Profession "air traffic controller". How air traffic controllers work

It is generally accepted that specialists whose specific work involves direct contact with the consumer of goods or services need to personally meet with clients. But, as you know, there are exceptions to every rule. And a striking example of this is the profession of a dispatcher, whose representatives are in direct contact with the consumer, but never meet him personally. And all because the tasks of this profession are fundamentally different from the tasks of all other specialties.

It is generally accepted that specialists whose specific work involves direct contact with the consumer of goods or services need to personally meet with clients. But, as you know, there are exceptions to every rule. And a prime example of this is dispatcher profession, whose representatives are in direct contact with the consumer, but never meet him personally. And all because the tasks of this profession are fundamentally different from the tasks of all other specialties.

Dispatchers do not sell anything, do not conduct opinion polls, do not advertise goods and services. They are simply trying to make our lives more comfortable, orderly and safe. What are these specialists doing? What are the features of this profession, and what personal qualities do you need to have in order to get it? What difficulties in work should future specialists be prepared for, and in what educational institutions do they teach the wisdom of this profession? You can find answers to all these questions here and now.

Who is a dispatcher?

- an official who ensures the coordination and optimization of the production process in a certain field of activity through the use of various types of computer technology, as well as means of communication and communication.

The name of the profession comes from the English dispatch (send, send), which directly indicates the main task of any dispatcher - to structure and process the information that comes to him, and send it in the right direction. The profession belongs to the category of "young", since its education became possible only at the turn of the 19th-20th centuries, when computers and various means of communication appeared, and there was also a need for people capable of coordinating the activities of transport and special services.

In other words, initially dispatchers were required only to ensure the coordinated work of carriers (by the way, in the original sources, the word "dispatcher" meant "sender of trains") and emergency response services (police, firefighters, ambulance, etc.). Today, dispatchers coordinate almost all spheres of human activity: taxi services, logistics departments, air transportation, delivery services, online stores, educational organizations, utilities, manufacturing enterprises, etc. In a word, wherever it is necessary to quickly regulate the course of production or manage the movement of vehicles, representatives of this profession are needed.

official dispatcher duties are directly related to the place of work. For example, an air traffic controller coordinates the take-off, flight and landing of aircraft, and a taxi dispatcher acts as an intermediary between the driver and the passenger: he issues calls, distributes orders between drivers and informs the client about the delivery of the car. In general, the duties of the dispatcher include the entire set of activities (including written reports on the work done) aimed at ensuring an uninterrupted process of production or the provision of services. In addition, the duties of a specialist may include: providing the enterprise with the necessary materials, monitoring the timely purchase of equipment, consulting and administrative functions.

What personal qualities should a dispatcher have?

Since the basis dispatcher's work communication with people lies (both with customers and employees of the enterprise), this specialist must have developed communication skills, good diction and competent language. In addition, the presence of such personal qualities as:

The dispatcher performs his professional activities through means of communication and communication, therefore, the specialist must have the skills to work on a PC and other office equipment. He must also have knowledge in the field of features of the produced works (services), regulatory legal acts, the basics of organizing production, economics, psychology, labor protection, safety precautions and the range of products.

Benefits of being a dispatcher

Main advantage of the dispatcher profession is the lack of need for higher education. Moreover, even a person without special education and work experience can get a job in this position. True, only in those organizations whose activities do not imply the presence of special knowledge. For example, in a taxi or delivery service.

It should be noted that today there are a fairly large number of dispatcher vacancies on the labor market, allowing them to carry out professional activities at home. Agree that this is a significant advantage of the profession, especially for those people who are unable to leave their apartment or house for a long time (for example, young mothers or people with disabilities).

Since the work of a dispatcher is not associated with physical exertion, this profession is ideal for women of all ages. That is, it is for the most unprotected and discriminated category of the able-bodied population of our country. Well, more than comfortable working conditions (sedentary work in warm rooms) can be considered as a nice bonus.

