May 2nd, 2012 Honolulu – After a Federal Aviation Administration into the investigation of an incident at Honolulu airport where two planes nearly collided, a long time air traffic controller resigns.

The FAA said that the controller froze at the control panel, leading to a Japan Airlines 767 and a UPS MD11 jet missing each other mid-air 15 miles off the coast of Hawaii by roughly 300 feet.

Hawaii news reported:

At one point, their altitude separation dropped to 0, meaning they were headed straight for each other.

The Federal Aviation Administration managers who were present at the time of the near collision never even reported the incident; it wasn’t until the pilot of the UPS plane told his story to the National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) that the incident was found out by the FAA.

Bob Rabideau the air traffic controller manager who was in charge at the time resigned at age 65 after 20 years of service; after being placed on leave back in February 2012.

A spokes woman for the air traffic controller’s union said about the incident:

“We take incidents like this very seriously,”

“We are working collaboratively with the FAA on a wide array of initiatives that improve safety, which is our No. 1 priority. We are striving to make the world’s safest system of aviation even safer.”

At the time of the near collision the rookie air traffic controller was handling eight planes; which according to the FAA is average in terms of complexity.

April 18th, 2012 Pleasanton Ca – We were really blown away when we found out James Price of Pleasanton, California had constructed a flight simulator in his garage at home. James is a pilot and air traffic controller and apparently in his spare time quite an inventor. He’s taken the nose piece of a 1937 Boeing cockpit, gutted it and retrofitted with new parts inside his garage to create a flight simulator where he can fly anywhere he likes in the world.

Aviation experts believe that there are only a handful of people out there who have actually built flight simulators in the cockpit of an actual airplane.

Price said:

“My first couple of versions of the cockpit … were just basically made up of wood in my spare room in my house.”

“My big thing is that I wanted real parts,”

“It’s a natural progression to want the shell to put it all in.”

After a divorce in 2000 Price was free to do as he pleased.

So just how did he acquire the real nose of a Boeing 737, Price said:

“…a buddy of mine from L.A., Matt Ford, knew of a bone yard in Ardmore, Oklahoma. We both flew out there and looked at a bunch of airplanes. He actually owns the sister ship to mine, so we both own a cockpit.”

James in the cockpit of his at home flight simulator:

The cost of the nose piece $1,500, which needed to be shipped back to California on a large truck that could handle the 2,500 pound piece of metal. Originally the nose sat in a hangar in Livermore, until Price moved it into his garage in order to complete the final preparations on his at home flight simulator.

April 6, 2012 Denver, CO – The FAA is now investigating and Emergency landing that took place at Denver International Airport where an air traffic controller mistook the emergency call for a possible prank.

The controller believed the call was a prank because the pilot failed to respond back with his proper airline information.

According to 9news.com the pilot or co-pilot was heard saying the following:

“Emergency, smoke in the cockpit, roll trucks please” as the plane was coming in for a landing.
 
A controller in the tower responds, asking, “Who was that?” 

The voice responded “5912″ — the flight number that air controllers were tracking. 

After some confusion, the controller responds about 10 seconds later, asking: “United 12, what’s your position?” 

After no response, more time elapsed before the controller says, “Did you hear that? I know that’s BS. I know it is.” Controllers said they were not aware of a United Flight 12. 

Controllers realized and acknowledged the mistake and the plane landed safely and was evacuated immediately on the runway. Everyone was removed safely and one person requested medical attention for unknown reasons.

Sid McGuirk, who teaches traffic management at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida had this to say about the event:

“They (air traffic controllers) have to assume it’s a real emergency, whether it’s a Cessna or a 747 jumbo jet. If it later turns out to be a spoof, it’s a federal crime,”

March 18, 2012 Santa Ana CA – Air traffic controllers were forced to employ “old school” techniques today when they were forced to use portable radios in order to communicate with pilots to help them land their planes at Southern California’s John Wayne Airport.

On Friday the air traffic control tower’s power failed and the airport was forced to put the tower on generators in order to keep it working. The backup generators were doing their job until around 11:42 am when they suddenly stopped working as well. At 1pm the tower was able to get back on commercial power and stop using the back-up generators which had failed. In the absence of having power air traffic controllers were forced to scramble in order to keep landing planes so that the skies around the airport would not become too backed up.

According to Ian Gregor an agency spokesperson the outage lasted for roughly an hour. Around 10 departing flights were delayed by roughly over a half-hour.

Instances like this are the reason why air traffic controllers need to be trained to land planes with a limited amount of equipment.

