FAA Air Traffic Controller Requirements
Air traffic controllers help pilots navigate through the skies in a safe and efficient manner. The Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, employs controllers at airport towers, flight centers and terminal radar approach control, or TRACON, facilities throughout the United States and overseas U.S. territories. These professionals earned average median salaries of $111,870 per year as of May 2008. Air traffic controllers need to meet several requirements to stay employed with the FAA.
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Health
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Due to the nature of their positions, air traffic controllers must remain in excellent physical and mental health condition. According to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, these professionals must have vision -- corrected or uncorrected -- of 20/20 or better, normal color vision, field of vision and must be free of eye diseases such as glaucoma. Additionally, controllers must have no history of heart disease, normal blood pressure, no history of seizures or epilepsy and no history of psychosis or serious mental illness.
Age
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The FAA sets age limits for entry into and retirement from air traffic control positions. To be hired by the FAA as a controller, an individual must be under the age of 31 unless she is a retired military veteran with air traffic control certifications and Veteran's Readjustment Appointment or a former FAA controller returning after a period of absence. Also, the FAA mandates all air traffic controllers retire upon reaching the age of 56.
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Education and Training
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To obtain a position as an FAA air traffic controller, an individual must have a degree from an FAA-certified Collegiate Training Initiative school or any four-year bachelor's degree or advanced degree from an accredited college. In lieu of education, the FAA may hire individuals with at least three years of progressively responsible, full-time work experience or previous military air traffic certification. An FAA new hire must complete a 12-week (7 weeks if a Collegiate Training Initiative graduate) training course at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City and an on-the-job training course at his control facility.
Job Reviews and Drug Screenings
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Air traffic controllers must pass aviation medical examinations every year to remain employed in their positions. Additionally, these professionals must pass stringent FAA performance reviews once every two years to keep their jobs as air traffic controllers. Due to the hazards associated with drug use in an air traffic control environment, the FAA mandates all controllers undergo periodic drug screenings as a condition of continued employment.
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