Disadvantages of the Dispatcher Profession

Despite the obvious advantages and the seeming ease of professional duties (after all, it seems that there is nothing difficult in coordinating the actions of other employees), Disadvantages of the Dispatcher Profession a lot. And, above all, it is a high probability of communicating with inadequate people. Such situations are especially common in the work of taxi dispatchers and emergency response services.

Another disadvantage of this profession is the low salary, which, taking into account the requirements for education and work experience, is quite predictable. To date, the average monthly salary of dispatchers in Russia is about 15-30 thousand rubles.

Do not forget also that stressful situations often occur in the work of the dispatcher. For example, in the event of an accident or catastrophe, dispatchers are given a huge responsibility for coordinating the actions of rescue services, which negatively affects the psycho-emotional state of a specialist.

Where can you get a job as a dispatcher?

Become a dispatcher possible in several ways. If you are planning to get a job in a taxi service, then it is enough just to attend a training course lasting 3-4 days, directly at the place of future professional activity. If you have plans to work as an air traffic controller or a dispatcher in production, then you need to undergo specialized training in one of the colleges or technical schools in Russia in the chosen field of activity. It should be noted that at the same time, one diploma is not enough for employers. Additionally, you need to have at least one year of work experience behind you. Therefore, after graduating from a secondary specialized educational institution, be prepared for the fact that you still have to work for some time either as a simple operator or as an assistant dispatcher. Some specializations of this profession (for example, the profession of an air traffic controller) can also be obtained at a specialized university.

The crew, while flying the aircraft, is in touch with dispatchers who are responsible for the order of movement of aircraft and helicopters. All airspace is divided into areas of responsibility of control points. And the dispatcher manages the traffic within the area of ​​responsibility of his point.

airfield control tower controller draws up a daily flight plan, coordinates its implementation with other services, with his colleagues from other airports (for example, with the traffic control of another airport). He is constantly in touch with the crews of the ships, monitors the air situation. At some airports, this function is performed by a liaison team.

Taxiing Manager controls traffic on the territory of the airport.

Dispatcher "Start and landing" supervise take-off and landing ships.

Dispatcher "Circle" directs traffic within a radius of 50 km at an altitude of 2100 m and below (takeoff and landing zone). For arrivals, he issues permission to perform an approach, and for departing - instructions on the initial climb.

Approach Manager controls the movement at an altitude of 2100-5700 m. The coverage area of ​​the circle zone is 90-120 km. from the airfield. It determines the landing approach sequence, the landing intervals.

Regional center manager controls the flight at altitudes of 2100-17000.

Dispatcher of point of local airlines- directs the flight at an altitude of 1500 m and below in the airfield area.

Dispatcher of the local control center- manages the flight away from major airports - at an altitude of 1500 m and below within the established area of ​​​​responsibility (usually this is the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe administrative region or a significant part of it).

The air traffic controller constantly monitors the air situation with the help of a special monitor, taking into account weather conditions, ship traffic schedules, etc. The air traffic controller is constantly in touch with the crews of the ships and with his colleagues from adjacent areas of responsibility.

An airplane is too fast a mode of transport for the dispatcher to be slow. For example, in an unexpected situation, he must quickly disperse the aircraft to a safe distance, decide on a landing ban (or vice versa), etc. In addition, one controller can have up to 20 aircraft at the same time.

Since there is no time to think about the situation for a long time, all the actions of the dispatcher are strictly regulated.

The dispatcher's work is organized in such a way as to minimize errors in flight control. In addition to the rules and instructions, the dispatcher has equipment at his disposal: monitors, communication equipment, signal displays, etc. He also receives information from meteorological services and uses reference information. Every dispatcher knows that his wrong decisions can lead to disaster and loss of life. High responsibility with a large amount of work, high speed of decisions - all this means increased nervous tension.

A Miami airport air traffic controller fell asleep while on night duty, the Associated Press reported Saturday (April 16, 2011). The incident happened early Saturday morning. During this night shift, 12 other people were working in the control room, and one of them reported a colleague who had fallen asleep.

