VRA to FAA Transition Tips

JohnnyB Newcomer

I'm seeing a few questions out there about when you can apply, and when you'll get emails and stuff...I just got my academy date, and the process went fairly quickly and smoothly for me. I compiled a list of advice I received along the way and a lot of my observations. Hopefully this will answer a lot of your questions and help you prepare for the process. Good luck everyone!



Start applying 3-4 months before Terminal Leave or Separation
If you’re going on terminal leave, get your terminal leave form signed by the commander before finalizing your application. You'll have to send the FAA a copy within 10 days of being selected for a position. You won't get a terminal leave number on your form until you final out with finance. The FAA may still accept your form, but get your Finance Final-Out the full 45 days before leaving if possible to ensure you get that number quickly. I got a personal reply back from the FAA that despite what the application says, they need controllers so badly that you can start applying a few months before you go on terminal or separate and it won’t be a problem – so it’s legal. Based on my personal experience and those I’ve talked to, it’s about 6-8 months from the time you start applying to the time you start the academy (mine was 7 months) – that’s IF you go the PEPC route (see 6 paragraphs below).

Use EPR bullets to fill out your application
When filling out the ASAP application, take your best EPR bullets and paste them directly into the application. It’s a hard-hitting format that they like to see. Everyone who I’ve seen use that format got hired quickly. Add some of your other best qualities to the list in bullet format.

Use an address near the facility you want to get hired at (if possible)
On your ASAP application, use an address that’s close to where you want to work, if in fact you plan on living there. I put down my temporary San Diego address on the application and was offered SoCal TRACON the first time around. I suspect it had more to do with my address than anything else, because when I asked for NorCal, I got it right away. If I’d used my future NorCal address, I probably would have gotten NorCal the first time around. The FAA is hurting for people, and they’re likely trying to match up what they think people want so they can fill the spots quickly.

Not all hiring cycles will generate candidates
You’ll get notified (via checking back often on ASAP) if you’re application has been referred to a particular state. The FAA typically goes in cycles for VRA hiring of skipping 2-3 months, then hiring, then skipping another 2-3 months, then hiring again. Don’t worry if you start applying during the downswing of the cycle. I was hired 2 months after submitting my first application, and was notified 1 month later of my facility. (note: if I had applied any sooner, or gotten hired in the upswing, I may not have been able to accept the job offer because of my time remaining in the Air Force; play it smart when you submit your first application)

You must be willing to accept Temporary Employment
While going through ASAP, you’re going to be asked if you’re willing to accept Temporary Employment. If you answer no, as some other people have done, you won’t even be considered for employment. Explicitly in the application is a notice that this is a temporary job for the first 13 months (after which it becomes permanent if you make it); if you don’t want temporary employment, you may as well log out before submitting your application. I answered yes to all kinds of employment except for part-time employment and didn’t have a problem.

Don’t turn down an offer before trying to switch facilities
Your first offer may not be the one you’re looking for. Don’t just outright turn down an offer, because then you’ll have to wait for the next selection board, possibly adding months to your wait time. Ask your HR rep for a facility change. The worst they can say is no. Mine took a whole 18 minutes to get approved. Just write or call your rep and they should forward your request to ATO (Air Traffic Organization). With the inflow of off-the-street hires (you’ll hear them referred to as OTS or PUBNATs), the FAA is desperate for some real experience, so now is the time to capitalize on that and get what you want.

If feasible, wait for a PEPC date
Once selected for a position, you’ll have the option of signing up for a PEPC (Pre Employment Processing Center, I think), in which you do all of the background stuff in one day, or going the “traditional” route, where you make all of your appointments yourself. You’ll have to wait a little bit for a PEPC, but from what I’ve heard and experienced, it’s worth it. Unless the PEPC you get is many many months down the road, you’ll still get all of your clearances finalized before people who go the traditional route. I’ve heard people have a hard time getting the appointments they need, and for some appointments, they have to wait just as long as they would have had to wait for a PEPC date. So save yourself some trouble and just knock it all out in one day. My own personal experience and everyone else’s I’ve talked to is that if you go the PEPC route, you’ll get an academy date within 2-3 months of your PEPC date. The traditionals may have to wait about 8 months from start to finish (this is 8 months of appointments before they go to the academy, and NOT 8 months from the time they start applying).

