LOGAN, Utah — The person in the airport control tower telling your next flight when to take off may be on a six-day work week, according to the air traffic controller’s union, who also claim there are 10% fewer controllers than a decade ago, and that’s why they have to work so much.
However, a new program at Utah State University in Logan could help with the situation.
"In my whole career, I can’t name a time that we were not at full-staff level. We’ve always been undermanned," explained Utah State professor Aaron Whittle, who also served as an air traffic controller with the U.S. Air Force.
At Logan-Cache Airport where Utah State trains pilots, there are two towers. One is abandoned, while the other was built just for show. But that’s where some of the help to deal with the air traffic controller shortage could come from.
Inside, it feels and appears more like an 80s living room.
"The long term goal would be to establish an agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration, the FAA, and that would be to become an approved collegiate training initiative school," said Whittle. "Students would come here, they’d get their education, and then they’d be able to enter into the FAA and go through their schoolhouse if not hired directly into the FAA."
Students signed up for the first class in fall, but don’t want to be air traffic controllers.
"Ideally, I would like to join the NTSB and study plane crashes," said student William Macoubrie. "I think the job is really interesting. When I was growing up and getting through high school, air traffic control was definitely one of the priorities that I wanted to do."
But Macoubrie went with the Air force, and the FAA cuts off controller applicants at age 31.
Fellow student Mary Henderson has heard all about the stress of an air traffic controller job.
"We actually got to tour an ATC program at Salt Lake. They were cool," she said. "They were all very chill. It wasn't exactly what everyone was talking about."
"Individuals don’t understand what we do and how we do it," added Whittle.
This fall, Whittle will have a chance to explain it all in the first air traffic controller class. He also hopes to get a simulator to help.
"The simulation equipment that we’re looking at is significantly cheaper than simulations for planes," he said.
Whittle added that even if he can’t get aviation students into a tower, if they understand what happens in one, they’ll help the short-staffing situation.
"Make them better in the sky," he said. "That will help relieve some of the pressure on air traffic controllers to allow them to be able to focus on high-priority items."
