Blog Post #9 - ATC and Grounds

This past week I was able to go and tour the ATC facility at Kalamazoo as well as the TRACON facility. This was one of the most rewarding experiences in my training so far, as well as one of the most educational tours I have had. I thought it was so good for me to see the other side of the mic, and meet the people that we talk to and that keep us safe while we are en route and in the process of departing and arriving at an airport. I also thought it was good to see what their jobs consist of and what they can and can't handle when airspace gets busy. I was most surprised by the way they presented themselves and how laid back their jobs seemed to be. When you think of an Air Traffic Control facility or tower, you think of people that are so focused on what they are doing and they are so set on safely completing their jobs. Although they took their jobs seriously and they were safely getting aircraft to and from airports. I was very surprised by how much downtown they have while on break and how good they can do at their jobs. I would highly recommend that anyone interested in aviation or pursuing a career in aviation, should go and tour a TRACON as well as a tower facility. I think that this trip was a great resource for me to have as well as very interesting to someone like me who is pursuing a career in aviation. I will remember this tour for a very long time and I fully believe that this tour is going to make me a better and safer pilot.