Read the forums on Stuckmic.com that give you the interview questions and other tips to prepare for the PEPC
Some of the interview questions are weird and take some thought, so it’s best to think about your answers beforehand. My interviewer made it clear that he didn’t care what I said, as long as it wasn’t too off the wall. He was more looking at how I presented myself and conversed, and since I was prepared with the questions, I came across very confident and excited, and he told me in no uncertain terms that he was definitely recommending me for hire.

Keep your military medical records with you if you move!!!
During the PEPC, you’re going to have to fill out an FAA Class II medical application. For prior military, they require you to disclose every single medical appointment within the previous 3 years, regardless of how insignificant. They are going to get a copy of your records, and if what you write doesn’t coincide with what they get, you’ve got a problem. I didn’t have my records with me, but I was able to get the previous 2 ? years appointments (just by calling) that were left in the flight doc’s computer. I was lucky that there weren’t any appointments that I missed in that ? year the flight doc didn’t have in the computer.

Also, if you’ve had any major medical problem(s), be sure to have supporting documentation to explain how it doesn’t affect you adversely anymore. If any documents are in a foreign language, you’re going to have to have them translated at your expense. If you’re a member of AOPA, you can fill out the medical application using AOPA’s TurboMedical interactive form – you can take this with you to the PEPC and make your job easier when filling out the form, and it’ll alert you to any conditions you may need supporting documentation for: https://www.aopa.org/members/medical/medform/index.cfm

Get an account at DidTheyReadIt.com
This is obviously optional, but it keeps you from freaking out when you’re not getting any responses back from anyone. An account with these guys allows you to “secretly” track when someone reads your email messages, so you’ll know exactly when they open it, how long they spent reading it, and if they ever go back to it again. It’s taken up to a week before some of the HR reps ever read some of my emails, and this program made it so I didn’t have to worry about not being answered for so long, because I knew they were just out of the office and hadn’t read the email yet. The FAA is actually pretty good at responding to emails; I usually got a response within a few minutes of my emails being read. I saved myself from many embarrassing, harassing emails by having an account.

Don’t pay too much attention to the PUBNAT chatter
The PUBNATs (or OTS) are the ones who have applied using a Public Announcement (the FAA application contains a “PUBNAT” designation amongst all the number on the app, as opposed to a “VRA” designation for prior military), which are for those who have no prior ATC experience. They fall into a completely different category than veteran controllers. It’s not that what they say doesn’t matter, it just most likely isn’t going to apply to you. I was told over and over again that I’m not going to get an academy date until next summer – by PUBNATs, because that’s how far backed up there are for fundamentals in the academy. As veteran controllers, you won’t be going through a fundamentals class – just a 5 week brush-up radar course (or tower course). I actually heard from a hiring manager to expect a class date for next summer, but this was at the PEPC while he was speaking to…wait for it…a group of PUBNATs.

Don’t take the AT-SAT (unless you were hired under a PUBNAT announcement)
If you’re like me and you apply for each ATC application the FAA offers, you’re eventually going to be invited to take the AT-SAT, a test measuring your aptitude to be a controller. This invite is generated automatically as a result of applying for a PUBNAT position, and if you’re hired under a VRA announcement, you can disregard the test.

Unemployment Benefits
As prior military, you’re entitled to unemployment benefits. You’re going to get an automatically generated notice of your DD-214 being generated hours after your official separation date. Go to the vMPF as soon as possible (before you lose your access to it) and make a copy of the example DD-214 they have in your name. It won’t be the official one, but it will contain all the information you need in order to submit your unemployment claim. You don’t need your official DD-214 to file a claim, but you do need the information from it. Don’t sit on filing the claim, because it’s not retroactive, and that’s money to help get you by until the FAA picks you up for the academy. I wasted 2 weeks with the example DD-214 in my possession, not knowing that I had everything I needed to file the claim. If you miss your window to download the example form, you’re going to have to wait a month or more before you get your official copy, and all the calling/harassing in the world isn’t going to speed up (or even get you a response from) the DD-214/Separations office.

