AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS

AROUND THE WORLD

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YEAR I - ISSUE II – BUENOS AIRES- ARGENTINA
 AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS AROUND THE WORLD – DIGITAL MAGAZINE

“Women in Air Traffic Control”

Today, we are grateful to all those women who

After the publication of our first issue of the
magazine, (which was published on a trial basis
and was downloaded for free in two versions, for
over 2000 people) we decided to do a special
issue dedicated to women working as Air Traffic
Controllers in different parts of the world; about
their experiences of life; about their different
cultures and the role of women in aviation
nowadays.
participated in this initiative, with their stories
and excellent disposition.
"Air Traffic Controllers Around the World" is
proud to continue to grow every day and
welcomes the participation of each one of you.
We work for you. We hope you enjoy this new
edition of our magazine. Our hearts are always
open for comments, criticisms or suggestions.

But some of our friends felt that our idea was

sexist and discriminatory. Completely away from Air Traffic Controllers Around the World
our intention. Absolutely wrong!.

You rock!!!. Have a happy life.

Note: Some of the articles, notes and photos have been downloaded from the internet. At the bottom of
each one, sources are mentioned. We apologize if somehow we offend someone. Thanks.

Contents and edition Idea, design and production:

Esteban Mendoza Roberto Julio Gomez
emendoza43@hotmail.com flap152mdp@gmail.com

1
 AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS AROUND THE WORLD – DIGITAL MAGAZINE

INDEX

Pag.3 Controlling the Skies – Women

of Air Traffic Control
IFATCA-A BRIEF HISTORY
Pag.5 Olga Tarling
ROOTE, A RETIRED ATC FROM USA
Pag.8 Under Control
FAIZIO FERRARI ATC FROM ITALY
Pag.11 Gloria Langmade Yow
RICARDO SILVA,
Pag.13 Bonnie Johnson With Women
in AviationPY DAY! GREETINGS FROM
ALL OVER THE WORLD!
Pag.16 The Ninety – Nines, INC.
WHO WAS ARCHIE WILLIAM LEAGUE?
Pag.19 Interview : Nives, Amina,
Aleksandra and Deborah
BE OUR NEXT ATC STAR!
Pag.29 Guatemalan Air Traffic
Controllers Association

Pag.33 Women around the World

“SALAD BAR”… A LITTLE BIT OF THIS AND A
LITTLE OF THAT!!!

2
 CONTROLLING THE SKIES
Women of Air Traffic Control
Calendar 2011
M y name is Kendra Kincade, I am
Edmonton Terminal Controller here in
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. I am
working on a project with a local hospital here in
Edmoton, the Royal Alexandra Hospital
Foundation.
I was invited join a team that were working on an
exciting and literally, breathtaking way to raise
funds for the Royal Alexandra Hospital. From
August 8 – 19th 2011, a group of 25 doctors,
professionals and business leaders will embark on
the journey of a lifetime; the ascension of Mount
Kilimanjaro, the summit of Africa.
This expedition is organized by the Royal
Alexandra Hospital Foundation, in collaboration
with expedition leader and documentary film
maker Ben Webster. Ben will lead the expedition
and head a team of documentary film makers who
will chronicle the climb and supply footage to our
print, radio and television media partners in
Edmonton.
The goal is to raise more than $500,000.00 for the
Royal Alexandra Hospital, in support of its new
Orthopedics Surgery Centre. This stand-alone
facility will be the first in Canada to focus
exclusively on knee and hip replacement surgeries
and will allow for groundbreaking orthopedic
research to take place.
My commitment, as part of the team that will
climb Mount Kilimanjaro, is to raise at least
$5000.00.
As an Air Traffic Controller, my work colleagues
wanted to support me wholeheartedly in this
endeavour and so the idea for a calendar was born.
Being ‘Women in Air Traffic Control’, we are
proud of the professionalism, safety and
empowerment that we bring to our roles in the
modern workforce and wanted to celebrate these
strengths whilst helping such a worthwhile cause.
I will be selling the calendars for $10.00 each and
the web site will allow people to buy online if they
like. My goal is to sell at least 500.
There is a facebook page "Controlling The
Skies", also a website that will be active very soon
to buy calendars www.controllingtheskies.com,
and there is also a link for the Royal Alexandra
Hospital where anyone interested can go to donate
or follow the progress of the climb royalalex.org/
then follow the Kilimanjaro link. From there you
can pick who you want to donate to. A little bio
of each team member will be displayed.
I would really like to mention how much this
project has been a great team building experience
for the women I work with. The ladies have put a
lot of work into this and have been a tremendous
support throughout the entire project. We all got
to know each other in some cases a little better
and in other cases really spoke for the first time. It
was fantastic.
Thank you, Kendra Kincade
3
 'photos supplied by csquaredimaging'

