Recent content by rudderless

EVEN IF the program is brought back in its' mutated state of 1 8 hour shift, out and back, etc. don't expect to ride anytime soon. I don't know about other facilities but I hear rumblngs that everybody is in the same shape as ZFW which is short-staffed and people are bailing out on retirement...

papaq is absolutely right; im kind of pissed because there is a narow group of people to which this rule applies and im not one of them. i hired on late in life (age 30), so can only work 26 years, so for me the FERS calculation is (if I remember), 1st 20 - 1.7% per year, remaining years 1%...

Re: will the current atc's please introduce yourselves.... 20 years ZFW, worked most of the areas in the house, departure sectors, arrival sectors, currently at ZKC undergoing training course to be ERAM instructor (ERAM is the replacement hardware/software for our current radar display)going...

im hearing a lot of speculation and outright BS, so as a 20 year ZFW center controller i have to speak up - there was a fam program whereby controlers would submit a request, and get paperwork to ride (for free)in a flight of their choice in the cockpit as "training". It was considered...

the base pay for each facility is based on traffic; each facility is assigned a rating from AT5 (I think thats the bottom) to AT13. currently no AT13's in system; 13 was created for growth possibility. currently the busiest centers and tracons are AT12's. find a forum with current atc...

currently at ZFW it "appears" that there is in fact a budget and a curve for the awarding of merit raises; approx 1/3 of the workforce got nothing, 1/3 got the .6%, and 1/3 got the "full" 1.6%. the general raise announced every year for all federal employees and SS beneficiaries as well as...

training staff at ZFW is all retired ZFW controllers/supervisors, some very newly retired. trainees can expect 1-4 months of 7-3 shifts while doing initial classwork for D-side training, then approx 12-16 months of d-side training, then 1-2 month radar class (depending on size of class), then...

Re: ATC senario game vs real ATC dont know about the rest of the real atcs out there, but any game that tops out at 7-12 planes is going to ill-prepare you for the real world. as a center controller, i have worked up to 59 planes at once during weather season when everyone in the country is...

here's "the facts" IAH wants to build another runway, so about 3 yrs ago they informed the faa they werent going to renew their lease which expires in 2010. the faa is calling their bluff, however, because a: unless they get money appropriated from the federal aviation improvement fund...

i had one made 15 years ago and it was $15 or $20; I just had another one made and it was $80. any hearing aid place or audiologist will do it; you will probably have to make an appointment to get it done. audiologists spend most of their time dealing with deaf 80+ yrs olds so they act kind of...

ps i dont know about other facilities, but at fort worth center they are currently not even honoring their imposed white book - they just do whatever they want, and if you say anythng, they throw down the threat of prosecution for insubordination...............hence the prison camp reference.

I do know that at fort worth center the management has already prepared dor returning to the green book and are expecting it- they have briefed all the supes on their plans and expectations, but that may be just a case of them preparing for the worst. after sep 3, ZFW turned into a prison camp...

at fort worth center we are now in the new "control room" in which avery area is separated in cubicles, but the old control room was shaped like a giant horseshoe and it was common for a controller just relieved to do a "drive by" on his way out to some of the controllers pinned down on...

not to mention that once you get 20 years of good time yu have locked in your controller retirement; at that point if you are tired of shift work but not yet ready to retire you can take a staff job or permanent detail and when you do go your 20 yrs @ 1.7 (34%) + 1 for 1 for the additional years...

any job that requires you to maintain sector currency and your physical, as in TMU or operational supervisor, is good time. Operations managers, and people who are "permanent" staff jobs is bad time. many staff positions are "detail not to exceed 2 years" and are good time. the key is -do you...