The FAA wants video gamers to be the next generation of air traffic controllers

A plane takes off from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in October. The Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Transportation are targeting a new generation of air traffic controllers: video gamers. (Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images via CNN Newsource)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Federal Aviation Administration and Department of Transportation are targeting a new generation of air traffic controllers: video gamers.

On April 17, the FAA will start accepting applications to alleviate the ongoing shortage the industry faces. The FAA has 11,000 controllers currently working, with 4,000 trainees in the pipeline, but needs thousands more to be fully staffed.

“To reach the next generation of air traffic controllers, we need to adapt,” said Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in a news release. “This campaign’s innovative communication style and focus on gaming taps into a growing demographic of young adults who have many of the hard skills it takes to be a successful controller.”

Gamers are encouraged to “level up your career” on the hiring website, which includes “mission requirements” and lists technology being rolled out as part of the department’s efforts to bring the air traffic control system into the 21st century.

“We are modernizing the sky. The BEST AND BRIGHTEST controllers leverage the world’s most advanced air traffic technology,” the website touts.

The agency is amid a multi-year plan to eliminate old technology like floppy disks, copper wiring and paper flight strips from the air traffic control system.

The website promises “high score rewards” including paid training, government benefits and average yearly earnings exceeding US$155,000+ after three years of service.

According to a report from the Government Accountability Office, the number of air traffic controllers in the US has declined by about 6 per cent in the last decade. Over the last several years, the shortage was fueled by the Covid-19 pandemic, along with multiple government shutdowns, and other unexpected trends in the market.

The report, published late last year, also found that the FAA is not consistent in assessing its processes to recruit, hire, and train air traffic controllers.

However, it’s not the first time the FAA has targeted gamers for controller jobs. In 2021, the agency launched a “level up” hiring campaign which sought to attract video game players and diversify the workforce.

According to the DOT, approximately 25 per cent of controllers hold a traditional college degree and 65 per cent of Americans regularly play video games. The agency believes the positive cognitive influences like thinking quickly, staying focused and managing complexity would translate well for the intense tasks controllers need to complete.

But being a controller is a job that is difficult and places people under high intensity situations.

In March, an Air Canada Express flight cleared to land at LaGuardia Airport plowed into a firetruck at more than 100 miles an hour, killing both pilots. The cause of the collision is still under investigation, but it has drawn attention to the short staffing, heavy workload and high-stakes decisions controllers have to deal with every day.

Once the FAA receives 8,000 applications, the hiring window will close and candidates will start the process of taking aptitude tests, receiving medial and security clearances, and for those selected, start training at the FAA academy.

Last year, Duffy announced a “streamlining” of hiring efforts which shaved over five months off the steps to become a controller.

The FAA said it has hired 2,400 controllers since last March but needs more to overcome the decades-long shortage, as well as retirements.

“We need the best people, the best training, and the best tools because we expect the best results,” said Bryan Bedford, FAA Administrator, in a release.

Alexandra Skores, CNN