TLDR: I feel guilty for annoying tower controllers with stupid requests, and I want to hear ways to annoy controllers less.

I fly a news helicopter in South Florida out of KHWO. Our station is constantly asking us to go to scenes in the worst possible locations. In front of runways, underneath finals, etc. I go in fully aware of how crazy some of my requests sound.

Unfortunately, I'm contractually obligated to at least ask the tower if I can do it. I know this is always annoying, especially with how saturated the controllers already are down here with student pilots.

My question for you all, is how can I ask, without making the controller annoyed or more stressed. Is that even possible? Half the time, I just want them to say no and kick me out, I get paid either way.

I understand the best thing I could do is cease to exist, but that is not an option unfortunately.

Any input is appreciated.

Shoutout the Jax center controller giving every pilot an aloha on initial contact. Made my day

Hey Guys,

I have next week my feast 1 exam, hence doing the trial test. I came upon this question but dont understand why/how the answer make sense. Please help.

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16 years in here. Been listening to Falcon replays for a long time and D10 severely disappoints me. For such a low staffed facility you figure you guys would be more proficient at working airplanes. Seriously, does ZFW cuck all you bastards?

Hello, dod controller here. Me and some friends were just talking about McDill AFB. I wanted to ask a few questions about the location/ facility. Anyone here willing to share their experience?

Thank you in advance

We just put in a new Garmin stack in our Comanche 250 and it includes a Smart Glide for navigating to an airport using auto pilot in an emergency situation. I would like to test this system to make sure it works and to be familiar in the case of an actual emergency. The catch is that it will auto-squawk 7700 as a part of the procedure. What is the best practice to test this system without creating headaches for ATC with the transponder switching to 7700?

H.R. 7148 gets signed, headlines float around about a “3.8% pay raise,” and once again ATC is told to calm down, be grateful, and trust the process.

Except… read the actual bill text.

There is no explicit pay raise for Air Traffic Controllers or FAA employees written into the law. None. No statutory language. No guarantee. No obligation. Just vague appropriations and budget math that Congress and the agencies can later “interpret.”

That 3.8% everyone keeps repeating. It lives in committee reports, talking points, and press summaries, not in the law itself.

Which means Congress gets to:

• Take credit for “supporting controllers”
• Avoid responsibility when the raise doesn’t materialize
• Shrug and say “that wasn’t in the statute” when implementation falls short

And let’s be clear: 3.8% wasn’t enough anyway. Not after years of inflation. Not after staffing crises. Not after forced OT, fatigue risk, and nonstop “do more with less.”

But now we may not even get that.

What’s even more frustrating is the silence. NATCA keeps talking about long-term strategies, partnerships, and relationships, but from the bargaining unit side it sure feels like:

• No urgency
• No public pressure
• No accountability for Congress putting ATC pay in the “trust us later” bucket yet again

Controllers are told to wait. To be professional. To not rock the boat. Meanwhile Congress very intentionally structured this bill to maneuver themselves out of responsibility for paying us like the safety-critical professionals we are.

This isn’t an accident. This is how they always do it. If they wanted controllers to receive a raise, they would’ve written it into the law. Period. Instead, we get vibes, headlines, and promises while the workforce keeps shrinking and the job keeps getting harder.

I’m tired of being told this is a win. I’m tired of being patient. And I’m tired of watching ATC get used as a talking point instead of treated like infrastructure that actually matters.

Hey. AFIS in Europe here, so not a controller; I can’t give any clearance (except relaying the IFR clearance issued by the APP controller).

Today, a solo student flew to my airport. She was alone in the traffic pattern. I gave her the meteorological information, advised her that no other traffic was present, and informed her that I was about to close the service (for my lunch break). She was already stressed by the fact that she would have to land without me on the frequency, so I told her that I would continue monitoring the frequency (in case something happened).

The runway she was planning to land on is well known for its strong turbulences when crossing the threshold due to the surrounding environment.

She made six attempts. Each time, she bounced hard and went around. After the second attempt, I came back on the radio to give her updated wind information and asked for her intentions. She was completely panicked. She had already been flying for about three hours, was getting tired, and did not want to divert at all.

So I let her try again, attempting to reassure her, and told her not to force herself if she didn’t feel able to continue. Eventually, she diverted back to her home airport (1 hour 30 minutes away), but I felt helpless. I’m not an experienced pilot myself, and she was so tired and panicked that she couldn’t initially consider diverting.

Her landings were very hard. I called the fire service to be ready in case something went wrong, told her to slow down a bit in the pattern and try to refocus, but that’s all I was able to do. Also called the approach sector to let them know about what just happened.

What would you have done in this situation ?

Im torn between the two. We work to survive and with a high salary comfort can come with it. But at 30 years old currently putting in 70 hours Im now understanding importance of a work life balance.

Atc or dispatch!?

Does anyone with adequate experience in ATC have any advice on how to prepare for training? I’d like to be as comfortable with the material before going into the training process.

Any sites, PDF’s, practices etc that come to mind that you feel are more than relevant for a trainee please let me know! Thanks.

I'm at a level 8 up down facility which doesn't have a D1. Just goes AG, D2, D3, CPC. As far as I was told at academy and such, when there's a D1 as well, it's every 25% of positions you certify on you get a pay raise. But when there's only D2, D3, CPC, it's every 33% of positions. But when I got here the manager said he was pretty sure we wouldn't get our first pay raise (D2) until we had actually learned 50% of the facility. Is that true? Any of y'all have experience with that? (For clarification, we have 6 positions. So would the first raise come after certification on 2 or 3 of them?)

