very organised, with the ability to prioritise, plan and make decisions.

Useful subjects include English and maths. NCEA Level 3 is required to enter tertiary training. If you are under 20 years old, you can do a Bachelor of Aviation Management at Massey University for two years, before entering an air traffic control training programme.

pass the Civil Aviation Authority medical certificate and requirements to be a fit and proper person.Īirways New Zealand hold regular intakes to the courses each year, but entry is very competitive.

Have NCEA Level 3 or equivalent or hold a personal or commercial pilot licence and work experience.

pass aptitude tests, interviews and group exercises.

be either a New Zealand or Australian citizen or a permanent resident.

completed courses and qualifications in air traffic services which include an eight-month course in Christchurch and on-the-job training.

To become an air traffic controller you need to have: And it'll be a massive and fantastic feeling for them. That person will go home tonight and sleep very well and it will dawn on them tomorrow that they're an air traffic controller.

Hopefully I'll sign someone off today, and the whole team is really excited about it. The achievement of getting sign-off is actually quite a big thing. Then you get signed off and get your ATC license. Once you get signed off from that you then get posted to a particular unit and you work at that unit under the guidance of an instructor until the instructor is happy that you could do it solo. Because we're similar personality types we all get on really well, and we joke and laugh and have a great time. We all try and catch up and go out for a beer and stuff like that. I did the training centre quite a number of years ago and I still text and talk to the guys on my course. We teach you about the weather, about navigation, what the pilot is actually thinking while he's up there, what he's feeling and going through when you can hear in his voice that he's getting bumped around or a bit nervous. We teach you how planes fly, how helicopters fly, and the difference between them. You just need to be a well-rounded person, that's got a good amount of common sense.

If you have a passion for aviation and are motivated, then this could easily be the career for you.” Air traffic controller videoĪ lot of people do ask me the question 'Do you have to be a rocket scientist?' 'Do you need to be super-smart at maths?' “Air traffic controllers need to have a good amount of common sense, be able to stay calm under pressure, and be good at making decisions. “You never take work home with you, as soon as you walk out the door, that’s it.” You’ve got to stay calm and make good decisions We generally work four days on, two days off, with maximum seven-and-a-half hour shifts. “Air traffic controllers have strict duty times to reduce tiredness. “Every day brings something different and I love the challenge of quickly coming up with a solution to a complex traffic situation and then moving on to the next – it’s like solving a three-dimensional puzzle.” Fantastic work-life balance “A typical day essentially involves preventing collisions between aircraft, whether they are on the ground or in the air. Since then, George has successfully completed his training and now keeps air traffic moving as a fully-qualified air traffic controller. George Perigo always had a passion for aviation, so when he read about being an air traffic controller he knew it was the career for him.

Air traffic controller pay scale