Calling all aspiring Air Traffic Controllers! Uncle Sam is hiring
CHARLOTTE () — It seems like a week doesn't go by without news of another close call at our nation's airports, which begs the question:
Is worker fatigue from the air traffic controller shortage contributing to these near misses?
The FAA is looking for applicants to ease the strain. The hiring window is now open. Do you have what it takes to be an air traffic controller?
ATC specialists are an elite group of more than 14 thousand people working across the country to ensure the safety and flight efficiency of aircraft, pilots, and nearly 3 million daily passengers.
FAA controllers work from hundreds of airport facilities, including towers and radar rooms, managing 50,000 flights a day. But the FAA needs 3,000 more controllers and is actively searching for the best and brightest.
Officials say retirement, burnout rates, and applicants dropping out or flunking out of training are all contributors to the shortage.
Captain Sullenberger of 'Miracle on the Hudson' addresses ATC shortage and Trump's comments on D.E.I.
To get hiring numbers up to speed, the FAA has streamlined the hiring process by changing the previous 8-step process to 5 steps. This will accelerate the time to hire by shaving more than four months off the old process. Eligible candidates must submit an application through USA Jobs, take the air traffic control skills assessment, and pass medical and security clearances. If you pass all that, you will attend the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City.
It's a tough, nail-biting job requiring high skill and intense focus in high-energy environments. If you think it's too nerve-racking, maybe the money will sway you. Most controllers are making a six-figure salary within three years.
The FAA has rigorous qualification requirements. Health conditions like hearing loss, heart disease, or certain mental disorders could disqualify you for employment.
According to the FAA website, to be eligible, you must:
Be a U.S. citizen
Speak English fluently and clearly
Be younger than 31 years old before the closing date of the application period
Have either one year of full-time work experience or
One year of higher education or a combination of both
Pass physical and psychological exams
Entry-level applicants must complete required training and spend several months at the FAA academy in Oklahoma City. Applicants are paid while in training. After graduating from the academy, they are placed in locations across the country to gain one to three years of on-the-job experience before becoming a certified professional controller.
The job is full-time with some additional hours. Most facilities operate 24/7, 365 days a year, working days, evenings, night shifts, weekends, and holidays. With the shortage, many controllers are working 10-hour days, 6 days a week.
The application window closes March 17. For more information or to apply, visit the FAA's website.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Insider
9 hours ago
- Business Insider
Trump considers extending travel ban to 25 African nations, including Nigeria, Ghana
In a sweeping escalation of U.S. immigration controls, President Donald Trump's administration is reportedly considering extending travel ban to citizens of 36 additional countries—25 of them in Africa. The Trump administration is considering expanding travel bans to citizens from 36 additional countries, predominantly in Africa. The restrictions are proposed due to concerns over visa overstay rates and national security vetting deficiencies. The African Union and individual governments are expected to respond if the measures are implemented. The move, revealed in a leaked State Department memo reviewed by The Washington Post, would represent one of the most significant expansions of the controversial travel ban policy first introduced in 2017, potentially adding several African nations to the list. According to the memo, the proposed restrictions are tied to concerns over visa overstay rates and deficiencies in national security vetting systems. If the recommendations proceed, these countries could face tougher visa requirements or outright bans on specific categories of travel to the United States, pending further internal assessments. The Washington Post noted that a State Department spokesperson declined to comment on internal deliberations or communications. The White House also did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The memo, signed by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and dated Saturday, was reportedly sent to U.S. diplomats who work with the governments of the affected nations. It gives those governments 60 days to meet new security and information-sharing benchmarks set by the State Department. Additionally, it instructs them to submit an initial action plan, detailing steps they will take to address U.S. concerns. If enacted, the expanded travel restrictions could significantly affect diplomatic relations, trade, education exchanges, and diaspora mobility between the U.S. and much of the African continent. Affected countries The countries under scrutiny span several continents but are overwhelmingly African. According to the memo, the nations being considered include: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Malawi, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Others listed are Antigua and Barbuda, Bhutan, Cambodia, Dominica, Kyrgyzstan, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Syria, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. The proposed expansion is reportedly based on assessments of visa overstay rates, security cooperation, and information-sharing capabilities with U.S. authorities Trump's strict immigration policy The proposed expansion comes amid heightened scrutiny of U.S. immigration policies under President Trump's second term, with officials citing security gaps and poor data sharing by foreign governments. Earlier this month, U.S. President Donald Trump signed a new travel ban targeting 12 countries, primarily in Africa and the Middle East. Seven African countries were affected in the initial travel ban. Critics argue the move is discriminatory, especially as it targets numerous African nations with strong diplomatic and economic ties to Washington. If enacted, the restrictions could disrupt academic exchanges, family reunifications, and business travel. Nigeria and Ghana which are key U.S. partners, have previously opposed similar measures, emphasizing that cooperative mechanisms are already in place to address American concerns.
