DCA Air Collision Discussion

[MultiVerse]

You can weed people out at program selection, or you can weed people out during the program, or you can weed people out post-grad. Which is better and more efficient?

This is 100% true for controllers. Either you have the aptitude for it or you don't. I've washed out many people that looked great on paper, but just couldn't do it.

I don't know if it's still the case but candidates were required to take an eight hour AT-SAT cognitive test used for pre-employment screening of air traffic control candidates. The test is, allegedly, effective. Who knows how effective, but presumably even more people would wash out without it

[ripvw]

I don't know if it's still the case but candidates were required to take an eight hour AT-SAT cognitive test used for pre-employment screening of air traffic control candidates. The test is, allegedly, effective. Who knows how effective, but presumably more people would wash out without it

The test is a good starting point and better than nothing. But, until someone is plugged in and talking to live traffic you just don't know. We did go through a period during the Bush years where they pretty much hired anyone with a pulse. Because the busiest facilities have the worst staffing they sent many of them there. No surprise, sending an off the street hire, with no experience, directly to the busiest ATC facilities in the world is not going to end well. One very busy facility in Southern California had a training success rate of 2% during this time. Just one example of myriad of mismanagement over the years.

[Ted Striker]

ripvw: ATC can be a difficult job, it's also quite rewarding. Believe it or not, working busy traffic can be really fun

I've only known two pilots to go to ATC, but I've known plenty more who did the opposite move. And I used to work with a flight attendant whose spouse was ATC, so I've been to backyard bbqs where everyone is ATC or aircrew. Pretty much all of them said they loved the job when things were really rockin' & rolling.

[ripvw]

@ripvw, thanks for chiming in.

Working anywhere with a high number of movements is way tougher than flirting with the FAs in the forward galley, and drinking cerveza on the layover. Massive respect.

I've known a few pilots over the years who washed out of ATC - and a few who succeeded. One is a TCA controller, and another was at a small tower (before the powers that be switched it to uncontrolled). TCA guy was constant stress for the first year. I swear it visually aged him. The tower guy called himself the Maytag Repairman. He'd say things like "damn Cessna woke me up!"

Yeah, the job can be radically different depending on the type of facility and traffic volume. Working a low volume VFR tower is almost a different job than a high density radar facility. I’ve spent my entire career in the terminal environment (towers and TRACON’s) but even for me, going to a Center would be a steep learning curve.

I have nothing but respect for the pro flight crews we work with. When I have a frequency full of competent pilots, it makes my job so much easier. The old joke in ATC is Boeing doesn’t make enough planes to put me down the shitter, but Cessna does. [emoji23]

[old goat]

ripvw--to each his own. My cpa gets a lt more pleasure figuring out how to save me a few bucks on taxes than I do.

xxx--there are a few of us in the OR but we keep it quiet. Of the doctors in Congress--15 Republicans, 4 Dems, and none of the Dems are surgery or anesthesiology. For that matter not many surgeons in Congress--why be an impotent Congressman when you can be god.

[Kevo]

Something I haven’t seen mentioned anywhere- I wonder if the altimeter settings for the helo weren’t set correctly. Could explain if they were higher than they were supposed to be.

[AmmergauerTele]

Probably had a radar altimeter installed - usually quite accurate, most likely works up to 5,000 ft. Radar altimeter gives exact height above ground.

[Kevo]

Yeah good call. Radar altimeters are common in helo world

[Conundrum]

Apparently Die Hard 2 is just a distant memory which is unfortunate. It answers most of the questions in this thread.

[Ted Striker]

Blancolirio doing a better job of explaining what I've been saying in these two threads.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9mAUks0krI

[ripvw]

[emoji638]][emoji640][emoji639]][emoji637][emoji[emoji6[emoji640][emoji638]][emoji640][emoji6[emoji640][emoji637]]][emoji640][emoji6[emoji640][emoji637]][emoji[emoji6[emoji640][emoji638]][emoji640][emoji6[emoji640][emoji637]]][emoji6[emoji640][emoji637]]]Blancolirio doing a better job of explaining what I've been saying in these two threads.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n[em...emoji638]]]krI

Juan does a great job explaining this and other aviation topics. I’m in the comments on this one trying (mostly unsuccessfully) to explain what the controller was likely doing.

[XXX-er]

<p>
xxx--there are a few of us in the OR but we keep it quiet.</p>
<p>
&nbsp;</p>
<p>
well you KNOW i just yank yours &amp; ski bros &#39;chain becuz there are no OR nurses here to fuck with you , in any case what goes around comes around so hopefully you were alwasy nice to the OR gals &amp; guys some of whom I also know in the small town</p>
<p>
one of them newely retired OR gals told me &quot; yeah skibro was good &quot;</p>

[old goat]

I'm seeing weird unreadable posts, another version of the emoji thing.

[m2711c]

skij has taken over the editting

[Ted Striker]

Actual lol