Air Traffic Control A School

[zackthespartan]

Originally Posted by shannoneliz

All of the aviation ratings actually go to NAS Pensacola. Corry Station has the CTs and such. AC A school's difficult with a very high dropout rate. If you're not good at studying or memorizing things quickly, you'll have a hard time. The first block is all academic. They start teaching you the 7110.65 (atc manual, you could start taking look at it now but you really won't understand anything) and give you something like 10 tests in 8 weeks. If you aren't constantly in the books, it's very easy to fail a test in this portion. And to warn you, it's reeeally dry stuff. Just expect not to have a life. I think to date, only one class (my class started out with 14) has made it all the way through this block with all the original members (if you fail a test and fail a retake, they'll usually set you back, if you fail a second or third, you'll probably be kicked out of the school).

The second block is three weeks. They spend a week teaching you the basics of tower and then stick you in a tower simulator for two weeks. At the end of two weeks, you'll be tested on local, ground, and flight data - local is the most failed portion here. The third block is six weeks, I believe, and it's all about radar. You'll take your last written test (and the hardest, in my opinion), then you'll do 3 radar sims (ASR, PAR, and Arrival). Usually, if you make it through block 2, you'll graduate, but I did know a couple people who got kicked out on the last test (arrival) right before graduation.

Your day starts out pretty early. You'll PT in the morning before class at 0530 two or three times a week for an hour. They'll give you a bit of time to shower/eat breakfast afterwards, then you meet up with the other ACs and march up to the schoolhouse. Class starts a little after 8. You get about an hour for lunch (when I first got there, they let us march to the galley with your class, but people got in trouble and they made us go with the whole scholhouse after that). I don't remember what time we got out (maybe 4?), but I know we were pretty much always the last school to finish and we never got out early on Fridays like most everyone else.

AC is a difficult rate. It can be very stressful, very intense. If you're not good under pressure, it's not the job for you. It can get very boring when you're on position and there's absolutely no traffic. There are about a zillion rules you have to follow and you're expected to know them off the top of your head - a lot of the time, you don't have time to look stuff up. If you make a mistake, you can kill somebody and even go to jail. That being said, it can be a lot of fun and it's suuch an adrenaline rush when you handle a lot of traffic successfully.

A good atc resource is stuckmic.com

Also this is worth a read: https://www.facebook.com/notes/david...50167724793049

I just flunked out of nuke school and got reclassified as an air traffic controller. I am excited to be going to my new rating but I already have concerns even though I'm still waiting to receive my orders to Pensacola.

The AC's A school is starting to seem more like second to nuke school in terms of academically rigorous programs in the military; mainly due to the fact that ACs have amongst the most stressful jobs in the world. I'm beginning to wonder if the frustration and moral toll on my confidence that affected me during nuke school is gonna come back to haunt me again.

Can you offer me any advice on how to deal with the pressures of A-school?

[sweetmtn]

Originally Posted by zackthespartan

I just flunked out of nuke school and got reclassified as an air traffic controller. I am excited to be going to my new rating but I already have concerns even though I'm still waiting to receive my orders to Pensacola.

The AC's A school is starting to seem more like second to nuke school in terms of academically rigorous programs in the military; mainly due to the fact that ACs have amongst the most stressful jobs in the world. I'm beginning to wonder if the frustration and moral toll on my confidence that affected me during nuke school is gonna come back to haunt me again.

Can you offer me any advice on how to deal with the pressures of A-school?

Mind me asking how far you got in nuke school? Did you finish A school or only part of it and which one MM or EM/ET?

[zackthespartan]

Originally Posted by sweetmtn

Mind me asking how far you got in nuke school? Did you finish A school or only part of it and which one MM or EM/ET?

I was an ET, flunked out at week 20 during A-school. I made it as far as Grading Period 2 of I&CE (Instrumentation and Control Equipment). I did well up to Efunds 4. Digital was a disaster and I&CE was even worse; by that point, my GPA was poor enough that I didn't even get an academic board; I was an auto drop.

Math was pretty easy for me and BE was not that much harder because it was mostly equations and math has always been my strength. I actually considered myself lucky to have survived Efunds without failing any tests. Everything went downhill from the start of Digital.

I would think that all A-schools have some measure of academic challenges. But in terms of things like note-taking during class, type of tests (multiple choice or long-essay type) taken, etc, how does Air Traffic Controller School compare to nuke school?

