why do Air Traffic Controllers make so much money?

Question

what do they do exactly?

Answer 1

Their training programs have a high washout rate and there job comes with a huge amount of responsibility.

Answer 2

Air traffic controllers are primarily responsible for the safe and expiditious movement of aircraft. For enroute controllers It isn't uncommon for large commercial jets (or any properly certified aircraft for that matter) to fly with visibility of less than 3 miles. If you have 2 jets coming head on at 500 miles per hour each they are closing at 1000 miles per hour. The average scan a pilot goes through in the cockpit takes 10 seconds. At a closing rate of 1000 miles per hour at 3 miles of visibility, there is a definate possibility the two airplanes hit before either crew sees the other airplane. Air traffic controllers are the eyes for these airplanes. At times an air traffic controller may have 40 airplanes on radar. Being able to keep 40 airplanes from hitting while knowing where they are going, what their altitudes are etc isn't easy. You can't stop, lean back and pause things until you figure out what the situation is in air traffic control. In addition the controller has to keep aircraft in a string to their destination so the tower controllers have the aircraft all lined up and don't have to delay anyone. For the tower controllers, they have to know as a team where everything in the air is, what those planes want to do, where planes on the ground need to go where and even what cars or construction equipment on the ground are going to do. It is an awful lot to keep up with. One simple mistake could easily kill hundreds.

Answer 3

Using very sophisticated and highly technical computer equipment, Air Traffic Controllers monitor commercial airplanes as they fly. There are ATC facilities or centers all across the country, and as each plane flies from one region or zone to another, the planes are "handed off" by one ATC center to another center. The training is intense and could take up to 4 years before an ATC is fully trained. One must apply before age 30 to be accepted into a training program but there's a mandatory age 56 retirement - no exceptions are made to this.

Answer 4

They direct aircraft around the vicinity of the airport. They ensure that each plane will not collide mid-air with another, and are responsible for an orderly/efficient flow of aircraft traffic. Their jobs are very stressful at times and full of responsibility for the safety of passengers, crews, and the airport itself. Check out wikipedia for more info.

Answer 5

They make a lot of money because a lot of lives depend on them. I wouldn't get in a plane without them. I guess next to the pilot they are the main ones to air safety. I don't know what all of their job duties consist of, but I know they tell the planes when it is safe to land.

Answer 6

ATC's moniter and send instructions to Planes in the air. Some ATC's make more then others. It is a real high stress job.

Answer 7

A lot of responsibility. They carry people's lives in thier hands. I looked into this for a little while. Then I found out the high stress level and high burnout rate.

Answer 8

They have very stressful, demanding, and important jobs.