A friend of mind is encouraging me to write about air traffic control on my blog. She is someone whom I respect greatly, a retiree from the industry and someone who has the consulting job of my dreams. I have mixed feelings with regard to talking about air traffic in a public forum. On the one hand it is what I have been doing with my life for nearly 30 years and I do know a lot about it. On the other hand there is a lot that is political, controversial or just plain up for interpretation, which could invite some backlash. On one side I have a lot of bitterness from what I perceive as poor overall management. On the other hand this is by far the best job I’ve ever had on almost any practical scale I care to measure.
So my mentor says I should write about ATC (air traffic control) because she thinks it can add credibility to any application I might make for a consulting job after I retire. She should know. She works as an independent consultant who works from anywhere she wants and works whatever hours she wants. Her hourly rate is outrageous and if they do need her in person somewhere, they fly her wherever she needs to go and compensate her very well. Yes, I want to be her. The cynical side of me worries that my honest opinions could get me blackballed from the very companies I would like to work for.
For starters, who am I to talk with any authority on the subject? I don’t have a college degree, though I have been told that my experience is the equivalent of having a Ph.D. in the field. I don’t really agree with that educational assessment though I respect the source. I suppose it makes sense when you consider that Ph.D. stands for Doctor of Philosophy, because I feel like once you get to a certain level in an area of knowledge you become a philosopher. I mean a philosopher in the sense that you start to question and evaluate the very basic principles that are the core of your profession.
In terms of practical experience, I have worked at four different facilities, and air traffic is very facility specific. A person can be a working controller for decades and still need to train for months or years to be certified at a new facility. I have been in management, I have helped develop procedures, and been heavily involved in QA/QC(Quality Assurance and Quality Control), mostly the QC side. I have taught classes and trained around thirty other controllers. None of this experience is really unique or particularly ambitious for someone who has been doing this as long as I have.
I am honestly not sure who my audience should be when writing on the subject. Should I try to write for the layperson who has little to no understanding of the industry and thinks I wave batons to assist parking aircraft? Should I write to pilots who have a basic understanding of aviation but do not know all the intricacies and expectations of the mysterious controller on the other end of the radio? Perhaps I should write to the perspective or developmental air traffic controller who has little to no concept of the world they are stepping into.
This niche could definitely help improve my writing. It is something I can say a lot about at least somewhat competently. I would never be at a loss for words or subject matter. The research materials are at my fingertips, though I would likely just use ChatGPT for that sort of busy work anyhow.
I will play it by ear for now and perhaps write a few posts that address the most commonly asked questions we get from pilots or laypersons. For now I shall close with a disclaimer provided by my favorite AI assistant: The views and opinions expressed in this blog are my own and do not represent the official policies, positions, or opinions of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or any other governmental agency. I do not speak on behalf of the FAA, and any information provided is based on my personal experience and knowledge.
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