Aspiring Controller Brings Love of Aviation to D.C.
Thursday, August 18, 2011

NATCA's outreach to the next generation of safety professionals and future bargaining unit members has broadened significantly in recent years as thousands of new hires have entered the FAA. Our monthly meet and greet events for new hires attending the Oklahoma City FAA Academy have become well-attended and quite popular, as have our periodic visits to CTI schools to talk with students about the profession and the NAS.

We often interact with an array of very bright, energetic and excited young men and women who are hoping to be hired by the FAA and make ATC their career choice. They come to NATCA asking questions and expressing interest. Steve Swiech is one such individual, and he visited the National Office last week to introduce himself.

Steve, from McKeesport, Pa., is a graduate of the University of Akron who's now studying for his MBA and continuing to play basketball. We asked him about his love of aviation and his plans:


NATCA INSIDER: Steve, tell us where you're at now in your studies and how soon you expect to be enrolled in a CTI program?

STEVE SWIECH: As of right now, I am just about to start my last year in my Master’s of Science in Business here at California University of Pennsylvania. It happens to be my senior year on the basketball court, as well. I plan on attending the ATC program at the Community College of Beaver County in the fall of 2012.

NATCA INSIDER: Describe your love of aviation and ATC and where and when it originated?

STEVE SWIECH: My love of aviation came about from watching planes take off at Pittsburgh International Airport. I can remember my parents would take my sisters and me to a gravel clearing near the departure end of runway 28R. There we would see the slew of departures during the afternoon pushes. That is where I learned to appreciate that flying was not only awesome to watch, but it was a form of transportation that moved people and objects in such a graceful fashion. As for my love of ATC, I fell in love with it when I was on a United flight and found out that I could plug in and listen to the live transmissions from the crew to the controllers. I couldn’t get over the coordination, protocol, methods, and even the phraseology used in the process. And also, controlling traffic is such an unappreciated factor in aviation. Not all people are aware of what controllers do. It’s a service that helps millions of people get to where they have to go safely and efficiently, which I think is an awesome and ideal occupation to undertake.

NATCA INSIDER: Did your desire to pursue a career in ATC stem more from a longtime aspiration, or did you know there was a large-scale turnover in the workforce due to retirements, or both?

STEVE SWIECH: I would have to say it was a combination of both. When I knew it was my calling, I was so excited to have a goal to attain that I did not really contemplate the details of getting hired and finding a facility. It just so happened to be a matter of convenience that right around the time of my realization was the start of the large turnover of the workforce as well. So these two factors, a great career in aviation combined with job availability, were the proverbial “icing on the cake.”

NATCA INSIDER: What was it like to visit your first facility, PIT Tower and TRACON, and most recently, DCA Tower?

STEVE SWIECH: It was an eye-opening experience the first time I visited PIT. I can remember sitting down next to one of the controllers and watching the skill and accuracy of vectoring planes onto final in the TRACON. I couldn’t believe the knowledge and memorization that was involved with controlling all the blips on the screen. I guess you can say I was overwhelmed a bit. When I went up to the tower, I can remember ascending the spiral staircase, and upon reaching the top, I was met with the view of the field. It was sublime seeing the planes at the gates, taxiing and taking off. I think that view diminished any doubts of other possible career choices. It still never gets old when I visit there, looking out from the tower. My visit at PIT also introduced me to a controller and friend, Mr. Kevin Cleary, who has always been so helpful in teaching me ATC. He has been instrumental in setting up additional visits and building my interest in this wonderful career path.

My trip to DCA was awesome. I was astonished at the traffic arriving and departing against the backdrop of our nation’s capital. I loved seeing planes execute the river visual, which was so testimonial to the skill of both pilots and controllers alike. DCA was also my first experience with simultaneous intersecting operations, as well, so it was educational in the sense that I learned how much coordination has to take place between the ground and local controllers when setting up arrivals and departures.

 

Above: Steve (right) and his dad, Eugene, visit the NATCA National Office in Washington, D.C.
 

Below: NATCA EVP Trish Gilbert poses for a picture with Steve.