know how I would rank the rest. Hmmmm...I will have to think about that this weekend.

Referral List

2008-06-06T14:13:00.002-07:00

I made it! I never thought I wouldn't make it. Heck I think making the referral list is the easy part. The hard part is getting picked up by a facility. So here hoping my past aviation experiences, education, and ATSAT are good enough to be picked up this time around. Naturally, I'm both optimistic and cautious. "I" feel like I have pretty good credentials and should be selected when they meet, but it doesn't matter what "I" think it only matters what the hiring panel thinks. So here's hoping they like what they see!

Have a good weekend!

Watch This

2008-06-03T22:13:00.006-07:00

Watch this! I came across this video in a forum and I have to share it. This has nothing to do with aviation, however it is definitely worth watching! Very inspirational!

**edit-It appears the video has been taken down from the website I got it from so it is no longer available. Bummer, it was a good video too.-edit**

This kid RULES!!

Important week...

2008-06-02T20:51:00.003-07:00

This is an important week. As I stated in a previous post referral lists will be made this week and it is from those lists that candidates are selected to apply. Soooo making a list(s) this week is important. Which means I'm checking the hiring website a few (or more) times a day to see if they have posted anything. I don't expect anything to be on there till late in the week, but I can't help it I'm anxious! I would love it if I made it on referral lists for both states, however it's still a possibility I may not make a referral list at all. Honestly, I would be surprised if I didn't, but it could. All I can do is keep checking and hope I make it. Check back here later in the week, I will post when I know something (good or bad).

By the way go ASU in the Women's College World Series!!! I don't have anything against A&M, I'm just a Pac10 guy. I grew up in Pac10 country and will always root for Pac10 teams over any other conference! Oh, and if you haven't watched the WCWS you really should. These ladies are great athletes and the games have all been great! I'm surprised there have been empty seats, they have set attendance records, but still empty seats!?! I would be all over that if I were in the Oklahoma City area. GO ASU!!!

Where I may go...

2008-05-29T20:53:00.005-07:00

I promised this post before and seeing that things may be speeding up a little I figured now was a good time to tell you all about the different facilities I may go to. I will list the facility and give a few thoughts about it. Let's start with the Washington State facilities (no specific order):

Spokane, WA (GEG) - This is a level 8 tower/tracon on the eastern side of the state and the second busiest airport in the the state. I would love to get this facility as it is a mid level facility and well...Spokane is home for me, so it would be awesome to move back.

Moses Lake, WA (MWH) - This is facility is located in the middle of the state. MWH is a level 6 tower/tracon. I wouldn't be thrilled moving to the area, however the traffic there looks interesting with small cargo carriers, general aviation, and it seems a good number of Boeing flights. Test flights perhaps?

Pasco, WA (PSC) - The Tri-Cities airport is located in the south central portion of the state. PSC is a level 7 tower/tracon. I think this would be a good location to start at and the area is not bad.

Everett, WA (PAE) - This facility is located just north of Seattle and has a VERY large Boeing assembly plant and ramp located at the field. It appears most of the traffic is General Aviation. The facility is a level 6 tower.

Seattle, WA (SEA) - SeaTac (Seattle-Tacoma) international is located south of downtown Seattle and is the busiest airport in the State. The facility is a level 9 tower.

Seattle Tacoma TRACON (S46) - This TRACON serves the Seattle area including SEA and PAE as well as other small airports in the area. I'm quite intrigued by this location, I've read about other people experiences in training and at their locations and it seems quite interesting. The facility is a level 10. I would love to live in the Seattle area, I love it over there, it would put me close to family and really close to the Mariners (even though they SUCK this year)!

Seattle Boeing Field (BFI) - This airport is a level 8 tower facility. It is located quite close to SEA and is home to a great deal of general aviation as well as an airplane museum.

Now for Oregon (no specific order)....

Hillsboro, OR (HIO) - This facility is located west of Portland in the Hillsboro suburb. It is a level 7 tower with the majority of its traffic being general aviation. Good mid level facility.

Portland, OR (PDX) - Portland International Airport is a level 8 tower. Busiest airport in the state and the second busiest in the Pacific Northwest.

Portland TRACON (P80) - Portland TRACON serves PDX, HIO, and the areas other small airports. The facility is a level 9. I like the Portland area I think it would be a great place to live. I would be decently close to family and the facilities all look good for a noob.

Eugene, OR (EUG) - This facility is a level 7 tower/tracon and is the second busiest in the state. I wont lie this location would be one of my top choices. I wanted to go there after High School and would love to go there now. I really like what I have researched about the city and facility. Also, the fact that University of Oregon is there is most definitely a plus. There is just something about a college town that I love.

That's all of them. Now it's time to just wait and see what happens.

Well...

2008-05-29T20:00:00.002-07:00

Well, I have some interesting news. It seems as though things may possibly move a little quicker for us Feb 08 applicants than I thought. I heard (direct from the horses mouth) that they will be putting together referral lists next week and then the following week a selection panel will meet for ALL states to choose who will go further (PEPC offer). After the selection panel has met those selected should hear within 1 to 2 weeks (email and phone call) if they are selected to attend a PEPC. Soooooo best case scenario I could possibly have a an PEPC invite by the end of June! Craziness!!

So, yeah, finding that out got me excited! Hard to not get excited, however I will wait till something happens before I believe it.

If I happen to be fortunate enough to be selected I would guess I go to a PEPC in July or August (or September, who knows just speculating at the moment). So far I know of the following PEPC:

· July 7 – July 11 New York City, NY
· July 21 – July 25 Memphis, TN

I doubt I would go to the NYC PEPC as it would be really soon after getting an offer, but who knows (remember speculating). I've never been to NYC so it would be pretty cool to go. Memphis would be better for me as I could drive there and I've never been there so cool again. Those two are the for sure PEPC's. I've heard of a third July PEPC, however I don't know where the location is. I've seen the following locations rumored: Denver, Seattle, D.C., and somewhere in Texas (guessing Dallas/Ft. Worth area). We will just have to wait and see. Actually, I believe I mentioned a couple of those locations in an earlier post. All of them are places I haven't been (other than Seattle, I've been there many times) and I would probably stay a few days and check out the sights.

