I can see the light
Posted 03-24-2010 at 11:34 AM by meatasaurusx
At this writing I am still training on departures. I have just over 300 hours under my belt, and my checkride seems so close yet so far away. I was hoping that I would have been certified already, but I wasn't quite ready yet. Going into February I was doing really well. My trainer released me to the crew so that everyone else could give their opinions and offer technique advice. That was going well for about a week and then I hit a wall. I had one bad session and it started an avalanche of more problems. My confidence was severely diminished and I felt like I could not do anything right. I was given an extension so I could have more time to regain my confidence and get back to where I was before.
I did a couple of skill enhancement days in the lab as well to help with that. It is kind of frustrating when you need to work on busy traffic but you only have light to moderate sessions. Thats why the lab was very useful. They could crank up the traffic level and then I could do it again the next problem so that I could fix what I messed up before. After that I went back to the floor and continued training feeling better about everything.
It was hard to see at the time, but all the mistakes and bad sessions that I was having were teaching me a lot. It was also a reality check for me. I think because I had been doing so well before, I was getting a little overconfident. You have to control along a fine line that borders confidence and cockiness. You don't want to sound like you don't believe in yourself or that you have no clue what you are doing. The second you start doing that the pilots will question everything you say and it will add a tremendous amount to your workload.
You can't be cocky either. There are only so many aircraft that each person can handle at a time, and depending on the complexity of the situation, it can change dramatically. You can't let your own ego get in the way of keeping aircraft separated. If you feel like it is getting to be too busy, don't be afraid to ask for help. Sometimes having someone else making a couple of coordination calls and acting as an extra pair of eyes for a couple of minutes is all you need. It may also mean that you need to stop the departures off of ORD for a few minutes so you can get your airspace cleaned up and you can safely work the aircraft. It can sometimes seem like if you stop the departures you are waving the white flag, but in reality you have to keep your position under control. Its not like you stopped the departures for the rest of the day, it is usually for about 3 to 5 minutes at most.
On the departure positions we are responsible for blending the ORD and satellite traffic to the center. One thing that we can do is ask the satellite controller to approve any releases with us. A good satellite controller should be aware of what the departure controller has for traffic and make that decision on their own, but it doesn't mean that they always do. It isn't always on purpose either. They are human and make mistakes as well.
I think that I am finally ready to control on my own. I need to remember all that I have learned over the past year of training, and to just sit down and work the traffic. I know I am fully capable of everything, and I feel that I have seen enough crazy situations that I can make the best judgement call if I do need to "wing it". No matter what happens, it is my position and I have to be in total control of it. We all work as a team, but I can't assume that the other controllers will do what I think they will do nor can I expect them to know what I need. The success or failure of my sector is ultimately the responsibility myself and no one else.
I did a couple of skill enhancement days in the lab as well to help with that. It is kind of frustrating when you need to work on busy traffic but you only have light to moderate sessions. Thats why the lab was very useful. They could crank up the traffic level and then I could do it again the next problem so that I could fix what I messed up before. After that I went back to the floor and continued training feeling better about everything.
It was hard to see at the time, but all the mistakes and bad sessions that I was having were teaching me a lot. It was also a reality check for me. I think because I had been doing so well before, I was getting a little overconfident. You have to control along a fine line that borders confidence and cockiness. You don't want to sound like you don't believe in yourself or that you have no clue what you are doing. The second you start doing that the pilots will question everything you say and it will add a tremendous amount to your workload.
You can't be cocky either. There are only so many aircraft that each person can handle at a time, and depending on the complexity of the situation, it can change dramatically. You can't let your own ego get in the way of keeping aircraft separated. If you feel like it is getting to be too busy, don't be afraid to ask for help. Sometimes having someone else making a couple of coordination calls and acting as an extra pair of eyes for a couple of minutes is all you need. It may also mean that you need to stop the departures off of ORD for a few minutes so you can get your airspace cleaned up and you can safely work the aircraft. It can sometimes seem like if you stop the departures you are waving the white flag, but in reality you have to keep your position under control. Its not like you stopped the departures for the rest of the day, it is usually for about 3 to 5 minutes at most.
On the departure positions we are responsible for blending the ORD and satellite traffic to the center. One thing that we can do is ask the satellite controller to approve any releases with us. A good satellite controller should be aware of what the departure controller has for traffic and make that decision on their own, but it doesn't mean that they always do. It isn't always on purpose either. They are human and make mistakes as well.
I think that I am finally ready to control on my own. I need to remember all that I have learned over the past year of training, and to just sit down and work the traffic. I know I am fully capable of everything, and I feel that I have seen enough crazy situations that I can make the best judgement call if I do need to "wing it". No matter what happens, it is my position and I have to be in total control of it. We all work as a team, but I can't assume that the other controllers will do what I think they will do nor can I expect them to know what I need. The success or failure of my sector is ultimately the responsibility myself and no one else.
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