Retired Air Traffic Controller

I served as a radar air traffic controller in the US Army from 1978 to 1982. I started at Fritzsche Army airfield at Ft. Ord CA as a GCA controller. After a year and a half there I was transferred to Hanau Army airfield in Germany near Frankfurt doing the same thing there. I served the rest of my term in the Army there and learned to speak German albeit, I'm pretty rusty with my German now.

Some of you may remember the FAA air traffic controllers strike in 1981 when, then President Ronald Regan, fired all of them. When I completed my term in the Army, the FAA was desperately seeking replacements with experience and some just willing to learn. So after my service was completed, I applied with the FAA and was quickly hired.

After going through the FAA screening school in Oklahoma City, OK, where over 50% of the "canidates" didn't pass the course, my first assignment was to the control tower at Brackett airport (POC) in La Verne, CA. Ironically, after High School, that is the airport where I first got my private pilot's license so I knew the airport very well.

After three years there, I put in for a transfer to the Monterey Municipal Airport (MRY) where again, ironically, I served as the Radar Approach Control to the Army airfield I once served at years ago.

From there I was transferred to the newly combined radar facility at Mather Field called the Northern California TRACON which is an acronym for Terminal Radar Approach CONtrol. It was from there that I retired after a total of 25 years of tower and radar air traffic control.

I now live in Citrus Heights, CA enjoying my retirement while remaining active in ham radio and emergency communications on many of the local repeaters.


		Retired Air Traffic Controller I served as a radar air traffic controller in the US Army from 1978 to 1982. I started at Fritzsche Army airfield at Ft. Ord CA as a GCA controller. After a year and a half there I was transferred to Hanau Army airfield in Germany near Frankfurt doing the same thing there. I served the rest of my term in the Army there and learned to speak German albeit, I'm pretty rusty with my German now. Some of you may remember the FAA air traffic controllers strike in 1981 when, then President Ronald Regan, fired all of them. When I completed my term in the Army, the FAA was desperately seeking replacements with experience and some just willing to learn. So after my service was completed, I applied with the FAA and was quickly hired. After going through the FAA screening school in Oklahoma City, OK, where over 50% of the "canidates" didn't pass the course, my first assignment was to the control tower at Brackett airport (POC) in La Verne, CA. Ironically, after High School, that is the airport where I first got my private pilot's license so I knew the airport very well. After three years there, I put in for a transfer to the Monterey Municipal Airport (MRY) where again, ironically, I served as the Radar Approach Control to the Army airfield I once served at years ago. From there I was transferred to the newly combined radar facility at Mather Field called the Northern California TRACON which is an acronym for Terminal Radar Approach CONtrol. It was from there that I retired after a total of 25 years of tower and radar air traffic control. I now live in Citrus Heights, CA enjoying my retirement while remaining active in ham radio and emergency communications on many of the local repeaters.