Out of Town...

2008-05-23T08:30:00.002-07:00

I'm out of town again. I'm visiting family and attending the high school graduation of one of my nephews. I will post again next week after I get back home. Enjoy the holiday weekend!

Multiple Offers and The Preakness

2008-05-17T10:24:00.002-07:00

While reading a couple forums I frequent I have noticed something quite interesting, applicants receiving multiple facility offers. I have seem a number of applicants (they are all summer 07 applicants) getting offers for 2-4 facilities. The applicants get to choose which one they want and then they interview for it. Pretty cool if you ask me. Although, it seems some of these applicants have been picked in states (last summer they had openings by state rather than the national opening I applied to) they never applied to. So, that definitely makes thing interesting. I doubt this will happen with the applicants who applied when I did, but it would definitely be cool to have two/three facilities to choose from. We will see...

Anybody else watching The Preakness today? Good stuff. Seems Big Brown is the hands down favorite. So, I'm rooting for the other horses. Nothing against Big Brown, I'm just rooting for the underdog(s) (underhorses?) After watching the Kentucky Derby and this I really would like to go to a horse track. I think it would be fun to watch.

Facility Types...

2008-05-15T11:46:00.003-07:00

I apologize for the break between posts. I was out of town visiting family. However, I do have topics for the next few posts I will do. In this post I will explain the three different facility types that an applicant (such as myself) could be placed at.

The three types of facilities are: Terminal (Tower), Terminal (TRACON), and Enroute Center. I will note that at some facilities the Tower and TRACON portions will be split, where you would work one or the other. Then at other facilities a controller would work both in the tower and the TRACON. Now for some explanation:

Terminal (Tower) - Those who work in the Tower handle all traffic at airports. They will give aircraft landing and takeoff clearances; they will handle the traffic on the airport surface, and handle aircraft in flying in the general vicinity of the airport. When a controller is clearing aircraft for takeoff and landing they are considered to be working "local control." Controllers working the aircraft traffic on the ground are working "ground control." Generally there will be one controller working each of these positions; however during low traffic periods (nighttime) one controller may be working both. Also, at some larger airports they may have more than one working a specific station at a time. I could go more in depth and I left out some positions seen in most towers, however I feel it is better to give a general explanation than getting really in-depth. So basically when you think of Tower controllers, they are the ones controlling all aircraft on and immediately around the airport.

Terminal (TRACON) - Most airports will have a TRACON associated with them. Oh right, TRACON stands for Terminal Radar Approach CONtrol. Basically a TRACON will handle aircraft coming to and leaving airports. They will handle/control aircraft within a 30-50nm (1 nautical mile is roughly 6076ft or 1.15miles, where a statue mile is 5280ft) radius of the airport and generally up to an altitude of 10,000-20,000ft (This is just a general range as they all will vary depending on the location) The altitude and radius will depend on the size of the airport and in some cases the altitude.

TRACONs will generally handle four types of traffic in their airspace. The first is departure aircraft. The "Tower" clears the aircraft for takeoff, then after the aircraft has taken off and has reached a specific altitude they will be "handed off" to the TRACON controllers who will guide them on their way and will eventually hand them off to an Enroute Center (more on that later). The second type of traffic is arriving aircraft. Here the TRACON will take aircraft from the Enroute Center and guide them down and line them up to land. During this they will have the aircraft slowing down and decreasing altitude. The TRACON will take them down to specified point where they will hand the aircraft back to the tower where they will clear them to land. The third and fourth types of traffic have to do with aircraft flying through the airspace that are not departing or landing from the airport(s) the TRACON will work. The TRACON will control the aircraft through the airspace keeping these aircraft out of the arrival and departure flows. Again, this is a real general explanation just to give you an idea what I'm talking about when I mention these things in future posts.

As I stated before there are different types of TRACON's. Those associated with the airport and others who are not associated with the airport. Large airports such as Atlanta (ATL) have separate facilities meaning a controller will work one or the other. Most large airports will have a setup like this. Another type of setup are "Large" or "Consolidated" TRACON's. These are found around areas with more than one large airport. Examples of these are the Potomac Consolidated TRACON which handles traffic for Baltimore International, Andrews AFB, Washington - Dulles International, Washington - Reagan (formally Nation) International, Richmond and Martin State. Basically what they did was take TRACON's from the individual facilities and combined them all into one facility. Other facilities like this are the Southern California (SOCAL) TRACON, Northern California (NORCAL) TRACON, New York TRACON. It should be noted that the SOCAL TRACON is the busiest tracon (busiest airspace in the WORLD) in the world handling traffic for 62 airports! These airports handle traffic as I stated above, just on a much larger scale.

A lot of the small to medium sized airports will have their TRACON's associated with the tower. Where a controller will work both in the Tower and in the TRACON. Some examples are: Lansing, MI (LAN), Nashville, TN (BNA), Spokane, WA (GEG), Madison, WI (MSN), Albuquerque, NM (ABQ), etc. In the future I may refer to a facility as an "up/down tower." All I'm saying is this is the type of facility that has both the TRACON and Tower together. From what I have heard there are more splitting of Towers and TRACONs planned. I don't recall exactly which ones, but they are coming.