February 29, 2012 – Airlines are raising ticket prices again citing an increase in fuel costs is driving up their operating expenses. This ticket increase is estimated to tack another $4-10 onto round-trip ticket prices.

United Airlines initiated the increase and Delta Air Lines, Virgin America, American Airlines, and US Airways followed suit and raised their fares as well. JetBlue Airways as well as Southwest Airlines still have yet to follow suit and raise their ticket prices.

Earlier this year in January Delta tried to increase ticket prices, but other airlines were reluctant to follow suit and Delta was forced to reel its pricing back in to what it has previously been before the short lived price hike.

Airline industry insiders were not surprised by the recent ticket price hikes. Even though airlines have managed to save quite a bit of money by employing more fuel efficient aircraft, fuel costs have increased more than 40% between the years of 2005 to 2011. This fuel increase has resulted in a $20 billion fuel increase since 2005.

With these type of fuel increases you might be asking how did the airlines even manage to pull a profit last year; even though it was around 0.3%.

Airline industry experts credit cost cuts for the small profit margin. Airlines cut costs by consolidating facilities, as well as reduced staff. Airlines also improved their “fill” rates on flights by averaging around 82% capacity, which was around 72% in 2000. Additionally airlines began charging for other things like baggage, food & beverages, and inflight movies.

February 6, 2012 Washington DC – In our article Air Traffic Controller Basics we had talked about the move from radars to satellites. It looks like the program to do this has just been given a kick in the pants by congress. A bill that will speed up this process was passed today. The bill will also open up U.S. Skies to unmanned drone aircraft as well.

Many other nations have already moved or have begun moving towards satellite-based technologies; however the Unites States has moved cautiously in this direction. The Unites States’s air traffic amounts to 35% of the commercial global air traffic. Additionally the U.S. Has the world’s most complicated airspace due to the large amount of private aviation flights.

The new bill will provide $63.4 billion for the FAA to spend over the next 4 years. This amount will also include roughly $11 billion which will be put toward modernizing the air traffic control system. The bill will accelerate the modernization program by aiming to have it completed by June, 2015. The modernization program will implement new aircraft arrival procedures within the nation’s 35 busiest airports. This will be accomplished through the utilization of GPS navigation which is more precise than radar.

Because GPS navigation provides air traffic controllers with the precise locations of all aircraft more efficient departures and landings are possible. Rather than fuel burning, time consuming, stair-step descents, aircraft will now be able to come in more steeply, gliding while their engines idle. Planes will also be able to take off more frequently, and closer together even in poor weather conditions.

Currently aircraft are able to be picked up on radar every 6-12 seconds, however with on-board GPS units aircraft locations will be updated every 1 second. The FAA aims to have all aircraft outfitted with these new on-board satellite units moving forward.

This move to satellite guided flights is crucial considering the FAA projects air traffic to grow by 50% over the next 10 years.

January 18, 2012 Mississippi – On Wednesday United States safety investigators cited air traffic controller error regarding a mid-air near collision of a small plane and commuter jet that happened last year in Mississippi.

The air traffic controller how has not be identified was originally suspend and certified after the incident; however, the controller has since been back to work.

The safety board stated in documents that the air traffic controller had a history of “professional deficiencies” which included non-compliance regarding standardized checklist procedures.

The incident involved an ExpressJet flight (53 people on board) and a single engine Cessna. The two planes nearly collided as they passed each other with roughly 300 feet between them. The incident took place of the Gulfport Biloxi airport.

The two planes took off at nearly identical times after receiving clearance from the airport control tower. The captain of the commuter aircraft said “Wow, that was close”, according to his co-pilot.

The National Air Traffic Controller Association (the air traffic controllers union) had no comments other than to say they take reports like this “…very seriously.”

Air traffic controller errors have roughly doubled in between the years of 2008 to 2011 according to the Government Accountability Officer (GAO). However, the GAO also stated that this increase may be due to the fact that all incidents weren’t being reported in prior years because of concerns of disciplinary action; though in recent years the FAA has changed its policies (to reduce fear of disciplinary actions) to encourage the reporting of errors.

With all the flights that safely take-off and land, these incidents seem to be very far and few between.

How do you feel about flying in regards to safety? We would love to hear from you!

Welcome to our aircraft mechanic job description and aircraft mechanic salary information page. Typically we focus on air traffic control related career information, but this career is very closely related and for some who visit this website may be interested in this career as well. Therefore we’ve decided to branch out and give you some detailed and informative information about aircraft mechanic jobs.

