Hey guys, it's me again. I was thinking about being an Air Traffic Controller (ATC) when I grow up. I currently study Geography, Physics and Chem.

So, what subs should I take? I mean more specifically... Like Aeronautical Eng, Aeroengineering and sorts. What more can you think of?

Need help in this so I can choose the course I need to take so I won't make the wrong decision, and it can help me motivate myself to do better.

I can't find any decent sources to determine actual subjects, which is normally a good sign. From what I can find, all UK air traffic controllers have to study at one particular place.

I'd imagine you probably want maths and physics (to calculate trajectories and forces and such), but I'm not sure what else.

I'm sure my girlfriend went to uni with someone who is now an Air Traffic Controller (who messaged her on like Facebook or something a couple of weeks ago!). I'll see if she can find out what he studied then post back here.
I'll also post the word "avionics" so that if this thread gets buried I can find it easily. There's can't be too many threads with that word in them

You need to be able to look at a radar, and recognise shapes on it. You won't need to work out forces. As long as you can understand bearings (compass bearings) then you'll be over-qualified.

Surely you also need to be able to work out how wind speed will affect the time it takes a plane to get from point A to point B so that you can stick another one in front of it (or not as the case may be)?

Isn't that 8 year old maths though? Plus they'll probably have a crib sheet in front of them, or a computer to do it for them.

No idea, that's what the thread is for

But there's probably some reason they get paid a lot of money to do a stressful job. I wouldn't want to do it.

Applications for apprenticeships as an ATC are usually over 30 pages long... most of them are maths and logic-related questions. You will need to know a decent degree of aero physics.

Some sort of stress management course to prevent you from going nuts because every mistake an air traffic controller makes can mean the death of hundreds of people.

Maths definitely, possibly some kind of aeronautics/engineering and IT.

I shouldn't have thought a degree in aeronautical engineering would help you at all, it's all really simple stuff and TBH I think now they're little more than computer minders but they do form an essential safety net and take a huge amount of stress and responsibility in the process.

They're not designing planes, or working out anything clever. Just got to make sure blips don't collide, and head in the right directions.

The pay is because of the responsibility and stress, not the theory required.

Quote from tristancliffe :

The pay is because of the responsibility and stress, not the theory required.

Exactly. So just don't give a shit, but don't let any blips collide, and it's easy money.

You will also need to be fluent in a few languages.

Quote from Rdcranno :

You will also need to be fluent in a few languages.

Why? All pilots speak English - wherever they are

Quote from J@tko :

Why? All pilots speak English - wherever they are

Oh well, i guess i learn something every day :P

Quote from Rdcranno :

Oh well, i guess i learn something every day :P

Glad to be of help

IIRC, even if, for example, a french pilot in a french plane is coming to land at a french airport, they still speak english to each other - which is a bit odd

Yup, English is the international language of flight.

On a side note some I just stumbled upon a related website.

Quote from ajp71 :

On a side note some I just stumbled upon a related website.

Quote :

Mouse found in cockpit > Cat installed
Number three engine missing. [not firing properly presumably] > Engine found on starboard [right] wing after brief search.
Unfamiliar noise coming from No2 engine. > Engine run for three hours. Noise now familiar.

Quote from ajp71 :

On a side note some I just stumbled upon a related website.

Dunno if this is there

Quote :

-(Inspection): Oil stains found on the right side of the plane
- (Mechanics): Oil stains removed

Some of those are classic

Tower: "Delta 351, you have traffic at 10 o'clock, 6 miles!"
Delta 351: "Give us another hint! We have digital watches!"

From an unknown aircraft waiting in a very long takeoff queue: "I'm f...ing bored!"
Ground Traffic Control: "Last aircraft transmitting, identify yourself immediately!"
Unknown aircraft: "I said I was f...ing bored, not f...ing stupid!"

Control tower to a 747: "United 329 heavy, your traffic is a Fokker, one o'clock, three miles, Eastbound."
United 239: "Approach, I've always wanted to say this... I've got the little Fokker in sight."

Reminds me of our pilot on the way home from the Atlanta. We had been delayed for ages and nobody knew why. It had started to rain heavily when he came over the PA:
"Folks, I have good news and bad news. The good news is that we've been having a bit of a drought here in Florida, so we're happy about the rain. The bad news is that there's a problem with [some kind of pressure valve] and that's what's causing the delay."

He came back on later and said:
"I have good news and bad news again. The good news is they've found us another plane. The bad news is, guess what, you all need to get back off this one and head out to the concourse."

Pilots are great

I pretty good at Geog. *sorry about being big-headed * so bearings and such shouldn't be a problem to me. But responsibility and so I have to train myself. I'm not very responsible after doing somethings wrong LOL

I don't think you can really hide away if you crash 2 planes into each other and kill 400 people Accepting responsibility gets easier as you get older, although admittedly I'm never likely to have that many people's lives in my hands

Right, my girlfriend passed on the message yesterday. Apparently the guy she knows studied only Maths, Physics and Geography and the only ATC stuff he did was at the national training place (in Bournemouth I understand is the only place in the UK you can train).

[Edit:
Here's the link he sent: http://natscareers.co.uk/careers.asp?c=1&s=4]

Thanks! Because I am going to study Physics, Geog. and Additional Math. And alot of responsibility...

And thank your girlfriend for that website. Although I'm gonna be based in Singapore, but it can create a lot of impression about how the job is like. And I tried being a Virtual ATC in YSFlight too. My friends are the flying people while I am the observer. Through Teamspeak of course.

My friend's uncle used to be a Captain for Singapore Airlines before he retired and became an ATC. My friend don't know much about his job and didn't ask him...What a pity.

No worries. If you want to speak to the guy yourself to find out more about the job itself, I can PM you his email address. Just shout, he volunteered it