San Francisco Chronicle
10 hours ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
First direct flight from US to Greenland since 2008 lands on Trump's birthday
NUUK, Greenland (AP) — The first direct flight from the U.S. to Greenland by an American airline landed in the capital city of Nuuk on Saturday. The United Airlines-operated Boeing 737 Max 8 departed from Newark International Airport in New Jersey at 11:31 a.m. EDT (1531 GMT) and arrived a little over 4 hours later, at 6:39 p.m. local time (1939 GMT), according to the flight-tracking website FlightAware. A seat cost roughly $1,200. Saturday's flight marks the first direct passage between the U.S. and the Arctic Island for nearly 20 years. In 2007, Air Greenland launched a route between Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport and Kangerlussuaq Airport, some 315 kilometers (196 miles) north of Nuuk. It was scrapped the following year due to cost. The United Airlines flight took place on U.S. President Donald Trump's 79th birthday, which was being celebrated in Washington with a controversial military parade that's part of the Army's long-planned 250th anniversary celebration. Trump has repeatedly said he seeks control of Greenland, a strategic Arctic island that's a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark, and has not ruled out military force. The governments of Denmark, a NATO ally, and Greenland have said it is not for sale and condemned reports of the U.S. stepping up intelligence gathering on the mineral-rich island. United announced the flight in October, before Trump was re-elected. It was scheduled for 2025 to take advantage of the new Nuuk airport, which opened in late November and features a larger runway for bigger jets. 'United will be the only carrier to connect the U.S. directly to Nuuk — the northernmost capital in the world, providing a gateway to world-class hiking and fascinating wildlife under the summer's midnight sun,' the company said in a statement at the time. Saturday's flight kicked off the airline's twice weekly seasonal service, from June to September, between Newark and Nuuk. The plane has around 165 seats. Previously, travelers had to take a layover in Iceland or Copenhagen, Denmark, before flying to Greenland. The new flight is beneficial for the island's business and residents, according to Greenland government minister Naaja Nathanielsen. Tourists will spend money at local businesses, and Greenlanders themselves will now be able to travel to the U.S. more easily, Nathanielsen, the minister for business, mineral resources, energy, justice and gender equality, told Danish broadcaster DR. The route is also an important part of diversifying the island's economy, she said. Fishing produces about 90% of Greenland's exports. Tourism is increasingly important. More than 96,000 international passengers traveled through the country's airports in 2023, up 28% from 2015. Visit Greenland echoed Nathanielsen's comments. The government's tourism agency did not have projections on how much money the new flights would bring to the island. 'We do know that flights can bring in much more than just dollars, and we expect it to have a positive impact -- both for the society and travellers,' Tanny Por, Visit Greenland's head of international relations, told The Associated Press in an email. __
The Hill
14 hours ago
- The Hill
Which country do Americans most want to relocate to?
(NEXSTAR) – Looking to get away for a long, long time? You and thousands of others, apparently. Expatsi, an online resource for Americans thinking about relocating to a foreign country, has recently published the results of a 2024 study which polled more than 116,000 Americans about the countries they might like to move to, should they choose to live abroad. The participants — who all claimed to be considering a move overseas — were asked about their reasons for wanting to leave, their budgets, their plans to pay for healthcare, and any freedoms they hoped to retain/enjoy. They were also quizzed about their preferences for things like climate, proximity to a city, proximity to the ocean, or the languages they were willing to learn, among other factors. Based on their answers, Expatsi's assessment recommended an ideal abroad locale for each participant. And most often, that suggested locale was Portugal, which was recommended to 48% of participants, followed by France at 46% and Spain at 44%. (Expatsi's survey suggested a 'top ten' for every participant.) Expatsi's report did not reveal which metrics, specifically, that Portugal (or any of the other top recommendations) possessed that would make it so attractive to Americans looking to get away. But expats currently living in Portugal tend to enjoy relatively affordable housing and healthcare, a mild climate and low crime rates, according to International Living, which recently ranked Portugal as the second-best place to retire on its Annual Global Retirement Index. (Panama was first.) Expatsi, in its survey, also asked participants outright which country they most wanted to move to, and Portugal again came out on top, with 11% of all participants favoring it. (Spain and the U.K. rounded out the top three, with 10% and 8% of participants naming it as a top choice.) Plenty of Americans are actually making moves to Portugal, too. Between 2017 and 2022, the American expat population in Portugal increased nearly 240% to around 10,000, according to Forbes. And Americans have continued to express increased interest in moving to Portugal, especially after the 2024 U.S. presidential election, according to the founder of Portugal Pathways, which assists with relocation and visa applications. (Indeed, Expatsi also saw spikes in interest from poll participants in July and November 2024, following the first Biden-Trump debate and again after the election.) But despite high interest in Portugal from prospective expats, most Americans stay much closer to home when they actually relocate. Reports cited by the Association of Americans Resident Overseas (AARO) indicated that the largest percentages of American expatriates are living in Mexico and Canada, with estimates ranging from around 1.5 million to 2 million between both countries. (Mexico has slightly more than Canada, according to one estimate.) In either case, American expatriates still living in North America make up a major share of the total estimate of U.S. citizens living overseas. AARO cited calculations from 2022 and 2023 that estimated the number to be between 4.4 million and 5.5 million, not including members of the military or their families. Another estimate from 2022, from the nonprofit American Citizens Abroad, put that figure at around 5.1 million, albeit including military personnel. The U.S. Department of State does not provide more specific figures on overseas citizens, pointing to the fluctuating nature of Americans traveling or relocating at any given time. U.S. embassies in foreign countries try to maintain rough tallies, but nothing definite, according to a spokesperson for the State Department. Americans still hoping to move to Portugal, meanwhile, might be wise to see if their preferred neighborhoods are already too saturated with fellow emigrants or tourists. 'Porto is no longer a city. It's a tourism destination,' one person argued in a recent Reddit discussion, making similar claims of the Portuguese cities of Lisbon and Algarve. 'I'm starting to wonder why Portugal is so popular for expats,' the Reddit user continued. 'Maybe 10-20 years ago when everything was authentic and inexpensive?'
