Our confidence in the Federal Aviation Administration’s first step in addressing a significant air traffic controller hiring need has unfortunately turned to deep concern. The FAA’s recent nationwide controller job announcement drew more than 28,000 candidates. However, only eight percent – approximately 2,200 – passed the initial “Biographical Questionnaire” evaluation and advanced in the hiring process. The FAA expected 30 percent to advance.

The FAA sets its own hiring policies and NATCA is not involved in those decisions. We continue to maintain that the FAA should hire the most qualified candidates and place them in facilities where they have the highest likelihood of success during their training. The FAA must address this flawed biographical evaluation and correct the unintended consequence of rejecting what we believe are hundreds if not thousands of qualified candidates. Many of them have very high AT-SAT test scores, high grades in CTI collegiate ATC programs, or significant experience as controllers in the military or Federal Contract Tower facilities.

There is time to get this right, but it’s dwindling. Last year’s sequestration-caused hiring freeze set back the FAA’s ability to plan for current and future openings. As a result, there are now over 3,000 controllers who are eligible to retire but only 1,500 currently training to replace them, a process that takes two to three years. Without a significant investment in the United States’ air traffic control workforce, there simply won’t be enough people to maintain the current level of ATC services, much less help NextGen modernization efforts and the National Airspace System reach its full potential.

-Paul Rinaldi (NATCA President) and Trish Gilbert (NATCA VP) March 2, 2014 Team Update