BUY THE CALENDAR: http://www.controllingtheskies.com/

DONATE NOW: http://royalalex.org/kilimanjaro/

4
 OLGA TARLING
AUSTRALIA’S FIRST FEMALE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER
Wed, Aug 5, 2009
Olga at Essendon Airport 1958
One day Olga Tarling, a young teleprinter
operator working at Townsville airport
looked out of the window and saw a
Tiger Moth on the runway. Olga was
fascinated with this fragile little bi-plane,
and she knew immediately that she
would fly it one day. This was the spark
that ignited Olga Tarling’s life-long
passion and commitment to flying. It was
a commitment that led to an Order of
Australia medal for services to the world
of aviation.
Young women in the 1950s encountered
many barriers to the all-male aviation
industry. However, she eventually got
someone to teach her to fly and after only
ten hours of instruction Olga was flying
solo in the Tiger Moth.
“Isn’t it the greatest thrill ever going
solo?” she muses. “It is one of those
extraordinary experiences that never
dims for any of us”.
Flight Officer Olga Tarling and Captain
Joe Salfas in the 1950s
Olga was soon up and away and down to
Brisbane to gain her commercial licence.
Not surprisingly she faced a hostile male
examiner and a gruelling test in the air.
Olga made her last runway approach
after a simulated engine failure. The
examiner looked anxious, but getting out
of the plane after a successful landing he
casually asked, “Well how does it feel to
be a commercial pilot?”
Olga was delighted but she still faced
opposition. She was told by the chief
flying instructor of the Queensland Aero
Club that being a woman she would
never get a job flying commercially.
Undeterred, Olga soon won a job with
Southern Airlines at Melbourne’s
Essendon Airport. She flew De Havilland
propeller aircraft, carrying country folk
around Victoria, Tasmania and South
Australia.
Sadly for Olga, Southern Airlines folded
in 1959. Never downhearted, Olga
discovered an advertisement from the
Department of Civil Aviation calling for
people ‘with substantial aeronautical
experience’ to train as air traffic
controllers. Again, Olga was breaking
new ground and her application raised
all-male eyebrows. But she was finally
accepted and joined 15 males in the first
intake for training.
Olga Tarling OAM in Maleny
After completing her training, Olga was
stationed at Brisbane Airport and there
was only one other female controller at
that time, stationed in Sydney. One
particular American Airlines pilot had
occasion to fly between Sydney and
Brisbane on two consecutive days and
asked with surprise if all air traffic
controllers in Australia were female!
Olga’s professionalism and reliability led
her to instructing other controllers in
Brisbane, and at Melbourne’s Central
5
6
Training College. She finally retired from Olga also took key roles in the Australian
aviation in mid 1985. Women Pilots Association and was its
president in 1981.
When asked what were her aviation
career highlights she replies with a gleam Although she doesn’t consider her
in her eye, “My first solo, and visiting achievements extraordinary, Olga was
Cape Canaveral Space Station in 1967″. truly a trail blazer for women in the
In 1971 Olga received the Nancy Bird aviation industry.
Walton Trophy for outstanding
achievement in aviation and in 1972 she
was the only woman at the International
Air Traffic Control annual conference in
Dublin.

Source: http://www.hinterlandtimes.com.au/2009/08/05/olga-tarling-%E2%80%93-
australia%E2%80%99s-first-female-air-traffic-controller/