According to the preliminary results of the investigation, the dispatcher did not miss a single radio signal from the aircraft, so the incident did not affect the operation of the airport in any way. However, the dispatcher who fell asleep at the post was removed from work.

This has already happened at airports in Texas, Nevada, Tennessee and Washington. A few days ago, a nationwide inspection of air traffic control services began in the United States, and the chief air traffic controller of the United States, Hank Krakowski, resigned. The leadership of the US Federal Aviation Administration has already stated that they will have to cancel the practice of single night duty and revise the work schedules of air traffic controllers.

Pros and cons

Particularly difficult in terms of emotional load is the work of the Approach dispatcher.

The profession of an air traffic controller is one of the most dangerous and responsible professions related to technology and human lives (from the point of view of psychology, the most interesting is

The dispatch service works around the clock, and the dispatchers keep their watch in shifts. This, like nervous tension, can be attributed to the shortcomings of the profession. However, these difficulties are compensated by a sense of satisfaction from a job well done and the realization of one's own indispensability.

Among the bonuses of the profession is the right to early retirement. For men - from 50 years old, for women - from 45 years old, if they have worked in direct flight control services for at least 12 years 6 months and at least 10 years. (clause 14 of article 27 of the Federal Law of the Russian Federation of December 17, 2001 No. 173 - FZ)

Important qualities

Stress resistance, high sense of responsibility, ability to manage one's attention. Good health (including the organs of the cardiovascular system) is essential. Therefore, once every 2 years, the air traffic controller passes a medical-flight expert commission.

Knowledge and skills

As already mentioned, all actions of the dispatcher are strictly regulated. There are established rules, instructions and scenarios for each working situation, and the dispatcher must know them. He must know the laws of air navigation, understand aviation meteorology ..

Training occurs once every 3 years, the confirmation of a valid air traffic controller license is made, depending on the class of the controller, after 2 or 3 years. In addition, a mandatory requirement for an air traffic controller at the present time is. 4 is a mandatory level on the ICAO scale since 2011.

Secondary vocational education:

• Krasnoyarsk Aviation Technical College of Civil Aviation,
• Khabarovsk branch of the Krasnoyarsk Aviation Technical College

Specialty "Air traffic management"

Aviation professionals who control and maintain the air traffic of airplanes, helicopters and other aircraft are called air traffic controllers. Their place of work is airports and military airfields. The main task of the representatives of this profession is to ensure the safe, regular and orderly movement of air transport. To do this, you need to know:

• air navigation (a science that studies methods and means of air transport control);
• aviation meteorology (atmospheric processes, their impact on aviation activities);
• separation rules and instructions (dispersion of aircraft over a certain distance so that there is no collision between them).

The work of an air traffic controller is organized in such a way that he can control all stages of the movement of an aircraft or other air vehicle, from takeoff to landing. At the same time, the airspace is divided into certain zones assigned to a separate dispatcher specialist, who manages the flight specifically within his section. Therefore, air traffic controllers have a different area of ​​specialization:

1. Airfield control tower - here they schedule a flight plan for the day, in coordination with other airport services, control the situation in the air during flights, and maintain constant communication with the crews of the vehicles.
2. "Taxiing" - checks the movement of vehicles on the territory of the airfield, allows or prohibits towing, starting the engine of the car, taxiing.
3. "Start and landing" - are engaged in the management of the takeoff and landing of aircraft.
4. "Circle" - controls the movement of cars in the take-off zone with a radius of 50 km from the airfield.
5. "Approach" - manages the flight at an altitude of 2100-5700 m, allows landing in turn, determining time intervals.
6. The regional center - controls the movement of aircraft at an altitude of 2100-17000 m.
7. Point of local airlines - operates in the area of ​​the local airfield at an altitude of 1500 m and below.
8. Local control center - occupies the area of ​​the administrative region far from major airports, flight control at an altitude of up to 1500 m.

The control and guidance of the movement of aircraft and other air assets is carried out by monitoring the situation in the air using a special monitor. In this case, meteorological conditions, aircraft schedules, etc. are necessarily taken into account.

