I was in Nov 19th NEST and it took almost a month for me to be offered facility choices. It may have taken longer because of holidays though.
NEST
- Thread starter Cirrus12
- Start date
what did the process look like after they offered you your facilities?
Also, did you hear word before you got your offers if you were being retained or terminated, or the first thing you heard was the offering of facilities?
Admin brought me in and went over a memo that had my choices on it. I checked the box next to which choice I wanted and turned it in no more than 7 days later. I did hear about 2 weeks before I got my offers that I was being retained.
After you turned in your selection did you get a few weeks to prepare or was it a next pay period thing?
I have posted on other threads about this and I will post it on this thread. I am currently in my extension on radar at my up/down facility in Illinois. Radar and tower are apples and oranges to me and I am not picking up radar enough here. I am getting close to a mandatory checkride because my hours are almost up on my extension. I feel comfortable working tower. I am going to withdraw from training on radar. Radar is not for everyone. Anyone on here have or know someone similar that has withdrawn from training from radar? What ended up happening?
If you still have time try an ERR or bid out. Also look into facility swap requests. Withdrawing from training still puts you into the NEST and you have no control of your destiny from there. We have had several people quit or ERR out of training prior to my "washout" In retrospect despite everyone telling me to keep pushing forward I should have started finding ways out as soon as training was not feeling positive anymore.... this was over a year ago in my case.
I turned in my selection the week of Christmas and didnt get a class date until last week. My class is in March. So yeah you should have plenty of time to prepare.
I am a washout at a tower/tracon. Have been checked it in the tower for a yr and a half but never made it in radar. So I'll be going to a tower only. Just trying to figure out timeframe since I won't have to go back to OKC, of when I get my facility list to when I have to report.
I am a CPC-IT who is currently at ZKC (Level 11). I transferred from RVS, a level 8 (when I checked out). I got all my D-sides but struggled with my first 2 R-sides. I ran out of hours, went to TRB, and was offered more. But I had already decided I didn't like center work and chose to withdraw from training. If you go that route, your only option is the NEST. I am currently working in the training dept and waiting to see what facilities they offer me. You are able to write a letter and ask for specific facilities or regions but there is no guarantee you will be offered what you want. If you want to try to bid out, ERR, or swap; you will have to try to talk your Sup into slowing down your training and letting you do that. When you are out of hours or withdrawal, you go to the NEST. There doesn't seem to be anyway around that.
So now that we have some people with NEST experience/familiarity, how does everybody feel about the process?
I was on the Jan 9th nest. Found out two weeks later (Jan 23) i was being retained. Today my manager told me that he talked to a regional HR person who informed him that we probably wouldn't hear anything until march.
I also heard through the grapevine two 3 days after i was being retained (on jan 26) by a friend of mine that his manager 'has my name on his list'. Could this change?
I would suspect i probably wont end up reporting to my new facility for atleast 6 more weeks?
I also heard through the grapevine two 3 days after i was being retained (on jan 26) by a friend of mine that his manager 'has my name on his list'. Could this change?
I would suspect i probably wont end up reporting to my new facility for atleast 6 more weeks?
I'm not a big fan of the process. At least in my case.
As a prior CPC who was assigned out of my CTI school to a level 5 tower I had difficulty getting a higher level facility to take me as I was from a low level tower. Now that I am washing out of that level 7 up/down the nest has no options to try me at a 6 or 7 tower only. The only thing they can do(Per Red Book article 61 section 3) is send me back to a level 4 or 5 tower. If I was to start at a level 7-12 with my first spot, even as an off the street, it would really give us more options for a NEST placement.
Still waiting on my list from the march 25th panel. I have had several BID's and ERR's tell me that I am ineligible to be picked up since I am in the NEST. I have been sitting working data since December. Eight years into my career and I get to sit on data for 6 hours a day for the past four months....
I have had six facilities now tell me that if I would have got my paperwork into them prior to my supervisor terminating my training they would have picked me up in a second. Including a level 7 VFR tower and several level 6 Tower/ TRACONs.
I hate to advise CPC-IT's to "give up" but if things are not going well in your training and you have a way out.... take it before your supervisor shit cans you. Once that "terminate training" paperwork is signed there is no way off the conveyor belt.
As a prior CPC who was assigned out of my CTI school to a level 5 tower I had difficulty getting a higher level facility to take me as I was from a low level tower. Now that I am washing out of that level 7 up/down the nest has no options to try me at a 6 or 7 tower only. The only thing they can do(Per Red Book article 61 section 3) is send me back to a level 4 or 5 tower. If I was to start at a level 7-12 with my first spot, even as an off the street, it would really give us more options for a NEST placement.
Still waiting on my list from the march 25th panel. I have had several BID's and ERR's tell me that I am ineligible to be picked up since I am in the NEST. I have been sitting working data since December. Eight years into my career and I get to sit on data for 6 hours a day for the past four months....
I have had six facilities now tell me that if I would have got my paperwork into them prior to my supervisor terminating my training they would have picked me up in a second. Including a level 7 VFR tower and several level 6 Tower/ TRACONs.
I hate to advise CPC-IT's to "give up" but if things are not going well in your training and you have a way out.... take it before your supervisor shit cans you. Once that "terminate training" paperwork is signed there is no way off the conveyor belt.
It sucks man but its probably the fairest way. You didn't make it at a 7, now you think the FAA should give you a try at another 6 or 7 and possibly waste another year of you not working. If those other facilities are so gung ho on picking you up, then go to a 5, check out in like a few months and ERR to one of those places.
Plus if you would have started a a 7-12 as your first spot then you probably wouldn't have made it and could possibly have been fired. So be lucky with what you've got.
Plus if you would have started a a 7-12 as your first spot then you probably wouldn't have made it and could possibly have been fired. So be lucky with what you've got.
1. I see your point. If you start out at a center and wash... you may end up at a level 8 tower even though you haven't proved shit.
2. Was it radar you washed on? Because the up/down towers are slower in the tower compared to stand alone towers of the same level. You might be better off in a 5.
3. Me personally, if i wash and they give me a list... I am going to the lowest level and slowest facility regardless of where it is....only to save my career...and even if it was a 4.
I watched someone wash out of a level 5 up/down, and I sincerely believe that they didn't make it due to lack of consistent traffic and training opportunities (the facility was extremely seasonal). When the place got going, it was very complex and could kick your butt, but that was rare and you had to be able to handle it even if you hadn't seen it in six months. I have since worked at a level 6 VFR tower with incredibly consistent traffic and training opportunities, and I truly believe that someone with no FAA experience has a far better chance making it at a low level VFR tower with consistent numbers than at a low level up/down with sporadic traffic. This is why I believe that if someone shows potential and a good work ethic, they should be given a second chance regardless of their current facility level. Some people are really good at VFR towers, others excel in a radar environment, IFR towers, etc.
I've also seen someone who was a CPC-IT end up through the NEST and get screwed pretty badly. I don't think the NEST should apply to CPC-ITs. It makes it extremely unappealing for people with a few years' experience to try to move up if they may get sent to the far lands of the FAA if they struggle. Like someone above said, if you know you're standing a chance of not making it, your best bet it to try to ERR before they terminate training.
I've also seen someone who was a CPC-IT end up through the NEST and get screwed pretty badly. I don't think the NEST should apply to CPC-ITs. It makes it extremely unappealing for people with a few years' experience to try to move up if they may get sent to the far lands of the FAA if they struggle. Like someone above said, if you know you're standing a chance of not making it, your best bet it to try to ERR before they terminate training.