The air traffic controllers are the people who not only control the airplanes between the local airports but also among several other destinations. They are required to bear federal regulations and other policies and procedures while doing their work. The main responsibilities of ATC is to make sure that planes take off and land safely while ensuring that planes keep a safe distance from other planes to avoid collisions, modify the flow of aircraft in and out of airports. They also have to make sure that the runway area is clear for a flight before taking off.  The controllers also use radar to determine if a taxing aircraft will interfere with flights trying to land. Controllers also have to document each and every flight that is under their control giving the instructions to pilot regarding the weather conditions, planes surrounding the airspace and the flight path.

Roles and responsibilities of ATC in a nutshell:

• Primary duty of air traffic controller is to direct the drift of air transport to make it efficient and safe as possible.
• They are also responsible for aiding the pilots on their way to reach their destinations safely like takeoff and landing of plane etc.
• The ATC are also responsible for checking the weather report at both the current as well as landing airport and issue the instructions to pilots to ensure safest route of travel.
• The air traffic controllers are required to fill out the document and paperwork everyday along with other clerical duties. Clerical tasks my include analyzing the fuel requirements, weather reports, pilot reports, daily logs etc.
• One of main duty of ATC is to give instructions to ground employees at airports to confirm that aero planes grab baggage and maintenance employees at right place and right time.
• In the time of emergency, it is whole responsibility of ATC to maintain contact with pilots, and provide them proper help in run over any problems of the flights and also assist flight route change and direct landing in case of emergency.

Lastly, the ATC’s must also assure that they are accomplishing their work in compliance with federal rules and regulations. In order to do their work to full extremist, they must be smart and alert.

The Aviation industry gives vast career options to the people aspirant to become ATC. One can become the propulsion engineer, airline captain, airline mechanic etc. generally, new employees start their profession by giving basic flight records and other information to the pilots. With the time when they grow and become familiar to the basic techniques, controllers progress and shift their job to field officers and slowly to the local officers, succeeded by arrival and departure controllers.

The controllers working at air path traffic control offices after gaining experience progress to assistant radar officers and proceeding to the radar officers. They also have an option to shift to new location or gain management or administrative positions in the hair traffic control with high rank of FAA.

There are very less options for enroute officers to shift to tower post. The job market of air traffic is expected to rise by the year 2012. As air traffic increase, the more employees are also needed. So, the job opportunities for ATC’s are going to increase in the coming years. Nowadays the system is becoming automated which will increase the overall productivity of air traffic controllers.

As long the air traffic controllers maintain high level of efficiency and meet suitable medical pre-requisites, they will get benefit of high level of security. Despite the low season and decrease in the recession-related air travel (and consequently the workload of air traffic controller), drivers are seldom laid off because of the slow process. The job opportunities for air traffic controllers are likely to grow more by about 13% due to heavy traffic of planes in the space by the year of 2008 to 2018, according to U.S. Bureau of labor statistics.  There a lot of job opportunities in the Aviation industry so, choose the best which suits and which you can do very well.

ATC are employed by Federal Aviation Administration. To become ATC, a individual must have age of 30 years or younger, while at the same time qualifying the pre employment exam authorized by FAA and other basic study requirements.

Training and Education:

There are basically 3 main courses to become ATC with FAA. Given as follows:-

• First one, the Controllers with previous experience through the Federal Aviation Administration or defense department as veteran etc.
• Second one, the applicants who have completed three year of full period job experience and must have a 4 years degree from college, or mixture of two. In couple of experience and education, one year of junior course i.e. nearly thirty to 45 semesters of quarter hours i.e. equal to nine moths of job practice.
• Third one, the applicants who have completed program recounting to aviation through federal authority’s program of AT-CTI.

The AT-CTI offers two or four year’s non engineering degree that provides basic study in air traffic control system and aviation. While people with past experience are positively selected for air traffic controllers. However, the applicants from CTI program and general public must pass the before employment exam.

After the selection, employees are sent to further training in FAA institute in Oklahoma, for twelve weeks where they are trained for airway system, controller equipment, aircraft conduct traits and other specialized tasks. After that candidates are credited to ATC facility as development commanders till all the requirements for ATC are completed.

Other skills:

Air Traffic Controller must have sharp skills like intelligence, good memory to immediately grasp, interpret and remember the information. The person must be decisiveness to quickly and clearly take the decisions. Controller must also have ability to concentrate; so, that he can take resolution in the middle of disturbance and other interruptions.

However, with the advancement in knowledge and skills, they can move to the position of local controller, ground controller, departure or arrival controller etc. But, there are very less opportunities for them to switch from one position to another.

Air Traffic Controllers enjoy relatively good benefits in regard to high salary. Medium annual income of ATC was about $ 111,870 in May 2008; where the mid 50% get wages in the range of $71,050 to $144,000. The highest 10% got pay greater than $161,010 while, the lowest earned was about $46,000.  The annual average pay, excluding over work income of air traffic controller in the administration was about $ 110,000 in the year 2009.

The ATC pay structure is divided into 8 different stages with the comparable pay bands classifying each air traffic facility. Under this, the controller’s salary is induced by the ranking of staff. A higher rating usually means more salary and higher demand on controller judgments, decision making ability and skills.

In addition to salary, there are number of other benefits which are provided to ATC staff relying on height of service like 13 to 26 paid vacations with 13 paid sick leaves with benefits of life and health insurance. Controllers can also retire at an earlier age with less years of job than other Federal workers. ATC’s are qualified for retirement at span of fifty with 20 to 25 years of employment as an active air traffic controller. The ATC has to get retired at the age of 56.  However, for persons with exceptional skills and experience there is a relaxation of retirement age up to 61. Usually the earnings of employees differ from experience to experience or according to other positions. ATC’s have union associations, generally with the Native Air Traffic Controllers corporation.

In a nutshell the salary of air traffic controllers can be listed as:-

An AT-CTI graduate can get a salary around $1,400 and a candidate appointed as a veteran may draw $2,700. Also an Ex-Military controller may get the same salary as veteran.

At facilities center depending on the position and seniority candidates may get a salary around $4,700 – $11,500. Supervisors may draw a salary around $12,000-$14,000.

During the peak hours in US, there are about 5,000 airplanes in the sky every hour. This counts to approximately 50,000 airplanes in the sky each day. Airplanes will continue to operate in the sky because it’s a need and a luxury too. How do they keep themselves from colliding with each other? How do air traffic move in and out across the country? The pilots driving the aero planes need help with getting off, in flight track, and grounding. Greatly skilled officials are must to assist aero craft and pilots to assure security and the best desirable work. ATC has all this work to do and manage in his job, which is their basic work.

These are the people who assist and manage an orderly and safe flow of air traffic in the air traffic control system. The main objective of the ATC  is; the initiation and orchestration of the search for missing aircraft, inspection, adjustment, and manipulation of radio equipment and airport lights, reviewing records and reports to ensure accuracy and integrity, maintaining flight reports required by federal law. The job of the ATC is considered to be most difficult job in the aviation industry because the person needs to be very attentive and smart while being at the job. The position of ATC is the only one which demands advanced and varying ability.

ATC have to work hard to keep the aero plane away from other planes, while at the same time ensuring them to move carefully and accurately through their authorized airspace only. Total concentration of air traffic controllers is to hold a record of different planes and to make sure that pilot receive exact instructions only. Controllers have the basic work of 40 hours a week. Yet, they may work for extra hours in need for which they get extra benefits.

The media in the US call them as the Flight or Air Controllers, but the air traffic controllers call them as ATC only. These people are also known as the ATC Officers, air traffic control specialists or simply controllers.