Hi everyone,
I’m looking for blunt, honest advice from current Air Traffic Controllers (ATCOs) at ENAV or anyone who had to choose between personal flexibility/living abroad and long-term financial security.
I’m 25, just finished my Master’s degree in Aerospace Engineering, and recently passed the ENAV selection to start the Academy in Forlì. On paper, it sounds like the opportunity of a lifetime (top-tier salary, bulletproof job security), but I’m terrified of walking straight into a golden cage.
My main concerns revolve around geographical mobility and living abroad:
I’ve always wanted to spend 2–3 years working abroad (e.g., Spain or elsewhere in Europe). How does that actually work with ENAV?
Are there temporary leaves of absence or secondment programs, or is resigning the only way to go abroad?
How many years does the post-Academy training bond last, and how heavy is the financial penalty if you leave before it expires?
How difficult is it to get hired by a foreign ANSP as an experienced controller? What about language barriers, vacancy frequency, and destination flexibility (I assume you still don't get much say in which city you end up in)?
If I want to return to Italy after a few years abroad, is re-entering ENAV realistically doable, or is it nearly impossible without waiting years and going through countless selection stages all over again?
Is this "golden cage" feeling just overthinking on my part?
Is giving up total geographical freedom and the chance to live abroad at 25 worth the high compensation and stability of this career? For those already in the industry: would you do it again? In the end, I always have my Aerospace Engineering degree to fall back on.
Thanks in advance to anyone willing to share an honest take.

I’m new to the job, still struggling to deal with the oscillating sleep schedule. Anybody got any tips for dealing with this?

Pay raise comes with new workforce reforms to track controllers’ time, align staffing with demand, & improve the controller reassignment process
 
WASHINGTON — U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced today that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) have reached a deal to provide air traffic controllers with a 2.8% pay increase following key workforce reforms.
 
In the Homeland Security and Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act of 2026, Congress directed to FAA to tie a pay increase to measurable improvements in operational efficiency.
 
Improvements include:
 
Timecard Tracking: Most federal employees are required to “badge in” and “badge out” at their place of work. This approach will now be applied to air traffic facilities to ensure managers have the data they need to better track training and safety needs.
Align Staffing with Demand: Local managers and union representatives will develop shift guidelines based on forecasted workload and operational requirements. This will ensure more productive controller schedules that maximize coverage during peak traffic hours.
Improved Reassignment Process: Controller reassignments will now focus on where the staffing needs are the most severe. Past changes to the controller reassignment process resulted in significantly more controllers transferring to locations with minimal shortages.
 
Together, these changes will improve controller quality of life, strengthen coordination between managers and frontline employees, make better use of the FAA’s existing workforce, and improve operational efficiency to keep America’s skies safe. 
 
“President Trump has made clear that we must modernize our skies and deliver results for the flying public,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “That means taking a hard look at how we operate, fixing outdated staffing practices, and growing our air traffic control workforce. We are making these changes to better support the men and women who keep our skies safe, get controllers where they are needed most, and improve how we utilize the airspace. I appreciate the collaboration with NATCA and the thousands of hard-working controllers they represent to reach this deal so we can build a stronger system for the future.”
 
“Air traffic controllers perform critical work every day to keep the National Airspace System safe,”said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford. “By improving how we track work, schedule shifts and allocate personnel, we can make better use of our workforce and respond more effectively to operational demands. Our work with NATCA is helping us put practical changes in place that support our controllers and improve the way the system operates.”
 
“This increase reflects the vital role these dedicated professionals play in keeping our nation’s skies safe and efficient,” said NATCA President Nick Daniels. “Fair compensation and better working conditions are essential to sustaining a strong, experienced air traffic controller workforce.”
 
The pay increase takes effect Oct. 18 and is retroactive to the beginning of the year.
 
###
 

I had done some research on becoming an ATC and was extremely interested, but not sure if I’d have enough time to go through the process and actually succeed.

I’m currently 28 and I know the cutoff is 31. I was still interested in dispatching so I became a 911 dispatcher and I do currently love it. It does have me wondering though.

Would I have enough time? Is it worth it?

I got out of the navy with a general discharge (under honorable conditions) in April. I have never held a CTO or RAPCON, but did hold FD,CD,GC. So I am trying to apply for the next off the street. I already made a usajobs account and resume and all that from when I applied in April but wasn’t in the first 800 applications. How can I track it and make sure I’m in that first 800 next time?

