Occupation Profile

Air Traffic Controllers

(SOC Code : 53-2021)

in California

Control air traffic on and within vicinity of airport and movement of air traffic between altitude sectors and control centers according to established procedures and policies. Authorize, regulate, and control commercial airline flights according to government or company regulations to expedite and ensure flight safety.

Employers usually expect an employee in this occupation to be able to do the job after Long-term on-the-job training (> 12 months) .

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Occupational Wages

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Area	Year	Period	Hourly Mean	Hourly by Percentile
				25th	Median	75th
California	2012	1st Qtr	$57.68	$38.49	$58.16	$76.85

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Occupational Projections of Employment (also called "Outlook" or "Demand")

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Area	Estimated Year-Projected Year	Employment		Employment Change		Annual Avg Openings
		Estimated	Projected	Number	Percent
California	2010 - 2020	2,800	2,600	-200	-7.1	110

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Job Openings from JobCentral National Labor Exchange

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Industries Employing This Occupation (click on Industry Title to View Employers List)

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Data for Industries Employing This Occupation (click on Industry Title to View Employers List) not available.

About Staffing Patterns

Training Programs (click on title for more information)

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Program Title

Air Traffic Controller

About Training & Apprenticeships

About This Occupation (from O*NET - The Occupation Information Network)

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Top Tasks (Specific duties and responsibilities of this job.)

Issue landing and take-off authorizations or instructions.

Monitor or direct the movement of aircraft within an assigned air space or on the ground at airports to minimize delays and maximize safety.

Monitor aircraft within a specific airspace, using radar, computer equipment, or visual references.

Inform pilots about nearby planes or potentially hazardous conditions, such as weather, speed and direction of wind, or visibility problems.

Provide flight path changes or directions to emergency landing fields for pilots traveling in bad weather or in emergency situations.

Alert airport emergency services in cases of emergency or when aircraft are experiencing difficulties.

Direct pilots to runways when space is available or direct them to maintain a traffic pattern until there is space for them to land.

Transfer control of departing flights to traffic control centers and accept control of arriving flights.

Direct ground traffic, including taxiing aircraft, maintenance or baggage vehicles, or airport workers.

Determine the timing or procedures for flight vector changes.

More Tasks for Air Traffic Controllers

Top Skills used in this Job

Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Complex Problem Solving - Identifying complex problems and reviewing related information to develop and evaluate options and implement solutions.

Monitoring - Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.

Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

Active Learning - Understanding the implications of new information for both current and future problem-solving and decision-making.

Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.

Coordination - Adjusting actions in relation to others` actions.

Operation Monitoring - Watching gauges, dials, or other indicators to make sure a machine is working properly.

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Top Abilities (Attributes of the person that influence performance in this job.)

Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.

Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.

Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Flexibility of Closure - The ability to identify or detect a known pattern (a figure, object, word, or sound) that is hidden in other distracting material.

Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

Selective Attention - The ability to concentrate on a task over a period of time without being distracted.

Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.

Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).

Speed of Closure - The ability to quickly make sense of, combine, and organize information into meaningful patterns.

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Top Work Values (Aspects of this job that create satisfaction.)

Support - Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees.

Independence - Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions.

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Top Interests (The types of activities someone in this job would like.)

Enterprising - Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.

Conventional - Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.

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Alternate Titles

Air Traffic Control Specialists, Air Traffic Controllers (Enroute Option), Air Traffic Controllers (Tower Option), Certified Professional Controllers