The Side by Side ATC Podcast

In this episode, I talk about the first law you HAVE to follow if you want Academy success. The Law of the Lid is all about making sure that your personal ceiling of growth is high enough that you can pass the Academy. This law is all about your willingness to learn. It's all about you making the decision to be coachable, willing to listen to the criticism that IS going to come your way. Learn eve...

In this episode, I introduce my 7 Laws of Academy Success. I give you a small taste of what each law is and why it is important. The 7 Laws are: The Law of the Lid The Law of Process The Law of Priorities The Law of Navigation The Law of Composure The Law of Momentum The Law of Coachability These laws need to be followed to have success at the FAA Academy. I have seen a lot of students follow them...

In this episode, I talk about why I think it is an amazing privilege to be an air traffic controller. I talk about the small number of people in the USA who get to be air traffic controllers, and the even smaller number who get to be students at the FAA Academy. If you are wanting to be an air traffic controller and are willing to change your life in order to accomplish that goal, then you are alr...

In this episode, I talk about what may just be THE MOST IMPORTANT thing you can ever do to help you as a student at the FAA Academy. Being prepared for the Academy is NOT a choice! It is something that you either do, or not. Once you make the choice to not prepare, you will probably never get a chance to change that decision, and that is so very unfortunate. There are 4 major areas that you need t...

In this episode, I talk about what it is like to be an air traffic controller during the Christmas season. I also talk about what it is like to be a student at the Academy during Christmas. I was there myself during Christmas as a student. The most important thing to make sure of is that you have a plan for the Holidays and that you include your family and loved ones. You WILL be able to make memo...

In this episode, I talk about another topic from the amazing John Maxwell. I talk about how we can take our talent to the next level. The steps involved are : Learn to Listen. This is probably the most important skill an air traffic controller needs to do their job well. Understand the Learning Process. This is SO important while at the Academy. You have to understand that your improvement is a pr...

In this episode, I talk about how you need to understand what the Academy is going to do to you while you are there. The Academy is going to stretch you, kick you, lift you up on amazing highs, and send you to unbelievable lows. And that is all before you even get close to your evals. One of the keys to succeeding at the Academy is knowing, and preparing for, what is coming. You need to know what...

In this episode, I talk about what you can do to virtually ensure that you pass the Academy! Strong words, I know. It all starts before you get to OKC: Know your MAP Know the phonetic alphabet During Basics: Study more than anyone else in your class Be the person your classmates come to with questions Be willing to do what it takes to help During EnRoute/Tower/Terminal: Know the phraseology and st...

In this episode, I talk about one of the most important things you have to have to be successful as an air traffic controller. CONSISTENCY ! Motivation gets you going, but discipline keeps you growing! You have to practice consistently. You have to train consistently. You have to study SOP's, LOA's and every other document you can get your hands on in order to grow and succeed as an air traffic co...

In this episode, I take John Maxwell's teaching on successful personal change and see how it relates to those of you who are trying to become, or already are, air traffic controllers. The 6 steps are: Change your thinking, and you change your beliefs. Change your beliefs, and you change your expectations. Change your expectations, and you change your attitude. Change your attitude, and you change...

In this episode, I look back at my first day at the Academy, November 8, 1988. I also look ahead to what it might be like to be an air traffic controller in your future. I talk about some of the things you will have to endure while being an air traffic controller. Things like: Weird schedules and days off. Being a government employee during shutdowns and threats of shutdowns. Lack of sleep. etc. ,...

In this episode, I talk about how you can be prepared for the evals at the Academy. Last week, I talked about NERVES and what you can do to mitigate them as much as possible. This week, I talk about what that looks like. It requires you to commit to becoming better every single day you are in OKC. That commitment is essential to becoming the best you can be while you are at the Academy. If you nee...

