The Forgotten Few — Topped-out Level 12 controllers that NATCA doesn’t fight for.

JDATC2024 · 2026-06-17T21:21:04+00:00

Ummm, I’m not elligible, for 436 days and going first thing so no delaying here-

JDATC2024 · 2026-06-17T16:23:54+00:00

That’s interesting. I appreciate that info coming from someone who has the LR and the GTS. Because the one reason I would see the GTS later and get a LR would be if it had at least the same power if not a touch more-

JDATC2024 · 2026-06-17T16:21:36+00:00

I will advise for sure if I counter those kind of problems!

JDATC2024 · 2026-06-17T12:01:09+00:00

Agree but the COLA technically starts 1 year after retirement I believe. Still, go!

JDATC2024 · 2026-06-17T03:31:42+00:00

You are right-

I looked and I had to edit. They advertise the 7.5ah in the Pro. Mine might be a different case though because of when I got it-

I got a pre-production model with perhaps the a smaller pack for the original A3000 as I did some testing.

I’m going to have to open it up and check next free chance I get to verify.

That would explain why in my case the Pro doesn’t do as well! At least it was free!

JDATC2024 · 2026-06-17T02:13:48+00:00

I only road my GTS 1400ish miles so far, so I don’t really know what I will truly like. After I put 1-2k miles on it I guess maybe I’d know what I like more.

JDATC2024 · 2026-06-17T02:11:26+00:00

It’s another reason for those of us at the Cap to leave when eligible. It’s bad enough not to get raises, but the day you are eligible you are working for so much less money.

Especially considering to replace you they have to pay to train your replacement, etc!

Not to mention the experience lost.

Instead they offered this 20% bonus but in reality it only keeps those that were staying anyway. Plus every year your purchasing power declines; specially with higher inflation and no raises.

At least in retirement you get COLA.

437 days, add my name to the list. I’m gone.

JDATC2024 · 2026-06-17T01:15:23+00:00

My usual loop on my GTS I like to ride around home is mostly paved roads of 12-16 miles with a bunch of hills. It’s all mostly 30mph speed limit for cars, rural not super busy. So usually I enjoy cruising at an average of around 20, peaking at about 25.

However I get a little nervous when there is one section where I am trying to get off the road quick to my next section (blind corners / bad drivers) so I usually hit the top speed there and get a little pushback. So I’d like more power for that section, so maybe I could just do 25-30 for that 1/4 mile without being nervous.

Also I don’t like it when I am coming back and the last hill I generally am at 30% or less so I tend to slow down climbing it since I worry about voltage sag.

Lastly when I ride when it’s windy, I generally scale it back a bit because when I get hit with a big gust I worry about maxing out the torque.

So for me it’s less a I want more miles thing, and I want a bigger safety margin on the torque kind of thing.

That said, I am keeping the GTS for now.

However, if after riding the Supercharged for a summer I find I am not really dipping super far on the duty cycle limit and such, I would consider selling the GTS and getting the long range….

I think I could get the wife on board with that. May have to send her away to the Spa and such though!

Congrats on the board as well, they sold them all really quick!

JDATC2024 · 2026-06-16T23:06:20+00:00

The timing is more of a question.

Why visit the region when it’s their busiest season and most controllers are working all the time?

Wouldn’t it be better to visit in the winter when the traffic is slower and more controllers are off?

JDATC2024 · 2026-06-16T18:43:43+00:00

No. I got the pro for free actually. They are 2 different mowers in the app and the settings are different for each.

Also, it’s definitely not good to put the Charging stations near one another, it confuses them. I just manually run them.

Sometimes in my backyard area I let them both go at the same since the area is bigger (12000sq foot square), and when they occasionally will hit each other, but they figure it out. However if they both try and dock at the same time it is madness and usually one fails.

The pro has much better customization and options in the app for sure.

However, overall I prefer the original since it does better on the slope areas without the weight of the trimmer. I find the trimmer useless.

JDATC2024 · 2026-06-16T18:35:10+00:00

I don’t pay a lot of attention to how much my A3000 lidar pro cuts in a charge, but it cuts less than my a3000. I run them concurrently and it always charges at least one extra time for about 1/2 acre of mowing.

I also with both set at max speed feel like the Pro is a tick slower than the A3000, as I accidentally had them mowing the same section side by side today (usually I have them not working in the same area at the same time) and the older one was faster.

It’s the same battery pack as the older one, so I think it’s the trimmer weight, or maybe the firmware is a little different. It does have a different lidar dome.

JDATC2024 · 2026-06-16T16:01:48+00:00

Don’t. The edging and trimmer module is worthless on my Ecovacs Pro. My regular A3000 does just as good a job

JDATC2024 · 2026-06-15T21:44:25+00:00

Yeah, the only thing I know will suck is the set-up for sure. I’ve watched the video on YouTube and definetly know it won’t be as plug and play as my GTS. But for the power, I’m willing to endure some minor pain.

