AT-SAT Question

[CFD208]

For you controllers out there...   What happens after one receives their AT-SAT score?  Should one expect a call from the FAA? And if so, in how much time?

[atcman23]

First and foremost... you wait.

Assuming that you applied off the street, the next step is typically getting a call or (most likely) an e-mail from the FAA with a tentative offer for a facility.  If you accept it, you'll then go through the "pre-employment process."  The FAA has stopped holding the PEPCs so you're stuck with the "traditional" route of this (going to one person at a time over a span of several weeks).

As long as everything checks out there, you'll wait some more.

Eventually, you'll be handed (e-mailed) your Firm Offer Letter and given a date to attend Oklahoma City for FAA Academy.

As for an amount of time, it can vary widely, with one factor being where you want to go.  I do know that a lot of facilities in the Western US (primarily the NW US, not so much LAX, etc.) are NOT hiring until FY2011.  There are also some facilities in the Central US that are in the same situation.

[CFD208]

Off the street yes.  All NY facilities were on the application.  Wonder if they're hiring...  How long is the academy anyway?

[atcman23]

Yes when you choose your geographic preferences everything will always be on there.  Most of the Northeast US is hiring from what I've heard but at this point it's hard to say when you'll be offered a position.

At Academy, you will go through the Air Traffic Basics class, which is 5 weeks. If you end up in the terminal (tower or TRACON), initial tower cab training is approx. 37 days.  If you go to a Center (En Route) then it comes to about 62 days (both numbers are NOT including your initial 5 weeks; add another 25 days to these numbers to get your total time at Academy).

If you go direct to a TRACON (such as NY TRACON), it is approx. 32 days.

Lastly if you end up at an "up/down" facility (combined Tower/TRACON) you will go for the initial tower cab training first (after basics), then go to your facility and check out in the tower (anywhere from 1-3 years, average is around 18 months for complete check out), then go back to Academy for radar training and come back and check out in the TRACON.  Once you are fully checked out there, you basically spend half of your time in the tower and the other half in the TRACON (over the course of your career).

[calwxman]

I took the test last week and got my score today.  I got in the low 70's.  How long should I be waiting before I get anything else from the FAA.  From other sites I have checked it says anywhere from 12-18 months.  So I guess I should be expecting to wait a while?

I should mention I am off the street taking the test.  I have a college degree in meteorology.

[atcman23]

At this point it's hard to say as they made a lot of changes in the hiring process in October.