RUNNING HEAD: STRESS IN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL 1

The Fundamentals and Mental and Physical Stresses of Being an Air Traffic Controller




Chase Gordon
Waxahachie Global High
















STRESS IN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL 2

Table of Contents
Abstract 3
The Fundamentals of Air Traffic Control 4
Benefits of Air Traffic Control 5
What is Stress? 5
Mental Stresses on an Air Traffic Controller 6
Physical Stresses on an Air Traffic Controller 7
Statistics and facts on stress in Air Traffic Control 8
Literature Cited 9










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Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to identify the mental and physical stresses of Air Traffic Control on
an Air Traffic Controller and what is being done to improve the system to where there is less
stress on employees. The amount of stress is tremendous and often times fatal. There is a great
importance to keeping the stress levels down so that the Air Traffic Controllers can make the
life-or-death decisions that determine the fate of all who fly with that airline. There are six things
associated with ATC regarding stress: the first is the fundamentals of ATC, the second is the
definition of stress, the third is the mental stresses, the fourth is about the physical stresses, the
fifth is about what actually goes on all around the world statistically, and finally the sixth is
about stress prevention. Each of these are very informative.
Key Words: Air Traffic Control (ATC), En Route Center Controllers (ERCC), the Air Traffic
Control Tower Controllers (ATCTC), Terminal Radar Approach Controllers (TRAC)








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The Fundamentals of Air Traffic Control
There are essentially three types of Air Traffic Controllers. The first is the Air Traffic
Control Tower Controllers which Work in the glassed-in towers you see at airports. They
manage traffic from the airport to a radius of 3 to 30 miles out. They give pilots taxiing and take
off instructions, air traffic clearance, and advice based on their own observations and experience.
They provide separation between landing and departing aircraft, transfer control of aircraft to the
en route center controllers when the aircraft leave their airspace, and receive control of aircraft
on flights coming into their airspace (FAA, 2013). These Air Traffic Controllers are the most
known and most depicted in movies and other representations of Air Traffic Control.
The second type would be the Terminal Radar Approach Controllers that Work in radar
rooms, using terminal radar sensors to assist the aircraft until it reaches the edge of the facility's
airspace, usually about 20 to 50 miles from the airport and up to about 17,000 feet, before
handing it off to the En Route Center Controllers (FAA, 2013).
Lastly, there are the En Route Center Controllers who work in 21 centers across the
country, in a location away from the airport. You will never see them during the course of your
flight, but they will normally direct your aircraft for the bulk of your ride. Controlling traffic
usually at or above 17,000 feet, the typical center has responsibility for more than 100,000
square miles of airspace generally extending over a number of states. These controllers give
aircraft instructions, air traffic clearances and advice using radar or manual procedures they keep
track of the thousands of planes in the sky at any one time. Due to the radar equipment, they
work in semi-darkness and guide aircraft on the scope (FAA, 2013).

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Benefits of Becoming an Air Traffic Controller
There are certain benefits that Air Traffic Controllers gain though the federal system.
Air traffic controller recruits can earn annual and sick leave, and are eligible for a variety of
federal benefits, including health insurance, life insurance, retirement benefits, as well as
participation in the Thrift Savings Plan, which is similar to a 401(k) (FAA, 2013). The Thrift
Saving Plan according to https://www.tsp.gov/planparticipation/about/purposeAndHistory.shtml
says, The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) is a retirement savings and investment plan for Federal
employees and members of the uniformed services, including the Ready Reserve. It was
established by Congress in the Federal Employees' Retirement System Act of 1986 and offers the
same types of savings and tax benefits that many private corporations offer their employees
under 401(k) plans. The TSP is a defined contribution plan, meaning that the retirement income
you receive from your TSP account will depend on how much you (and your agency, if you are
eligible to receive agency contributions) put into your account during your working years and the
earnings accumulated over that time. (Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, 2014).
What is Stress?
Stress is anything that attacks your well-being. Stress is a pressure on the mind that could
either boost productivity, or make it to where focus is hard. I believe that if we did not have any
stress we would be bored all the time and would have felt that there is no point to life at all.
However, too much stress on the other hand would be fatal and would often loosen the sanity of
a person, which would in turn make life too unbearable to live. There are, I believe, many
complex levels of stress that determine the productivity of a person. The Stress Management
Society explains very well the meaning of stress; Stress happens when we feel that we can't
cope with pressure and this pressure comes in many shapes and forms, and triggers physiological
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responses. These changes are best described as the fight or flight response, a hard-wired reaction
to perceived threats to our survival. When survival had meant facing immediate and real threats
such as confronting a charging elephant, our response has saved lives. At times of danger, the
body's innate intelligence automatically takes charge by triggering a set of changes that bypass
our rational thoughts. Priority is given to all physical functions which provide more power to
face an enemy or to flee. To understand why stress can have negative impacts on your health,
you must first understand the physiological changes that occur within your body during the fight
or flight response. (What Is Stress?, n.d.)
Mental Stresses of Air Traffic Control
According to The Christian Science Monitor, Air Traffic Control is the 4
th
most stressful
job in the world. Air traffic controllers, who maintain the flow of aircraft in and out of airports
and in flight, are key to aviation safety. This is well recognized as one of the most stressful jobs,
requiring total concentration. Radar controllers, as opposed to tower controllers, also have to
work in semi-darkness with an airplane full of passengers in their sight as a mere luminous blip
on the screen. (Top 5 most stressful jobs, n.d.). Air Traffic Controllers, due to the long work
hours, have troubles staying awake which actually happens more than we know. The weird part
is that Air Traffic Controllers actually get eight and now nine hours of break. This is a major
effect on the mind of an Air Traffic Controller.
Physical Stresses of Air Traffic Control
The exhausting mental stresses of Air Traffic Control on an Air Traffic Controller most directly
effects the physical wellness of every employee. Stories of current controllers fighting to stay
STRESS IN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL 7