7
 UNDER CONTROL
A 1945 PLANE CRASH INTO THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING COULD HAVE
BEEN PREVENTED IF THE PILOT HAD JUST LISTENED TO STAFFORD
COUNTY RESIDENT HILDA OBERHOFER, ONE OF THE FIRST TWO
FEMALE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS AT LA GUARDIA AIRPORT.
By EMILY GILMORE
Date published: 2/9/2003
IF LT. COL. WILLIAM SMITH had just
listened to Hilda Oberhofer, he would not
have flown his plane into the Empire
State Building in July 1945.
One of the first two female air-traffic
controllers at LaGuardia Airport in New
York, Oberhofer refused Smith clearance
to fly his twin-engine Army Air Forces B-
25 bomber to Newark, N.J., because
visibility was limited.
"The fog rolled in so fast that day,"
recollected Oberhofer, an 87-year-old
Stafford County resident.
Rather than land at LaGuardia, Smith
received permission to overrule
Oberhofer's suggestions and continue on
his flight.
Despite regulations requiring airplanes
to fly at least 2,000 feet above
Manhattan, Smith dropped lower to gain
better visibility and found himself flying
among Manhattan skyscrapers.
The unarmed plane banked to miss
several buildings before crashing into the
79th floor of the Empire State Building--
the tallest building in the world at that
time.
The plane's fuel exploded on impact,
engulfing the office of what then was the
National Catholic Welfare Service--now
Catholic Relief Services--in flames.
One of the plane's engines slid through
seven walls, burst through the other side
of the building and fell onto the roof of a
12-story building across 33rd Street. The
other engine slid into an elevator shaft,
severed the cables and sent an elevator
containing two women hurtling
downward.
The women in the elevator survived, but
Smith, his two crew members and 11
office workers were not so lucky. If the
accident had occurred on a normal
business day, the casualties would have
been more numerous.
"This happened on a Saturday morning,
and there were very few people in the
building," Oberhofer said.
The crash caused about $1 million in
damage to the building, but its structural
integrity was not compromised.
Fortunately for Oberhofer, her advice to
Smith to land the plane had been
recorded, so she was cleared of any
responsibility for the accident.
"At the time, he didn't have to listen to
me," Oberhofer said. After the crash,
however, authorities required pilots to
follow the instructions of air-traffic
controllers.
Understandably, the events of Sept. 11,
2001, brought back memories of the
Empire State Building crash for
Oberhofer. She said she was surprised
that more people were not reminded of
the event at that time.
Oberhofer remained an air traffic
controller until her daughter was born in
1947. She then resumed teaching, which
had been her profession until 1942.
8
9
 "I was tired of handling all the
disciplinary problems," Oberhofer said,
so she stopped teaching, and she and a
friend took classes on meteorology at
New York University. Oberhofer also
studied aerodynamics at the Academy of
Aeronautics.
"I was interested in flying," she said. "I
wanted a more adventurous life."
With her husband overseas fighting in
World War II, Oberhofer applied to the
FAA and worked for the First Interceptor
Command in Philadelphia for several
months.
She was promoted to air-traffic
controller in 1943 at the age of 28, and
she began working at LaGuardia. Once
there, she received on-the-job training
and was observed by efficiency experts.
"That was terrible. At the time, men
didn't want women to have jobs like
Source:
http://www.wfls.com/News/FLS/2003/022003/02092003/865070/index_html?page=1
that," Oberhofer said. "You had to work
hard." She said the job was stressful and
tricky because the airport was small, and
there were so many bridges, waterways
and skyscrapers to take into account. But
it still wasn't as hard as it is today.
"Today it is extremely difficult," she said.
Oberhofer continued teaching on Long
Island until 1972, and she moved to
Stafford in 1980.
Some of her students appreciate the
lessons she taught them so much that
they still write to her to let her know
how important she was to them.
Perhaps if William Smith had cared about
what Oberhofer said as much as her
students did, he never would have
crashed into the Empire State Building.
"If he had listened to me, he might be
alive today." Oberhofer said.
10
 GLORIA LANGMADE YOW
ONE OF FIRST FEMALE AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS
by Gabriela Szewcow, January 20, 2010
It's no secret that in the past, women struggled to
gain equality among men in the work force. Many
women faced this challenge head-on and came out
on top. One such woman currently resides in
Burlington. Gloria Langmade Yow, 84, was one of
the first females to work as an air traffic controller.
Born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Yow
was the eldest of 11 children.
When the opportunity to study telecommunications
presented itself, Yow eagerly took it, leaving behind
her responsibilities on her family's farm. She was
excited to see what the outside world had to offer.
"My aunt worked as a governess in New York, and
she travelled a lot," Yow said. "When she came back
to Minnesota to visit our family, she brought back a
lot of interesting stories about the world. Her
stories made me eager to go out into the world,
because I knew that there was more than what I
had on my family's farm in Minnesota."
While other girls her age were getting married and
becoming secretaries, Yow was eager to embark on
her own kind of journey. "I wasn't ready to get
married and start a family. I had already helped
raise a family, and I was ready to be on my own,"
she said.
The Civil Aeronautics Administration recruited
women into the air traffic control profession in
1943, during the height of World War II. Yow was
one of 10 girls who travelled to the training center
in Atlanta. She was taught Morse code, flight
patterns, meteorology and other necessary skills.
After four months of training, Yow was sent to work
at the Greensboro airport. "I packed everything I
owned into two trunks, and went off to a place
where I knew no one. It was very exciting," Yow
said.
During training, Yow was dating a paratrooper
whom she cared about very much. She was
reassigned to another airport, and had to stop
seeing him. But Yow was not upset. "I was always
willing to go where I needed to go to make money
and be successful," she said.
He was not the only man Yow became interested in
during her six years as an air traffic controller. One
of Yow's daughters, Pam, said jokingly, "You know
how they say that sailors have a girl at every port?
Mom had a man at every airport."
The harsh realities of the war were no secret to
Yow, as she knew and met many men in the service.
"I dated a man who was killed in the Battle of the
Bulge. I also knew a man who was killed while
parachuting over Normandy," Yow said.
She began working at an air traffic control station in
Danville, Va. in 1947 as the only female employee.
This was where she received the most slack for
being a female in a male-dominated field. "The men
didn't want me there, and they let me know it," Yow
said.
Luckily for Yow, she soon gained their respect
because she did her job well. "What kept me going
was the mindset that I knew I could do anything,
regardless or whether or not I was working with
men," said Yow.
Yow worked in a total of six airports during her six
years as an air traffic controller. She was last
stationed in Charleston, Va.
Because of complications with transferring, Yow
had to resign from the air traffic control profession.
Since her resignation, she married her first husband
in 1950 and then gave birth to four daughters:
Deborah, Teresa, Pam and Patricia.
11
Yow pioneered the path for women in the
workforce. She worked hard and made a living for
herself, and always made it a point to not become
dependent on a man.
Her daughter Pam said, "Mom always taught us to
stand out from the crowd. I think we all gained a
sense of hard work and independence from her."
Yow received a number of awards for her
achievements throughout her life. She was named
to the American Rosie the Riveter Association,
which recognizes women who worked in male-
dominated trades during Word War II. Yow was the
first air traffic controller to join the organization.
Source:
http://www.elon.edu/pendulum/Story.aspx?id=3175
Because of her involvement and service in the war,
she was granted the privilege of placing a wreath
on The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in
Washington, D.C. in 1964.
Yow currently resides in the Oak Creek Apartments
in Burlington. She now enjoys small pleasures like
word puzzles and watching Jeopardy and CNN
News. Her life is a lot simpler than it was in the
past, but her sense of excitement and adventure is
something that will never escape her.
Updated February 1, 2010
12
 BONNIE JOHNSON WITH WOMEN IN AVIATION
PIONEER FEMALE, FIRST CIVILIAN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER IN THE
UNITED STATES
Mary Chance VanScyoc was the first
female civilian air traffic controller in the
United States, according to Andrew Pitas,
historian with the Air Traffic Controllers
Association.
Air traffic control was very much in its
infancy when Mary started in June, 1942.
The Air Traffic Control Center in Denver,
Colo. had just opened in March with 12
controllers, a chief, a senior controller
(who was the trainer) and a secretary.
Traffic was controlled only on the
airways, which was called the "Highways
of the Skies."
East and southbound traffic flew at odd
altitudes and north and westbound were
assigned even altitudes... Those crossing
the airways flew at odd or even altitudes,
plus 500 feet. Controllers depended on
pilots to give exact times over a fix as
well as correct altitudes. Controllers had
no way of verifying this information. ATC
calculated the aircraft's speed as they
flew from one station to another so that
ATC could do an ETA or estimated time
of arrival.
There were only two sectors or A-Boards
where the controllers would keep track
of all planes operating on flight plans.
Today in Longmont (formerly Denver),
there are about 50 sectors with their
own radar screens, headsets and
computers. The centers were renamed
Air Route Traffic Control Centers when
they started controlling planes on and off
the airways. Planes are handed off from
one sector to another as they progress
across the region.
The Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) was the Civil Aeronautics
Authority (CAA) during Mary's stint from
1942 through 1946. During this period,
the name was changed to Civil
Aeronautics Administration, although it
still remained as the CAA.
Back in that time period, all but a few of
the first controllers attended a 60-90 day
class, then were employed either in
towers or centers as assistant
controllers. The earliest ones were
trained on the job and were trainees for a
few months before becoming assistants.
The controllers promotions were from
trainee to tower assistant, to center
assistant, to full controller in tower, to
full controller in the center. That gave
them experience in both areas. Today,
controllers are trained in a specific area.
ATC radios were all low-frequency until
1944, when VHF and UHF were installed.
The low-frequency signals were very
static-laden and did not have a far-
reaching broadcast spectrum. VHF and
UHF were virtually static-free and had a
much further broadcast spectrum,
especially from a higher altitude, which
13
14
was obviously a great improvement. The
first recorders were the old wax Edison-
type records, then improved to the red,
soft plastic loops. Today, it is done
electronically.
The early ATC instrument panel included
an anemometer, barometer, a few
phones, switches for runway lights and a
microphone. All transmissions from the
incoming aircraft traffic were audible in
the tower. They had no radar and no
instrument landing system then.
It was not necessary to have a radio to fly
into any field in the tower region during
that time period. They had light-guns
that beamed either red or green signals
to the aircraft. According to Mary, they
had a few other combination signals that
could be used for emergencies. Red
meant to stop and green meant cleared
to taxi if on the ground. In the air, red
meant to make another pattern and try
again. Green was "cleared to land."
The main means of instrument
navigation was the old A & N beam. If you
were off the course, you would hear the
Morse code "A" (dah-dit) or "N" (dit-
dah). When you were over the station,
you would encounter a cone of silence.
While making your instrument pattern,
you would have to count the number of
seconds you flew on each leg while
descending to the proper altitude, flying
the airplane and using the radio. Quite a