[shannoneliz]

As long as you can memorize stuff for a test (and forget it right after), you'll be fine for the academic portion of AC school. You don't have to understand it, not yet. All of the tests in block one are multiple choice. People will try to make the school sound impossible, it's not - I saw some real dummies make it through. I remember a succession of people walking into our class the first week trying to scare us. Yeah, there are some people who honestly can't cut it, but I think a lot of people just give up.

You'll get yelled at a lot in block 2 while they try to teach you tower and you'll feel so stupid for not being able to get local, but honestly no one expects you to learn to be local controller in 2 weeks. You'll understand it enough to pass the test and then you'll move on. Block 3 is really chill for the most part. I wouldn't worry too much about that.

Look, any job can be stressful. When you actually get to the fleet as an AC you'll have months to learn a position and even when you get qualified you'll have a supervisor watching you, ready to interfere if there's a safety of flight issue. They're also there to help relieve the pressure if you get slammed and they'll stick someone else on in the case you get overwhelmed. There are qualified people at my command who really aren't very strong controllers and the sup will basically just stand behind them the entire time they're on.

You really don't know if you'll be a good controller yet though (and you definitely won't know in A school, most of the stuff you learn there you won't even use) . Stop worrying so much!

[Tasha360]

This is really good information. I had no idea the rate could be so challenging, but it sounds worth it.

I wouldn't worry about flunking out of AC A school if you made it through 20 weeks of Nuke. I'd consider that a really good accomplishment.

[zackthespartan]

Thanks for the advice. Could you give me an overview of what the base at NAS Pensacola is like? Such as, where the barracks for single sailors are located, where the classroom buildings are, the NEX, etc. Also, is there a duty driver there? If so, where do they dropoff/pickup and what is their usual route?

[Gilli]

Just out of curiosity being myself a CTI student at Broward College, is the Navy ATC program comparable to a civilian ATC program ?

[WhiskeyCharlie]

Originally Posted by zackthespartan

Thanks for the advice. Could you give me an overview of what the base at NAS Pensacola is like? Such as, where the barracks for single sailors are located, where the classroom buildings are, the NEX, etc. Also, is there a duty driver there? If so, where do they dropoff/pickup and what is their usual route?

The barracks are pretty nice and you'll be in the Abraham Lincoln (Alpha). You will have one or two roomates and up to 3 headmates. A minifridge and microwave are provided. Everything is within walking distance. The NEX isn't bad. There is a Starbucks, Taco Bell, A&W, Pizza Hut, Subway, Panda Express, a pizza place and a bar if you are of age. There is a pool table in the barracks and plenty of vending machines for snacks. There are a couple lounges on each floor with couches and TV's. No cable in the rooms but there is WIFI you can sign up for and pay for. I bought a TV and Xbox when I got here and do not regret that decision at all (Netflix for days!). You can have you're car but don't really need it to get around the base. The schoolhouse is about a 5 minute walk up a hill and you will march with the school house to and from class in the mornings and after class. For chow, you march with the block you are currently in. You get about an hour to eat. There are always cabs on base if you want to go off base and a bus as well. It's is free if you are in uniform. When you first get here you will be Phase 1. You have to go through a week of Indoc and a Saturday class before you can leave base. No civillian clothes while in phase one, and no drinking. You will also have a muster every night around 930. Phase 2 is 3 weeks long and no more 930 musters, you can wear civillian clothes, drink and stay out till midnight on the weekends. Phase 3 is overnight liberty on the weekends. Being an AC, you will be here for quite a while and it gets boring. You get to the point where you don't recognize very many people because most of the other rates are out of here in a month or two. Study hard! I graduate next Tuesday at the top of my class with a 95 average and that is very hard to do. After Block 1, it is pretty easy untill that last written test. It's a bitch and by the time you get there, you are burnt out from studying. Block 3 (radar) is really fun! You will also be put back down to phase 1 if you don't maintain an 80 average or better. The chow here is pretty good, but the lines are a bitch sometimes. There is a gym within walking distance and near the NEX, but is usually packed. There is another one about a mile away and much nicer. There is also a movie theater by the NEX which has movies about a month old for only a couple bucks. You are hear to study and learn your job, do just that and you will be just fine. I have seen some people get in some big trouble down here and they are starting their careers off on the wrong foot. I hoped this helped!

[tiffanynacole]

thanks for that info, how far are you allowed to travel on weekends. i live about an hour and a half from pensacola and would like to come home occasionally.