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Air Traffic Controllers Occupation Detailed Description

Air Traffic Controllers career

General Job Description and Education/Training Levels for Air Traffic Controllers

The main tasks and work activities of Air Traffic Controllers are to communicate with others to coordinate vehicle movement, monitor vehicle movement or location, direct vehicle traffic, notify others of emergencies, problems, or hazards. In general, for the Air Traffic Controllers, active Listening, speaking, critical Thinking, judgment and Decision Making and other 15 skills are required.
Air Traffic Controllers Job Description
EducationMost occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Related ExperiencePrevious work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Job TrainingEmployees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
ExampleThese occupations usually involve using communication and organizational skills to coordinate, supervise, manage, or train others to accomplish goals. Examples include hydroelectric production managers, travel guides, electricians, agricultural technicians, barbers, court reporters, and medical assistants.
The following chart shows the education/training levels for Air Traffic Controllers jobs. 36.14% of Air Traffic Controllers have High School Diploma (or the equivalent) and 20.79% of Air Traffic Controllers have Post-Secondary Certificate.
Less than a High School Diploma
1.36%
High School Diploma (or the equivalent)
36.14%
Post-Secondary Certificate
20.79%
Some College Courses
5.63%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree)
14.13%
Bachelor's Degree and Above
21.95%

Tasks and Work Activities of Air Traffic Controllers

  • Issue landing and take-off authorizations or instructions.
  • Monitor or direct the movement of aircraft within an assigned air space or on the ground at airports to minimize delays and maximize safety.
  • Monitor aircraft within a specific airspace, using radar, computer equipment, or visual references.
  • Inform pilots about nearby planes or potentially hazardous conditions, such as weather, speed and direction of wind, or visibility problems.
  • Provide flight path changes or directions to emergency landing fields for pilots traveling in bad weather or in emergency situations.
  • Alert airport emergency services in cases of emergency or when aircraft are experiencing difficulties.
  • Direct pilots to runways when space is available or direct them to maintain a traffic pattern until there is space for them to land.
  • Transfer control of departing flights to traffic control centers and accept control of arriving flights.
  • Direct ground traffic, including taxiing aircraft, maintenance or baggage vehicles, or airport workers.
  • Determine the timing or procedures for flight vector changes.
  • Maintain radio or telephone contact with adjacent control towers, terminal control units, or other area control centers to coordinate aircraft movement.
  • Contact pilots by radio to provide meteorological, navigational, or other information.
  • Initiate or coordinate searches for missing aircraft.
  • Check conditions and traffic at different altitudes in response to pilots' requests for altitude changes.
  • Relay air traffic information, such as courses, altitudes, or expected arrival times, to control centers.
  • Compile information about flights from flight plans, pilot reports, radar, or observations.
  • Inspect, adjust, or control radio equipment or airport lights.
  • Conduct pre-flight briefings on weather conditions, suggested routes, altitudes, indications of turbulence, or other flight safety information.
  • Analyze factors such as weather reports, fuel requirements, or maps to determine air routes.
  • Organize flight plans or traffic management plans to prepare for planes about to enter assigned airspace.
  • Making Decisions and Solving ProblemsAnalyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
  • Identifying Objects, Actions, and EventsIdentifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
  • Getting InformationObserving, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
  • Monitor Processes, Materials, or SurroundingsMonitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
  • Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or SubordinatesProviding information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
  • Processing InformationCompiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
  • Training and Teaching OthersIdentifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
  • Updating and Using Relevant KnowledgeKeeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.
  • Analyzing Data or InformationIdentifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
  • Thinking CreativelyDeveloping, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
  • Communicate with others to coordinate vehicle movement.
  • Monitor vehicle movement or location.
  • Direct vehicle traffic.
  • Notify others of emergencies, problems, or hazards.
  • Respond to transportation emergencies.
  • Coordinate flight control or management activities.
  • Adjust routes or speeds as necessary.
  • Direct emergency management activities.
  • Monitor surroundings to detect potential hazards.
  • Operate communications equipment or systems.
  • Meet with coworkers to communicate work orders or plans.
  • Choose optimal transportation routes or speeds.
  • Plan flight operations.
  • Record operational details of travel.
  • Review documents or materials for compliance with policies or regulations.
  • Train transportation or material moving personnel.

