Area or Aerodrome?
niknak
Join Date: Dec 2001
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Depends if you want to stay in the UK.
No doubt that the best, and highest paying salaries outside the UK are for area ATCOs, but you've got to take the long term view and decide what you want to be doing when you are 45 and unlikely to be able or want to move to another unit before retirement.
If you leave the UK, your previously validated CAA ratings expire after 5 years, thereafter you have to do it all over again.
Persue an area career with NATS and there's no doubt that you'll have a very well paid job for life, but very limited opportunity to move elsewhere - Swanwick or Prestwick in the UK, Eurocontrol or the Middle East and limted opportunities elswhere.
Take the tower option and you are stuck in the UK, you have the option of working at any NATS airport which will have you but to work at a non NATS unit you will need the APS (Approach Radar) rating.
At either Area or Airport you will start at the bottom of a big heap and be a very small fish in a big sea for a long time, but that doesn't matter because, although as a jobbing ATCO you might earn £5K less than a supervisor, you won't take the work home with you - which, although they may deny it - all supervisors do.
Whatever choice you make will be the right one for you, just don't be impressed or influenced by those with big egos and limited experience.
Good luck.
No doubt that the best, and highest paying salaries outside the UK are for area ATCOs, but you've got to take the long term view and decide what you want to be doing when you are 45 and unlikely to be able or want to move to another unit before retirement.
If you leave the UK, your previously validated CAA ratings expire after 5 years, thereafter you have to do it all over again.
Persue an area career with NATS and there's no doubt that you'll have a very well paid job for life, but very limited opportunity to move elsewhere - Swanwick or Prestwick in the UK, Eurocontrol or the Middle East and limted opportunities elswhere.
Take the tower option and you are stuck in the UK, you have the option of working at any NATS airport which will have you but to work at a non NATS unit you will need the APS (Approach Radar) rating.
At either Area or Airport you will start at the bottom of a big heap and be a very small fish in a big sea for a long time, but that doesn't matter because, although as a jobbing ATCO you might earn £5K less than a supervisor, you won't take the work home with you - which, although they may deny it - all supervisors do.
Whatever choice you make will be the right one for you, just don't be impressed or influenced by those with big egos and limited experience.
Good luck.
Join Date: Jul 2004
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Vicki
If you've any desire whatsoever to try TWR or APC then put down aerodrome or approach on your form. That way you'll have a chance (albeit slim) of getting one of them. As soon as you put down Area, that's what you'll get. If you put No Pref, you'll also get Area.
As has been mentioned before, whichever one you'll get you'll end up loving and believing it's better than the others anyway so try not to get too attached to anything!
Ultimately it will be mainly out of your hands so best advice is to just concentrate on getting through your exams and summatives, then worry about it later.
Good luck!
If you've any desire whatsoever to try TWR or APC then put down aerodrome or approach on your form. That way you'll have a chance (albeit slim) of getting one of them. As soon as you put down Area, that's what you'll get. If you put No Pref, you'll also get Area.
As has been mentioned before, whichever one you'll get you'll end up loving and believing it's better than the others anyway so try not to get too attached to anything!
Ultimately it will be mainly out of your hands so best advice is to just concentrate on getting through your exams and summatives, then worry about it later.
Good luck!
Join Date: Jan 2005
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Definately agree with Sacrigger.
Try to sit in on some Area/Aerodrome Sims. There's no way you can make a decent decision until you watch what happens. I appreciate that the Sims at college are different from operational work but they at least give a good indication.
When I was on basic and watched the aerodrome sim it was like a different world. The area sims are reasonably similar to basic but with more a/c, multiple strips for each a/c and more flexibilty when it comes to 'proving separation!'
Try to sit in on some Area/Aerodrome Sims. There's no way you can make a decent decision until you watch what happens. I appreciate that the Sims at college are different from operational work but they at least give a good indication.
When I was on basic and watched the aerodrome sim it was like a different world. The area sims are reasonably similar to basic but with more a/c, multiple strips for each a/c and more flexibilty when it comes to 'proving separation!'
Join Date: Nov 2004
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Nats airports probably will be sold off
It's true to say that there is more demand for area ATC skills on a world-wide scale, but conversely, if you don't necessarily want to work abroad but at some point in the future, you get disillusioned with the area side of things, there'd be no alternative to NATS for you within the UK if you're an area-only rated controller.
You pays your money and takes your choice...
Beady Eye
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There are financial savings to be made by 'grouping' all the NSL business together in headquarters type areas, pay, finance, purchasing etc. Der Rot Barron isn't intent on selling off NSL but ensuring that it remains viable by making a profit. If NSL cannot make a profit with its centralised 'admin' headquarters then who out there is likely to be able to without slashing staff pay costs?
BD
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due to the regulator requiring there be no cross subsidy between the two
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Another important factor to consider in whether to go for a career in Area or Aerodrome is where and how you'd like to live.
In the UK, as far as Area goes there are now really only two locations - the South Coast somewhere commutable to/from Swanwick or the West Coast of Scotland somewhere commutable to/from Prestwick.
As far as Aerodrome goes, even just in NATS, there are many locations stretching from South Wales and the Avon area all the way to the east coast of Scotland, several with reasonable house prices, relatively uncluttered roads and a generally agreeable quality of life.
In the UK, as far as Area goes there are now really only two locations - the South Coast somewhere commutable to/from Swanwick or the West Coast of Scotland somewhere commutable to/from Prestwick.
As far as Aerodrome goes, even just in NATS, there are many locations stretching from South Wales and the Avon area all the way to the east coast of Scotland, several with reasonable house prices, relatively uncluttered roads and a generally agreeable quality of life.
Beady Eye
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BD
When asked to state a preference prior to starting at Hurn this July, I said I really didn't mind as I didn't know enough about each in detail, but if pushed would probably say Aerodrome. I've now been told i'm on this stream. I don't know if this is likely to change depending on the needs of The Company or not.
I'm wondering if i've misunderstood the Aerodrome role. I was under the impression it was a combination of tower and approach radar for most airports, and that London airports it would either be just tower, or just approach, which I thought was LTCC. Is this incorrect?
Cheers
Ginger
I'm wondering if i've misunderstood the Aerodrome role. I was under the impression it was a combination of tower and approach radar for most airports, and that London airports it would either be just tower, or just approach, which I thought was LTCC. Is this incorrect?
Cheers
Ginger
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I'm wondering if i've misunderstood the Aerodrome role. I was under the impression it was a combination of tower and approach radar for most airports, and that London airports it would either be just tower, or just approach, which I thought was LTCC. Is this incorrect?
The Aerodrome course has changed considerably in recent times but that's about it.
niknak
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Although there are some NATS airports where the Approach function is provided at the airfield as opposed to centrally at Swanwick, the provison of approach radar via an area centre will become increasingly the norm.
I am non NATS, but if I was applying for a cadetship now I'd definately go for an aerodrome streaming purely because I enjoy the buzz of working at an airfield and sorting out what goes on on the ground.
That's not to say that area isn't equally as challenging, each discipline has it's own set of challenges and can be equally as daunting.
I would try and decide before the interview what you'd really like to do and don't be afraid to express that desire.
I am non NATS, but if I was applying for a cadetship now I'd definately go for an aerodrome streaming purely because I enjoy the buzz of working at an airfield and sorting out what goes on on the ground.
That's not to say that area isn't equally as challenging, each discipline has it's own set of challenges and can be equally as daunting.
I would try and decide before the interview what you'd really like to do and don't be afraid to express that desire.
