Quick question about AF ATC...

cgibbs37 Newcomer

I heard that you can only work either in radar or tower, but not both. Can someone please clarify this for me?

Roddy_Piper Resident Knucklehead Vegas baby

normally that is true. if u make a career out of the AF then your chances are a lot better of working the other at some point in your career.

speediebang Senior Member Gulfport, Mississippi

What's nice it that you will now, after a long time of not, get trained in tech school on both, then get sent to one or the other, and as the glock said, you normally would stay there for a while. However, I have seen multiple upon multiple times controllers go to the opposite facility on their own time to get ratings. Or if you show enough drive and there is a manning concern, you can go to the opposite with enough kissing ass of course. Anyway, nice thing is that tech school now teches you the fundys of both, so you are "able" to go to either.

Roddy_Piper Resident Knucklehead Vegas baby

i went through keesler when they were still doing both. after 8 years in the force i still only did tower. never worked rapcon.

that's just my experience with it. there were a bunch that i knew that worked both. it seemed to me that it was common place many moons before i got in ('97).

Radium Epic Member SoCal Tracon

What you can do, is say you are at a rapcon for your 1st enlistment... then when you re-up and get to pick which base you go to next, pick a twr only base.
Other wise you are looking at being closer to a Tech Sgt b4 you get your dual rating imo.

atcguruaf Rico Suave AZ

I've only been stationed at Moody and Nellis. Both offered dual certifications without any special circumstances, then again, I went through both radar and tower training at tech school. I'm not sure how it's handled now because you either go to Keesler for tower or radar.

In any case, it's easier to go from tower to RAPCON, so I recommend getting your tower certification first if you have the option.

polo708 Epic Member tower

Ive seen people PCS with tower only and go to the RAPCON and vice versa... it all comes down to manning needs at facilities you get assigned to. But usually you will stay with what you know. Obvioulsy you should check out quicker that way.

speediebang Senior Member Gulfport, Mississippi

Atcguru, quick correction, for the last year and 1/2 it is back to training for both Tower AND Radar at the AF schoolhouse. The man with the dumb plan retired, so we went back to teaching both.

atcguruaf Rico Suave AZ

Thanks for the info. Ya, it never made any sense to go "single track". I'd train someone and try to explain what arrival or departure was doing with the aircraft and why we needed to handle things a certain way... but I always got the "deer in the headlights" look and the response "I never went through radar training"... oh.

So good... glad it's back to both.

duranme Trusted Contributor San Diego (SCT)

in some cases (extremely rare, but heard of it being done) and if both CCTLRs are on the same page theyll allow a rapcon controller to go train in the tower and vice-versa, but on his own time and without breaking the 10hr rule.