Also, when filling out the claim, use your W-2 wages and not your combined benefits (BAH/OHA, BAS, COLA, etc.). If it’s taxable, put it on the claim. I was supposed to only get about $1,100 per month based on the tables I saw, but ended up getting $1,800 a month. For some reason they hooked me up at a higher rate, or else I read the entitlement tables incorrectly. Just be honest, because they can verify the information you give them.

As soon as you get your FOL, you'll have to report that you have a job and discontinue unemployment benefits (just found that out - fortunately for me it's only 1 month...).

Stay on top of your HR rep
Don’t be a pain, but do make sure your HR rep remembers your name. When I got to the PEPC, I couldn’t find proof that I had been granted a facility change, and it was almost all for nothing, until my HR rep, who was present, recognized my name, went into his email and found the proof for me. Later I kindly harassed him about an academy date and asked him to remember my name when one came available. Despite what you may hear, facility managers have nothing to do with academy dates (I heard that how high you are up on the list at your facility determines your class date – I asked everyone and got confirmation from the FAA that this is completely false). Your HP rep alone will be the one to connect you to a class date once the dates drop. If he/she remembers your name, you’ll be the first to get hooked up. Doesn’t hurt to pray, either.

Got_Busa Junior Member Houston TX

This is great info, if anyone has any other questions I can help also since I recently went through this same process...

sojudog Newcomer Mississippi

I am retiring this year and will start terminal leave 31 Jul 09. What is the first step? Is this an on-line application process? Also, does it help to know a particular facility manager...

Roddy_Piper Resident Knucklehead Vegas baby

apply to the RMC announcement.

Got_Busa Junior Member Houston TX

YES, it's all online now. You will need to create a profile here---> https://jobs01.faa.gov/asap/

Once you have all your info loaded in the online resume then you will apply for the RMC add.

ASAP - View Announcement

This one closes on the 5th of July though so you will have to wait and apply a couple months before terminal leave starts for that months listing...

If you know a manager, it may help you get selected if you want THAT facility. However, until you are selected for the region I don't think a manager can pull your name until it's on that region's list...

sojudog Newcomer Mississippi

Thanks...with the economy in the tank I am applying for everything...

RadarContact Scope Dope High Desert TRACON

So you're suggesting 3-4 months out? I was planning on doing it 2 months before terminal when they say I'm supposed to get separation orders. I'm just wary of getting shunned because I'm trying to do it too soon. So at what point after the close out date on the application do they want proof you are starting terminal leave?

I guess it helps that I plan on having 74 days of terminal

Got_Busa Junior Member Houston TX

I would apply as soon as you can. You won't get separation orders, you will only get a pre-DD214 which is unsigned (which you can probably access now on vMPF). You can give them that until you get the hard copy but it's normally a couple weeks after your last day (if you are lucky). Keep your vMPF password and you can print it out yourself on your last day (but it's not the official copy). That's all the FAA needs though....

Hell, we had guys that went to the academy without a DD214 and some were still on terminal leave. It's up to your POC what they let you do. I went to the PEPC on terminal leave and started right after. I was told you couldn't start at the Academy until you were off terminal but we had people that did it so it's possible. I sent them a copy of my terminal leave paperwork before the PEPC and they didn't say a thing about it.

OrTgAsM Junior Member Omaha

I'm in that boat. I've been applying since July of last year knowing that I won't get picked up. Got lucky this week with an e-mail for ZID. I don't start terminal until April. My PEPC is Chicago in March. I have to take an extra 5 days anyways. That's a great extra working for the Air Force. I have worked for CCTLR's that NEVER let you take leave unless it was the week before or after a holiday or if they had coverage in case the Nazi's decided to invade again. The two I'm working for now are pretty cool, but before hand, forget about it. My ETS for leave is at 80.5 Thank God they raised the level of use or loose last year. I'll be having a nice vacation in OKC I'm sure.

BigChew Rookie Chesapeake, VA

OK quick question, after announcement is closed, how long before the proses starts? Just wondering how long i have to deal with a BS job.