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> the calm demeanor shown by both ATC and pilots My ex-wife was a US air traffic controller, and the training they go through is stunning. They're tested conti
by BrentOzar 3y ago
> the calm demeanor shown by both ATC and pilots
My ex-wife was a US air traffic controller, and the training they go through is stunning. They're tested continuously for years, with something like an 80% wash-out rate.
During testing, they get 1-2 tests per week, working a shift just like a controller would, with fake pilots on the radio, and real computer systems. If they let airplanes get even remotely close to each other, they fail. If it happens twice, they're out of the FAA, immediately, permanently. One of the instructors told me, "It's my job to make sure your wife has the worst week of her career, every week, during training - so that when she's actually on the job, every week will seem easy no matter what she's facing."
Even just in training, you could see the stress take its toll on the candidates over the years.
- reddit_clone 3y agoGood to know. I am glad it is such a strenuous training/testing. It has to be, given the price of failure. Hmm.. Are there incidents that were caused by Controller's error? (most common seem to be equipment failures, pilot errors, bad weather and bad luck with bird strikes etc.)
- krisoft 3y ago> Are there incidents that were caused by Controller's error? There is a nice wikipedia list here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Aviation_accidents_and_incidents_caused_by_air_traffic_controller_error https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Aviation_accidents_an... Of course I don't think it is correct to say that an incident were caused by controller error. It makes it sound like a single controller error was the only thing which went wrong. It is probably more correct to say that controller error contributed to the outcome of some incident.
- throwaway34655 3y agoTell me you didn't read the article without telling me you didn't read the article :)
- reddit_clone 3y agoGuilty as charged :-) Like many others (I am sure) I read the comments first and read article later (if I read). I was responding to the informative comment about the rigorousness of Controller training. As a nervous flier myself, that made me feel a bit better.