General Questions - Civilian to Military to Civilian Atc questions.

reignking Newcomer

i apologize if this is out of place and lengthy. i actually found this site through a google search of my atc military questions. so excuse me if these questions are commonly asked or a little off but i'm also hoping i can get some help with some unanswered questions.

a little background. i'm 30 years old. college graduate who was recently laid off as a sales and marketing manager for a large company. i've decided that this could be a blessing in disguise as i'm not very fond of the idea of starting over for a new company and i was growing tired of the sales industry as a whole anyways.

i have a good friend who works for houston center and i've been talking to him about joining the ranks of the people on this forum. he has advised me many things but he can't help with the military aspect of it as he went to technical school, then oklahoma city route. an option that is not available to me because of my age.

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now i have applied on the faa website for a civilian hire. i did this two months ago when i was thinking my job could be in danger but from my understanding there is no way i will make it in before the cutoff age of 31 (which is october for me).

also to my understanding is that the faa extends the maximum age for military members who achieve certification while on active duty / reserve duty?

onto my military options questions:

now i'm again too old to apply for active duty air force as i believe their cutoff age is 27 or 28. the options that i am aware of are the active duty army, reserve army, army national guard, active duty navy, reserve navy, air force reserve and air guard. i've spoken with and tested with active duty army and navy recruiters and i have the asvab scores to get into the air traffic control mos / rates.

is one better than the others? i've read a lot of people on here with the air national guard. i'm interested in knowing the process for each of these. obviously in an active duty army / navy i would be a soldier for 6 years before i would be released and able to apply with faa, thus problably missing the massive hire they have going on right now.

how does the air guard / reservists system work? they train you obviously but then do you qualify as prior military to work for the faa or would i have to deploy to a combat zone? what are the odds of that as a guard / reservist? i'm assuming they wouldn't train you then send you home to do nothing. i have yet to talk to a recruiter for guard and would be interested in knowing the facts before i did so.

also back to the active duty army / navy. i've read that you dont get the proper certifications from active duty army or is that you dont them as quickly?

i have no issues being a soldier and proudly supporting my country even if it means going into combat. however, i also would like a clear cut plan to turn my military experience into a carear in the faa and this is where i'm hoping someone here can help me out.

i would appreciate any and all feedback and will be actively reading and learning more on this forum.

thank you in advance,
dylan

Nodak Rookie Valdosta, GA

I'm not sure on the age cut off for active duty AF, but i know a lot of people that have done guard/reserves and had FAA jobs. On the same note I believe the program you are talking about for military to FAA is only for when AF controllers retire, not just anyone that is serving...cause i know alot of people that stay in cause they are over 31 and can't get in the FAA.

As for qualifications...I would say the AF is the best to get qualified in because majority of the time you are working civilian traffic and lots of it (radar)...don't get me wrong i'm not saying the other services don't have traffic or arn't real controllers cause i know they do the same job that I do and plenty have plenty of busy facilities. But I believe the AF is the only service that every tower get's their CTO certification, and only some Navy and Army towers get it.

An option after you turn 31 is a Control Tower, and I believe all you need is your CTO, they don't make as much but it's a job and it's not bad money.

polo708 Epic Member tower

The FAA is still 31, the DOD has raised their age limit to 35. Unfortunately you need prior experiance to get hired with the DOD. The Army has moved away from staffing most of their facilities with "soldiers" and have gone to DOD contractors. ATC in the Army now is nothing like ATC you are thinking of and is more of a tactical ATC. You will be hard pressed to get a CTO with the Army but you will still be able to apply VRA.

Unless you get an offer prior to turning 31 I believe you are out of luck with the FAA. If the Army/Navy does 4 year enlistments then its possible to do a 4 year enlistment, separate and try for a DOD job. Thats all I can think of, sorry.

polo708 Epic Member tower

I believe its called the "phoenix program" and yeah, its only for retirees.

I think you mean a contract tower... yeah, if you can earn a CTO from the military/somewhere then you can apply for a contract tower job. They pay about $30/hr right now.

Radium Epic Member SoCal Tracon

To original poster: As far as 100% learning ATC for a future in the FAA... by far you best bet is ANG or Air Reserve. Army Navy are fine, but there are chances that you could get stuck on a boat, or stuck with a gun. In the AF you will get stuck with a HEADSET and some planes^^.
Plus the AF lifestyle is by far the closest to being a civilian... its more of a corporation than a military.

I'm ex Active Duty AF, so I know it seems biased to pimp the AF, but I dont pimp it cause "its the best! *sings the af song*" I do it cause its easy as shit, and you are 100% focused on ATC not some other random BS. Plus basic is easy for an old ass such as yourself.

Nodak Rookie Valdosta, GA

I think you mean a contract tower... yeah, if you can earn a CTO from the military/somewhere then you can apply for a contract tower job. They pay about $30/hr right now.[/QUOTE]


I'm horrible at proofreading :/

reignking Newcomer

all excellent information so far and i appreciate the quick replies.

so if i was deadset on getting into the faa and only the faa doing a military stint and then retiring would be my only real option it appears. now navy / army i could still do active duty. with the air force reserves / guard what are the odds that i would have full time duty on a reserve basis?

on the airforce reserve / guard: i would gain certification while i was waiting to 'retire' from this service what type of jobs would i be looking at? is this where lockheed's flight systems comes in? was talking to my atc friend about them and he said it's a private company obviously doing similar tasks as to what he's doing in a center. what other options are out there and what type of pay do they offer? i would hate to pass on an active duty spot then struggle to find work while serving in the reserves if that makes any sense.

again thanks for the feedback thus far. and appreciate anymore you can give.

polo708 Epic Member tower

Here is a whole ANG thread to browse, tons of good info:
Air National Guard Questions..

I believe its something like 1 weekend a month, 2 weeks a year. There is always a possibility that you may get deployed tho.

Not sure of the requirements for a Lockheed Martin job at a Flight Service Station(FSS) but Id imagine some type of ATC background is reqired. They are cutting back on their manning so it may be harder than you think. They dont control aircraft rather advise and track. Pay for FSS is usually between $35-$50/hour depending on job title and location.

reignking Newcomer

thanks for the link mate. i've read it over and like pretty much everything i've read.

i believe i'm going to be contacting a recruiter tomorrow and seeing what he has to say.

again appreciate the help to this point and any continued.

Radium Epic Member SoCal Tracon

dont forget to take it with a grain of salt, they are RECRUITERs after all.