lot more complicated than the GPS
(Global Positioning Satellite).
Mary went on to relate, that traffic was
quite diverse during World War II,
especially in Wichita where she worked
in 1944 through 1945. All the factories
were at full production. The Boeing-
Wichita plant was adjacent to the airport
on the west and used the field for all
testing and delivery of the B-29
HTTP://WWW.WINGSOVER KANSAS.COM/BONNIE/AR TICLE.ASP?ID=68
Stratofortress Bombers. Cessna was
adjacent on the north and used both their
field (with grass runways) and the
airports for test and delivery.
Culver Aircraft was making the PQ14's
about five miles north and flew them into
the field for delivery. They were drones
and had no radios, so were quite "pesky."
Beech (now Raytheon), about five miles
northeast, flew a large number of flights
as well.
There were several civilian-flying schools
on the field, using the two-place trainers.
Add in a few airline flights and groups of
military that made navigational flights to
the fields and you had quite a mix of
airspeeds. Boeing was also building large
gliders that they would tow over the field
and release at an appropriate time.
Wichita's traffic currently is still heavy
and diverse with everything from the
Cessna 150 to the B-1B's and KC-135's.
In the '40's, there were no computers,
radar, good radios or navigational
systems. There was no ATIS. Each plane
was given the wind speed and direction,
the altimeter setting and the active
runway when receiving clearance. ATC
did not have to tell them about wake
turbulence, as there were no jets. Pilots
were not told how fast or slow to fly on
approach, only given their clearance to
land or their sequence number.
Mary Chance VanScyoc still climbs the
steep angled stairway leading to the old
Municipal Airport tower. The building is
now on the historic register of deeds and
houses the Kansas Aviation Museum. She
is a charter member of the museum, a
volunteer for special events and delights
in sharing her experiences and history
from her life and experiences with the
"Highways of the Skies."
15
 THE NINETY-NINES, INC.
International Organization of Women Pilots
Women & ATC
Ruth Fleisher
By Laurie Householder
Florida Goldcoast Chapter
Ruth Fleisher, Florida Goldcoast Chapter, cannot
remember a time she was not interested in flying.
Her father was an airport manager in Rochester,
New York, when Ruth was growing up and she
acquired her ground school instruction there in
1940. She then started teaching as a way to pay for
flying lessons.
During World War II, Ruth spent a year as a
communications officer at a Coastal Air Patrol base
on Long Island, New York. Then she was off to
Sweetwater, Texas, to participate in the Women's
Air Force Service Pilots program (WASPs).
After receiving the coveted Silver Wings, she went
to the engineering test department at Gunter Air
Force Base in Alabama and later graduated from
the Air Force School of Applied Tactics at Orlando,
Florida.
When the WASPs were disbanded in December
1944, Ruth spent a few weeks vacationing in South
Florida, then it was back to aviation, working as a
flight and ground instructor and as a charter pilot.
Her next adventure in aviation was as an Air Traffic
Controller in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At first,
Ruth was concerned about staying in a glass box all
day, but soon discovered that every day was
different and she came to love it. She also enjoyed
the steady income that the ATC position afforded,
unlike that provided by instructing or flying charter
flights.
Ruth later joined the Air Force Reserve where she
was an ATC and Flight Facilities Officer at several
Air Force bases in the United States and England.
She served for several years as the flight instructor
and operations officer for various USAF Aero Clubs,
and retired with a rank of major in 1973.
Eventually, Ruth and her husband Bud moved to
South Florida to be near family and a place where
they could enjoy outdoor activities such as fishing,
boating and golf. When Bud left for Vietnam, Ruth
planned and built a home in Homestead where she
still maintains an avocado grove.
Ruth has flown more than 30 different aircraft. Her
favorite military aircraft was the AT6. She says it
was thrilling to fly the low-wing 650 HP aircraft.
Other favorites were the Beechcrafts and Mooneys.
She attained her Multiengine rating in a tail-dragger
referred to as the "Bamboo Bomber." She currently
holds a Commercial Flight Instructors certificate
with Airplane, Instrument, Single and Multiengine
Land ratings.
Ruth has flown in the Powder Puff races sponsored
by the All Women's Transcontinental Air Race. She
also worked as a timer and chief judge for the
International Air Race. She was appointed an
Accident Prevention Counselor for the FAA.
Besides being active in The 99s for many years,
Ruth is also a member of the Women Military
Aviator's Association, Glenn Curtiss Museum,
American Aviation Historical Society, International
Women's Air and Space Museum and AOPA.
Among her father's memorabilia, Ruth recently
found a guest book from the airport in Rochester
which contained the signature of Amelia Earhart.
She has donated the book to The 99s Museum of
Women Pilots in Oklahoma City.
16
Helen Fabian Parke
Greater Seattle Chapter
In June of 1968, my career as a controller trainee
began at Cleveland Center, one of 20 Air Route
Traffic Control Centers in the country. I was a pilot
and flight instructor and thought this would be a
really interesting career. It was necessary to either
have prior military experience as a controller or
have accumulated 300 hours of flight time in order
to qualify for hiring.
There were two different groups of women
controllers; those hired during World War II and
shortly thereafter, and the new hires of the late
'60s. Within a few years, the hiring criteria was
modified to general experience, which provided
opportunities to more women.
Because most facilities are open 24 hours a day, we
worked rotating shifts, weekends and holidays. This
was not difficult and the attraction was being a part
of aviation. It turned into a wonderful and
rewarding career.
Being an air traffic controller is a non-standard job.
Many people stereotype the field without realizing
how challenging and how much fun it could be. The
experience I brought from flying helped me to
understand the system and, as a result, I became a
better pilot and controller.
It was possible to work in one of three types of
facilities: en route, terminal or flight service station.
After achieving journeyman status, there were
other considerations. If you chose to, you could
pursue staff work. With the combination of
experience as a journeyman and facility staff
specialist, you could compete for jobs in
supervision at the facility, staff positions at regional
headquarters or our headquarters in Washington,
D.C.
My career path took me from Cleveland to
headquarters, where I worked on new air traffic
equipment and the associated budget. In the late
1970s, I was selected for a management position at
Seattle Center. At this level, there was the option of
being an operational manager in the control room
or working on administrative issues like training,
airspace, procedures, quality assurance, etc. It was
never boring because there were always
challenging issues to work with the users of the
system or internal human resource issues.
As the years went by, I managed a tower, a center
and, as a result of the combination of operational
and administrative experience, became one of nine
Air Traffic Division Managers - first in the
Southwest Region and currently in the Northwest
Mountain Region. Recently, I just completed a detail
as the Acting Deputy Director of Air Traffic in
Washington, D.C.
There are numerous women in the system today,
holding a wide range of positions. They are part of
the core of aviation. I was in the second wave of
women in air traffic control. I was not the first in
high visibility positions, but often the only woman
in a meeting. I'm pleased to say that has changed
and now I am one of many.
In the years to come, I hope more women consider
pursuing the air traffic control field. If you are
looking for a challenging and exciting career, this is
for you.
Mary Wunder
Eastern Pennsylvania Chapter
It would be nice to concoct a story about how it was
my lifelong dream to become an Air Traffic
Controller — but the truth is: I had never even been
in a control tower until I reported for duty in
Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, in 1981.
My dad flew in the Army Air Corp in World War II.
As a child, I can remember going to the Pylon Club
at the local airport for Christmas parties and Easter
egg hunts. When I was six years old, my parents
bought a restaurant. And I think that was the last
time my dad or I ever thought about aviation until I
met my future husband in the late 70s. He was
learning to fly when we met and I guess controlling
was in my genes, because I was not going to get in
that little airplane with him without knowing how
to fly it. My flying lessons began shortly after he
started his (and I might have even received my
license before him, but don't tell him that).
After the steel mill where I was working folded, I
saw a small postcard- size announcement at the
airport announcing they would test the first 100
people who signed up for an Air Traffic Controller
17
test. I signed up and passed the test but with a
freeze on government hiring and a need to eat, I
took another job and continued to work on my
ratings, achieving a commercial certificate with
instrument and multiengine ratings.
When the PATCO strike came in 1981, I was out of
work again because at the place where I was
working I wanted to run for the Board of Directors
and they said if I ran they would fire me. I ran and
they did. I figured it was time for me to move on to
another challenge.
I went to the FAA at Wilkes-Barre. When I walked
in the door, they said I was the third woman to
come to Wilkes-Barre. They said none of the others
had completed the ATC training program and I was
not expected to be the first.
Ha! I successfully finished (much to their surprise)
and stayed for five years, working both Tower and
Approach control. When I left Wilkes-Barre, I went
to work at Allentown Approach. Then I advanced to
Philadelphia Approach Control, a level five facility
where I stayed for 10 years. I recently accepted a
job as Traffic Management Coordinator. It combines
working airplanes with system demand - an
exciting mix.
In life, there are people and organizations that help
you along the way, not just in what they can do for
you but what you can do for other people. In my
life, I am grateful for my dad who told me I could
achieve anything I was willing to work for.
I am grateful for Professional Women Controllers,
an organization that provides support and
encouragement for the women FAAers; and I am
grateful for The 99s, who provide me with
wonderful camaraderie and a reason to fly.
Thank you all!
Mary Wunder
Source: http://www.ninety-nines.org/index.cfm/air_traffic_control.htm
Women ATCs share views on occupation
From the July 1998 issue of Air Traffic Controller
What does it feel like to walk into a facility, look
around and ultimately realize you are a minority?
Do you feel bewildered, strange or lonely?
To answer these questions, the National Air Traffic
Controllers Association conducted nationwide
phone interviews with numerous female
controllers about why they joined a male-
dominated occupation, the conditions of their
working environment and how the agency treats
them.
Women gave a variety of reasons for becoming a
controller, ranging from having a fascination with
aviation, to wanting to change career paths. Boston
Tower's Vivian Lumbard's interest sparked after
taking flying lessons.
Michelle Wrobleski, Green Bay Tower, was a flight
instructor before becoming a controller. She took
the test on a whim with a friend as a bet to see who
could score higher.
Everyone agreed they are not intimidated working
primarily with men. "The women who become
controllers are not your average female. Most of
them can hold their ground and are not bothered by
being in the minority," commented one woman.
Although some encountered static from men back
in the '80s, now the gender differences are not as
much a point of contention. "Today, men are more
open minded than when I joined 22 years ago,"
offered another. "If you do your job well, your peers
will respect you."
The number of female controllers is on the rise.
Some facilities have close to 30 percent women
employees. Most of those questioned did not want
the agency to specifically target and recruit women.
But it should provide the same consideration and
opportunities, regardless of gender.
18
Nives, an ATC from
Bosnia and Herzegovina