Air traffic controllers do not have the right to make a mistake, since the lives of other people depend on their observation and reaction. Therefore, the organization of their work is aimed at preventing errors in flight control.

Dispatch service operates day and night - 24 hours a day. Because of this, in order to avoid nervous and psychological stress, air traffic controllers go out to perform their duties in shifts.

Air traffic controller skills

Employers, when hiring a person for the position of an air traffic controller, take into account such qualities as personality:

• resistance to emotional and psychological stress;
• the ability to distribute attention;
• care and responsibility;
• resourcefulness and self-control;
• initiative and organizational skills;
• Analytical mind;
• developed visual-motor coordination of movements.

In this case, the air traffic controller must know:

• device and principles of operation of dispatching equipment;
• the construction of aircraft machines to give advice on the rapid elimination of any problems during the flight;
• English (or another foreign language, depending on the place of work);
• professional terms.

In addition to all of the above, it is desirable to have one of the diplomas of higher education in the specialty "Operation of aircraft and air traffic management", "Air traffic control".

Pros of being an air traffic controller:

• work is not related to physical activity (women of different ages can work);
• comfortable working conditions (indoors, sitting);
• the right to early retirement (men - from 50 years old (work experience of at least twelve and a half years), women - from 45 years old (with ten years of work experience)).

Salary of a Russian air traffic controller in 2019

The average salary of an air traffic controller per month is about 120 thousand rubles. Such information is provided on the website http://ru.zarplat.info/air traffic controller. Already today there is information about the salary increase for air traffic controllers by 30% in 2018.

Here you can also view vacancies in such companies of the Russian Federation: Strela - 90,000 rubles / month, AC 1st class - 72,000 rubles / month, Air Navigation of the North-West - 65,000 rubles / month, "Vanguard" Sosnovy Bor - 250,000 rubles / month.

How to become an air traffic controller

In Russia, there are not so many universities where you can get the profession of "air traffic controller". These are the Moscow State Technical University of Civil Aviation (Moscow), the State University of Civil Aviation (St. Petersburg), the Higher Aviation School (Ulyanovsk), the Higher Military Institute. V.M. Komarova (Yeisk). St. Petersburg State University of Civil Aviation has its branches in Khabarovsk and ATK GA, after studying in which you can get a secondary vocational education.

Every three years, air traffic controllers take special advanced training courses, after which they confirm their current certificate and capacity in accordance with the requirements.

Experts remind

An air traffic controller is one of the most responsible professions, which is associated not only with aviation technology, but also with human lives.

Suitable educational specialties: Technical operation of automated systems, air traffic control, technical operation of aircraft and airports, aircraft traffic control systems, organization of the use of airspace, systems
Key items: mathematics; Russian language; Informatics; physics

Tuition fee (average in Russia): 560,000 rubles

Job description:

*tuition fees are for 4 years of undergraduate studies .

Air traffic control specialist.

Features of the profession

The crew, while flying the aircraft, is in touch with dispatchers who are responsible for the order of movement of aircraft and helicopters.

The controller's control includes absolutely all stages of the aircraft's movement: from its taxiing out from the parking lot before takeoff to taxiing into the parking lot after landing.

All airspace is divided into areas of responsibility of control points. And the dispatcher manages the traffic within the area of ​​responsibility of his point.

Dispatcher airfield control tower draws up a daily flight plan, coordinates its implementation with other services, with his colleagues from other airports (for example, with the traffic control of another airport). He is constantly in touch with the crews of the ships, monitors the air situation. At some airports, this function is performed by a liaison team.

The "Taxiing" controller controls the traffic on the territory of the aerodrome.

Dispatcher "Start and landing" supervise take-off and landing ships.

The Krug dispatcher directs traffic within a radius of 50 km at an altitude of 2100 m and below (takeoff and landing zone). For arrivals, he issues permission to perform an approach, and for departing - instructions on the initial climb.