I’m going to ATC training in Oklahoma City soon. I was wondering if anyone had suggestions for smart practices for studying. I’m a relatively smart guy, but was never at my full potential in school due to lack of discipline+I never really studied/learned how to study. I don’t know if this is right Reddit for that, if someone could direct me id appreciate it haha

Pay raise comes with new workforce reforms to track controllers’ time, align staffing with demand, & improve the controller reassignment process
 
WASHINGTON — U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy announced today that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) have reached a deal to provide air traffic controllers with a 2.8% pay increase following key workforce reforms.
 
In the Homeland Security and Further Additional Continuing Appropriations Act of 2026, Congress directed to FAA to tie a pay increase to measurable improvements in operational efficiency.
 
Improvements include:
 
Timecard Tracking: Most federal employees are required to “badge in” and “badge out” at their place of work. This approach will now be applied to air traffic facilities to ensure managers have the data they need to better track training and safety needs.
Align Staffing with Demand: Local managers and union representatives will develop shift guidelines based on forecasted workload and operational requirements. This will ensure more productive controller schedules that maximize coverage during peak traffic hours.
Improved Reassignment Process: Controller reassignments will now focus on where the staffing needs are the most severe. Past changes to the controller reassignment process resulted in significantly more controllers transferring to locations with minimal shortages.
 
Together, these changes will improve controller quality of life, strengthen coordination between managers and frontline employees, make better use of the FAA’s existing workforce, and improve operational efficiency to keep America’s skies safe. 
 
“President Trump has made clear that we must modernize our skies and deliver results for the flying public,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “That means taking a hard look at how we operate, fixing outdated staffing practices, and growing our air traffic control workforce. We are making these changes to better support the men and women who keep our skies safe, get controllers where they are needed most, and improve how we utilize the airspace. I appreciate the collaboration with NATCA and the thousands of hard-working controllers they represent to reach this deal so we can build a stronger system for the future.”
 
“Air traffic controllers perform critical work every day to keep the National Airspace System safe,”said FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford. “By improving how we track work, schedule shifts and allocate personnel, we can make better use of our workforce and respond more effectively to operational demands. Our work with NATCA is helping us put practical changes in place that support our controllers and improve the way the system operates.”
 
“This increase reflects the vital role these dedicated professionals play in keeping our nation’s skies safe and efficient,” said NATCA President Nick Daniels. “Fair compensation and better working conditions are essential to sustaining a strong, experienced air traffic controller workforce.”
 
The pay increase takes effect Oct. 18 and is retroactive to the beginning of the year.
 
###
 

Suppose ATC instructs an aircraft to cross a VOR that serves as the FAF at 3,000 feet and clears it for a VOR approach with a procedure turn, but the charted altitude is 3,100 feet.

Should the pilot climb to 3,100 feet after crossing the VOR? Would this clearance or the resulting flight path constitute a regulatory violation?

I was told that flying above the MIA but below the published FAF altitude would be illegal. Is that correct?

I’m looking for clarification based on FAA references, particularly the AIM and JO 7110.65

take the following approach plate as an example. (LEX VOR-A)

edit: Thank you all for your responses and insights!

Hello everyone,

Is anyone here currently in the testing phase for EUROCONTROL MUAC?

I was wondering how they handle the scheduling for the selection process. Does anyone know if they have fixed testing dates throughout the year, or do they wait to gather a sufficient number of candidates to form a group before scheduling the tests?

If you are currently waiting for a date or have recently been scheduled, I’d love to hear about your experience with the timeline, or any information.

Thanks!

Hey, private pilot and experienced flight simmer here with a question about some of the STARs into KIAH. I noticed the ZEEKK3 & DOOBI3 STARs are very similar along with GESNR2 & SKNRD5 and MSCOT4 & DRLLR5. When are instances where each is runned?

Thanks!

Hi all, just posting here to see if anyone is aware of when we are to hear back from Airnav on the Student programme application? I undertook the final assessment last week.

I know the programme begins in early December so hoping to hear sooner rather than later to plan ahead!

Thanks :)

We run a podcast called IT Horror Stories, where we mostly look at IT failures, infrastructure problems, and the people who had to deal with them.