Skills and Abilities for Air Traffic Controllers

  • Active ListeningGiving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • SpeakingTalking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Critical ThinkingUsing logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Judgment and Decision MakingConsidering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.
  • Complex Problem SolvingIdentifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.
  • MonitoringMonitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
  • CoordinationAdjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
  • Reading ComprehensionUnderstanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Active LearningUnderstanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.
  • Time ManagementManaging one's own time and the time of others.
  • Social PerceptivenessBeing aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
  • Systems AnalysisDetermining how a system should work and how changes in conditions, operations, and the environment will affect outcomes.
  • Operation MonitoringWatching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.
  • WritingCommunicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
  • Service OrientationActively looking for ways to help people.
  • InstructingTeaching others how to do something.
  • Learning StrategiesSelecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.
  • Systems EvaluationIdentifying measures or indicators of system performance and the actions needed to improve or correct performance, relative to the goals of the system.
  • Problem SensitivityThe ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
  • Oral ExpressionThe ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Oral ComprehensionThe ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Selective AttentionThe ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.
  • Deductive ReasoningThe ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
  • Inductive ReasoningThe ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
  • Flexibility of ClosureThe ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.
  • Speed of ClosureThe ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.
  • Far VisionThe ability to see details at a distance.
  • Near VisionThe ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Time SharingThe ability to shift back and forth between two or more activities or sources of information (such as speech, sounds, touch, or other sources).
  • Perceptual SpeedThe ability to quickly and accurately compare similarities and differences among sets of letters, numbers, objects, pictures, or patterns. The things to be compared may be presented at the same time or one after the other. This ability also includes comparing a presented object with a remembered object.
  • Speech ClarityThe ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
  • Information OrderingThe ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations).
  • Speech RecognitionThe ability to identify and understand the speech of another person.
  • Written ComprehensionThe ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Category FlexibilityThe ability to generate or use different sets of rules for combining or grouping things in different ways.
  • Auditory AttentionThe ability to focus on a single source of sound in the presence of other distracting sounds.
  • VisualizationThe ability to imagine how something will look after it is moved around or when its parts are moved or rearranged.
  • OriginalityThe ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem.
  • Radarbased surveillance systemse.g. Air route surveillance radar ARSR systems
  • Radarbased surveillance systemse.g. Airport surface detection equipment ASDE systems
  • Radarbased surveillance systemse.g. Airport surveillance radar ASR systems
  • Aircraft guidance systemse.g. Area navigation RNAV systems
  • Aircraft guidance systemse.g. Automatic direction finder ADF radio systems
  • Binocularse.g. Binoculars
  • Aircraft communication systemse.g. Controller pilot datalink communication CPDC systems
  • Desktop computerse.g. Desktop computers
  • Aircraft guidance systemse.g. Differential global positioning system DGPS surveillance systems
  • Radarbased surveillance systemse.g. Digital airport surveillance radar DASR systems
  • Aircraft guidance systemse.g. Distance measuring equipment DME
  • Aircraft flight simulators or trainerse.g. Flight simulators
  • Two way radiose.g. Frequency modulation FM two way radios
  • Aircraft guidance systemse.g. Global positioning system GPS surveillance systems
  • Aircraft communication systemse.g. High frequency HF radio communications systems
  • Aircraft guidance systemse.g. Local area augmentation systems LAAS
  • Aircraft guidance systemse.g. Long range navigation systems LRNS
  • Mainframe computerse.g. Mainframe computers
  • Aircraft guidance systemse.g. Microwave landing systems MLS
  • Radarbased surveillance systemse.g. Mode S radar systems
  • TransportationKnowledge of principles and methods for moving people or goods by air, rail, sea, or road, including the relative costs and benefits.
  • English LanguageKnowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Public Safety and SecurityKnowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
  • Education and TrainingKnowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
  • Customer and Personal ServiceKnowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • GeographyKnowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
  • TelecommunicationsKnowledge of transmission, broadcasting, switching, control, and operation of telecommunications systems.
  • MathematicsKnowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.