H
ello!! transition training, we still had to do 2-3
months of training back at home to pass
My name is Nives, 27 the tests for our APP license, this time
years old, born in Mostar, in a real tower, no mobile ones :)
living in Mostar, Bosnia
and Herzegovina Meanwhile, our little group of 3 people
(LQMO), Air Traffic from 2002 are TWR/APP instructors.
Controller since 2003. I think every training was a big deal
back then, each and every one was very
Becoming an ATC was pure difficult and we thought we'd never
coincidence. I applied with no hopes of make it, all the instructors were mean
getting accepted, in the middle of my and unfair, all the tests too difficult and
English literature studies in college. The the scores unrealistic, and gosh "the
good salary and career chance were Bible", doc. 4444, it was a nightmare
appealing to a poor student :) To be :))... But it seems silly now.
honest I didn't even know what the job
was, and used the term "flight We are 7 girls and 3 guys in our little
controller" during my interview. It tower. We get along pretty good, most
drove my future instructors who of the times :D
interviewed me crazy.
Of course we disagree on many topics,
Taking about my first steps, we were a
but when it comes to work, we stick
group of 10 people and we went to
together. I wrote about my workplaces
Prague, Czech Republic for our Ab
in the previous question, but some of us
Initio Training, for three months, in
worked in Split, Croatia (LDSP) and
2002. After that we were divided into
Zagreb, Croatia (LDZA) for the TWR
two groups, and three people were for
OJT and not with the military
LQMO. My group had OJT with French
controllers here at home, since the
military controllers in a small mobile
French forces left Mostar in 2004.
tower in the middle of the grass strip
between RWY, TWYs and the Military
My favourite was Pula (LDPL), where
apron.
I've learned the most actually. We've
had incredible instructors and
After we received our TWR licenses, it
colleagues, who taught us so many
was Prague again, for 6 weeks,
things.
APP/PROC training. Since we had very
little traffic, not enough for a normal
OJT in LQMO, we were sent to Pula,
Croatia (LDPL) for our procedural
training for 5 months. It was just a