The final facility is the Enroute Center - Basically these controllers work aircraft above 18,000ft. They handle aircraft during the cruise portion of their flight. Enroute controllers can hand off (receive them as well) aircraft to TRACON's or other Centers. In some instances at very small airports the Enroute centers will also act as a TRACON taking the aircraft all the way down till they are handed off to the Tower controllers for the airport. Enroute centers work very large areas of airspace. On the Continental United States there are 20 Enroute centers and an additional 4 located outside the contiguous United States. For example: Salt Lack City Center is one of the larger Centers in the US. Its airspace encompasses most of Montana, most of Idaho, the western half of Wyoming, most of Utah, about a third of Nevada, and a small bit of Oregon. Pretty large, huh?

Ok, well that’s it for this post. I know these explanations are not all encompassing and if you want more information ask me. I will do my best to answer them.

Frustrating...

2008-05-05T22:23:00.002-07:00

I can't believe how many people have not done the proper research going into this job. It really surprises me. Don't get me wrong plenty of applicants know (from what I can tell) what they are getting into and have done some research. Then there are others who haven't even taken the time to do a little searching to find out simple information such as: facility locations, pay scales, benefits, industry news, etc. I don't understand it. This research is not tough, do a Google search! I've spent hours looking up as much as I can. I want to get as good of an idea as I possibly can about the work. I know this doesn't replace actually doing and living the job, but at least I'm getting an idea.

Preferences Picked...

2008-05-03T17:46:00.003-07:00

Well, they got the problem with the geographic preferences website all worked out so I was able to make my selections today.

I found this to be both incredibly exciting and a little nerve wracking. Being excited is understandable, but I'll bet nerve wracking has everyone scratching their heads a little bit. Well...for one this is a big decision. What I put down will determine where I will live for at least 3 years and probably more. So, I don't want to get this decision wrong and regret what I put down later. If I was able to put down 10 states/locations like I originally thought then this would have been much easier. At least for me it would have been easier because there are soo many places in this country I would like to try living and having 10 options would have allowed me the flexibility to put all of the places down. Well, since I'm only able to put down two states I feel like I need to put more thought into them than I had before.

I could tell you all what I would have chosen, but that doesn’t matter now anyways, so no need. Although, there were a few locations (Burlington, VT, Providence, RI, and Albuquerque, NM) on there I found very interesting and it was hard to put those aside. From my research the areas looked great and the airports would have been good places to start this career. Actually I found this to be the case for a lot of locations around the country. This country has so many great places that I want to see and it is much easier to see them when you live with in a day’s drive, or so, rather than flying across country. Sigh...oh well...I guess I will just have to visit those places in the future.

Now for my picks. I narrowed the field down to three states. One of them was a for sure pick and the other two battled it out for second. It really was a tough decision.

Thought:
**It makes me wonder if other people agonized over their state choices much like I did. Heck I spent hours researching the cities, airports, and anything else I could think of pertaining to the location. I would guess is it depends on the person. Then again I never make big life decisions at the spur of the moment.**
: End Thought

I will list the state and then give a reason why I choose it.

1. Washington State - This really is an easy choice for me, its home. I've lived in that state more than any other and I have always wanted to return after I left 6 years ago. There really is no down side for me here. All, with the exception of one, of the possible work locations I would be happy going to. Moving back would get me closer to the majority of my family. So, yeah this really was an easy choice for me.

The second place was a tough choice between Tennessee and Oregon. I choose Oregon. Tennessee is a great state, but if I have to only pick two then I'm going to pick the two places that will be the best for me in the long run. Also, Tennessee’s biggest plus for me was the convenience factor as a move anywhere in the state would be pretty easy, but that is not a big enough plus to sway my decision. I personally don't think that should be one of the major plusses or minuses anyways. A couple Tennessee negatives: One, I've never been really enamored with the possible facilities here. Two, it seems more of my family is moving west and I would like to be closer to them. There are more reasons, but I don't need to go into them all. So like I said Oregon is my second choice.

2. Oregon - I chose this one because it will get me closer to family. The little time I have spent in the state I have loved. The facility locations would all be great places to start my career. I could see myself living in the state for a long time.

There they are. I will elaborate about the specific instate locations in upcoming posts. This one is long enough already.

Later alligators...

Geographic Preferences...

2008-05-03T10:33:00.002-07:00

Yep, its geographic preferences time. YAY! I got the email yesterday to select my preferences. However, the link they sent out was all screwed up. I tried many times last night to go to the site and make my choices, but I was never able to get through. Other people were, but when they signed in other candidates information would be on their screen. I just hope no one signed on and got my personal information and if they did I hope they didn’t mess with stuff. I really doubt anyone would, but you never know. I got another email this morning saying they were working on the problem and it should be fixed soon and hopefully I will be able to make my preferences on Monday. We will see...

I won’t go into detail now about my preferences, but I will tell you the options we are given. Basically I can pick two states I’m willing to accept employment in. I believe in the states with a lot (more than ten facilities such as: California, Texas, New York, Florida, Illinois, etc) they provide a space to put down counties in the state you would prefer employment in. Also, I'm given the option to select if I prefer to go terminal, en-route, or either. That's it, those are the options. Not bad really.

It would be nice to be able to choose more states, but two is fine by me. Although, it really is making me think quite a bit more about which two states I will put down. I'm 100% for sure on one state; it's the second state I'm struggling with. I've got it down to two states and I'm leaning towards one, but I still have the rest of the weekend to make a decision.

Well, thats it for this post. Once I make my choices I will post again and let y'all know what I decide. Until then, enjoy your weekend.

Commencement

2008-05-03T10:10:00.002-07:00

Well, today was commencement for some of my college friends. I don't know if any of them read this, but....CONGRATULATIONS!! That also goes for all graduates out there, it's a big accomplishment! Personally, it was one of the best days of my life. It fulfilled one of my life goals: Graduate College. As long as I can remember I always wanted to go to college. There really had never been a doubt in my mind from a very young age. And yet I still yearn for education.

