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Do you have what it takes to become an Air Traffic Controller?

Featured Replies

FAA Biographical Assessment

Congratulations, you got 98 out of a possible 179. Remember, you need 114 to become an ATC.
 
 
take the full 62 question assessment. some questions are behavioral and some are historical — pretend youre in your 20s and wanted to be one. 

Edited by 52-80

Didn’t read but I was in the navy. You assholes could do it

  • Author
11 minutes ago, Zepol87 said:

Didn’t read but I was in the navy. You assholes could do it

The background to this is theres an active lawsuit against this questionaire bring juiced against qualified candidates. 
 

If you answered that your WORST school grades were in Science (as opposed to English or History), you would receive 15 points. 
 

If you answered that you got more Ds than Cs, you were rewarded with more points!  Etc. 

Thought of 2 things:

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and

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Scored a 95.  I was laughing at the arts credits in your education question.  If answer is >0, is it a negative?  LOL

  • Author

How do you not love a job with hyper-strict hours, glued to a chair, constantly yapping into a telecom, repeating the same playback day in and day out. Oh, and peoples lives rely on it. 

I took the test in San Antonio when I got out of the Army in '92.  Did well but wasn't selected.  In retrospect, I'm very happy about that.

I got a score of 102. Some of the questions, like how many sports played in hs were interesting. I have zero pilot and/or aviation knowledge. I don't think the job would be for me given the little bit of description that I know about it.

Took the test back around 1990. The test after the initial assessment is where I didn't do well. You have to make quick, correct decisions with hundreds of lives at stake without the time to second guess yourself. The second guessing, I couldn't keep from doing and I timed out.

My great uncle and one of my current neighbors worked together at Ft. Worth Center as ATCs. I went and watched the last SR-71 flight from California to Washington DC, on the continental radar. The flight was 64 minutes long. The SR-71 was crossing a state in anywhere from about 3 to 8 minutes. My uncle and neighbor ate half a roll of TUMS each in the two hours I was there. 

It's a high stress and often short-lived career. Burnout rate is incredible.

CHIEF

On 1/31/2024 at 11:07 AM, 52-80 said:

How do you not love a job with hyper-strict hours, glued to a chair, constantly yapping into a telecom, repeating the same playback day in and day out. Oh, and peoples lives rely on it. 

I think the money's good

 

On 1/31/2024 at 10:42 AM, Pato del Muerto said:

I knew an air traffic controller. Friend of my parents when I was a kid. I think he killed himself. 

Almost went into the Air Force in '77 and according to all of the aptitude tests I was told I'd be trained as an air traffic controller if that was acceptable to me. I cannot remember how many times over the next several days that I was warned about how stressful it was. Was also told about the nervous breakdowns, suicides and a very short career path even in the commercial end of it due to stress. I don't remember the washout rate, but I do remember thinking "holy shit", not good.

On 1/31/2024 at 11:11 AM, nnm said:

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IMG_2779.thumb.jpeg.ab1dc28a66ffc15eecdaecfad1e50e13.jpeg

Lol, I hit 179 and it still told me I did not qualify. 

As long as a cancer-stricken chemistry teacher from New Mexico doesn't start cooking meth and then break into my daughter's boyfriend's house only to watch her OD on heroin...

Yes, yes I do have what it takes.

44 minutes ago, gofuckyourself said:

As long as a cancer-stricken chemistry teacher from New Mexico doesn't start cooking meth and then break into my daughter's boyfriend's house only to watch her OD on heroin...

Yes, yes I do have what it takes.

3pbV.gif

For those that haven't seen it, "Pushing Tin" is a good flick.  Billy Bob Thorton and John Cusack, with a very young (pure smoke) Angelina Jolie.

I wasn't just qualified, I was bonafide.   Ok, ok, I just snuck in at 114. 

Edited by Bevo&Pevo

2 hours ago, McCroskey said:

I aced the test.

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  • 4 weeks later...
For those that haven't seen it, "Pushing Tin" is a good flick.  Billy Bob Thorton and John Cusack, with a very young (pure smoke) Angelina Jolie.

Great movie. I always wondered how accurate this scene was portrayed.

  • Author
1 hour ago, BearSchlong said:


Great movie. I always wondered how accurate this scene was portrayed.

 

 

 

 

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