Just got ATC and have some questions

zcraven00 Newcomer

Hey everyone,
I just found out yesterday that I got my ATC job in the AF and am shipping to BMT on december 28th! I am very excited about the job but have some questions still that I feel more comfortable asking all of you that have worked this job before.
1. I see that training is right around 14.5 to 20 weeks, are you still considered an apprentice when you get out of tech school or are you good to go after that? Basically can you deploy or do you have to stay on your base really for 2 years....getting that vibe from some people so I wanted to ask.
2. When my 6 years is done I will be FAA certified to work civilian correcT?
3. I thought my recruiter said something about getting a special badge or getting wings when you become an ATC, what are all the benefits or badges you get with that job?
4.How easy is it to move up the ranks in ATC? I have about 40 hours to get my bachelors and want to be an officer so I didnt know how easy it is to do in this job field?

5. What are some places you guys have deployed to?
6. Is there any special pay you get for doing this job?
Sorry some of those questions might be dumb but I am excited right now and not only me but my soon to be wife wants to know a lot of these answers too so we know what to expect from the future. Any input from people on these questions and any advice you all could give me would be fantastic! THANKS
z

whegner Junior Member

I wasn't AF, Marine Corps, but a few answers:

1.) Graduating school gives you the opportunity to train to become a controller. In other words, once you complete the school you need to be certified at the facility you go to. There is no guarantee. In the Marines, they allow a max 6 months to get a minimum radar certification and 12 months to qualify in the tower. Each subsequent facility you go to you will have to re-certify and can still "wash out" and end up in another career field. The Marine Corps motivates you by sending you to either the cooks or infantry if you wash out. In the AF it's probably Squadron iPod Repair Chief or something

2.) Yes and no. You are FAA certified but you still go through a hiring process that depending upon needs can be quick, long, or when I got out in the early 90's non-existent.

3.) No clue. AF gives medals for waking up on time, so probably.

4.) See #3 above.

5.) Candyland and Gumdrop Island mostly.

6.) Every two weeks Uncle Sam sends you a thank you and I think I read somewhere they actually give supervisor rated controllers an additional monthly stipend. Could be wrong on that though.

Obviously the first two answers are serious and the rest not so much. Just my observations concerning those items as an outsider looking in.

atcguruaf Rico Suave AZ

I did AF. Here's my take:

1. Upon arriving at Keesler, you're really a 1C111, or rather a 1C1X1. You'll see when you get there. It's rather a big deal to make 1C131 (there are no even numbers). You will not obtain your 3-level status (1C131) until you graduate, upon which point you officially become an "apprentice". You will not be able to deploy until you reach "journeyman" status (1C151). 2 years seems like a long time at any base. Depending on which base you go to, it could be as quick as 4-5 months, or as long as 18 months. Training primarily depends on you. The more you drag your feet, the more likely they are to can you, so you'll need to train hard.

2. Actually, you'll be FAA certified once you reach "journeyman" status. And yes, you will be able to work for the FAA upon separating.

3. There are no special badges.... HOWEVER, you are joining an elite group of individuals. You MAY wear your badge, however if you do, I promise you that your life will be a living hell and you may get "washed out". The Air Force Instruction (mind you, this is an Air Force-wide reg) 13-203 (AFI 13-203) specifically states that wearing your occupational badge is mandatory. However, the Air Force recognizes us as being a "special career field" and states that air traffic controllers are exempt from this rule. Typically, the way it works, is you don't wear a badge at Keesler. Upon graduating tech school, you'll get "pinned on". When you get to your base, you won't wear this badge their either until you receive your 5-level status (1C151). It's a respect/pride thing, nothing more. But you'll hit many "brick walls" if you don't honor the tradition. Once you get your 5-level, you'll understand and appreciate your badge and understand what you do a little more clearly.

4. It's not that easy to move up in the ranks. You can make E-4 (Senior Airman) below the zone ("BTZ" is what it's called). If you do that, it'll help, but that's really about it. E-5 is difficult and takes some people years to make. It's a lot of bookwork and the like. If your plan is to become an officer, I recommend just going to school, knocking out your credits and applying to become an officer. That's option 1.

Option 2 is work REALLY hard in the field... studying, training, not asking for leave, a little brown-nosing, etc. and you can apply to go to the academy, GET PAID E-5, get paid for school, and finish out your degree there. There are some other programs, but these were the ones I remembered being most-used.

5. I only deployed to Ali Al Saleem AB, Kuwait.

6. Special pay? No. However, you do have the opportunity to make 90K tax free if you re-enlist. We're the only field that can do this. Currently, controllers in the AF have the highest re-enlistment bonus, and that's probably because everyone's getting out. If you make watch supervisor ("craftsman", 1C171) you'll get "watch supervisor" pay, but it's really not worth it... haha.

MY ADVICE:

Don't worry about any of this stuff right now. You'll find out ALL about it when you get in. Don't let anyone know you want to be an officer right off the bat, you'll screw yourself over. Wait until you make some friends in high places and get fully qualified.

You'll have plenty of supervisors and trainers telling you what career choices to make. You'll be presented with options and paths that you can take. All this will come with time.

Don't use the Air Force as a reason for getting married, period. I've seen quite a bit of failed marriages because of this. I don't know you personally, so take my advice with a grain of salt, I'm only speaking from experiences (not my own). If she can follow along without getting married, I recommend waiting until you're settled down. My .02 on that only. Again, I don't know you, I'm only stating what I've seen in my career.

