New Controller Training Scheme Goes Live

Applications will be taken starting Oct. 11 for the FAA's new direct entry air traffic control training program at two Oklahoma schools. Tulsa Community College and the University of Oklahoma are the first two institutions to offer the new Enhanced Air Traffic-Collegiate Training Initiative. Under the initiative, graduates will go directly to air traffic control facilities for on-the-job training and skip the FAA's own training academy in Oklahoma City.

FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said the two post-secondary institutions will offer the same training on the same equipment as takes place at the academy. The goal is to streamline training to address the nationwide controller shortage. "The FAA is working to hire and train more air traffic controllers, in order to reverse the decades-long decline in our workforce and ensure the safety of the flying public," said Whitaker. "The Enhanced AT-CTI program is an important part of that effort."