By law, the FAA has dropped the controversial “biographical profile” for prequalified (college program and military veteran) air traffic control trainee applicants and will hire 1,400 new trainees this year.Applications will only be taken from Aug. 8-15 at the U.S. government’s official jobs website but applicants can set up an online profile before that. In an announcement earlier this week, the agency said it was creating two streams of new applicants. Those who have college diplomas and those who have military air traffic control experience will not be subject to the mysterious written test that has washed out hundreds of military controllers and graduates of Collegiate Training Initiative (CTI) programs since 2013. The latest FAA reauthorization barred the agency from using the test for graduates and veterans but “off-the-street” applicants will still go through the process.
The FAA expects 25,000 applications for the 1,400 jobs and it’s not clear if the CTI and veteran applicants will enjoy the preference they did in the past. Until the reauthorization was passed, there was no indication the FAA intended to change the practice. As we reported extensively, the controversial hiring regimen was accused of being corrupt, caused hundreds of college and military candidates to be disqualified, and resulted in a lawsuit. But the agency did nudge the prequalified potential applicants by clearly outlining the requirements for them to skip the biotest. CTI graduates will have to submit “proof of graduation and an appropriate recommendation from the CTI institution,” and veterans will need “a Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty within 120 days of the announcement closing.” Those selected get free training at the FAA’s facility in Oklahoma City but it’s a tough course and the washout rate is significant.
