FRANKLIN PIERCE SCHOOL DISTRICT — Seniors enrolled in the Air Force Junior ROTC Pilot Ground School course visited the Seattle Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) in Renton on Tuesday, March 5 to learn more about what exactly an ARTCC does. After processing through security, the cadets received an information briefing about the center and asked various questions about what it takes to become an air traffic controller. That was followed with a tour of the facility, which included the opportunity to observe air traffic controllers in action, as well as spend some time “playing” with the simulator.

On the simulator, cadets learned some of the basics of how air traffic is displayed and controlled, and other features of the technical side of air traffic control. While cadets had already learned about the air traffic control system in class, the opportunity to visit an actual facility shed new insight and brought the human side of the process to light.

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PPP — There is a considerable amount of electronic equipment involved in Air Traffic Control and to be a controller requires the ability to use the electronics easily. But there is also a human side to controlling traffic.  Controllers take classes in what is referred to as “Human Factors.” Lives, feelings, moods, and diets are all part of what is referred to as Human Factors which affect the ability to focus on the task sucessfully. Another useful skill is the ability to take something you see on a flat screen or paper and be able to imagine it in 3 dimensions. That capability is said to be primary in being successful as a controller. 

[Editor admission: I grew up on an airport and was the spouse of an Air Traffic Controller who taught these Human Factors classes. ]