Summary
Elon Musk called on retired air traffic controllers to return to work, citing a shortage amid heightened scrutiny of the FAA under Trump’s second term.
With DOT Secretary Sean Duffy’s support, Musk’s DOGE attempts to “upgrade” aviation systems despite recent FAA job cuts.
The AP reports fired employees included radar and navigational aid maintenance personnel, though Duffy insisted no “critical safety personnel” were terminated.
Musk’s appeal comes amid increased public concern over recent aviation incidents, though experts consider the uptick an anomaly.
You need a college degree only to be qualified, but you are only put into groups 2 or 4. Veterans and people who do to college for atc or aviation safety go to groups 1 or 3. That’s just to then do the minimum 6months of atc training. They also just started direct hiring from colleges with approved programs.
I got to tour the FAA training facility and it’s kind of difficult to convey how intense that atmosphere and the training seemed to be in text. Just walking past the guys eating lunch felt stressful.
I got to do a simulation where they even gave me a script with timing and fucked it up.
I think they give you a stipend to live on when you’re in training at least. It would really suck to fail though.