Aircraft Mechanic Job Overview

There are roughly 170 aircraft mechanic schools which are certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Most who graduate from these schools aim to work for larger airlines that offer the highest pay and nice benefits. However, competition for these jobs continues to rise because of the pay and benefits, therefore jobs at smaller commuter airports are going to offer the best opportunities for employment.

Modern day aircraft are extremely complex vehicles that contain many parts which must function perfectly and with very low tolerances in order to operate safely. Scheduled maintenance, routine checkups and repairs are necessitates in order to keep these expensive and complex machines running at peak performance, and are also required by the FAA.

Aircraft Mechanic Job Description

A majority of the work performed by aircraft mechanics is preventive maintenance. Mechanics routinely inspect most parts of the airplane to ensure they are functioning properly and do not need replacement. The pieces of the aircraft which they would inspect regularly are things such as engines, instruments, landing gear, valves, brakes, tires, pumps and so forth. These inspections are very similar to the ones you would have done on your car, but they are done more thoroughly and more often; parts are also replaced more prematurely as well to ensure safety.

Inspections are conducted based on the hours of operation which an aircraft has logged. Aviation mechanics keep records which relate to the maintenance which has been performed. Operating hours of an aircraft are tracked based on how much the craft has been flown since its last inspection, cycles of operation, or in some instances based on both of these calculations.

Most large sophisticated aircraft nowadays are equipped with high tech monitoring systems which mechanics can access for information. These systems monitor and store important information about how the aircraft has been running. Airplane mechanics work on aircraft engines, working through custom designed door areas on the plane which allow them to stand on scaffolds and ladders, or by using electronic lifts. After getting into the engine compartments mechanics are able to disassemble the parts and measure them with precision instruments to ensure they are within the safety tolerances they need to be. They also use magnetic and x-ray inspection equipment to check for cracks which cannot be seen by the naked human eye. In addition to these interior parts mechanics also repair the outside composite and sheet metal surfaces. They also check control cables, the fuselage, tail and wings for distortion and cracks. After replacing or checking all these pieces of the aircraft they then check it to make sure it is working properly before letting the plan go back into the skies.

In addition to airplane mechanics that specialize in inspections there are those who specialize in repairing particular systems of the aircraft. An example of this would be when a certain gauge in the cockpit may not be working. A mechanic will troubleshoot the system to get it back up and running as quickly as possible to avoid flight delays, or long periods of downtime which can cost airlines lots of money.

Aircraft mechanics may specialize in one type of aircraft or another; for example jet, propeller-driven, and even helicopters. Others may specialize in particular parts of an aircraft like engines, hydraulics, or the electrical system.

The different classes of aircraft mechanics are as follows. Powerplant mechanics are permitted to work on engines and limited pieces of the propellers; Airframe mechanics are permitted to work on everything except the power plants, propellers and instruments; A&P mechanics are permitted to work on all parts of the aircraft except the instruments; Avionics technicians work on the radar, communication, and other instrument systems. A majority of the mechanics working on today’s airplanes are A&P mechanics.

Air Craft Mechanic Work Environment

Often aviation mechanics are working under tight deadlines, while passengers are waiting on layovers or to board flights. The combination of having to work quickly while needing to pay the utmost attention to details can create for a stressful work environment. Mechanics often are working in airplane hangars, on the airfield, or in repair stations. It is not unusual for mechanics to need to lift heavy equipment of 50 pounds or more. Not only do they need to lift heavy parts and equipment but they often do it while in awkward positions like on their backs, or sides. Ear protection is very often necessary because of the loud noises and vibrations from aircraft engines. According to the Unites States Bureau of Labor Statistics those in this field of work have a higher than average amount of work related illness and on the job injuries.

Mechanics can expect to work 8 hour shifts for 40 hours a week. Although, aviation mechanics must be ready to work at any time around the clock . Mechanics often work nights, early mornings, weekends and holidays. Overtime work is very common in this field of work.

Aircraft Mechanic Training, Certification, and Educational Requirements

A majority of airplane mechanics are certified by the FAA. To become certified one must by 18 years of age, speak English fluently, and possess a high school diploma or the equivalent. Most mechanics acquire their technical skills at aircraft mechanic schools.

There are roughly 170 aircraft mechanic schools which are certified by the FAA. Most aircraft mechanics attend one of these schools to learn their trade; however, there are some mechanics who have learned their skills through on the job training. For those who attend these schools they are required to complete a minimum of 1,900 hours of class time. These courses take anywhere from 12 to 24 months to complete. While at these aircraft mechanic schools students will learn using the same equipment and tools which are used on the actual job. Roughly 1/3 of these schools have 2 and 4 years degrees in aviation technology, aviation maintenance management and avionics.

