The U.S. urgently needs air traffic controllers. Here's what the job requires.

The government shutdown highlighted a fragile nexus successful the nation's aviation system: uncovering capable aerial postulation controllers to support flights connected schedule. The 43-day closure, during which controllers were required to enactment without pay, has lone heightened that challenge.

"It's a bully occupation with bully benefits, but partisan warring implicit appropriations is not an perfect concern to effort to bring successful caller aerial postulation controllers and person them that this is simply a bully vocation field," Tim Kiefer, a retired aerial postulation controller who is present a prof of aerial postulation absorption astatine Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, told CBS News. "It's not a affirmative to effort to bring radical into this manufacture by saying, 'You ne'er cognize if you're not going to get paid.'" 

The shutdown saw a spike successful the fig of controllers choosing to retire, according to U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy. The spectacle could besides scare distant younger workers from entering the field, Kiefer said. 

"If you are a marque caller idiosyncratic looking to participate a career, you whitethorn beryllium reasoning doubly if you person to interest whether you're going to beryllium paid oregon not. That whitethorn beryllium a deterrent, and they mightiness find different occupation due to the fact that of that," helium added. 

In 2024, the U.S. had astir 11,700 certified nonrecreational controllers and certified controllers successful training, leaving the federation immoderate 4,000 abbreviated of the FAA's people staffing level. The bureau expects to prosecute astatine slightest 8,900 caller aerial postulation controllers done 2028, portion astir 7,000 are projected to permission implicit the aforesaid period.

The FAA did not instantly respond to a petition for remark connected whether it expects to conscionable its controller recruiting targets, oregon connected the shutdown's interaction connected that effort. 

What are the qualifications?

On the FAA's website, Duffy describes controlling aerial postulation arsenic "one of the best, astir rewarding  jobs successful America." He besides highlighted "the urgent request to bash each that we tin to enlistee much radical to articulation successful our shared ngo of information successful our skies."

Recruiting prospective aerial postulation controllers is 1 thing, but getting them to instrumentality with the astir 4 years of grooming required to beryllium certified by the FAA is different matter, according to manufacture experts. 

"The washout complaint astatine assorted stages of the controller recruitment and grooming process is high," Robert Poole, manager of proscription argumentation astatine the Reason Foundation, a radical promoting libertarian principles, told CBS News.  

Before idiosyncratic qualifies to bid astatine the FAA's Air Traffic Controller Academy successful Oklahoma City, Okla., occupation candidates indispensable acquisition a rigorous exertion process. To adjacent use done USAJobs, the national government's authoritative employment site, they indispensable conscionable the pursuing criteria:

• Be a U.S. citizen
• Be nether the property of 31
• Pass the FAA aerial postulation pre-employment tests, including the Air Traffic Controller Specialists Skills Assessment Battery (ATSA)
• Speak English intelligibly capable to beryllium understood implicit communications equipment
• Have 1 twelvemonth of progressively liable enactment experience, oregon a Bachelor's degree, oregon a operation of astatine slightest 1 twelvemonth of post-secondary acquisition and enactment experience

Aspiring controllers indispensable besides walk an exam that the FAA says predicts candidates' "aptitude to beryllium an aerial postulation controller." Within a week, they are notified if they person passed. 

Stephen Abraham, a retired aerial postulation controller formerly based astatine John F. Kennedy International Airport successful Queens, New York, told CBS News that the aptitude exam weeds retired galore occupation candidates.

"It's an appraisal that determines if you person the close intelligence constitution to beryllium an aerial postulation controller," helium said, noting that radical tin not hole oregon survey for the test. "If you succeed, they nonstop you to Oklahoma City for 8 to 12 weeks, wherever your grooming is much tailored toward success."

Candidates who walk the trial indispensable past acquisition broad aesculapian and inheritance checks earlier they statesman grooming astatine the academy. The aesculapian reddish flags see utilizing definite types of interaction lenses to close their vision, which is automatically disqualifying, and abnormal humor pressure.

According to the FAA, less than 10% of applicants conscionable the agency's requirements to enactment arsenic an aerial postulation controller and summation admittance to the grooming program. 

How overmuch bash controllers earn?

Once enrolled astatine the Oklahoma City academy, students walk months learning the basics of controlling the nation's airspace, specified arsenic knowing wherever to presumption planes connected tabletop models of airports, Abraham explained. As they progress, they commencement utilizing simulators to signifier managing aerial traffic. 

Other grooming focuses connected however to pass with pilots and different controllers assigned to antithetic parts of the airspace, arsenic good arsenic however to find the champion formation routes based connected changing upwind conditions and different factors.   

In time, trainees are assigned to an aerial postulation power facility, typically a power operation astatine a tiny airdrome with lighter level traffic, wherever they walk an further 2 to 4 years moving arsenic controllers nether the supervision of much experienced staff.

Joining the FAA academy isn't the lone way to becoming a controller. Candidates tin alternatively be a assemblage that offers an FAA-certified curriculum, and past proceed straight to on-the-job training. 

In 2024 (the past twelvemonth for which national information is available), the median yearly wage for aerial postulation controllers was $144,580, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. 

But wage varies wide based connected acquisition and location. Annual income for little experienced controllers astatine smaller airports is person to $60,000, according to aviation experts. Abraham said controllers' wage tin emergence arsenic they emergence to moving astatine busier facilities, summation acquisition and get promoted.

"A batch of radical get to that point, and erstwhile they are astatine their archetypal facility, trying to larn to power existent traffic, immoderate conscionable don't marque it," Poole said. "It's much stressful than being a pilot, who flies a way from constituent A to B mostly connected autopilot." 

Edited by Alain Sherter

• Government Shutdown