19
20

I might have been lucky to start my career
in the modern age, but honestly, I have
not had any problems with male
colleagues, bosses, instructors, in any of
the places I've worked at so far. It has
never been an issue in the professional
matters. I am aware that some might think
I'm not fit to be an ATC just because of my
gender, but that wouldn't stop me from
being an ATC or make me doubt myself.
The shifts, and in our particular case,
the sudden changes of working hours
are pretty difficult. I have no children
yet, so I do manage somehow. With
kids, it will be harder to manage
everything. But it's not impossible,
many women around the world do it :)
Apart from loving the job for itself..the
fact that I have met so many wonderful
people from all over the world just
because I'm an ATC. I love that ATC is
a culture of it's own. A profession that
connects so many nations, languages,
colours, ethnicities, and we're all in this
together, with a common goal. How
many other professions can be proud of
that?
It's not a boring office job from 9 to 5.
Not one day is like the other.
“The shifts, and in our particular case,
the sudden changes of working hours
are pretty difficult”
I would like to work in somewhere with
a bigger salary I guess haha
You have to be a flexible person in
general to be an ATC. As for women,
I'd say you have to have a strong
personality, be aware that it is possible
that male colleagues might not
acknowledge you immediately, that you
will have to prove yourself all over
again. On the other hand, you mustn't be
stubborn or refuse help. Asking for
guidance is not a sign of weakness.
Always remember, being an ATC
means teamwork, not one-man-show,
your actions may affect others around
you.
I'd say anything that relieves stress at
work. Cooking, reading, crafting, art,
music, barbecuing, swimming, sleeping,
or just surfing the web.
Go for it girls! After all, we're the ones
with the multitasking talent :)
21
 Amina, an ATC from Algeria