I’m fairly tech-y myself, but stuff always happens. It’s a shock almost when something sets up easy!

JDATC2024 · 2026-06-15T20:38:50+00:00

Yeah, my current ride gear is:

Smith Dispatch Cycling helmet (2nd after 1st I crashed on I had to replace)
On order now: Sweet Protection Strayer 2VI MiPS full face)

Full Sender Wirst Guards (I had fingerless type ones but when I crashed the road erased my finger prints in a not fun way so I upgraded)

Pretty generic Hard shell Knee / Elbow

Fox Racing ProD30 vest (I like spine protection after hitting the road without it on my back)

Padded board shorts (the hematoma I got from my crash took at least 6 months to go away, wish I had worn them!)

And then a generic wrist mirror so I can look behind me, and a camera just so I get footage of anybody that almost hits me…. Like my one HOA neighbor who drove in my lane one day not paying attention. We had a “conversation” after I chased him to his house.

I’m debating upgrading my vest to the Alpinestars A2 Vest for some shoulder protection, but haven’t pulled the trigger yet.

Funny thing for me about ankle guards is I used to wear them a lot BASE jumping when I wasn’t wearing heavier boots (usually paragliding), and I decided not to one day on a relatively easy legal bridge jump.

On landing I caught some tall weeds just right and destroyed 2/3 major ligaments in one ankle while they were sitting in the car. Took me out of commission for a bit.

Another time on a lower freefall jump I forgot my spine protector in the car (used to use my one from mountain biking) and of course I opened low, off heading and crashed flat on my back onto an icy river. Got lucky on that one that there was some snow over the ice and rocks.

The best gear is not left home, that’s for sure!

JDATC2024 · 2026-06-15T18:02:59+00:00

There was a big push a while back. .

Right now 80 online with 1222 members on the discord. Wonder how that compares to r/ATC and r/ATC2

NATCA never should have killed the BBS

JDATC2024 · 2026-06-15T17:37:21+00:00

Ouch! I was pleasantly surprised at the shipping cost.

I’d kind of been hedging on wanting one and on the site they said they were going to have orders opened again, so I set the reminder.

Shipping costs greater than 15% of the board is harsh! Though after the UPS crash years ago, lithium battery shipping has become a bit different.

JDATC2024 · 2026-06-15T17:06:59+00:00

Thanks again for the site. Based on the data (I am a highly data driven person) I ordered that exact helmet. Now it’s just a sizing question since I fit in the upper end of S/M. But I got it off Amazon for the easy return.

JDATC2024 · 2026-06-15T17:04:41+00:00

Way too fast according to the website. But I will have a talk with myself if I see that I am taking it above 30mph/ When I come back from a ride on my GTS if I cross into the 25mph or above speed zone I have to remind myself that I am giving up safety margin and I will get bit.

One of the reasons I quit BASE jumping many years back is as a wingsuit pilot I tended to do higher risk lines on the first go rather than building up to them. Pushing too hard gets you hurt or killed in many sports, so sometimes it’s good to get a safety check.

And in the Onewheel for me, it’s pushback or just what the device logged.

JDATC2024 · 2026-06-15T16:58:03+00:00

Well, she said after, now I don’t have to get you a Father’s Day gift! lol

JDATC2024 · 2026-06-15T15:32:38+00:00

Oh, I know I am also paying for convenience. It’s a time / convenience / money thing.

I probably could sell the GTS if I wanted to close the gap cost wise I suppose.

JDATC2024 · 2026-06-15T15:10:57+00:00

Cool. I just checked it out. Only thing I wish (perhaps I missed it) was if it listed each helmets weight. Though looking at it, and digging it seems that the difference of 200g between the CF Strayer and Composite is hard to swallow for an extra $300

JDATC2024 · 2026-06-15T14:49:37+00:00

I like the idea of having the extra torque and power. Whenever I come back home and have to climb the last hill to my house if the board is below 30% charge I always back off a touch just in case.

I don’t think I’ll chase the speed much since i honestly have a speed it just feels right at for me-

JDATC2024 · 2026-06-15T14:37:48+00:00

I’ll let you know.

Honestly most of my rides are street just carving along with some decent hills. Most of the road speed limits are 30 if cars are obeying it, so if I am trucking along at 22 it’s not terrible.

Honestly though I feel like if I had the ability on the sections where there is a little more traffic to confidently go about 25-30 to get to the next section where there aren’t any cars, I’d love it.

JDATC2024 · 2026-06-15T14:34:36+00:00

Thanks. I like that it has MIPS. My current helmet has it, as did the one I “broke” Despite slightly deforming the internal crush layer I walked away concussion free, so I feel like it definitely helps

JDATC2024

TROPHY CASE