Originally I had planned to attend graduate school, but my path has taken me elsewhere. Most notably, and the reason for this blog, to become an Air Traffic Controller. Currently, along with going down this long path, I'm taking classes at a local University which would prepare me to become an ATC, however I most likely will not finish this degree as I believe I will be hired before I will be able to finish (which is good). Even though I will not finish this degree my pursuit of knowledge will not end with this job. I plan on pursuing a Masters or finishing a second Bachelors degree in the future. I really do enjoy going to class and more than anything being in the whole college/learning environment. For me there really is nothing like it.

You know I can't believe it has been 2 years since I graduated from college and 7 years since I graduated High School! Time really does fly by! I wouldn't trade one second of it for anything!!!

Again I want to extend my CONGRATULATIONS to my friends and all other graduates! YAY!

Another Airline entering Chaper 11...

2008-04-27T09:44:00.002-07:00

Wow, another airline will file for bankruptcy protection and will cease operations after today. Sad stuff, but it is a sign of the tough times the industry is facing. The airline filing is called Eos Airlines. This was one of those niche carriers with an all "premium" class layout in their aircraft and flew from New York to London. It just goes to show that this is not the time to be starting up an airline, at least not in the US. The fuel prices and current economy make it really hard to support a relatively young airline. Although, from what I have heard this airline, and another who closed its doors not to long ago MaxJet, were liked by business travelers. Some thought they could have made a dent in the international travel market had they had a chance to grow. Now we will never know.

I should add that I wouldn't be surprised if see more Chapter 11 filings and closings. I don't know who, I just wouldn't be surprised if it happens.

NFL Draft!

2008-04-25T19:16:00.003-07:00

NFL Draft starts tomorrow at 3pm!! Woooohoooo! I plan on watching the whole darn thing! These are a couple of my most favorite sports related days of the year and it's not even a game!! Since the Miami Dolphins already signed their pick, then I can say The Saint Louis Rams are on the clock...

Handshakes...

2008-04-25T18:45:00.002-07:00

Something that has bugged me for quite a while is men who do not give firm handshakes. It really bugs me!! It seems so wrong to me when I reach out to shake a hand and a get a limp hand in return. WTF?!? I don't get it; I guess some people just don't know how to shake another person’s hand. I know there really isn’t a class or anything that teaches you how to shake another man’s had, but that's no excuse! At least not for me. Heck I was raised by a single mom and I can give a firm hand shake. Personally, I would rather have my hand hurt after shaking someone’s hand than get the limp wrist femme handshake! Whoa I suppose I should explain...

I finished up a class this week and generally after I take the final I make a point to thank the instructor/professor and shake their hand. I see it as my way to show them I appreciate the class, enjoyed the class, and show my respect. Anyways, after I finished the test, I waited till to turn in the test so I could do just that, thank the instructor for the class and shake hands. Well...he gave me a limp hand! I just don't get it, I really don't. Can anyone explain to me why one man would give another man a limp wrist/hand? Is it really that hard to shake another person’s hand!? When a person I respect does this when I shake their hand I lose a little respect for them. Not a lot, but some.

Another example of this was a couple of years ago. I had just finished one of my last finals ever in college. This final was from a professor who I really liked and took every one of the classes he thought. I really respect this guy. Well, after the test I went to thank him and he gave me the limp wrist/hand! I really couldn't believe it! I mean I had taken every one of his classes and he knew me pretty well and then he gives me the limp wrist! I expected more from him and like the other example I lost just a tad bit of respect for him. I still consider him the best professor I have ever had and respect him a great deal it just really bothered me when he did that.

Maybe it is a generation gap or something. They both are in their 60's and since I was their student...I don’t know! Geeeerrrrrr! Heck, I have had better handshakes from women and come to think of it, most women whom I have met gave me a regular handshake and no limp wrist action.

So, any guy's out there reading this make sure you give a firm handshake! It’s not difficult!!

ATC Front - No news this week, however I may have some news to report around this time next week...

New Job Posting..

2008-04-20T13:51:00.003-07:00

I noted two posts ago that the FAA had opened another national announcement for ATC's. It seems my thinking on the matter may be a little off. I'm thinking this because much of the discussion I have seen about this announcement centers around the fact that many applicants who applied when I did do not meet the experience requirements. The requirement is 3+ years of full time (40+) work experience with increasing responsibilities or a 4 year degree or a combination of the two. No one knows for sure if this is the case, but I wouldn't be surprised. I'm interested if this truly is the case.

New Link

2008-04-19T18:05:00.002-07:00

I just added a new link: LiveATC.net. This is a really cool site where you can listen to all different ATC frequencies from around the country. They have places such as Boston (BOS), New York John F. Kennedy International (JFK), Seattle (SEA), San Francisco (SFO), and all the way down to tiny airports like Marquette, MI (SAW or MQT depending on who you talk to). The site also has numerous links to airports around the world! This is a really cool site that I go to often. My favorites are KBOS Boston Ground and KSEA Seattle Tower, what's yours? Just think one day some of you may be able to listen to me!

Mergers, Bankruptcy, and Closings oh my!

2008-04-19T17:11:00.003-07:00

It's been a though couple of weeks for the airline industry. First you have three airlines close their doors. One of them (I won’t name names) was pretty much doomed from the beginning. At least from what I have read that was the case. The airline's business plan was horrible, as they were trying to copy a very successful LCC (Low Cost Carrier) in Europe. I suppose this could have worked, just not in the current situation our economy is in. I have also read that a lot of pilots from "legacy" carriers were happy to see this airline go. Actually, one of the forums I go to there were a bunch of people overjoyed at the news. They saw the carrier as a detriment to the flying community as they didn't pay their pilots enough, etc. There is more to it, but I'm not a pilot so I can't really speak for them. This is just what I have heard. Anyways celebrating the demise of a carrier, or any business, is sad. Are these people really happy to see people suddenly without a job? Unable to feed their families? No matter what you think of the company, look at those people who worked there and the hardship this will cause them. It's not cool!

