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Originally Posted by ASAP
Thank you for that write up and thanks for doing your job... I know how tough it can be. I feel even worse for the ATC controllers... there are so many parts to this overall issue...
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I was fired (forced retired @56) at just the right time. I got to work the glory says of ATC! We did things that would never fly (no pun intended) today. Then again, we had to as we were expected to put 10 pounds of airplanes into 5 pounds of airport. LAX's arrival rate was 68, +/- 10% when the weather was IFR and the rate was 85+ when VFR. We routinely hit the upper 70's/ low 80's with bad weather and over 100 when good. Now, the rate is something like 63 no matter the weather. Type A personality was pretty much a requirement (see the movie Pushing Tin). None of the things we did would work without the pilot's trust & cooperation. We used to have pilot briefings where we discussed what we expected of them and what they could expect from us. Things changed drastically after the briefings stopped. Hearing about the lack of skill and total reliance on automation, instead of relying on the Mk1 Mod1 brain, in today's control rooms has me refusing to fly.
The down side is more than a few of us don't make it long in retirement. I've had 4 ex coworkers (that I know about) die from heart attacks, and I shouldn't have survived mine. Divorce is also rampant. It was a great career and I am still looking for the adrenalin rush of working a busy session.