Work hard. It's a very prestigious field to be in, and we ALL had to work hard to get to our respective points in our careers. I know you SAY you're going to work hard, but remember, I've been there. It's real easy to get side tracked, bored, frustrated, etc. Don't half-ass it - it'll show and you'll fail. You have to go balls-to-the-wall. 2 years of intense training and you'll be good.

That's about it. Good luck! Let us know if you have any more questions, even if you think they're stupid.

DASAUTO Banned

AF here.

#6..yes, you do get additional pay for being a controller once you become a watch supervisor. That will take anywhere from 4-6 years of being a controller. it ranges from $150-450(ISH)/month additional pay.

zcraven00 Newcomer

Thanks for the input everyone. I appreciate it. Looking forward to getting down there and getting started. I was already getting married before I decided to join so it wasnt like a last minute thing thankfully. I would never just rush it to have it done before I left because I have seen many people get divorced very quickly as well. Anyways thanks for the help and Ill keep asking questions as they come along!

zcraven00 Newcomer

So basically what I am getting from this is that if I want to become an officer, I shouldnt tell anyone until I am completely finished with my school? I did a visit to Scott AFB and the education director said to come in and tell the education person right away that your goal is to graduate and become an officer so they will be able to put you on the right path to acheive that goal? They said to let the supervisors in charge know of your intentions as well because a lot of them will help me get to my officer goal. I just dont want to stay in getting enlisted pay for the rest of my life you know. Anyways, I might just be confusing myself but if you could clarify what you meant by that..

whegner Junior Member

Your first two-three years in you will have virtually no time for college. First will be basic training, followed by ATC school, followed by training at your first facility. In ATC, when you are not working traffic you better have your nose in the 7110.65, AIM, FLIP's, Approach Plates, facility manual, LOA's, SID's, etc...

Once you transfer to a new base it will start all over again as far as local procedures go. I think someone earlier mentioned that if the goal is to become an officer, you're better off finishing school now and applying for commission. I agree. Also, if the goal is to become an ATC officer, you're still better off going to school first then entering because if you go "Mustang" (Enlisted to Officer) there is no guarantee you will stay in the same field plus ATC officers generally don't actually control aircraft. They are basically administrators.

Juanfl86 Rookie

If you want to enlist and then become an officer, don't do ATC. Go get a Mon-Fri, 9-5 job in the Air Force like Personnel or Finance. Cause it'll very tough to find the time in ATC to do it. Working days, swings, and mid shifts. Plus like it was already said, if you really want to be a controller in the AF then you have to be enlisted.

Radium Epic Member SoCal Tracon

With the wtf CRAZY hours you have being an ATCer, its really hard to be the type of person they want to be an Officer.

BTW, if you stay enlisted as an ATCer.. you are looking at a quarter of a MILLION in re-enlistment bonus... compared to the shitty bonus's that most non flyer officers get.

ATCGuruAF explained it all really well, so read his post again. Oh and as the previous guy said... YOU CANNOT BE A CONTROLLER, and ALSO BE AN OFFICER. So you will have to make a call on what you want to do with your life.

Good luck.

atcguruaf Rico Suave AZ

Okay, here's the deal. Regardless of what anyone tells you, you will have time to go to school, granted it may only be 1 or 2 classes, but you'll have time nonetheless. You will not be allowed to attend class while you're in training status. After you get checked out, there'll be time. I prefer doing the shift work because most of the time, while on break or during swing shifts, you get plenty of time to do homework. Classes sometimes are 1 day, 2 per week, etc. On base, you'll find military-friendly schools with these sort of hours. Typically, you'll be able to manage swinging 2 days a week. I don't remember if it was in the AFI 13-203 or not, but precedence for time off is given to education first, then squadron sports, etc. You'll be able to work it.

Stick with air traffic as your career. At minimum, you'll have a career that leads to something on the outside (and by something, I mean excellent pay and benefits, I know finance/admin. have jobs on the outside, but not with pay and benefits we receive as controllers).

Don't listen to the education director. Most are detached from the field (even though they may be retired). Even if they're not "detached" from military life, a lot have no concept of ATC. By that, I mean don't tell your supervisor or ANYONE of your aspirations until AFTER you get qualified. You won't be able to go to school anyway while you're in training, you might as well wait. Reason being? Why are people going to train and put in man-hours to get you checked out if you don't plan on putting in your dues after getting your rating? There's no incentive, so you may end up washing out.

Training is grueling, probably more-so from the ones training you than from what your experiencing. I'm not saying it's like that everywhere, BUT you never know where you'll get assigned and how that base will take your career advancement so early on. It's better to play it safe, ESPECIALLY since you won't be allowed to attend classes until after you get checked out.

P.S. The Air Force is very different than other branches. Once you get qualified, you'll probably spend the rest of your enlistment at that base. At 4 or 6 years, you'll be able to finish school. Not knocking anyone else, just saying that other branches handle things differently. We get treated waaaayy better than other branches. (I only know this from Army, Marines, and Navy personnel that I've worked with). School will be easy for you to finish in the Air Force, I promise! At one point I was taking 3 classes and I had a part-time job (in addition to my ATC AF career)