The other two airlines that closed their doors have been in the industry for quite some time. Both had been struggling for some years to turn a profit, so I suppose we could have seen this coming. These things still sadden me. I love this industry, even though it is about one of the most volatile out there, and it make me hope things will turn around soon. Although, I know they won’t. Sadness.

The biggest news from the past week was the announced merging of Delta Airlines and Northwest Airlines. When I saw the news I wasn't surprised, but I was a little saddened. It was one of those moments where I knew it would happen sooner or later, however I really hoped it wouldn't. I understand the business aspect of the merger and the potential cost savings. Unfortunately that's all, at least this one, mergers are about...MONEY. Even though both airlines say it will benefit air travelers and employees, the only ones who really benefit are the shareholders. In any merger one company will come out on top and in this one that company will be Delta. I want to make it clear that I have nothing wrong with Delta! I have flown them a couple of times and I like the service. However, I did work for a regional airline that fly's for NWA and I have flown on NWA a bunch more than any other carrier so I feel like I know them better than other carriers. Basically NWA is my preferred airline to fly (although I have no reservations using another one if they have a lower fare and I like to experience what the different airlines have to offer) and they will be the company who will get the short end of the stick here. Before the merged Delta does anything to its native employees they will cut and furlough NWA people, planes, cities, etc. Again, sadness.

Something people should keep in mind here, is the more mergers (United and Continental have been rumored) happen the higher airline tickets will go. Less competition = higher fares. Also, smaller towns and cities will most likely see a reduction or discontinuation of service all together. But, it's all about money anyways, so who cares? Right?

Although if we look at the history of the US airline industry it has always been in a state of mergers and bankruptcies and closings. So, what we are seeing today is just a continuation of that history. I don't think we will ever get to the point of having one ultra super duper mega carrier, but we could be down to 3 or so legacy carriers. Only time will tell, although you should expect to see at least one, maybe two, more mergers announced within the next couple of weeks.

I have to apologize, I had a train of thought going until I got into the NWA/Delta merger, then I got distracted and I can't seem to get back what I wanted to say. If it comes back to me later I will write another post to expand on my thoughts.

ATC front: Not much new to report. The FAA did open another public announcement this past Monday. Seems they are really trying to get a huge pool of applicants in the system in an attempt to keep up with the hiring needs. More rumors are floating around message boards, but that’s par for the course right now so no need to comment. I should be able to choose my location preferences in a couple of weeks, which I'm looking forward to. Until then I wait...

Same old story...

2008-04-10T15:14:00.003-07:00

Yep, nothing new. This is the way this process goes and many who have come before me have had to wait as well, so it's all part of the process. Although, this week is even less exciting that last as there are no new rumors to talk about. Which is good, I think?

I did see some information on upcoming PEPC (Pre Employment Processing Centers) locations. I should probably explain what these PEPC's are. Well the FAA started using these this year, maybe late last year, as a way to get all of the pre-employment stuff taken care of in one spot rather than spread over many weeks. The "stuff" I speak of are: an interview, tentative offer, pee test, medical eval (including EKG, eye, and hearing exams), psych test, and security interview. The "old" way of doing this was to schedule all of these on your own, which for some could take a couple months weeks to finish. The FAA started PEPC's to speed up all the pre-employment stuff and get candidates to OKC sooner.

I've read a couple newspaper articles that said the FAA was hoping to increase the number of these from one a month to, maybe, one a week/2 weeks (no timeline as to when this may happen). So far they have held PEPC's (they usually last for about a week) in New York, Miami, Jacksonville, and Atlanta. I know there have been other locations, however I cannot think of them right now. Well, the FAA has PEPC's scheduled in Fort Worth (end April-early May), Chicago (mid May), and Los Angeles (mid June). They also have tentatively scheduled the following cities: Memphis, Denver, and Seattle. My guess is those will happen July through September, maybe sooner. Do I have a chance to go to one of those? Maybe, it depends on a lot of things. However, if I were to be invited to attend one I would guess it would be one of the tentative locations (MEM, DEN, or SEA). I wouldn't mind going to any of those as MEM is only a few hours (I think) drive, I love Seattle, and I have always wanted to go to Denver. Denver is also the location of an online friend/fellow ATC hopeful and it would be cool to meet him. I'm not getting my hopes up, though; I haven't even chosen my location preferences yet. I don't want to get ahead of myself.

Initially the PEPC's were by invite to the highest rated applicants. However, I know of many people who have asked to go to them and I don't believe I’ve heard of anybody being denied, unless all the spots were taken. I have also heard of a few people given the opportunity to choose which PEPC they go to, which is nice. My guess is before too long the PEPC will be the only method the FAA uses to hire controllers. Well, maybe not the only method, but definitely the preferred one. I know if I get invited to one I will jump at the chance! Screw taking weeks to get all the pre employment stuff done when I can get it done it one day!

Well, I think that's about it for this post. This is a good weekend for sports though. The Masters and The Frozen Four are on as well as some good baseball games. I know what I'm doing this weekend!

Nothing new really...

2008-04-03T18:23:00.003-07:00

Yep, nothing new. The rumor mill is spinning pretty crazy right now. Well, not really crazy, just everyone seems to be getting different answers about when things are going to happen for myself and the other OTS applicants. Everything from we should be able to choose our preferences within the next week or so and then others have said no we wont be making those choices until early May. Then we, well I, are hearing referrals will start getting maid some time around May/June and others are saying June/July and then a few others have said July/August. So, yeah don't know what to think. I'm just going to wait and see what happens. That's all I can do.