We recently invited Harvey Scolnick, who spent decades working in US air traffic control, including at JFK/New York TRACON, Harrisburg, and Lancaster in Pennsylvania. We asked him whether he had any particularly interesting IT incidents to share.

One of his stories involves construction work accidentally cutting a critical cable, taking an ATC facility offline while aircraft were still in the sky.

We discuss what happened behind the scenes, the redundancy involved, how neighboring facilities helped, and the procedures and people that kept things going when the technology wasn't available.

Of course, with someone who spent that much time around air traffic control, we couldn't resist going into some more general ATC topics as well.

The episode is called "Cleared for Disaster", and it's mostly a look at ATC from the infrastructure side rather than the controller's position.

For anyone interested:

https://ithorrorstories.eu/#ep26

At the beginning of the year, our podcast released an episode that featured an air traffic controller. Many people on this subreddit believe that a subsequent interview would maybe be necessary to more accurately represent air traffic controllers as a whole. Here it is. Thank you to Landon for being willing to speak to us.

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Amazon Music

YouTube

Website

Last night talking to Norcal a controller repeatedly mis-identified us. Replacing or transposing digits in our tail number. We obviously figured it out and nothing bad happened, but man, you folks are clearly fatigued. The first question that popped into my head was "man this guy sounds hypoxic." Not slurring, but just obviously out of it.

I don't know what to do to help outside of calling my congressman's office, which I intend to do again tomorrow. I've called in the past. My congressman's position is clearly in support of controllers, so who know's what effect my call does?

If you folks could do an informational picket in Northern California, I'd be there.

Thoughts?

Hey guys i am doing feast 2.
I have been notified that i am doing
Radar and multipass. So my question is
Which radar am i doing because there are
Two on the skytest

i’m halfway through school to get my tower license, studying and practicing really hard but have not yet seen the light. watching my coursemates get more comfortable and and yet i still feel uncomfortable and can’t think/process as fast?

is this something that gets better with time? the instructors have said that once i see the light i’ll be fine but seeing my coursemates getting exponentially better while i’m still fumbling makes me question if it’ll ever click …..

i really want to get my license but i feel like i’m here by sheer willpower and grit rather than being naturally cut out for the job

USA ATC is the second highest comment.

Hi everyone!

I got an email today inviting me to take FEAST 1 on October 21st in Poland. I've completed all the Eurocontrol practice tests, but I'd love to get some more practice in. ATCPreparation and SkyTest seem to be the most frequently recommended options, but most of the posts and comments I've found are a few years old, so I'm not sure how relevant they still are in 2026 :)

I noticed that ATCPrep is cheaper but requires a monthly subscription, whereas SkyTest is a one-time purchase. Which one would you recommend today?

With only seven days left, I feel pretty confident about the Eurocontrol practice tests, but I'd love to try some more challenging exercises. I'm considering skipping paid software for FEAST 1 since it costs around €100, but at the same time, I want to maximise my chances, feel as prepared as possible, and absolutely crush the test on Wednesday! (Fingers crossed!)
What would you recommend for these last seven days? How would you approach preparation if you were in my position?

I'd really appreciate any advice, recommendations, or insights from people who've recently taken FEAST 1 and can share how they prepared :D

Thanks in advance!

Edit:

https://radarreadyacademy.com/
Also, I found this website that offers one-week subscriptions. Does anyone have any experience with it? I could use it to prepare for FEAST 1 and then purchase SkyTest later to prepare for FEAST 2

Would that be a better approach?

Hi everyone!

For those who have taken the FEAST tests and used SkyTest to prepare, which difficulty setting on SkyTest would you say is closest to the actual FEAST 1/2 exam?

I'd appreciate hearing about your experiences. Thanks!

This is an interactive visualization of what you could buy if ATC pay had kept up with inflation since it peaked in real terms around 2006.

To keep things simple, the middle of each pay band is used with an average locality rate of 26%. Premiums, diffs, and taxes are not included (but fortunately they work to cancel each other out).

Hi all, has anyone heard back about whether or not they’ve passed the assessment centre. And if so, how long did it take to hear back? Did mine about a week ago, and haven’t heard back yet

Hello! I passed the FSS portion of the ATC exam in a recent ATC competition. Applied for the FSS position in the Montreal region. Has anyone heard back from NAVCAN on this competition? I won't have to re do the exam again, eh? Thank you!