H ello!! my name is AMINA

TSABET am 31 years, i was
born at skikda a little town at
the east of ALGERIA, am single, am
we where studying at aéronautical
insitute of blida, the recruter (ENNA
etablissement national de la navigation
living at annaba a town at the extreme aérienne) has rent for us appartments at
east of ALGERIA, it is the city where i a campus, and gave us scholarship. the
work since there is no more airport at training duration was 20 months, it was
skikda. i've 2 brothers, the oldest one is very hard, we had so many things to
living at montréal canada he is learn in a very short time, but at the end
preparing a PHD degree in chemical all the promotion succeded.
engineering, and the other one is
younger than me is studying and living
and studying automatics at paris france,
so it remains only me with my parents.
“In ALGERIA, woman
I've finished my studies in electonics at
boumerdes electonic institute (INELEC)
in 2000, i saw the announce of the
don't work by night, but
competition for the training of air traffic
controllers on the newspaper on january we work in shifts day by
2001, at the begining i didn't understand
what does it mean air tarffic controller, i day”
thought that it was the men who guides
the aircrafts in the aipron, then my
father explained me what is the real job
we finished on july 2003, 3 weeks of
of an ATC, so i sent all the documents
hollyday, then we started immediately
they requested for the competition, and
working. at annaba i was the first
at the date of my anniversary, the 17th
women and the youngest atc there, i was
january, i found my name on the
24 and all the others were more than 50
newspaper in the list of those chosen to
years old, actually everybody was very
pass the test.
kind with me, in addition to that they
were very happy to have me with them,
We passed the test at blida, a city not far
all of them were waiting for retirement,
from algiers, it was about physics,
so they let me work even i didn't have
mathematics, french and english, few
yet my qualifications, i worked from the
days later i call them to ask for news,
begining both in the tower and in the
they told me to come the day after to
approach.
pass the interview, it was the happiest
day of my life. everything was ok,
normally there is 3 yeras between the
we've passed the medical visit few days
tower and approach qualifications, but
my headmaster thought that i can make
later and we started studying on
it earlier, so i spent only one year in
october.
tower then i passed my appoach
qualification.

22
In ALGERIA, woman don't work by
night, but we work in shifts day by day,
one day from 8 o'clock in the morning
till 19 o'clock , and the day after we are
off, so we can make plenty of things,
take a rest, cook, make shopping, travel,
even one day is not enough.
I love my job, i can't imagine myself
doing something else, never. my biggest
pleasure is when there are many
aicrafts, a lot of calls on the frequency,
then i do well my job with maximum of
security and easy flow, when everyone
is happy, and telling me thank you
madam.
The place where i would like to work is
TORONTO airport.
For a woman to be an ATC, she has to
be strong as a men, because air traffic
control and all avaition fields are still
being a job of man, so a women has to
know how to live in such WORLD.
My hobbies are travelling, reading,
watching TV and listening tu music.
Air traffic control is a beautifull job,
with a lot of resposibilities, you have to
love it to do it well, we are the eyes of
the pilots, so we have to give them the
right instruction at the right time
everytime, no matter how may aircraft
you have in your controlling area.
Thank you
Amina TSABET.
23
 Aleksandra, an ATC from Serbia
H
ello,
My name is Aleksandra
Blagojevic, 42, Kraljevo,
Serbia, married, have a
son, 6 yrs old. I made my
very first steps as a kid at
the airfield that used to be my
playground....
My basic education took 2 yrs, the first
one in the Pilot school, "Yugoslav Air
Transport Pilot Training Center" in
Vrsac, Serbia, and the second one in
center for education for ATC in
Belgrade where I graduated. It took me
almost 10 yrs to obtain all licenses and
ratings due to difficult political situation
in the region in the past. I have been
working as a team chief for the last 10
yrs and I have an advantage to work
with the best friends and ATC mates
who have been giving me everyday
reward with sharing the same
dream... how to rule the sky!
Due to some private reasons I can tell
you only one thing about my working
place...It has the most beautiful sky in
the world! :) I have the best office and
the best crew beside me always! Not a
single day is the same, and the game we
are playing makes adrenaline rush pure!
And I like it! There is no place I like
more then my own! :)))
What kind of person do we have to be
in order to work as an ATC?...One of
my FB friends told me a sentence a
couple of days ago that ATCOs have on
the TWR in São Paulo... "To work here
it's not necessary to be crazy, but
helps"....
I don't think abou my me as a retired
ATC. I have never thought about that...
because I have many years to run the
vectors and have fun before retirement!.
I adore aviation, flying and everything
that is connected with it... I am planning
to make my first skydiving jump in a
couple of months and gave a promise to
my skydiving mate that I am going to
shave my head that day when I do it! :)
To be an ATC means to be sooooo
much in love with what you do! Take
your chances and once you have tried it,
you would never stop loving it!
around the world... we are the same
kind!Alex
24
25
 Deborah, an ATC from Argentina
M
y name is Deborah Rocha, but my
friends call me just Debbie, I’m 23
years old, I was born in Buenos
Aires Argentina in 1987. I live in “El
Palomar” with my parents, Noemí and Félix,
and with my two younger sisters, Valeria
(21) and Candela (15).
I am happily in love with Hernan (He works
as an ATC too) and we have plans to get
married next year.
I decided to become an ATC because I love
this profession. I am currently in my third
year of a Degree in Air Traffic Management.
I love this career and I look forward to
getting my title next year.
During my childhood I was surrounded all
the time by pilots, air traffic controllers, and
other people connected with aviation. Many
of my parent’s friends are pilots and now,
many of my friends are pilots and ATCOs,
too. In 2005, I sent my CV for applying for a
vacancy in the ATC course and after a short
period of time I was called for an interview.
I started the course of ATC in June 2006 in
the “CENTRO DE INSTRUCCIÓN,
PERFECCINAMIENTO Y EXPERIMENTACIÓN”
at the Ezeiza International Airport and I
finished it in February 2007.
The course was very interesting and
completely new to my.
Many subjects were difficult to me, like
Meteorology or Aeronautical Phraseology,
but in general, all of them had their
interesting and difficult side. The course
had a practical part, too. This part made me
feel very nervous, because students had to
show our skills and all that we had learned
before, and the teachers and trainers were
very hard to put the final scores. So, I had to
put all my concentration in each exercise if I
wanted to get a good score. I really enjoyed
it.
Nowadays, I work in Ezeiza Control Tower,
at the Ezeiza International Airport in Buenos
Aires, Argentina. I started here a year and a
half ago. It’s my first time working as an
ATC.
When I arrived at Control Tower (with other
16 more trainees) people received me very
well. I began the instruction and training
inmmediately until I got my first local rating
in “Clearance Delievery”, then I got my next
rating in “Ground Control” and now I am in
OJT for “Aerodrome and Approach Control”.
In each instance I had to pass different kind
of tests to supplement the instruction.
We work fifteen days a month and eight-
hour shifts. The tower environment is nice,
comfortable, and lately it is innovating all
the time (technologically). Ezeiza is smaller
than other internationals airports, if we have
to compare, but has the necessary that we
need to operate safely and with good
colleagues.
I learned to enjoy every instance and I am
conscious that is far more to learn.
Thos job is the best for me. Sometimes it is
funny. Many of the pilots are often
surprised when a woman give instructions
with firmness and decision. But, I think, if we
speak like a little girl we can lose their
respect and it is the worst part of this job
for a woman, because some women have
problems if they can not deal with hard
traffic situations.
At the present I am working and studying,
and many times when I have a mid-term
exam at the university I have to work at the
same time and it is really hard, so, I have to
study in my break, during my shift.
I try to take life easy every day to not to be
bad when I have to sit to operate with a lot
of traffic. But sometime it is difficult to
manage these situations; we are all the time
26
with other people, and of course with their and we have to know how to separate
own problems and with a life, too. personal life from work. An ATC needs to
have a strong personality, and never has to
n our case, we work 8 hours per shift and
lose the control of the situation.
we have rest hours for relaxing. Luckily I
have time to study, but due to at our I feel that this profession Is like a woman,
rotating shift I can not organize my life for
beautiful, delicate and has days with bad
practicing sports or having routine. It is
mood, like us.
difficult for me because I love enjoying my
hobbies and due to my job I can not do it.
Do not forget that we provide a service! So
But I know that is my job, I love it, and I am
ready to leave my favorites hobbies for a we have to study and be actualized all the
while. time for giving to all users our best.