Actually, the more these rumors are coming out, by the way these are all coming from people who have called OKC (Oklahoma City) and have been told this, makes me believe that this OTS announcement really is for fiscal year 09' (begins 1st of Oct.) hiring. Which is fine by me, it would be nice if I had a little better idea what the time line will be. I, like most people, hope things happen sooner, but in all honesty I don't think it will. Just look at the applicants from last summers OTS announcements who are just now going to OKC. I know they are speeding up the process a bit, but I don't believe it will have been sped up as fast as we would all like it to. Again, fine by me, besides I'm looking forward to spending the summer in Tennessee.

That's all for this post. Have a good weekend.

Rumor...could it be true?

2008-03-27T21:59:00.002-07:00

Now I know I said I plan on taking rumors for what they’re worth. However, I have heard, well read, one rumor in the past few days that is being repeated by a few people so there may be some actual legs to this one. What I am hearing is there will be an email coming out soon, for the applicants who applied under the same opening I did, guiding them to a web site where we will be able to choose our location preferences. When I say soon I mean the next week or two. Again, it is a rumor, but it is coming directly from OKC and given that more than a few people have been told this first hand. I find this intriguing and hoping it is true.

When I applied initially I put down some location preferences, however after the announcement closed and more research has been done I was hoping to modify my choices. I plan on keeping most of my preferences along with adding a couple and maybe remove one or two. These choices I put down have to be places I'm willing to live and accept employment at. With that in mind, I do not take these preferences lightly. I’m looking at numerous websites with location information. I want to make sure that any place I may be selected to go is a place I will be happing living at for at least a few years, possibly more.

-Rant-
I can't tell you how many people I have read about who have been picked for a state that they don't want to go to. These people applied last summer for OTS hiring announcements and applied for these states. So, when they get on a forum and complain about not wanting to here or there I think WTF?!? You applied for that state didn't you? If you were not willing to accept employment in that state then why did you apply there? This is why I take it seriously. Also, I will say that I don't buy the "I will be too far away from family," or "I know I won’t like it there," or "I'm a city (or small town) person and couldn't live there." I just don’t buy those excuses.

One, in this day and age of the internet, cell phone, land line phone, web cams, airplanes, highways, cars, trains, etc... There is no such thing as being "far" away from family. An individual may be physically far away from their family, but with all of the things I listed you can still be close to family. I, for one, have a great family that I feel pretty close to and the closest relative is about 600 miles away. Now there are exceptions to this as some people really do need to be close to family, but for the most part I say BS. Get out there and see the country, there are a lot of great places out there.

Two, how does anyone know if they will like some place until they have actually spent some time there. Heck, even if you know someone who lives there your experience living there will be different than theirs. No two people are alike and what one finds desirable in a city may completely turn off another person. There is no way to know until you live there. Give that particular city a chance, who knows you, may fall in love with it and never want to leave. This happened to me when I went to college. When I first went there I did not like it at all. However, as I spent more time in the city it grew on me to the point where I loved it. Heck, after I left school I almost moved back. Don't knock it before you try it that’s all I'm trying to say.
-End Rant-

Like I said I will only put down places I am willing to accept employment. I will admit a few of my choices are higher than others. (Quick explanation - when I made my initial preferences I could choose a whole state or you can be specific and pick specific facility locations. If the rumor is true and I get an email the way the picks are done may change. If that is the case I will post about that later...) I have a dream location I will be putting down, but I think my chances of getting it are slim. Actually, most of my choices are places I have never been. They are places that have intrigued me in the past and I have read good stuff about. Besides I see living in a new place as an adventure. And I'm single so I don't have a wife or kids to have to keep in mind when choosing preferences.

I won’t post my location preferences now, however I will after they are finalized.

That is all for this entry. Till next time...

Edit...

2008-03-24T22:41:00.006-07:00

In my first post I said my target audience was my family and friends. Well I'm changing that. Now my target audience is anyone. Yep, anyone. Anyone who feels like reading this. Family, friends, anonymous, etc. I don't care. If you feel like reading it, great, and if you don't, that's fine too. Just remember if you have any questions, feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer them. Other than that, there is nothing new to report.

Got my score!

2008-03-21T14:26:00.002-07:00

Well, my score was just posted this morning and I got 95.4. I am happy with that. It is right in the range I was hoping for. I wasn't sure how I did after taking the test, I felt pretty good, but there still was a little bit of anxiety. Not any more. Now I can consider myself to be part of the process. So, what now. Well wait...again. (you will notice this is a common theme) I have herd rumors about what is happening next, but like I said in a previous post I'm just going to wait and see what happens.

Test Thoughts...

2008-03-18T22:03:00.003-07:00

This is from an email I sent to a fellow ATC hopeful I met on line. We met on a forum and have been emailing back and forth for a couple weeks now, talking about the test and other related stuff. Anyways, here it is, some of it may be changed a bit from the email (new thoughts in italics) so it works a little better here. Here you go:

Just got back home and well I don't know how I feel about the test. I feel like I did really well on some parts and not so well on others. I am looking forward to getting my score though. The guys, former ATC's all will 30+ years of experience, administering the test said to expect about scores to be posted in about 3-5 business days. We’ll see.

Here is the order that we (I "think" the order may vary some by location) took the test:
1. Dials
2. Math
3. Scan
4. Angles
5. Letter Factory
6. ATC
7. Analogies
8. Personality

Thoughts on each section:
1. Dials - easy no problem here. Basically they give you some dials you would see in an airplane and you answer questions pertaining to what the dials say. Some of the dials included: altimeter, heading indicator, amps, vertical speed indicator, airspeed indicator, etc.

2. Math - Easier than the problems from the "green book" CD. I was most worried about this section, however after I finished it I felt pretty good. I only had a few questions that I skipped over and came back to at the end. Not too bad at all. These questions (all multiple choice) were basic math problems involving time distance and speed. For example: How far (miles) will plane 123ab travel in 2 hours 30 minutes at 400 knots? Answer: 1000 miles. The problems didn't get much more difficult than that.

