What is required to become an air traffic controller?

oh those guys are good people! the job is very stressful, and coming from an airline pilot myself, they do a hell of a job considering how many idiots have pilot licenses! most of the A-list air traffic controllers came from military, they always seem to be the best controllers, they receive better training since most of their training is on the job. the other half are usually college trained, earn a 2 to 4 year degree, then go through an FAA certification course which consists of written tests and a practical. i don't think i've ever heard of a controller that just grew up listening to aviation radio and getting a job at some small airport working a few aircraft a day, but i could be wrong!

Isis has pretty much summed it up very well for us. A good portion of controllers coming into the centers are coming from the military with active experience. Speaking for the en route option, we all have to go through the FAA Academy for a 3 month course but stereotypically, military controllers have an easier go of it. In a center environment, you can expect anywhere from 18 months up to 4, (or even 5 years) before achieving your rating. "Pushing Tin" is certainly not a good depiction of air traffic controllers at all! Humorous yes, Depicting of our daily lives, no. Your other friendly air traffic controller! Hahaha! Johnny B, right below me, must be a trainee washout. I can smell the jealousy and bitterness from here! HAHAHAHA

some pretty cool dance moves?

I've talked to many controllers over the years who did not have military air traffic control experience and who applied directly to and were accepted by the FAA. There is an FAA Academy in Oklahoma City and, of course, on the job training. faa.gov has info about ATC requirements, hiring, etc. I believe the max age for initial hire is 30 (which might be subject to waiver if you are a military controller transitioning--not sure about that). There are non federal opportunities, but they are quite limited. (Non federal control towers, for example. But if I was entering the field, I'd want a shot at working Center, approach, etc.) Don't know about the people coming in now, but I know someone who recently retired after 25 years with a very attractive pension. You need to be able to think three dimensionally, to multi-task, to understand and perceive time-speed-distance relationships and spatial relationships. To not become easily unraveled. And to maintain a continuous mental focus. And we gotta be able to understand you on the radio. And remember, the private jets are sexier and many of them can fly higher and faster than those big, slow buses (airliners) with all the human sardines. So, clear us direct and move those slow pokes out of the way.

http://www.erau.edu/db/degrees/b-airtraffmgmt.html

Mmmm hopefully an Air Traffic controller will give you a more comprehensive answer, but I do work around them. There are different types of control, The schools range from a year for military schools to 4 year programs offered by colleges which lead to FAA certification. Then time in addition to training gets you to different levels of ability. But there's Control, Approach, and tower and all are alittle different. PS. To the guy below me, Aircraft are given a departure time, if they don't make it, they go to the end of the cue. Its probably the Airline that screwed up the departure times, not controllers.

A common sense would be nice so no one has to sat in an airplane on the ground for 13 hours before finally allowed to deplane.

there is a lot of training involved. The best and cheapest training you can find comes from the military. That sould help you coop with the stress.

Must be a overpaid cry baby, whining jerk who will complain about working 2 hours on and 2 hours off for 8 hours a day and make $150,000 doing it. Other than that no qualifications needed. Most of our air traffic controllers are drop outs from Mcdonalds