At the Beginning, when I started here it was

hard to me to get used to night shift. But
See you.
now, I got used and I can say that the night
shifts are quieter and in some cases are
Dérorah Rocha
better.

My bosses are good people. They have

positives and negatives things, of course,
but I can not complain, professionally they
gave me all the tools that I need to do my
best. They received me very well when I
arrived here, and they are supporting me
with my early training and qualification.

In my country this is the best place to work

as an air traffic controller. I like seeing
different types of aircraft coming from
different part of the world all the time. I
love changes, and in this job we have
changes all the time and challenges, too. I
love having to read about new procedures
and aviation innovations. So I can not
complain, I am in the best place doing what
I most like.

If I would have the opportunity, I would like

to work in Madrid Barajas International
Airport, Spain. They have more traffic,
procedures, equipment, new technologies,
and its people have a different and
interesting culture. Its airspace structure is
also different, and so, I think it would be fun
and entertaining. Would be unique and
unforgettable experience. But, I think that
would be difficult too because I am already
familiar with my airport and I am taking my
first steps. But dreaming does not cost
anything.

For being an ATC we need to be able to

take fast decisions, being quiet and patient,

27
28
Guatemalan Air Traffic Controllers Association
Greetings dear colleagues:
I'm an air Traffic controller, currently
working at La Aurora International
Airport in Guatemala city Central
America, and I'm also the acting
President of the Guatemalan Air Traffic
Controllers Association. I'm so glad to
be able to get in touch with all fellow
controllers around the world, Reading
the digital magazine, moved me to tell
you about our Story here in Guatemala.
In the year 2005, we were force to
strike, due the
working
conditions, that are
still in place. The
Government took
actions and sent to
jail four of our
colleagues, and
charging with
felonies to other
eight, and in complicity with, sadly I
must say, some others Controllers, they
pact with the authorities, in exchange
for money and managerial positions ,
banning around thirty controllers to
work again.
I consider myself very lucky to have
returned to work. it was a dark moment
for most of us.
As the years passed by, and new
authorities took charge, the situation
didn't improve, we're still under very
bad working conditions, you see, we do
not have any retirement plan or paid
vacations, and a very paranoical
Director of Civil Aeronautics, I must
say paranoical because as in most Latin
American countries, these positions are
taken by people with no working
agenda, well maybe their own agenda,
but not the best one for the services, to
the point in which we are not allow to
make any meeting or gathering among
controllers, His only concern is not to
lose the cat 1 of the airport and keep his
job,
Well the point of telling you this, is that
no matter how difficult things get in our
country, we as Air Traffic Controllers
are committed to excellency, to
continue providing the best service
available to Aviation, I know that in
other parts of the world our colleagues
are, perhaps, in a
worse shape than us,
to let them know
that we must
continue to move
forward, I'm very
optimistic, and I
know that things
will get better, The
very fact that we can
communicate as we are doing it, is a
sign that we are moving to that
direction, and I would appreciate that
through you, all Air Traffic Controllers
receive this message, Our world is
Changing and we must move with it,
New Technologies, and Knowledge are
available and the air traffic will
increase. so we must be ready for it.
As a final message I want to
congratulate all those brave men and
women that every day give the best to
provide safe and expeditious flow of Air
Traffic around the world.
Sincerely
Flavio S. Dardon
La Aurora ATC
29
 Would you like to participate in our next edition?

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Would you like to be interviewed and tell your story to the world?

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world?

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If you want to participate in our next digital edition, send an e-mail to:

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with your story, your article (Technology, CRM, CNS/ATM, Aviation History, SMS, etc.),
your comments, your greetings, your photos and everything you want to share with the
rest of the world.

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Tell us about the Air Traffic Control activity in your country or region. State policies,
problems, innovations ... we want to know everything!!!

If you are an ATC, or pilot, or just you love the aviation world and want to
participate...this is your place!!!
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