Frustrations of a Military ATC and the Big Leap
Posted: Fri Jul 12, 2019 4:04 pm
Hello all,
this will be a bit of an essay; I give my thanks to all those who take the time to read and respond. I'm a newly qualified military terminal controller. Despite having been freshly qualified, the way things have been at work has me thinking about the future.
With our budget cuts, aging air frames, and an absolutely hemorrhaging experience pool in aircrew trades (pilot/ATC), traffic levels have decreased significantly. With the exception of the odd day here and there, I am lucky to be speaking to perhaps 3-4 A/C at any given time. Most evening and night shifts are spent idly sitting about, zooming out and curiously looking at what my adjacent sectors are up to. I am already feeling frustrated with not being able to do my job as much as I'd like- perhaps this is me getting ahead of myself in my young enthusiasm.
With my obligatory service coming to a close in a few years time, I am becoming more and more interested in jumping ship to Navcan. With that being said, I am here to ask for some input from anyone who has any to share. I've heard many mixed things from previous colleagues, both successful and not, that already made the move.
1. Manning levels: I am particularly curious about the climate of Navcan's controller pool, particularly in Edmonton ACC. I've visited the ACC myself.
When I mentioned that I was a terminal controller, one of their terminal managers very enthusiastically told me to "stop the military non-sense and come over". While endearing to hear, I'm not sure if there is any weight behind this. We all know the way controllers view things don't necessarily align with how management views things.
2. Experienced Controller Bid (?): My understanding of this is that Navcan will simply upload an experienced controller ad on their careers page when the need arises. I've recently checked their careers page and noticed two positions being available for Vancouver terminal. If my desired FIR does not have one of these posted, is there simply no outlet for me to utilize, even as an experienced controller? I am from Vancouver but the cost of living and traffic levels make me question whether that is where I would like to go.
Applying from the street causes complications as I would have to coordinate when I officially leave the military alongside with a Navcan course loading message. Of course, this isn't guaranteed and I simply cannot leave my current job and jeopardize my finances without a guarantee that I will have a spot.
Some people from my facility have literally visited the local ACC with their resumes in hand, after being prompted to do so over the phone with pertinent managers. For many, however, nothing has come of this. Instead, I am told that the referral program has been taking precedence, which, of course, I do not have any connections for.
Is the most I can do is simply watch the website closely and bide for the right time?
3. OT protection: Controversial topic. I've heard many mixed stories about this one. I've heard of certain ACCs failing off entire courses for this reason. I am told the company has begun to address this problem more seriously- does anyone have some insight on this?
4. Terminal vs. Low Sector
I love the arrival portion of my job, I find arrival sequencing to be the most mentally stimulating and satisfying. Having said this, I've been curious about low sector ops as well. Is anyone able to provide some input on the differences?
Thank you very much.
this will be a bit of an essay; I give my thanks to all those who take the time to read and respond. I'm a newly qualified military terminal controller. Despite having been freshly qualified, the way things have been at work has me thinking about the future.
With our budget cuts, aging air frames, and an absolutely hemorrhaging experience pool in aircrew trades (pilot/ATC), traffic levels have decreased significantly. With the exception of the odd day here and there, I am lucky to be speaking to perhaps 3-4 A/C at any given time. Most evening and night shifts are spent idly sitting about, zooming out and curiously looking at what my adjacent sectors are up to. I am already feeling frustrated with not being able to do my job as much as I'd like- perhaps this is me getting ahead of myself in my young enthusiasm.
With my obligatory service coming to a close in a few years time, I am becoming more and more interested in jumping ship to Navcan. With that being said, I am here to ask for some input from anyone who has any to share. I've heard many mixed things from previous colleagues, both successful and not, that already made the move.
1. Manning levels: I am particularly curious about the climate of Navcan's controller pool, particularly in Edmonton ACC. I've visited the ACC myself.
When I mentioned that I was a terminal controller, one of their terminal managers very enthusiastically told me to "stop the military non-sense and come over". While endearing to hear, I'm not sure if there is any weight behind this. We all know the way controllers view things don't necessarily align with how management views things.
2. Experienced Controller Bid (?): My understanding of this is that Navcan will simply upload an experienced controller ad on their careers page when the need arises. I've recently checked their careers page and noticed two positions being available for Vancouver terminal. If my desired FIR does not have one of these posted, is there simply no outlet for me to utilize, even as an experienced controller? I am from Vancouver but the cost of living and traffic levels make me question whether that is where I would like to go.
Applying from the street causes complications as I would have to coordinate when I officially leave the military alongside with a Navcan course loading message. Of course, this isn't guaranteed and I simply cannot leave my current job and jeopardize my finances without a guarantee that I will have a spot.
Some people from my facility have literally visited the local ACC with their resumes in hand, after being prompted to do so over the phone with pertinent managers. For many, however, nothing has come of this. Instead, I am told that the referral program has been taking precedence, which, of course, I do not have any connections for.
Is the most I can do is simply watch the website closely and bide for the right time?
3. OT protection: Controversial topic. I've heard many mixed stories about this one. I've heard of certain ACCs failing off entire courses for this reason. I am told the company has begun to address this problem more seriously- does anyone have some insight on this?
4. Terminal vs. Low Sector
I love the arrival portion of my job, I find arrival sequencing to be the most mentally stimulating and satisfying. Having said this, I've been curious about low sector ops as well. Is anyone able to provide some input on the differences?
Thank you very much.