Expert: Christopher McKenna - 1/13/2009

Question
1. What are the job responsibilities for someone who works in the tower, center, or flight service
2. WHen working in the tower, are there other duties tp perfom besides watching a radar scoop?  Or is this the main focus of your job?
3. How many hours do you work in a day or week?  Are you limited in how many overtime hours you can work?
4. You've worked at several different locations.  Which one did you like working at the most?  Least?  Why?
5. Do you need to have any special training t prepare you in the event of an emergency?
6. What do you find rewarding about being an Air Traffic Controller?
7. What advice would you give to someone who wants to become an Air Traffic Controller?
Is it easy to get a job as an Air Traffic Controller?

Answer
> 1. What are the job responsibilities for someone who works in the tower, center, or flight service, and to disseminate perinent weather information to pilots.
Basically, to prevent collisions between aircraft and to disseminate pertinent weather information to pilots.
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> 2. WHen working in the tower, are there other duties tp perfom besides watching a radar scoop?  Or is this the main focus of your job?
Actually, the main focus in the tower is to look out the windows. Very little time is spent looking at the radar.
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> 3. How many hours do you work in a day or week?  Are you limited in how many overtime hours you can work?
40 hours is standard per week. We are limited to no more than 10 hours per day and 48 hours per week.
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> 4. You've worked at several different locations.  Which one did you like working at the most?  Least?  Why?
I liked the tower best. I enjoyed looking out the windows, and I always liked looking at airplanes!
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> 5. Do you need to have any special training t prepare you in the event of an emergency?
There is a great deal of on the job training for those events.
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> 6. What do you find rewarding about being an Air Traffic Controller?
The pay, and the comeraderie
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> 7. What advice would you give to someone who wants to become an Air Traffic Controller?
Make sure you enjoy using your head more than your hands, and that you can tolerate long periods of boredom.
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> Is it easy to get a job as an Air Traffic Controller?
If you pass the civil service exam, yes. There will be a great deal of hiring over the next ten years.