Richard Smith worked as an air traffic controller for 25 years and now works as an air traffic control instructor with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in Puerto Rico. He posts the Air Traffic Control Web Blog, which covers air traffic control fact and opinion. Smith started out as a pilot and, when his interests shifted to air traffic control, he went through training with the FAA to gain his ATC [air traffic controller] title. He retired from air traffic control at the age of 56 and is enjoying raising awareness about the job and educating those who are joining the field.

What do you do, and why did you decide to pursue this career field?
I am a retired air traffic controller. I worked for 25 years for the FAA  as an enroute, terminal and tower controller. Now, I work as an ATC instructor at an FAA facility in Puerto Rico. I got into the career almost by accident. I was a private pilot working as a station agent for an airline in Chicago when I heard an ad on the radio: “Up, Up and Away With the FAA.” I took the civil service exam and was hired.

What type of preparation did you do to get into this field?
Although I had an interest in aviation, was a pilot and worked at an airport, I really had no experience in air traffic control. Today, the FAA requires specialized aviation education of most applicants. The FAA’s College Training Initiative (CTI) Program, located at more than 30 universities across the country, leads to an associate or bachelor’s degree in aviation management and is the source of many of today’s new controllers.

What types of classes and projects did you have to do?
Typically, a CTI student will study an FAA-approved curriculum, learning the myriad rules and regulations as well as working on an ATC simulator.

How did your education help you in your career?
Hmmm. I had studied for four years in a Catholic seminary, planning to become a priest. I can probably issue clearances in Latin. …

What was your career path like in this field? 
Air traffic controllers take an initial course at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City, then report to their facility for two to four years of training before reaching the Certified Professional Controller (CPC) level. Once certified, many controllers spend their entire careers (mandatory retirement at age 56) at the same facility as a controller or first-level supervisor.

What types of skills is someone required to have to work in your position?
Generally, controllers tend to be good at “spatial thinking” and dealing with abstract ever-changing situations. They also must be good at making literally hundreds of quick, correct decisions each workday.

What do you do on a typical workday?
Since each controllers facility is unique, it’s hard to generalize. A controller at the Southern California Terminal Radar Control Facility will spend about six hours a day “strapped in” at a busy radar console talking nonstop to hundreds of planes flying to and from San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles and the entire L.A. Basin. Another controller may be in the control tower at Chicago’s O’Hare airport directing planes to and from runways along a maze of taxiways or clearing them for takeoff or landing. Yet another controller might be working radar at the New York Air Route Traffic Control Center directing flights from New England all the way south to the Caribbean.

Do you plan to advance to another position within your career field?
Since controllers must retire at age 56, most work in control positions for their entire career. Pay is based on the complexity and activity level for the controller’s facility.

What type of person do you think is best suited for a job in your field?
Controllers tend to be men and women who love the challenge of making quick, important decisions on a near-continuous basis on the job. They have to be able to compartmentalize their lives in ways that allow them to focus intently on their job, then “turn it off” when they get home. They also have to adjust to the rotating work shifts required by their around-the-clock profession.

Do you have any advice for those who are looking to launch a career in your field?
Air traffic control is a very demanding but highly rewarding career. If you find satisfaction knowing that what you do is important and you like to work in a high-stress environment, talk with a school counselor about finding a good CTI program.