The "Approach" dispatcher directs traffic at an altitude of 2100-5700 m. The coverage area of ​​the circle zone is 90-120 km. from the airfield. It determines the landing approach sequence, the landing intervals.

Dispatcher district center controls the flight at altitudes of 2100-17000.

Dispatcher point of local airlines- directs the flight at an altitude of 1500 m and below in the airfield area.

Dispatcher local control room- manages the flight away from major airports - at an altitude of 1500 m and below within the established area of ​​​​responsibility (usually this is the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe administrative region or a significant part of it).

The air traffic controller constantly monitors the air situation with the help of a special monitor, taking into account weather conditions, ship traffic schedules, etc. The air traffic controller is constantly in touch with the crews of the ships and with his colleagues from adjacent areas of responsibility.

An airplane is too fast a mode of transport for the dispatcher to be slow. For example, in an unexpected situation, he must quickly disperse the aircraft to a safe distance, decide on a landing ban (or vice versa), etc. In addition, one controller can have up to 20 aircraft at the same time.
Since there is no time to think about the situation for a long time, all the actions of the dispatcher are strictly regulated.

The dispatcher's work is organized in such a way as to minimize errors in flight control. In addition to the rules and instructions, the dispatcher has equipment at his disposal: monitors, communication equipment, signal displays, etc. He also receives information from meteorological services and uses reference information.
Every dispatcher knows that his wrong decisions can lead to disaster and loss of life. High responsibility with a large amount of work, high speed of decisions - all this means increased nervous tension.

A Miami airport air traffic controller fell asleep while on night duty, the Associated Press reported Saturday (April 16, 2011). The incident happened early Saturday morning. During this night shift, 12 other people were working in the control room, and one of them reported a colleague who had fallen asleep. According to the preliminary results of the investigation, the dispatcher did not miss a single radio signal from the aircraft, so the incident did not affect the operation of the airport in any way. However, the dispatcher who fell asleep at the post was removed from work. This has already happened at airports in Texas, Nevada, Tennessee and Washington. A few days ago, a nationwide inspection of air traffic control services began in the United States, and the chief air traffic controller of the United States, Hank Krakowski, resigned. The leadership of the US Federal Aviation Administration has already stated that they will have to cancel the practice of single night duty and revise the work schedules of air traffic controllers.

Particularly difficult in terms of emotional load is the work of the Approach dispatcher.

The profession of an air traffic controller is one of the most dangerous and responsible professions related to technology and human lives (from the point of view of psychology, the most interesting is

The dispatch service works around the clock, and the dispatchers keep their watch in shifts. This, like nervous tension, can be attributed to the shortcomings of the profession. However, these difficulties are compensated by a sense of satisfaction from a job well done and the realization of one's own indispensability.
Among the bonuses of the profession is the right to early retirement. For men - from 50 years old, for women - from 45 years old, if they have worked in direct flight control services for at least 12 years 6 months and at least 10 years. (clause 14 of article 27 of the Federal Law of the Russian Federation of December 17, 2001 No. 173 - FZ)

Important qualities

Stress resistance, high sense of responsibility, ability to manage one's attention.
Good health (including the organs of the cardiovascular system) is essential. Therefore, once every 2 years, the air traffic controller passes a medical-flight expert commission.

Knowledge and skills

As already mentioned, all actions of the dispatcher are strictly regulated. There are established rules, instructions and scenarios for each working situation, and the dispatcher must know them. He must know the laws of air navigation, understand aviation meteorology.
It is also necessary to know the English language within the limits established by international standards.

Where do they teach

Secondary vocational education

Krasnoyarsk Aviation Technical College of Civil Aviation,
Khabarovsk branch of the Krasnoyarsk Aviation Technical College
Specialty "Air traffic management"

Higher education

Yeysk Higher Military Aviation School (Military Institute) named after V.I. V.M. Komarova
Krasnodar Higher Military Aviation School for Pilots (Military Institute) A.K. Serov
St. Petersburg State University of Civil Aviation (University of Civil Aviation)
Specialty "Operation of aircraft and organization of air traffic"

Advanced training takes place every 3 years, the valid air traffic controller certificate is confirmed, depending on the class of the air traffic controller, after 2 or 3 years. In addition, a mandatory requirement for an air traffic controller at the present time is. 4 is a mandatory level on the ICAO scale since 2011.

