Flight School Takes Off

Every day, 45,000 planes carrying 3 million people fly over the U.S. It’s up to air traffic controllers to guide all those aircraft safely to and from their destinations. But there’s a problem: There aren’t enough people qualified to do this job—and that could lead to serious accidents.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is working to address this shortage. In 2024, the FAA began teaming up with colleges and universities to offer a new program that prepares more young people to become air traffic controllers. Hailee Williamson, 21, recently completed the program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida. She says jobs for air traffic controllers are in high demand, pay well, and are a good choice for anyone interested in aviation who enjoys thinking on their feet. “It’s a great profession,” she adds.

Every day, 45,000 planes fly over the U.S. They carry about 3 million people. Air traffic controllers must guide all those planes safely through the sky. But there’s a problem: Not enough people are qualified to do this important job. That could lead to serious accidents.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is working on this problem. In 2024, it started a new program at colleges and universities. The idea is to prepare more young people to become air traffic controllers. Hailee Williamson, 21, recently completed the program at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida. She says air traffic controllers are in high demand. The job also pays well. That makes it a good choice for anyone who’s interested in planes and likes thinking on their feet. “It’s a great profession,” she adds.

Becoming an air traffic controller isn’t easy. The FAA has strict standards because of the job’s complexity and importance for public safety. The hope is that the new program will help more people successfully complete the steps in the hiring process at an earlier age. That includes passing a candidate test to see if they’d be a good fit. It assesses math skills, memory, and spatial reasoning—the ability to understand the relationship between objects in 3-D space. These qualities are important for air traffic controllers, who must accurately recall a lot of information and quickly relay instructions to pilots.

Becoming an air traffic controller isn’t easy. The FAA has strict standards for who can do it. That’s because the job is complicated, and mistakes are dangerous. The new program aims to help more people make it through the hiring process at an earlier age. That includes passing a candidate test to see if they’d be a good fit. The test checks math skills, memory, and spatial reasoning. (Spatial reasoning is the ability to understand how objects interact in 3-D space.) These skills are important for air traffic controllers. They need to keep track of a lot of information and give pilots instructions quickly.

The program also teaches students to use tools like GPS and radar to monitor the location, direction, and speed of aircraft to keep them a safe distance apart. Once students finish their training, they can start working right away to fill empty air traffic controller positions.

So far, two groups of air traffic controller students, including Williamson, have graduated from Embry-Riddle. But many more are needed. “The FAA is aiming to hire more than 2,000 air traffic controllers a year over the next five years,” says Michael McCormick, who runs the program. “It’s a tremendous opportunity and great career for young people to start thinking of now.”

The program also teaches students to use tools like GPS and radar. These are used to monitor the location, direction, and speed of planes to keep them a safe distance apart. Once students finish their training, they can start working as air traffic controllers right away.

So far, two groups of air traffic controller students have graduated from Embry-Riddle. Williamson was in one of them. But many more are needed. “The FAA is aiming to hire more than 2,000 air traffic controllers a year over the next five years,” says Michael McCormick, who runs the program. “It’s a tremendous opportunity and great career for young people to start thinking of now.”