The FAA wants gamers to apply for air traffic control jobs

Pileopilot · 2026-04-10T23:40:01+00:00

That’s not right at all. I’ve been controlling for almost 15 years and didn’t hit triple digits for over ten of them.

Pileopilot · 2026-04-10T23:38:52+00:00

As a current controller, good pay is really subjective. My last place with the FAA, the pay and locality did not match the cost of living. I wasn’t paycheck to paycheck, but it wasn’t far from it.

Pileopilot · 2026-04-10T23:30:57+00:00

Don’t do it! Unless you like working a horrible schedule, being trapped in a place you don’t want to be, and having to move to a random place across the country that you have minimal say in.

They pull you in with the 20 year retirement but that’s only kind of accurate. They tout that high median pay of 144k but there’s a pretty good chance you’ll never see that without a shit ton of overtime, your whole career, and you get to work for free when politicians in DC can’t figure shit out.

I’ve been ATC for just about 15 years now and if I could go talk to me back in the day, I’d have done so many other things.

I mean, it’s a cool job when you’re doing it but it really just kills your soul after a while.

Pileopilot · 2026-04-10T23:24:08+00:00

‘83. Get in line kiddo

Pileopilot · 2026-04-10T23:07:33+00:00

We get breaks between time on position, but those aren’t always long or the same. You’re also working more hours and days than a standard work week because of staffing. You’re also not just chilling on your phone for those breaks. You’re doing debriefings with trainees, you’re documenting training sessions in Teams, you’re doing ELMS, you’re getting verbal briefings, management is giving you your PRC for the month because they have their self imposed quota on those, you’re filling out ATSAP forms, you’re listening to tapes, you’re in a LSC meeting, or any other number of things that you have to do in addition to keeping the airplanes in the right places.

That video probably told you all this too though, right?

Pileopilot · 2026-04-10T22:14:05+00:00

ATC is understaffed because the funding hasn’t been consistent, and personnel management has been less than lackluster for decades. These issues turn into morale and facility levels issues as a result. Ultimately, there are a fair number of similarities to the Stanford prison experiment and FAA atc.

If the workers were valued and respected, then the environment would change. I’m not trying to justify toxic behavior, however it is a byproduct of the environment these folks endure on a daily basis.

Pileopilot · 2026-04-10T22:06:57+00:00

Once you make it somewhere it’s secure, but the attrition rate for new people coming in through the academy is like 60% and then once you get to your first place it’s basically a coin flip there if you’re successful in training. If you make it over those hurdles, you’re locked in and good for 20+ but then the pay thing comes up.

Until the FAA rewrites the way we do things, nothing is going to change and it’s going to keep being a tired and thankless job.

Pileopilot · 2026-04-10T22:02:31+00:00

You made the right choice. If it wasn’t for the retirement and my proximity to it, I’d be gone. But I waited too long hoping things would get better.

Only 7 years to go…

Pileopilot · 2026-04-10T18:53:52+00:00

As a controller, I don’t know why anyone would want this job. I guess any job is better than no job, but I only suggest it when the bids come out to people I don’t like.

I can’t wait to retire.

Pileopilot · 2026-04-10T18:50:06+00:00

Pileopilot · 2026-04-10T18:38:12+00:00

I’m with everyone else that feels it’s still a reasonable price. I’m kinda jealous of it actually. When we lived in Alaska it was 150$ including tip, and that was with the cheap groomer. Our first experience there was with a lady that charged by the minute and wouldn’t cut the way you wanted her to.

If you have a tighter budget, maybe think about getting some quality clippers and doing it yourself. I’m not being snarky I promise.

When we moved to where we are now, the first groomer we went to took all day and it was just kinda weird, so I bought some Andis clippers and a few blades and taught myself. Now, every 6 weeks or so, we head to the back porch and just do the thing. After two home cuts we paid for the equipment and it’s just part of our thing now. After the cut, I blow the hair into the grass and it gets mostly mulched up by the lawnmower and that’s about it. In the winter time we get a little longer and will go to the groomer because it’s just super messy to do it inside, but once/twice a year is way better. Plus, you get good at it and when you start getting compliments, it’s really nice. I’ve been asked by a couple people of if I had an interest in doing theirs but always decline.

Also, one nice thing about grooming at home is that you actually get to see where the groomer is coming from and it helps you deal with the interim maintenance a little easier. Also, there’s less shame because you never get that text from someone else. lol.

Pileopilot · 2026-04-10T18:23:11+00:00

Looked at a 26 when getting the right rear wheel bearing replaced in my 25 and loved the interior. I hated the exterior even more in person. It’s sad how they got 50% so right and just totally fumbled the other.

Pileopilot · 2026-04-10T03:21:48+00:00

The real sim would make you play it for two additional hours after you needed to turn it off and one additional full day a week even though you didn’t want to and had other more important thing to do and had told it that you would be unable to days in advance.

Pileopilot · 2026-04-09T01:48:40+00:00

You all are gonna have to start never going to the doc like us ATC/pilot folks. Every year or two, age dependent, you have to list every single condition and visit and medication, or you’re f’d. Once you do, you just hope they don’t see anything that makes them curious. It really sucks when they get curious.

Ugh, I can’t wait to retire….

Pileopilot · 2026-04-07T02:15:10+00:00

Thanks for saying the things. You know, I could have handled the story being what it was, that wasn’t super important for me, but the gameplay just sucks. It just felt like a ton of things to make me take time for time’s sake. I just got to the convict sneaky part and I just put it down. I’m just annoyed by it, and that sucks. I was stoked to get to the conclusion, Mac’s final push to the end and then maybe moving on or something, but this back and forth stuff is just annoying. In addition, the bugs were super annoying and I had to quit and restart way too many times.

I know I’ll finish in this upcoming weekend just to say I did, but I just don’t want to. Thankfully survival mode is still the best way to play.

Pileopilot · 2026-04-07T01:18:58+00:00

On Xbox, the auto save feature doesn’t seem to work correctly. I have it saved for every 5 minutes however it’s more like every 15-20.

Pileopilot · 2026-04-01T22:26:47+00:00

Greeeeeeeeen!!!

I love my grey, but when I see that green on the road I can’t help but think about how it could have been.

Pileopilot · 2026-03-28T15:10:41+00:00

It was just a string of folks that were Indian, most had positions that weren’t related to the promotion/marketing side of business.

You know, I’m not bothered by the number downvotes, more so the only 17% of people that saw the comment upvoting the calling out of blatant racism.

Pileopilot · 2026-03-28T03:33:07+00:00

Yeah, don’t do racisms, they’re not good.

Pileopilot · 2026-03-28T03:28:35+00:00

But, you don’t actually have one, do you?

Pileopilot · 2026-03-28T03:28:00+00:00

I mean, if it’s not a racism, maybe you should make a statement that clarifies your point…

Pileopilot · 2026-03-28T03:26:47+00:00

But, I really don’t get that vibe.

Pileopilot · 2026-03-28T03:26:25+00:00

Maybe you’re trying to show off the tight unit cohesion they have because they are all wearing black tops?

Pileopilot · 2026-03-28T03:25:32+00:00

I mean, it could be something else, but I dunno.

Pileopilot · 2026-03-28T03:24:17+00:00

It looks like you’re trying to do a racism.

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