It's no easy being me

I'm an ATC, an air traffic controller. Officially I've been in this profession for about 4 years, but technically I've been doing this for 2 and a half years. These 2 different terms that I used basically to point out that early in my career, what I do for a year and a half is study, taking courses and exams! 

It's not easy to become an ATC, I have to passed 3 courses in a year, transferred to KKATCC (Kota Kinabalu Air Traffic Control Centre) and continue for almost 6 months of local procedure training and live rating exam, and passed that rating check to finally work as a controller. However, because of my paycheck grade as my employment requirement, I was required to be able to work as radar controller. Hence, another course added, another 3 months of studies and exams. Then, back to training of local procedure for radar environment, and of course the live rating check and finally I got my rating license. 

If you think that's the end of it, you wrong my friends... In Malaysia, an ATC have multiple rating, I don't know how it's works in other countries, but Malaysian ATCs' especially the higher grade rank, able to do radar, area planner, approach and approach radar and tower as in aerodrome and ground control. I've taken 3 courses and have 3 ratings, as area planner, area radar and also tower (thats include the live rating). So, if I want to have all the 5 ratings (it's better to finish all the courses early as the brain still young), it means I have 2 courses to go, which I'm pretty sure I will going to attend one of it this year, plus other technical courses offered such as SAR (search and rescue) and PANS OPS. In the end, throughout my career I'll be attend courses, taking exams and of course yearly proficiency check with theory paper exam for each ratings that I have!

And then I'm asking myself, why... Oh why did I applied for this job? Beside all the studies and exams, and rating checks, added with high stress working environment, sometimes overwork when you being recalled during your off day, with government paycheck... This is a satisfying and self rewarding career. I cannot explain how satisfying it is when you talk to aircrafts non-stop for an hour, do coordination at the same time your mind working on plan A, B and C, and D, and so on, and your adrenaline suddenly kick in rushing through your body making you stomp your feet continuously. Once it all over, you like... Yeah, I did that, proud and relief. However, it can be disappointing sometimes when all the hard work your pour in was not recognized by anyone especially in the aviation industry itself. 

Good day!

So, you wanna be an ATC...

Hi everyone...

It's been months since my last post. I just quite lazy with blogging, and with Facebook and twitter came along, blogging kindda 'old school', and bored. However, the reason I start blogging anyway because I wanna improve my English...so I think I need to continue writing even though no one actually reading this...hehehehe

As from the previous post, I currently in-training to become an ATC, or Air Traffic Controller. When I told my friends and family I got a job as an ATC, they were like...what?? "Oh...the one that wave to the aircraft to park" like this one. I was also confuse myself of what actually I'll be doing as an ATC at first, that's why in order to work as an ATC, we have to train for about a year or less (depending on your work requirement) both in theoretical and practical aspect of air traffic control.

Another interesting conversation with fellow "aviation" partners aka airport and airline staffs about ATC is..."Oh, you the one that crash the planes" and what worst is the fact that some of them didn't realize that we are exist! Unless your are a pilot, the chances that you heard about us, an ATC is slim. During the one week orientation before the ATC Primary Course started, most of the instructors and guest speakers told us that an ATC is an unsung heroes of the aviation industry. People didn't know us, no picture what so ever will be publish anywhere commercially about ATC, and we the one that keep thousand of planes safe in the air and land on the ground every day, but one mistake is enough to ruin your whole career.

Instructors and fellow ATCs also jokes about how an ATCO is actually "Aku Tak Campur Orang". Literally means that we don't mix with other people, which is partly true. Once your work as an ATC, there is no 8-5 job, all operation are in shift (unless you work in HQ, which usually fill by "experience" people) coz this is 24/7 operation, as long as there is planes in the sky, Towers and ATCC (air traffic controller center, or we called it as "center") will be open for business. Hence, when regular 8-5 people go to work, we usually sleep and when we work, they will be sleeping. Moreover, when we talk about "traffic" (as in air traffic) they have no idea what we are talking about. Even if we talk about this to other fellow aviation industry people, they having a hard time to understand it!

Most of my instructor told me how ATC gonna change our personality and attitude, mostly towards our daily life. I'm still in training, so I do not notice any personality change in me so I do not know this, but they said we will be more firm and particular with our daily life as what we do actually is giving instructions every day and the pilots will definitely follow them. If the pilots cannot accept route A, we give route B, or route C, or D.... if none of the above, we still give route A with restrictions, or B with restriction or C with restriction, if still can't comply...well we give pilots more restrictions as it is not only 1 planes in the sky, it is hundred to thousand of planes flying in Malaysian airspace every day. Pilots can't see other planes when cruising...for example FL300 (30000 feet) in the air, they are flying blind with instrument in the cockpit to help them, they need ATC to guide them the wright way and to separate them with other aircraft.

I think I wrote long enough for my first post in 8 months. Maybe next time I try to update regularly....well we'll see...I'm a lazy person...

Ciao....