Classes…
By Alton Anderson. Filed in Embry-Riddle, Life, Random... |Tags: 200, air, Air Traffic Control, alton, and, anderson, at, atm, class, control, drums, embry, joe, lee, riddle, traffic
I was overly excited as I sat down near the front of the classroom, waiting for my first air traffic class to begin. The room was filling quickly… it was a much larger class than I had pictured it to be! Mostly Air Traffic Management majors spiced with some Aeronautical Science majors, everyone seemed excited to be in this class. It wasn’t one of those required classes that nobody wants to be in; this was a real class. A real chance to learn.
I am partly joking/serious when I say that my teacher related controlling air traffic to having sex. He was trying to prove that this career really isn’t that stressful; that it’s all really a huge misconception that was created during the PATCO strike in 1981. The teacher also had some valuable insight into the ATC career, disproved other misconceptions (dentistry is actually the career with the highest suicide rate, not ATC), and a lot to say about the Federal Aviation Administration.
It’s easy to tell that this teacher is very knowledgeable in the air traffic control industry and has definitely served his time working as a controller. “I can’t offer advice to anyone about work, because I’ve never really worked a day in my life. I love my job,” the professor had only great things to say about his career. I’m very excited to learn from him and the other professors in the ATC department.
All of my other classes are going much better than I had thought they would except for what should be my easiest class, IT 109: Intro to Computers and Applications. It’s proving to be more of a pain-in-the-butt only because the teacher is the worst I’ve had since freshman year in high school. Oh well, right? Another challenge to face.
On another note, I’ve got my visit to Atlanta-Hartsfield’s control tower lined up for Martin Luther King day (5 days left!!). I’m hoping to write about it next week and maybe post some new pictures! Wish me luck!
Here’s an old recording from 2005 when my friend, Lee Reynolds, and I rented a drum set and jammed all night. This was entirely improv… it’s pretty neat! Enjoy.
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