Air Traffic Controller Career
[one_half][ads1][/one_half]The Profession of Air traffic controller is largely misunderstood by the common man. It is thought of as a profession where one needs to be standing on airport runways with batons in hands and directing the aircraft into & out of the airports.
Air Traffic Controller Career mostly have a love-hate relationship. Their job as they are confined to a tower in beside an airstrip, where everyday a dozen controllers, with headphones on their ears and mics in their hands respond to a number of aircraft’s. At different stages of flight and ensuring their safe and comfortable journey through giving information about the external factors. All the civilian air traffic controllers in India are employed by the Airport Authority of India (AA I).
Job Profile
The Air Traffic Controller Career system is a vast network of equipment & people that ensures the safe operation of Private & commercial aircraft.
Their prime duty is to coordinate the positions of different aircraft. So as to make sure that all the aircraft’s flying in a designated route in either direction, avoid colliding with each other.
Apart from safety, Their task is also to minimize aircraft landing and takeoff delays at airports.
Air Traffic Controllers handle three areas
- Approach.
- Radar.
- Tower.
Some of their duties can be described in following manner
- Keeping in constant contact with all the aircraft looking to takeoff or land in the airport.
- To assign a cruising level and to direct the pilots to alter the altitude of the aircraft.
- To ensure that planes keep a safe distance when their routes intersect or are same.
Skills Required
- Must be able to handle stressful situations.
- Must have a good memory.
- decisiveness is also a vital skill.
- Ability to concentrate in a loud & noisy environment.
- Must be able to make quick decisions.
- Career as Air Traffic Controller must be intelligent and articulate.
- Must be able to work well within a team set up, i.e good team working skills.
- Must be very well organized, good organisational skills are very important.
- Focus and ability to work under pressure and deliver results without any chance for error.
- Must have excellent communication skills, Both written & verbal.
- Must have sound knowledge and well equipped with everything needed to ensure safety of the aircraft.
- Should possess an analytical mind.
- Must have Critical problem solving skills.
Salary Packages
- A Junior Executive A T C can earn a salary of around 40,000 I NR a month.
- An A T C with 5 years of experience stands to earn more than 50,000 I NR a month of basic salary, and add to that the ratings & stress allowance, and the salary may go as high as 1,00,000 I NR a month.
- Top A T C in their field may command a gross income of 1,50,000 I NR a month.
Air Traffic Controller Career Job Prospects
- Competition to get into the A T C training program is tough As there are far more number of applicants than there are posts/ vacancies available. But those who successfully pass the training are guaranteed a job as a controller.
- Career as Air Traffic Controller is expected to grow as fast as the growth of aviation industry. Increasing air traffic would require more number of air traffic controllers.
- But then with the advent in technology and better control systems making their way into the towers of air traffic controllers. One will be able to handle more work than before, hence increasing productivity.
How Do I get there ?
- To Choose Career as Air Traffic Controller. One needs to complete an A A I approved program and for that one must comply with the basic requirements laid down by A A I.
- The basic requirement laid down by A A I to be eligible to apply for its training program is a first class in Engineering.
- Candidates must also pass a voice test, medical examination and a police verification before they can be trained.
- After clearing the entrance exam for Career as Air Traffic Controller, the candidates head for Civil aviation training college, Allahabad.
- They train for 6 months on Tower & approach control and then sent to various air traffic control facilities to get hands-on experience for about a period of one year.
- Then they return to the civil aviation training college to complete the final phase of training, i.e “Area Control”. Candidates need to secure a minimum of 70% in all the three modules to avoid getting disqualified.