3. Scan - Moves much slower than the "green book" CD. It was pretty easy and I feel like I did well. As long as you can type using the number pad proficiently then you will be fine. Actually it is kind of funny when the room is silent and then you start hearing people pounding the keys for this part. Well, at least I thought it was! hehe This part had to do with scanning (something all controllers do). Basically there are little "data blocks" that move around the screen. The look something like this:
P41 z09 J88
---- ----- ----
780 249 372

There were as few as one on the screen at a time to as many as 15 or so. At the bottom of the screen it will say remove all that fall outside this range:_____ (the range would change from time to time) so let’s say the range was 370-800. Well looking at the three above I would remove the middle set. To do this all I had to do was type the upper number and hit enter and the data block would disappear. Not bad really.

4. Angles - Again pretty easy, if you know the angles at 45 degree intervals (45, 90, 135, 180, etc.) then this will be no problem either. Either a picture of an angle will be shown or a degree and you have to select from the answers which one it is. Pretty easy.

5. Letter Factory - Easier than the CD. Definitely read the direction for this one, the rules are a different from the CD. I feel like I did alright on this section. The one killer part is the situational awareness questions where it will cut away and ask you questions about the "factory." I can't be much help here, I did really badly on questions except for one time when I know I got all four of them right. Probably the best advice I could give is to pay attention to as much as possible and keep going over it in your head. I think the questions would be really easy for those people who have a photographic memory. Although, it seems many people come away feeling like they did bad on that part of the test, so who knows. I’m not going to try and explain this one. It would take up an entire post and I really don't feel like writing a whole post on the thing. Basically it is measuring you ability to think ahead, follow rules, and your situational awareness. If you want to know more, let me know and I will point you in the right direction.

6. ATC- Much easier than the CD. Only updates every 7 seconds. There are four scored scenarios with three of them being 9 minutes long and fourth is 15 minutes long. I did my best on the last one. Overall I felt this section went really well. I didn't crash any planes and only had about 5 or 6 errors (landing a plane at too fast a speed, planes getting too close to each other, to close to the wall, etc.) It seems to me that speed is a big key here. Try to get the planes landed or out through the sides as quickly as you can without getting separation or other errors. Oh, and after you give an airplane a command you have to click on them again to give another command. It's not like the CD where you can keep giving commands to a plane after you have clicked it once. Finally, the directions the planes have to land do not change during the scenario like they do on the CD and you can't overfly the airport. Definitely read the directions on this one, read the directions carefully on all of them as they are different from the CD. This part was actually kind of fun. It gives you a really toned down radar scope with 2 "airports" and 4 "gates." The gates are located with one on each side of the screen and are labeled A, B, C, and D. The airports, labeled "f" and "e," are in the NE and SW parts of the screen. What happens is data blocks will show up on the screen and will tell you if they are going S, M, F (S-slow, M-Medium, and F-Fast speeds), what altitude they are flying at 1, 2, 3, 4 (1 being the lowest and 4 being the highest) and where they are to go A, B, C, D, f, or e. For ABCorD exits they planes have to flying at the highest level, 4, and traveling at the Fast speed. The airports, e and f, the airplanes have to be flying at the lowest level, 1, and the Slow speed. On the right side of the screen are the directional, speed, and altitude commands. Basically you click on the airplane and give them a command. The whole idea here is to get the planes to their destinations quickly, while keeping them separated horizontally (same flight level) 5 miles or at least one flight level difference and keeping them from hitting the walls or flying over the airports. Not too tough. Again, if anybody wants an idea of what the screen looks like or even want to play it let me know and I will send you in the right direction.

7. Analogies - This part was rough. Definitely my worst part, well at least the word analogy part, the symbol part was pretty easy. I can't offer much help here other than read the directions before you start and hopefully you will do better on this part than I did. Everyone has seen analogies before so not much to explain here.

8. Personality - Pretty straight forward, I am sure you have seen one of these before.

That's it. It took me about 5 hours, 5 and a half with my two breaks, to finish. I feel OK about how I did. I won’t really know till I get my score. I wasn't nervous for it at all, I could tell some people were and perhaps I should have been too, but I wasn't. Really the test is not bad at all, a couple tough parts, but that's it. I wouldn't worry about it too much. If you have any questions about it let me know and I will answer them the best I can. Good Luck!!!

Alrighty, there it is. If anyone has questions on this leave a comment and I will get back to you. Now, I wait for my test results. Hopefully they will be posted by this weekend...

Off to ATL

2008-03-16T10:48:00.003-07:00

I am off to Atlanta to take the test! I am looking forward to getting it done and out of the way. Hopefully I do well. I will post tomorrow night or the following day and share my experience. I'm packed and my rental car awaits....

Test Location moved...

2008-03-06T14:06:00.002-08:00

I almost forgot. I was notified my testing location was moved. It's in the same area just a change of venue. Thankfully my time and date remained unchanged. I am ready to get the test done and over with!

One other thing. I have heard a LOT of rumors on a lot of things surrounding this entire process. However, there is one I have the most interest in and that has to do with whether or not the hiring announcement I applied under was for more staffing this fiscal year or next fiscal year. The FAA fiscal year begins Oct 1. I have heard from many people the announcement was to stock up their fiscal year 09 hiring pool, but then again I have herd from people this yes this will be for the current years hiring. Obviously I want the second case to be the truth. But, I am getting more of a feeling that the first case is the actual one. Well I have decided to take the following stand on this topic, as well as many others pertaining to this process: I will not believe anything till I see it or hear it first hand or until it really happens. I would suggest if anyone is reading this and is in the process as I am to think the same way. There are SO many rumors it’s not worth it to get caught up in them until something really happen. From here on out (assuming I get a qualifying score on the test, because if I don't then none of this matters) I will take these rumors for what they are, just rumors and nothing else. Once something REALLY happens then I will believe it.

Links...

