Behind the Radar: What are air traffic controllers really like?

By MATTHEW STARR

Have you ever wondered what sort of people air traffic controllers are?

You might be surprised to find out they aren’t much different than you.

Regular People, Extraordinary Job

There’s something that needs to be told that nobody seems to be telling. It’s something that most of us don’t really think about because it’s so obvious. The same way we don’t really think about how we’re hurling through the cosmos on a wet rock, anchored to a giant flaming ball of gases and plasma, held by an invisible force called gravity. It’s a fact we just don’t regularly look at.

Now, this isn’t quite as profound as the cosmos, but it is an important thing to remember when you’re flying through the skies. It’s the fact that air traffic controllers are regular folks. Just like pilots, we’re passionate about aviation, dedicated to our work in all the same ways, and have regular lives outside of the job.

Pilots often think of air traffic controllers as a mysterious group of individuals hidden away in those towering glass rooms or those dark and secret radar dungeons.

Controllers are the unseen (although not unheard) parts of the aviation system that everyone uses. They control. They intimidate. Some people even call them sky gods (mainly controllers themselves).

But they’re human. As human as humanly possible. And it’s important to remember that.

So let’s take a more intimate look at those people out there who keep our planes safe and our flights smooth…well, smooth-ish.

Not Machine, but Kind of Machine

Contrary to popular belief, air traffic controllers are not robots hiding behind radar screens. They are human beings who experience the same joys and challenges as anyone else — particularly during the job.

You can see just about every emotion possible during a busy day in air traffic control. Feelings run the gamut from elated laughter to full-on fury. High stakes decision-making on a regular basis does that to a person.

But despite this range of emotions, sometimes what you see is a complete lack of emotion. This is odd considering the facts, but it makes sense when you think of it like this: Many controllers manage the emotional rollercoaster by compartmentalizing those feelings, which can come across as robotic and unfeeling.

Occasionally, you have to put aside your feelings and become that machine, because the truth is that if you let the feelings get in your head, it could affect performance, and bad performance in this job can lead to serious consequences.

But don’t be fooled. This job is incredibly important to us. Whether we show it or not, we have all the feels.

So if you come across that robot on the frequency, odds are he switched to controller mode and he’ll switch back as soon as he unplugs.

Family Matters

Believe it or not, there are people in this world who live with air traffic controllers. A special group of humans who actually choose to put up with the type A, sarcastic, and crazy controller personalities out there. Controller families are certainly special.

Special as they may be, they still spend their time going to soccer games, reading bedtime stories, having cookouts, and trying to get that once in a while date with their significant other.

Thanks to the nature of shift work, they sometimes celebrate Christmas on Dec. 23 or host birthday parties on any day except the actual birthday, but they try to live a normal life.

Controllers also have work families. Throughout the year we see the same group of misfits day in and day out as we work traffic together. They become our family, dysfunctional as it may be. We take care of each other in the control room.

Cooperation is critical in air traffic control and when you cooperate with someone often enough, you start to rely on them.

What’s a sleep schedule?

Controllers work a rotating set of shifts that commonly start with two evening shifts and end with three day shifts. At facilities operating 24/7, you’ll have the overnight shift start the same evening as your last morning shift.

You read that right.

It looks like this: Work the 5:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. day shift, go home for eight hours or so, then come back the same day at 10:30 p.m. to stay up all night waiting for those two medevac flights and the one lonesome student on an IFR night solo. It can be brutal.

Because of these irregular schedules, most controllers have no circadian rhythm. It’s unfortunate and an arguably unsafe way to operate, but it’s necessary to cover all of the irregular air traffic that can occur.

It also maintains a bit of equity across the workforce, so everyone can have some evenings and days with their families.

Try to remember these wacky schedules if you come across a grouchy controller at 7 a.m. She might have worked until 10 p.m. the previous night and her coffee hasn’t kicked in. Have grace and find it in your heart to forgive her grumpiness caused by lack of sleep.

Controller Fuel

As my wife always says, “I can’t human before I coffee.”

I don’t think this is particularly unique to air traffic controllers, but 99% of us run on caffeine. The other 1% are healthy, happy, and 100% fictional.

I honestly can’t imagine a day starting without a cup of the black lightning juice. Sometimes I think the only reason we go to sleep is so we can wake up to a delectable mug of coffee.

Even the FAA recommends caffeine as a mitigation to fatigue. Sure, they say it should be used strategically, but what they really mean is use coffee as your source of hydration…right? Yeah, right.

Say what you will about coffee, but remember this: During the Enlightenment, Voltaire, Rousseau, and Isaac Newton didn’t have conversations about philosophy over a hot cup of water. They drank coffee and the world was changed.

Your Friendly Neighborhood Controller

There are many more regular and mundane things about controllers, but the bottom line is that we exist in this world and live the way any other crazy person in aviation does. Don’t think of us as anything other than a regular human doing a unique job, with all that entails.

If you live in a city with a control tower or ATC radar facility, the odds are pretty good you live down the road from a controller or you know someone who does. You’ve probably seen us in the grocery store. Our kids probably go to the same school. We get caught at the same slow red light. We live our lives just like you do.

If you ever happen to run into one of us, try getting a tour of the control tower or ATC facility. It’s a great way to see the other side and a huge learning experience.

Just ask how to set the tour up or what number to call. Odds are we’ll be happy to help. We aren’t monsters, after all.

Matthew Starr is a training and development professional with more than 12 years of experience in the aviation industry. When he is not controlling air traffic, Matthew works with organizations to develop and deploy training programs and eLearning materials to assist their workforce in improving business efficiency and effectiveness.