Air Traffic Controllers and how the shutdown is affecting them

Gmonnig said:
This for sure! Everyone thinks because ATC gets paid well, we all live like $40k year people. Not true. Higher income just means we pump more money into the market, higher mortgages, more expensive cars, etc etc. I think its just the way America works. Doesn't matter how much money you make, 85% of America lives paycheck to paycheck. I am fortunate to be able to ride out several months, not paycheck to paycheck. I was only getting nervous because my planes annual is up next month.
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Sounds like a lack of financial discipline.
 
Gmonnig said:
You just called out all of America. I agree though. I guess I need to save up a year of salary now.
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That’s roughly what I keep in a savings account separate from my retirement plan and brokerage accounts. I keep a little over an amount equal to one year salary after taxes plus a little extra to cover COBRA. And if for some reason I thought I would run low, I’d cut back on my flying or other optional spending such as nights out.
 
Huckster79 said:
Could a local pilot or group of pilots send pizza, subs, delivery of some sort to the tower, just as a "thank you, we appreciate you" gesture i this tough time for em? How would one coordinate something like this?
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My home drome is SMO. I am also a member of the LA99s. I called the tower cab yesterday and said some of us LA99s would like to come tomorrow to bring you food, what time works for you and how many of you are there. They said come around 1p (that's when they have their shift) and plan for 8-9 people.
Spitfire, the restaurant near the field donated some meals and we also picked up 2 large ones from PizzaHut. When we were outside the gate, we called them, they came, we went up and spent about an hour in the cab.
It was an awesome experience!
I've been there before (as a student) but some of the other girls have never. It was very educational, we learnt a lot about our airspace, they shared their opinions how we could be better pilots when operating here and there, showed us the light gun, the radarscope, listened to them record the ATIS, etc. They even printed an IFR flight plan strip for me as a souvenir :D
Great bunch of guys/girls. I highly recommend to everybody to visit their tower at some point. It's such a joy to put faces to the familiar voices.

We also bring them cookies during the Xmas holiday.
 
So does anyone do this for the FSDO or others besides ATC?
 
ARFlyer said:
I’d be tempted to install jacks in the stalls. So you can at least get the initial and handoff calls while taking care of business.
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Just like the no cell phone policy in the tower, the FAA thinks that anything that "might" disrupt a transmission isn't allowed. We have been asking for wireless headsets for years, heck they have them at Burger King, but its not going to happen anytime soon. It takes me longer to call everyone and make blanket transmissions that I'm not going to be in the tower for a little while than to just go downstairs to tinkle and come back up again. Sometimes, people just have to wait. If I don't answer, call back in 3 minutes.
 
DutchRoller said:
So does anyone do this for the FSDO or others besides ATC?
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No way, screw those guys! Right, @ARFlyer? :rofl:

"Hello sir, I'm here from the FAA, and this is a ramp check. May I see your registration, airworthiness certificate, pilot certificate, medical, and photo ID?"

"Uhhhh... Would you accept a pizza instead?" :D
 
Timbeck2 said:
Just like the no cell phone policy in the tower, the FAA thinks that anything that "might" disrupt a transmission isn't allowed. We have been asking for wireless headsets for years, heck they have them at Burger King, but its not going to happen anytime soon. It takes me longer to call everyone and make blanket transmissions that I'm not going to be in the tower for a little while than to just go downstairs to tinkle and come back up again. Sometimes, people just have to wait. If I don't answer, call back in 3 minutes.
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My local tower guys obviously take breaks on occasion, but they always seem to know that someone talked to them. They don’t know what they said, but somehow they know that they missed something.....maybe the toilet is just down the hall barely within ear shot?
 
If I turn the speaker up all the way and prop the door open, from the bathroom I can hear someone call too. I used to do that but then after 27 years of ATC I decided that if it's important, they'll call back.
 
Salty said:
My local tower guys obviously take breaks on occasion, but they always seem to know that someone talked to them. They don’t know what they said, but somehow they know that they missed something.....maybe the toilet is just down the hall barely within ear shot?
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This could be because they were on a land line talking to approach or operations. It happens all the time.
 
Timbeck2 said:
This could be because they were on a land line talking to approach or operations. It happens all the time.
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It’s usually when there’s nobody else around, so I suspect it’s a potty break
 
DutchRoller said:
So does anyone do this for the FSDO or others besides ATC?
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Pretty sure the FSDO is (was) furloughed, so no pay but also not at work. ATC had to work without pay.. People were doing similar for the Coast Guard
 
Hang 4 said:
Pretty sure the FSDO is (was) furloughed, so no pay but also not at work. ATC had to work without pay.. People were doing similar for the Coast Guard
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More accurately they were working without pay, but they will get it in back pay, IE they will eventually get paid for all the time they worked.
 
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