IFATC Newsletter - July 2024 Edition
Welcome back to the IFATC Newsletter! I am @Delta174J , and with permission from @Declan and @Tyler_Shelton, I have started it up again! I aim to create monthly issues to highlight the amazing work that IFATC does, and the way it benefits teamwork, problem solving ability, cognetivity, and stamina. Feel free to give any feedback in DM, and thanks for tuning in!
Interview with @TRDubh | IFATC Recruiter and Officer
Tom (Trdubh) is one of the most experienced controllers around, having been in IFATC for 4+ years. Tom is an IFATC Officer & Recruiter, where he is responsible for recruiting both new prospective canidates for IFATC, and current controllers looking to become officers.
Interview
I’ve been a member of IFATC since early 2020, just before Infinite Flight’s COVID boom, with some gaps along the way where I’ve taken time to focus on other areas of life. I now hold the rank of an IFATC Recruiter and Officer, helping aspiring IFATC candidates and aspiring officers by testing them and helping them grow in their pursuit of their roles in the team. I love the ability to control any airport in the world and to be able to organize it alongside an exceptionally dedicated team of controllers - it often feels like magic and the ability to give back to pilots through the form of Air Traffic Services is extremely rewarding and fun. I’ve been known to be a big fan of controlling Centre, but Approach is very hard to beat in terms of the most fun and creative frequency to control. My favourite airports to control are EKCH on Tower and WIII on Approach due to the efficient layout of EKCH and the beautiful STARs of WIII, especially when using the 07s for arrivals! I encourage aspiring controllers to immerse themselves in all aspects of our operations, especially the underrated value of immersion by flying to an IFATC-controlled airport on the Expert Server to see how things are run. In the technical sense of how to do well in tests, as much as it’s said by others, it’s very important to be familiar with the IFATC Manual and many of Tyler’s YouTube videos on the Infinite Flight channel to learn more. My biggest tip for aspiring controllers: have fun and remember that everyone is still learning so do your best.
“When things get busy, how do you focus?”
Controlling is a spectrum: you can control Approach with 60 arrivals in 20 minutes, or Ground and Tower in Cleveland with 2 planes on the ground. When it gets busy and all the commands are coming at you, it can get stressful. Here are different ways controllers lock in:
@Saf, Tester of 8 months
“The traffic keeps you occupied.”
-@Mattchew, Officer & Tester of 6 months
“One of the main things I do as a controller when it’s busy is staying calm. When you have 50+ requests all coming at once, it can get quite overwhelming. Normally, I know what I’m getting myself into before opening, so I come prepared. Listening to music can help me too depending on the situation. It’s nice to have some peaceful music in the background while my iPad gets spammed. Minimizing distractions is essential. Having lots of things going on at once makes it difficult to concentrate.”
@VortexVolt, Specialist of 7 months
When things get busy, I focus by not panicking. When controlling hub airports, featured airports, or other airports, it can get extremely busy with multiple requests by pilots every second. To persevere through these situations, I like to take one command at a time. I also like to make sure I send these commands at a rapid pace so I don’t unnecessarily delay pilots. I try to make sure I have noise cancellation headphones on so I can minimize distractions and provide efficient services to pilots. I didn’t use these strategies from day one. I had to invent these strategies myself with practice.
Highlight of the month:
We will be having a “highlight of the month” in every issue, which is a screenshot highlighting a controllers extraordinary service.
This month features a screenshot shared by @FlightG on CYZZ Approach. In this screenshot, you can see the aircraft he handled in the hour he was controlling. Due to the heavy flow of aircraft in one time, he used expert sequencing skills to space out the aircraft and used 360 holds when the traffic levels were too extreme for the airport.
Thank you for tuning in this month! While we did consult with management before publishing, we are in no way affiliated with Infinite Flight LLC or IFATC. We thank you for tuning in, and we hope to see you again next month.