Today schools are putting more of an emphasis on turbine engines, composite and aviation electronics technology. These advanced materials are the future of aviation and will increasingly be used in the construction of airplanes. These days mechanics also need to posses electronic and computer skills due to the technological advances.

Classes in physics, chemistry, mathematics, and computer science are very desirable traits which an aircraft mechanic can possess. Mechanics must also have good writing skills because they often need to keep written maintenance records and file reports. This is why mechanics must be fluent when it comes to reading, writing and speaking the English language.

The FAA requires that all repairs and maintenance be carried out or supervised by airplane mechanics that possess a FAA certificate. Because of this rule many airlines opt to hire only those mechanics which have a FAA certification. In order to apply for a Powerplant mechanic certification a mechanic must have 18 months of experience. For an A&P certification one will need 30 months of experience in both airframes and engines. However course completion at an FAA aircraft mechanic school can be substituted for the work experience.

Candidates must complete and pass a written, practical and oral tests in order to demonstrate their proficiency in order to receive their FAA certifications. Written tests are overseen by one of the numerous computer testing facilities in the world. Practical and oral tests are carried out with and administered Designated Mechanic Examiner who works with the FAA. All tests need to be completed within a 24 month time frame in order to receive a certification.

It is mandatory for all airplane mechanics to have worked at least one thousand hours in the last 24 months or they are required to take continued education courses. Mechanics must also complete 16 hours of training every 24 months in order to maintain their certifications.

Airlines seek mechanics who are hard working, enthusiastic, self-motivated, able to solve problems and diagnose mechanical problems. Employers also prefer those who are able to perform a variety of tasks. Being agile is very important so that you can crouch, climb and work on scaffolds and ladders. It also helps to not be afraid of heights since you may often being on the tops of the wings or fuselage.

Those coming out of the armed forces may have completed enough broad work experience to qualify for FAA certifications, but in many cases individuals coming out need to attend aircraft mechanic schools in order to get their FAA certifications.

Aircraft Mechanic Job Advancement

For those mechanics who excel and strive for excellence job advancement opportunities will be available. These advancements will come in the form of promotions to positions like lead mechanic, chief inspector, or shop supervisor jobs. Having an aircraft inspectors authorization helps when it comes to promotions. These authorizations are given to those who have obtained A&P certifications for a minimum of 3 years, and who have 24 months of on the job work experience.

Mechanics can also over time be promoted to inspectors for the FAA. Some mechanics who have entrepreneurial skills opt to go into business for themselves. Other mechanics go on to get pilots licenses and eventually become pilots for major airlines.

Aircraft Mechanic Salary

Employment in this field is expected to be favorable and grow about as fast as the average for all jobs across the United States. Jobs are expected to grow by 7% between the years of 2008 to 2018. Globalization and an expanding economy is going to mean more air travel, more airplanes and therefore more demand for aircraft mechanics. Many airlines prefer to have their planes serviced in the U.S. However, there are some that are beginning to outsource their maintenance overseas where they can save money. Another contributing factor to future job openings is that those who have the mental aptitude for these positions are choosing other careers instead.

In May of 2008 the median aircraft mechanic salary was calculated to be around $25 per hour. The highest 10% of mechanics were paid more than $33 per hour. These numbers were supplied by the Unites States Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Additional salary resources reported that an aviation mechanic salary for jet airplanes was on average around $67k annually as of March of 2012. These numbers was compiled by using human resource statistics along with those currently employed in this field of work and their respective aircraft mechanic salaries.

Conclusion

Thanks for visiting our aircraft mechanic job description and salary information web page. We hope you’ve found this information to be detailed and informational. Please leave a comment, as we love to hear from our readers. For more information about aviation careers please read some of our other articles.

An article was just published on December 27th, 2011 in the Courthouse News Service, regarding students who were promised employment with the FAA after their graduation from the air traffic controller school known as L-3 Communications in Arlington, Texas.

The men who filed the lawsuit against L-3 claimed not only were they not offered jobs, but they also said they received inadequate training. Each of the 13 men involved in the lawsuit paid $41k each to enroll in the “air traffic control academy”, and were told the first one hundred graduates would be guaranteed jobs with the FAA.

According to the complaint that was filed:

“To date, not a single student has received a job offer as promised.”

“In fact, plaintiffs have learned that the FAA never made the agreement represented by the defendants.”