In this episode, I go back to a couple of my first episodes and talk about one of the hardest things about the Academy: NERVES. I talk about what you can do to limit the effect of the nerves you are going to have. I also talk about the fact that being nervous before an eval is NOT necessarily a bad thing- it means you care! Prepare as much as you can, and don't let yourself lose sight of why you a...

In this episode, I talk about multi-tasking as an air traffic controller. Multi-tasking is doing more than one thing at the same time. If you use that definition, air traffic controllers DO NOT multi-task. We do ONE thing at a time. We just do them so quickly that it appears that we are multi-tasking. The problem with multi-tasking is that when we try to do more than one thing at a time, we don't...

In this episode, I talk about the mindset that you need to have to do well at the Academy. The Academy is not college, and it is definitely not high school. The Academy is unlike anything you have experienced and if you don't have the right mindset going into it, you are likely to get behind and not be able to catch up. You have to treat the Academy as your job, which is exactly what it is. If you...

In this episode, I talk about government shutdowns that I have been through and talk about how the shutdowns can affect you as an air traffic controller at the Academy and at your facility. The shutdowns are going to happen. The best thing you can do is be prepared for them so that your family is not impacted. If you have any questions about this episode or have an idea for an episode, just send m...

In this episode, I talk about how an activity tracker can impact your life and your life as a student at the Academy. I talk about that trackers themselves, as well as why you need one and how it can help. Some things to remember about the trackers themselves: This is for you to use to track YOUR practice. This is not a competition with other students. The only competition is with yourself. I am o...

In this episode, I talk about being intentional while you are at the Academy. I talk about what this is, what it looks like, why you need this and more. Most students are not intentional about their time while at the Academy. I have never known a student who could coast through and pass. I have know some who have tried. I was actually one of them; until I figured out that coasting was not going to...

In this episode, I try to build on what I've been talking about for the last couple of weeks. This week, I talk about another John Maxwell podcast that talks about finding your purpose and reaching your dreams. We each need a dream to shoot for, or you may want to call it a purpose for our life. We have to have something that we are reaching, or striving, for. Whether that is to be an air traffic...

In this episode, I let you know that you ARE going to have tough times while you are at the Academy. It is a given. It happens to 100% of the students! Some things that will help when this happens are: Make the decision to not give up BEFORE you get to OKC. Make sure you do everything you can do TODAY. Don't worry about tomorrow or the next day. Be intentional about every day at the Academy; even...

In this episode, I talk about the thing you can't do if you want to be an air traffic controller: GIVE UP !! You are going to have days when you know that this career is not for you. You are going to have days at the Academy when you ask yourself why you are there. You are going to have bad, bad days. It is going to happen. I know this because it happens to me and it happens to EVERY student that...

In this episode, I talk about some questions you should ask yourself if you are interested in becoming an air traffic controller. This career is not for everybody. If your strengths are not geared towards this type of career then, even if you are successful at the Academy, you may find that this career has just turned into a JOB. And not a very fun job at that. Some questions to ask yourself ( or...

In this episode, I review a brand new ATC board game that is out there called : Arrival Push- A Game of Vectors. I have played the game twice so far. The first time, I didn't use all of the rules. I left out the Weather and the Event cards. I was glad I did. This allowed me to get use to the movement of the airplanes and the other aspects of the game before introducing some, and sometimes a lot of...

In this episode, I talk about teamwork and how it is not just important in air traffic control, but how it is imperative at the Academy. In the 5 years that I was an instructor at the Academy, I saw numerous classes who worked together throughout their time in OKC. I also witnessed classes who didn't. There was a stark difference between the two. I'm talking class pass rates of 80-90% versus below...

This episode is all about Special Announcements!! First- I am announcing the new Essential Video Lessons. These videos will be in 4 modules and cover: -Non-Radar Classroom -Non-Radar Lab -Radar Classroom -Radar LAb There will be over 100 videos that will be available to you so you can watch as often as you need to understand every concept covered. These will be short, 5-10 minute videos so you don...