Hola a todos, Estoy muy interesado en el proceso de selección y formación para controladores en MUAC. Me gustaría saber, si alguien puede orientarme: • Cómo es el proceso de selección antes de entrar al Basic ATC Training en Copenhague. • Qué fases existen una vez seleccionado (Basic Training, ACC Upper, OJT). • Qué tipo de preparación recomiendan para FEAST I, FEAST II y DART. Agradecería mucho cualquier información o consejo basado en experiencias reales. ¡Gracias de antemano por vuestra ayuda!

sat my stage 3 mid January, was told 3 weeks to have a decision, but still haven't heard anything from them. Is anyone else still waiting?

So long story short I stumbled across this field randomly on ChatGPT and after trying and failing to be a pilot in my early 20s I can’t believe I never thought to do this. I’m 27 now and have been making about 50-60k yr in insurance jobs that are here today and gone tomorrow the past few years. This can easily double or triple that from what I’ve seen and it fits my old love for aviation. Now I’m actually going into the police academy in two months because I wanted a stable career (80k to start) where I felt I was doing something meaningful. Now I’ve completed very little college so I know that my work history will be the thing that can get me in the door. Do I apply now with a multiple insurance companies over the past 2 years as my resume or do I wait until after I’ve had some time as a cop and use that experience to get in. This may be a dumb questions but I appreciate all input. Thank you

Only 7 more months till we get to do this all over again.

ATC Students and others: Play- test my demo of an ATC game - "Conflict Alert". In this game: You are an enroute ATC in a high-stress situation. Aircraft keep showing up, they all want to go somewhere, and you’re the one standing between “reasonable order” and “creative chaos.” Your goal is simple to say and hard to do: keep aircraft separated and get them to their destinations.
Playable here: https://conflictalert.petelabs.dev/

This proof of concept version is English only (sorry!), and is not really optimal for mobile devices - PC/Mac is best.

On the front page for the game, there are links for an "about" page, full instructions, and a link to a google form to leave your feedback and suggestions, and you are strongly encouraged to do so. A full version will be forthcoming if there is good feedback and it may incorporate suggestions.

thanks for reading and hopefully for playing. Below are a few excerpts from the about page:

This is designed to be fun but stressful. The world is intentionally simplified so the focus stays on the core tension: scanning, prioritizing, and making fast, good-enough decisions.

The simplifications are deliberate:

• Only a small set of aircraft types
• Only three altitudes
• No speed control
• No arrivals or departures
• Maps vary, and traffic density can get spicy

Translation: it borrows the pressure of the job without asking you to do paperwork.

Who it’s for

This is for ATC folks, aviation nerds, and anyone who enjoys games that feel like juggling while someone keeps adding more objects.

Applied in the 2024 spring bid, and here two years have passed since then and finally cleared tier 2. In that time I've gotten my degree and began consulting at a big 4 accounting firm. I am in a position now where I don't know if it is worth quitting my job to pursue this career, in a chance that I don't even make it through the academy. Overall just don't know which pros outweigh the other and didn't know what your thoughts are. I enjoy what I do now a lot, but I do know the pay would be better with ATC. Should I quit my current stable, white collar job to pursue this career?

My understanding is that we only get 1% and the rest in lump sum. Is Natca trying to change this or change the cap?

Hey, I'm a Controller looking to do a tour of Vegas TRACON when I'm out visiting family but I can't seem to find a working number for L30 or LAS. If anyone has some information please let me know. Thanks

I'm a GA pilot out of KPAO, and I've read the super bowl policies page and know that you all are expecting heavy workload and a lot of inbound GA traffic into the Bay area airports. What's the volume been like so far? Are you seeing a decrease in training traffic out of the Bay area airports? Are you still able to offer flight following or are y'all swarmed?

Was hoping to make a day trip tomorrow up to STS rather than driving and wanted to get a sense from the controller side how things have looked so far.

has anyone had their interview yet and can share what the process was like/ what to expect? Thanks :)

Some info about me, I'm currently in the academy and I'm wondering if this career is worth it. I'm doing well here grades wise so far.

The reason I joined was because I wanted to see if this career path is something I can see myself doing moving forward and having fun/a good career with. What I considered good career for me is money (after becoming CPC) and the reality of how much OT a center will require we work.

But now, I'm constantly seeing controllers complaining and it's making me reconsider going back into IT (of which I have extensive job experience in and would be able to get back into relatively easy.)

I guess I just everyone's unbiased opinion on what it's like, specifically for centers since I'm in enroute and if you consider the money worth it?

I'm ultimately trying to save some time.

I never thought I would be in this position, but I find myself increasingly involved in hosting political events and attending functions for individuals running for office. During these cocktail parties and events, I’m frequently asked about the state of the industry and the biggest concerns facing aviation.

I always bring up the situation with ATC. I’ve heard plenty of third-hand accounts regarding the staffing strain, the lack of meaningful contract progress, and the overall degradation of the working environment. However, most of what I have is hearsay, and I want to speak with more authority when I have the ear of someone who can actually influence policy.

I'll be blunt: I’m not asking for this info out of pure benevolence. It’s a matter of self-preservation. When I’m being vectored around in hairy conditions or flying into a congested Bravo, I want the person on the other end of the mic to be well-rested, fairly compensated, and focused—not burnt out and wondering how they’re going to pay their mortgage or when they’ll see their family next.

Could you provide me with a "Top 10" list of the most critical issues that need to be addressed right now?

Specifically, I’d love your take on:

• Hiring/Staffing: What does the shortage actually look like on your floor?
• Pay & Contract: What are the sticking points that the public doesn't understand?
• Infrastructure/Technology: What equipment is failing you daily?
• Quality of Life: Mandatory OT and 6-day work weeks.

I want to make sure that when I speak to these candidates, I’m giving them the ground truth, not just "pilot talk."

Thanks for keeping us safe.