“Furthermore, plaintiffs have learned that their training received at the Academy is insufficient, by itself, to even qualify them to work in a FAA air traffic control tower,”

The 13 men are seeking punitive and compensation for fraud, negligent misrepresentation and negligence.

Conclusion

If you’ve read our web page on Air Traffic Controller School, then you would have read that the FAA does not guarantee employment after graduation of air traffic controller school.

Anytime you are considering taking training or schooling where job placement is offered at the conclusion of graduation, it is best to interview students who have already graduated and ask them about their job placement experiences.

In this particular case these students would have benefited by reaching out to the FAA before paying the schools $41,000 tuition fee.

We hope you’ve found this news article helpful and informative.

Air traffic controller stress just comes with the territory when thousands of lives depend on you during any given working shift. Not only is an air traffic controller salary rewarded to you for your outstanding skills, but also because of the fact that you must deal with an incredible amount of stress related to work.

What Causes Air Traffic Control Stress?

In addition to the fact that controllers are responsible for keeping our skies safe; the work hours of an air traffic controller can be very demanding. Control towers must be supervised 24 hours a day, 365 days a year; this means morning, night and swing shifts. You can imagine the potential scheduling problems that can occur when control towers need to be supervised this many hours of the day. Just imagine what happens to the scheduling when a controller gets sick, or is on vacation, etc. There are certain regulations in place as to how many hours a controller must take off the clock before working his/her next shift, but in some cases a controller may be running on very little sleep.

It’s difficult enough to try and read a book, or do something relaxing when you are extremely tired; imagine having a job as important as an air traffic controller and trying to get it done on very little sleep. Now you can probably understand why this job can become very stressful at times, and this is only the tip of the iceberg.

Controller’s are also using a large amount of high tech equipment, which may not always be co-operating as it should. You know how you sometimes have those moments on your own computer, and just think how much more low tech your personal computer is compared to the equipment controllers are working with.

These are just a few of the issues air traffic controllers are dealing with that are contributing to stress levels of this job.

Dealing With Air Traffic Control Stress

Whether your already a controller or looking at how to become an air traffic controller, this next section on dealing with stress can be helpful for anyone experiencing stress.

Identifying the source of your stress

The first step you must take in eliminating stress from your life is to identify the sources causing your stress so that you can deal with them. Think about the things that get you worked up or “stressed out”. Is it deadlines, worrying about lack of sleep, your schedule, job demands, a co-worker that are leading to your stress?

How do you currently cope with your stress

Once you identified what is causing your stress, you can now examine how you are currently dealing with it.

Many people have very unhealthy ways of dealing with their stress, lets look at a few.

• Sleeping
• Drinking
• Smoking
• Drugs or pills
• Not eating enough, or eating too much
• Procrastination

If you are dealing with your stress using one of the above methods, then you need to work towards changing that. These are unhealthy ways to deal with stress, and you need to utilize more healthy methods.

More healthy alternatives to these above “solutions” is to either avoid the stress, or to adapt.

Avoiding stressful situations is always possible but may not be that easy to incorporate, especially if it means leaving post as an air traffic controller. In this case the better option might be to accept and adapt to the stress.

Tips to adapt

Re-frame situations and focus on the positives: No matter what the situation there is always something that could have made it worse, so focus on the positives. If something goes wrong, look at it as a challenge and something you might be able to learn something new from. Remember, in the whole scheme of life this is just a little tick mark on a long line that is your lifetime on this earth; this shall pass too.

Adjust your standards: As perfect as you would like for work to be each day, go in knowing that there is potential for there to be problems. Accepting this ahead of time, will help you when things don’t go as you had “planned”.

Take your mind off your stress

Besides adapting, and accepting the stress, you can also help to relieve it by making some time in your day to take your mind off of it. The best way to do this is by participating in some sort of activity that puts your mind “in the moment”, and doesn’t let your mind wonder into the past or future.

Here are some activities that can help to keep your mind in the moment.

• Taking a walk
• Playing a game
• Reading
• Surfing the internet
• Writing
• Drinking some tea or coffee
• Playing with a pet
• Listening to music
• Taking a drive

Lastly, in addition to everything mentioned above you should also incorporate living a health lifestyle which will also help with daily stress. This means exercising regularly, eating healthy, getting sufficient amount of rest, and avoiding vices.

We hope that you’ve found this article informative and informational. If you are thinking about becoming an air traffic controller it is good to familiarize yourself with healthy ways to deal with air traffic controller stress before getting deep into your career. If you are already a controller these tips may help you in dealing with the current stress you may be feeling.