An air traffic controller is a professional who provides air traffic control (ATC) to ensure the safe, energy efficient, regular and orderly movement of aircraft. What exactly is included in the range of professional duties and how to become an air traffic controller, we will consider in the article.

Average salary: 63,000 rubles per month

Demand

Payability

Competition

entry barrier

prospects

History of the profession

International Air Traffic Controller Day is celebrated on October 20, since on this day in 1961 the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers Associations (abbreviated from English IFATCA) was created. However, the history of this young profession begins much earlier - from the moment when communication was first established between the aircraft and the flight coordinator on the ground. Later, with the advent of mass sorties of military aviation, takeoff and landing control standards began to form. But in civil aviation, the final standardization of the management of cargo and passenger air transportation in its modern form took shape after the creation of IFATCA, which today includes more than 50 thousand air traffic controllers from around the world.

Description and characteristics of the profession

In Russia, air traffic management is a whole complex process that ensures the interaction of control centers that are part of the EU ATM structure (which stands for the Unified Air Traffic Management System). The airspace is divided into areas of responsibility of control points and classes, and depending on the type of tasks performed, they are distinguished separately:

• planning points working on more efficient use of airspace from the moment a flight plan is created to its closure;
• points of air traffic controllers involved in the direct control of traffic from the moment the engine is started to taxiing to the parking lot at the destination aerodrome.

In accordance with the flight planning area, three types of EU ATM bodies are distinguished: the Main Center (GC), the Zonal Center (ZC) and the Regional Center (RC). In each of them, according to zoning, they collect and process submitted (FPL) and recurring (RPL) flight plans, control the planning process of both regular and non-scheduled flights in the airspace of Russia and on international airlines (GC), forecast the needs of the airspace and etc. There are also control centers of local airlines, flight information centers.

The separation of air communication stages also implies the separation of control rooms throughout the flight. The workplace of the dispatcher at the airport is the tower of the control center. This is a hall located at an altitude of several tens of meters with huge windows, equipped with computers, monitors displaying the air and meteorological conditions, a signal board, radio navigation and communication equipment, charting tables, tabular and sign indicators, binoculars, and finally, a comfortable sturdy chair.

The air traffic control "crew" consists of the radar control air traffic controller himself, who controls the aircraft, and the assistant - the procedural control dispatcher, who deals with the approvals. In the hall, literally and figuratively, behind the back are the senior air traffic controller (shift supervisor) and the flight director.

Simultaneous control in air traffic conditions is sometimes maintained with two or three dozen aircraft, while it is also necessary to simultaneously monitor changes in weather, pressure, the state of nearby airfields, etc.

The peculiarity of the work of an air traffic controller is that at any moment an extreme situation may arise in which a decision must be made as quickly and clearly as in compliance with the usual schedule. And anything can happen: the aircraft's radar system or even the engine may fail, fog may fall on the runway, etc. Sometimes, due to deteriorating conditions, the strip is not visible either to the naked eye or through binoculars. In this case, there are well-established procedures for coordinating the instruments and lights of the runway, but the tension at such moments grows. As one experienced air traffic controller admitted in an interview: “For us, any situation is normal.” However, in aviation there is such a thing as an "air incident". The decision to declare the stage of "alarm" or "distress" (for example, non-extension of the landing gear during landing approach) is made by the flight director.

Before starting a shift, the air traffic controller undergoes a mandatory medical examination. The working day usually lasts seven hours with a break of at least 20 minutes every two hours. The break is necessary to relieve tension, which grows and accumulates very quickly at the console, increasing the risk of error, so fatigue is unacceptable.

Since the profession of an air traffic controller is associated with a constant high psycho-emotional load, it gives the right to early retirement.

