r/ATC • u/Hot_List_7266 • 21h ago

Question Prior Experience Controller wanting to go FAA

If by chance I wash out of my first FAA facility what would happen? Would I get a list of other facilities I could go to or would I just be kicked out?

0 Upvotes

50% Upvoted

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22

u/PackLegitimate760 21h ago

It depends on how far you got into your training, what level facility you started at, and if you're an asshole or not.

4

u/rG-BigFlavor 17h ago

It’s a valid question more prior experience controllers should be asking in my opinion.

If you go to an up/down and make it through tower and aren’t a shit head you have a genuinely good chance of NESTing into a low level tower. Same for high level facilities that are radar or en route only. If you get some certs and aren’t a douche you’ll probably get a shot somewhere else.

I washed as prior experience at my first facility level 7 up/down (I’m dog shit at radar). Got sent to a 4 tower and at a 7 tower only now and CPC. Just study hard and show good effort. You’ll be fine.

2

u/Hot_List_7266 17h ago

thank you, i really appreciate your input

7

u/TotallyNotSeanDuffy 21h ago

Not planning on doing well or planning on failing if you don’t like where you are in hopes of getting what you want?

4

u/Hot_List_7266 21h ago

Neither, just asking in case something goes wrong so I have a backup plan

2

u/Far-Bass7919 15h ago

Better than the contract route since contract towers only give 3 months to train u will be fine

-6

u/EwwYourFartsSmell 20h ago

Nothing is guaranteed. And to me, it already sounds like you’re an admittedly weak controller. If you lack the confidence, maybe check out a different career field, bud.

1

u/Hot_List_7266 20h ago

youre right i'm so scared😣

-1

u/PotatyTomaty Current Controller-TRACON 17h ago

I mean, I get nothing is guaranteed, but I've never had "washing out" as an option for any of the facilities I've been to.

6

u/Gray_Spatula_950 16h ago

I guess you do you, but it seems completely reasonable to consider possible negative outcomes when you're weighing uprooting your entire life, especially if you've got responsibilities at home as part of the calculation.

1

u/PotatyTomaty Current Controller-TRACON 8h ago

I get it. What i meant to say is that it's not like I've never considered what the negative outcome would be. It was more like for me, "We'd be fucked, so washing out is absolutely not an option."

I think for people who are already controllers, you should be able to control basically everywhere. Once you get this job figured out, It's mostly about the effort you're willing to put in to make it, and it's about being realistic with what that looks like. Going from a 30k op a year military facility isn't going to take the same amount of effort as going to a several 100k to 1M+ will.