2008-03-06T13:38:00.002-08:00

So, have you checked out my links yet? If not you should. Although I would understand why you wouldn't check them out, it’s because you don't know anything about them? Is that the case? Well then I will tell you about them.

1) jetcareers-
Jetcareers is a great forum (well website too, but I only go there for the forum) that has tons of information about just about everything aviation. There are areas for airline pilots, flight instructors, cargo pilots, dispatchers, ATC, Military pilots, Helicopters, corporate aviation, maintenance, etc, etc, etc. As you can see there is a lot of stuff on there. Perhaps the best part about the site is the great community of people who frequent it and the great mods who keep everyone in line. So check it out, there is tons of information on there and you don't see what you are looking for join and ask. Most are happy to share their experiences. So yeah, check it out!

2) atccti-
This is a site I came upon while looking for more information on the Air Traffic Control profession. This is another forum. Personally I like it because it is devoted completely to ATC and there are some interesting characters who post there. Basically it is a good website if you are looking for likeminded people who are either in or working to get into the profession.

3) thegearmonkey-
This is an airline pilot’s blog. I initially began reading it when I was considering becoming a pilot and have continued reading it ever since. I don't remember how long I have been reading it, probably a few years now. The blog mostly consist of the author's flying experiences. I enjoy reading it.

4) fl250-
Another airline pilot blog. I have been reading the blog even longer than my last one. The author of the blog shares his flying experiences as well as other non-flying topics. It is a really good blog to read if anyone is considering becoming a pilot and it is well written.

5) Post Secret-
I would imagine most would have herd of this site before so I won’t explain. However if there happens to be anyone who has not been to the site you really should check it out.

Alrighty that’s all of them. So check them out. If I add any more links in the future I will tell y'all what they are about. Enjoy!

Scheduled for the test...

2008-03-03T13:51:00.003-08:00

Well, this happened sooner than I expected. I received an email today from the company administering the test to call and get my test date. Well....I will be taking it in a couple of weeks! Pretty cool, huh? So, it will have been just over a month from the job announcement closing to taking the actual test. I was not expecting this to happen so quickly, but on Friday I found out that other applicants were being notified about the test, so naturally I became very anxious hoping I would get the email as well. I did so YAY! I know that this in no way signifies the actual speed at which the process normally runs. Most, I have read about, take around 8-10 months for the entire process (app. to OKC) with many having to wait 4 or more months to take the test. Actually, I am expecting the rest of the process to take a while. Although, I would welcome a quick process.....

So, the next couple of weeks will be spent getting ready for the test and trying not to dwell on it too much. I really want to do well on it; my goal is to get a 90 or higher. However, any passing grade is the ultimate goal as there seems to be little if any correlation between your score and where you end up in terms of facility level.

I think that’s it for this post. I will post at least one more time before I take the test.

First Post

2008-02-17T21:32:00.004-08:00

Hello and welcome to my blog. It seems that blogging is the hip thing to do these days so I figured I would finally jump on the band wagon. Actually I have wanted to do a blog for quite some time, but I always felt that I didn't have anything to blog about. Well now I do.

Before I get too far into this I should introduce myself. I am a 24 year old college graduate from the great state of Washington. I have lived in a few states in my life and currently I reside in Tennessee. Upon graduating from college (NMU) I worked for about a year and really was not happy with the direction my life was heading so I decided to make a change and move to Tennessee, return to school, and get back into the industry I love, aviation. So, that’s where I am at now. I may give more information later in the blog; I just don’t feel like it right now.

So what is this blog about you ask? I want to be an Air Traffic Controller, that's why! I have read other blogs on becoming an ATC and they have been very helpful to me, so I figured I would do the same. Although, my target audience for this blog is family and friends so they can follow my progress, I’m also hoping that others who have decided to take this career path may benefit as well. I am starting this blog basically from the beginning: from application, to, hopefully, the hiring process, to training in Oklahoma City, to working at an assigned location, and possibly beyond.

As I said I am starting this from the very beginning. The beginning began for me in the early morning hours on Jan 27 when, browsing one of my favorite forums, a fellow member posted a job announcement from the FAA. Curious, I clicked on the link and was instantly filled with excitement and nervousness!! The national job announcement was for Off The Street candidates for ATC. At first I couldn't believe what I was reading, I though they (FAA) only hired CTI students. I had no idea! But, now I did! I didn’t apply that night, instead I slept on it, well tried to sleep. I was so excited that I barely slept. I continued to think about it for a couple of days, I never rush a big life changing decision like this, and on Jan 29 I filled out my application. Then I proceeded to wait until the announcement closed and hoped I would get a notice that I was to take the AT-SAT. Well, the FEB 15 closing date came and then surprisingly the following day I was notified that I had been selected to take the AT-SAT (Air Traffic Selection and Training) test. This test is the first big step (IMO) in the process. By passing the test you can then be placed on hiring lists and get interviews. My testing notification stated I would be contacted within three weeks to schedule a test. So, that’s where I am at now, waiting to hear when I can take the test.

I also want to mention that this blog will not only be about becoming an ATC. I have other interests and since I am very early on in this whole process I may post about other things too. Also, I need to put a couple disclaimers in here. One - I tend to be wordy when I write, so be prepared for long posts. I will do my best to keep from doing this, but I will not guarantee anything. Two - I am not the greatest of writers so please forgive any grammar or punctuation errors or any other errors you may catch. Third - I will do my best to update this blog at least once a week with updates and other stuff.

Finally, I hope anyone who reads this blog enjoys it. I am really excited and look forward to becoming an ATC. I KNOW there are NO guarantees and I have a very long road ahead. However, I am confident that if I work hard I will succeed. Again, I hope you (whoever you are) enjoy this blog and I look forward to sharing my "ATC Roller Coaster" adventure with you.

I almost forgot to mention that I welcome any comments or questions you may have. I will do my best to get back to you in a timely manner. Thanks for reading.