What specialties are best to study

To obtain air traffic controller training, basic training can be completed in several specializations:

• Air traffic control - specialization code: 2.25.03.03.
• Organization of the use of airspace and Organization of air navigation support for flights - specialization code: 2.25.05.05.
• Aircraft motion control systems - specialization code: 2.24.05.06

For each profile, there are from 1 to 3 program options, so that students entering the dispatcher can choose where to study.

The best universities for studying

The most prestigious universities for obtaining specialized education include:

• St. Petersburg State University of Civil Aviation.
• Moscow State Technical University of Civil Aviation.
• MAI - Moscow Aviation Institute.
• South Ural State University (Chelyabinsk).

However, education does not end after graduation. The air traffic controller needs to undergo advanced training every 3 years and, depending on the class, once every 1-3 years, confirm the current air traffic controller certificate: the third class is confirmed annually, the second - once every 2 years, the first - once every 3 years.

Job Responsibilities

Communication with aircraft is maintained throughout the flight, but there is a phased division of airport controllers' responsibility: one controller is responsible for taking off, another for climbing, a third for landing, etc. The same specialist has access to different specializations.

• Steering Manager. Responsibilities include monitoring the situation on the platform. It allows or prohibits towing and adjusts the time so that the other side does not taxi along the lane at the same time. After bringing the aircraft to the runway, the air traffic controller passes the baton to a colleague in charge of the launch.
• Start Manager. Controls the movement of the aircraft along the runway and movement along the pre-landing line.
• Approach Manager. Leads the aircraft to a certain height, providing a safe landing approach and conditions for maneuver.
• Circle manager. He is also responsible for the ability to maneuver during landing, but at a lower altitude.

Approach controllers and circle controllers can be physically located in the adjacent hall. They have more time to make a decision on each individual board, but there are more boards themselves in each unit of time than taxi and launch controllers.

Who suits

The requirements for candidates are very serious, and therefore, after completing an internship, on average, 1/10 of the candidates are eliminated. The requirements are high not only for the volume of special knowledge (meteorology, aerodynamics, navigation, radio equipment, etc.) and general knowledge (proficiency in English at level 4 on the ICAO scale), but also for the psycho-emotional stability of the candidate for this job.

Among the highly skilled professions, air traffic controllers are at risk among those people whose profession exacerbates or provokes suicidal tendencies. Therefore, in addition to a serious general medical commission, a candidate for air traffic controllers must pass a psychological test for professional suitability. Often, formulations are specifically taught to cope with stress. It is no coincidence that one of the most popular types of recreation for air traffic controllers is fishing on the lakes.

There are also age restrictions. Until the age of 40, a medical examination for admission to work is carried out every three years, then every two years, and from the age of 50 a full examination with a conclusion on professional suitability takes place annually.

air traffic controller salary

In the bulk of the published vacancies, the salary for an air traffic controller is offered in the amount of up to 40 thousand rubles per month. Due to the large number of such vacancies, the average salary offered is quite low and does not correspond to the level of responsibility and necessary qualifications that an air traffic controller should have.

However, enough vacancies can be found with pay up to 80 thousand rubles. Less often, but also published, job offers for 125-165 thousand rubles a month and more. The maximum salary that appeared in the list of proposals is 214.5 thousand rubles / month.

How to build a career

When building a career, an air traffic controller grows to a senior controller, and then to a flight director with great authority. However, not only job growth, but also the transition from a provincial airport to an airport with high traffic and increased loads can become a kind of career turn, which becomes a kind of professional challenge for an air traffic controller.

When leaving the main place of work, the dispatcher can try himself as a supply engineer, logistician, that is, in jobs where his professional skills are in demand.

Prospects for the profession

In science fiction and futurology, a number of works are devoted to the topic of robots replacing people in the professions of a pilot and dispatcher (for example, Stanislav Lem's book "Inquiry"). The activity of an air traffic controller, indeed, is automated very quickly. However, control over the operation of devices and making the final decision in case of an emergency remains with the person. So, this profession will be in demand for a long time.