Success of a new air traffic control program at Elizabeth City State University might come in part from a decision that shocked the nation 30 years ago.
On Aug. 5, 1981, President Ronald Reagan dismissed more than 11,300 air traffic controllers during a strike called by the now-defunct Professional Air Traffic Controllers Association over salary and benefit negotiations.
Now, as those post-strike replacements reach retirement age - estimated to be 10,000 over the next decade - ECSU stands poised to play its part in filling those jobs.
As part of North Carolina's only four-year aviation degree, ECSU plans to offer a minor in air traffic control anchored by a retired Navy instructor who guided military aircraft for 26 years and a state-of-the-art simulator.
"This is a sizeable air traffic control simulator cabin," said Anthony Sharp, director of ECSU's aviation program.
In one large room, computer stations show radar indicators of aircraft for en-route control while four wide screens portray a lifelike view from the airport tower at Daytona Beach International Airport, complete with the famous race car track in the background.
A few clicks by Willie Brown, an aviation instructor, and the busy scenario begins. A small private jet approaches for landing, followed by a Southwest Airlines flight, trailed by an American Airlines flight. A UPS cargo plane taxies out for its turn to take off, and then a C-130 military-style plane appears, also awaiting a takeoff.
A student air traffic controller would have to manage it all, talking steadily to the pilots.
"Otherwise, you're going to have a big ball of fire," Sharp said.
The simulator and computers will be part of the curriculum for the first time this fall, said instructor Robin Mangham. The program will not be easy, and the attrition rate can be high, much as it is in the real, high-pressure profession.
"I've known quite a few who didn't make it," she said.
Not everybody's got the talent for it, she said. A prospective air traffic controller must be able to think well spatially, have a knack for anticipating what will happen next and make quick decisions under pressure, said Mangham, who taught at Pensacola Naval Air Station for five years.
"I will be able to tell whether they have it or not," she said.
Sharp expects an ECSU board to approve the air traffic control minor before classes begin in a few weeks.
But ECSU still seeks a coveted FAA designation held by only 36 schools in the country.
The FAA will not be approving any more schools for the designation called the Air Traffic-College Training Initiative or AT-CTI in the "near future," said Kathleen Bergen, an FAA spokeswoman.
Every air traffic controller must pass the FAA academy in Oklahoma City. The FAA gets its academy students from three sources - graduates of one of the AT-CTI schools, a pool of experienced controllers, such as from the military, and from the general public.
Last year, of the 998 who graduated from the academy and were hired by the FAA, 252 were graduates of the certified schools and 226 had previous experience, leaving 520 hired from the general public, according to a 2010 FAA report. It takes about two to three years to get fully trained, including the academy and supervised field training.
An ECSU graduate would be considered part of the general public pool, but the aviation degree with the air traffic control minor would carry a lot of weight and help an applicant pass the FAA selection examination, Sharp said.
"These screens are exactly like those air traffic controllers use," he said. "I would think it would make a difference to the people looking at the applications."
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