awake during their shift tells the whole story. ABC News interviewed a few controllers (names
unknown) about the job:
Caffeine, of course, is a staple for many, but when he wasn't drinking coffee,
former controller Tom Anthony says he'd fight fatigue on the slow overnight shift
by exercising: performing jumping jacks, sit-ups, push-ups, whatever he had to
do. On the other hand, he'd also eat: He recalls one night in which he consumed
something like 20 tamales. I guess heartburn helps keep you awake, too. (Rick
Seaney, 2011)
Wait a minute, you may be thinking, even on these brutal shifts, controllers do
get eight and now nine hours off, and you may also be thinking how rare it is that
you get a full eight hours of sleep a night. Well, consider that in the space of that
eight to nine hours off, air traffic controllers have to drive home (and drive back
to work) and then once they're home, they no doubt check the mail, maybe chat
with the family, grab a bite to eat, whatever. I mean, can you come home and
jump right into bed? So that sleep time slips away. But say you can come home
and jump right into bed. If your down-time is say, between 2 p.m. and 10 p.m.,
there are distractions, because that's when most people are up and about. Sid
McGuirk, a former air traffic controller and now a professor at Embry-Riddle
Aeronautical University, says, When you're young, it's a wonderful thing, you
can bounce back from the lack of sleep. That gets harder to do in your late 30s
and 40s and 50s. Of course, lack of sleep is a tricky concept, or as former
controller Voss says, Fatigue doesn't show up in an autopsy (Rick Seaney,
2011)
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Statistics and Facts on Stress in Air Traffic Control
Jonathan Rivers, a writer and reporter for the Shrinkage is Good website determined
the 12 most stressful jobs in America, Air Traffic Control being among them. He said; One of
the only things preventing horrific airplane crashes are skilled, precise air traffic controllers.
Several planes at a time are usually taking off or landing at any given airport, and it is the job of
the air traffic controller to instruct each pilot as to when they can do so. Giving a land or take off
signal too soon or too late can (and has) result in a crash that is solely the fault of the air traffic
controller. Most people would undoubtedly find it stressful to know that each direction they gave
at work killed or saved hundreds of people (Rivers, 2010).
Quick Facts: Air Traffic Controllers
Bureau of Labor Statistics as of 2012
2012 Median Pay
$122,530 per year
$58.91 per hour
Entry-Level Education Associates degree
Work Experience in a Related Occupation None
On-the-job Training Long-term on-the-job training
Number of Jobs, 2012 25,000
Job Outlook, 2012-22 1% (Little or no change)
Employment Change, 2012-22 400



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LITERATURE CITED
Bibliography
FAA. (2013, December 26). Pay, Benefits, & Training.
http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/headquarters_offices/ahr/jobs_careers/occupations/atc/
benefits_training/
FAA. (2013, September 12). Roles and Responsibilities of Air Traffic Control Facilities.
http://www.faa.gov/jobs/career_fields/aviation_careers/atc_roles/
Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board. (2014). Purpose and History. Plan:
https://www.tsp.gov/planparticipation/about/purposeAndHistory.shtml
Rivers, J. (2010, May 10). 12 of The Most Stressful Jobs in America.
http://www.billshrink.com/blog/8642/12-of-the-most-stressful-jobs-in-america/
Seaney, R. (2011, April 26). 5 Confessions of Air Traffic Controllers. http://abcnews.go.com/Travel/air-
traffic-controller-confessions/story?id=13454419&singlePage=true
Stress Management Society. (n.d.). What Is Stress? http://www.stress.org.uk/What-is-stress.aspx
The Christian Science Monitor. (n.d.). Top 5 most stressful jobs.
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2010/0811/Top-5-most-stressful-jobs/Air-traffic-controller





Graded by: Devin Hoops
Word Count: 1520
Abstract: 153 words