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Eastman, GA – The shortage of traffic controllers across the country is putting new attention on the growing training option The FAA now approves of some colleges. Middle Georgia State University is one of the few schools that offers an advanced AT-CTI CTI approach, giving students an alternative path to air traffic control careers as the FAA redesigns its work.
Recent government shutdowns have highlighted just how little, especially as delays and consolidated refunds across the country have been. The FAA says it wants to hire at least 8,900 new controllers by 2028. According to FAA personnel data analyzed by USAFACTS, nearly 3,000 controller positions were ineffective as of late.
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That lack of Driving and Interest in the New Exterer FAA Payay of the college designed to guide the training of the existing controllers in a small group of universities – including the state of Middle Georgia. The advanced CTI program allows students to be trained at the same level as the FAA Academy, and if they meet the FAA’s requirements such as passing a comprehensive Oklahoma City inspection, which can include a long list and long courses.
Training training in difficulty as students learn to manage multiple aircraft at the same time on the radar. (FOX News)
Qualifications continue with resource-specific training and must be certified on-the-job before becoming full administrators.
Only nine schools are allowed to offer the new advanced program in At-CTI starting in 2025, according to Kemarie Jeffers, chair of the Department of Aeronautical Sciences and Management at Middle Georgia State.
Inside Middle Georgia State’s Tower Simulator, Air Traffic Control Student Brooke Graffagnino says the rigor of the job is what drew her to it.
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Students train inside the control tower on campus, getting experience with a real airport. (FOX News)
He says students quickly find out if they are ready for work. “You can tell who doesn’t [love it]. There were a few, and they are no longer here. It takes a lot to deal with,” he said.
Graffagnino says the importance of this work became clear as he learned how administrators stay busy and organized. “When you’ve got an AirSpace that’s overcrowded or approaching a major airport like Atlanta, you need someone to help coordinate and keep everything separate and safe,” he said.
Middle Georgia State was recognized as an advanced CTI school through mid-2024. Jeffers says the impact was immediate. “Before our program had maybe 17 to 20 students. Now we have 54. So we’ve already, in that short period of time, we’re almost outnumbered by the number of students we have,” she said.
An instructor helps a student navigate radar-based air traffic training during an advanced simulation. (FOX News)
To achieve improved direction, Jeffers said the school had to refresh its curriculum, reset parts of its simulator setup, and include new programs and video programs. “We upgraded a lot of our equipment … we had to put audio and video equipment upstairs in our tower sim,” he said. Those updates allow the FAA to remotely review or check training sessions and ensure they meet Federal standards.
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The biggest difference in the program is what happens after graduation. “An advanced CTI eliminates the need for you to go to an academic institution. You’ll get a degree here and you can go straight to work,” Jeffers said. “So it saves you time and effort – and, it gets you working faster and making money faster.”
The FAA requires advanced programs to hire experienced instructors to control and maintain simulators that meet FAA standards.
A comparison of the traditional FAA approach to air traffic control and the New Exterance Exchanged Pathy. (FOX News)
As the students progressed, the camouflage became more complex, requiring professionals to manage multiple aircraft at the same time. “As we become more comfortable and confident, we are able to allow more aircraft to be in the airspace at the same time,” Graffagnino said.
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Before completing the program, every student must pass a final screening that reflects the FAA Academy’s evaluation process. “They will be students and then they will run the situation and they will be counted … in the same way that they will shoot at the Academy,” said Jeffers.
According to the FAA’s FY 2025 Air Traffic Advancer Workforce Plan, the Agency Expects 2,000 Hires in FY 2025, 2,200 in FY 2026, and Increases Beginning in 2028, although retirements are expected to offset much of the growth.
