Top 24 U.S. Air Route Traffic Control Centers Part Two

RANK	ID	NAME	FY15	FY16	CHANGE
13	ZMP	Minneapolis	1,895,435	1,941,944	+46,509
14	ZDV	Denver	1,696,035	1,764,984	+68,949
15	ZKC	Kansas City	1,717,758	1,751,235	+33,477
16	ZOA	Oakland	1,557,960	1,640,881	+82,921
17	ZAB	Albuquerque	1,518,002	1,564,647	+46,645
18	ZBW	Boston	1,472,544	1,523,097	+50,553
19	ZLC	Salt Lake City	1,337,087	1,394,441	+57,354
20	ZSE	Seattle	1,102,134	1,173,627	+71,493
21	ZAN	Anchorage	579,351	582,494	+3,143
22	HCF	Honolulu Control Facility	488,415	489,032	+617
23	ZSU	San Juan	309,799	312,528	+2,729
24	ZUA	Guam	249,705	267,862	+18,157

I gotta tell you…I thought Denver would be in the top twelve. The fact that the two Polis’ beat them is surprising (Indianapolis, and Minneapolis). Those are rookie numbers Seattle. You gotta bump up those numbers. Salt Lake City Center is a level 10 facility…actually all the facilities in Salt Lake City are 10’s (The Tower, The Approach, AND the Center). Guam…what is there to say about Guam? I mean, it’s out in the middle of nowhere, and no one really wants to go there. I hear it’s actually a fun spot to do a three year tour (Ohh, and “Post Pay” is pretty nice too).

So, how did your center fare? Were they in the top 12, or were they a sub .500 team? Don’t let the numbers fool you, there are many factors that come into play when gauging how difficult a facility is. I wouldn’t wanna live in Oakland (too expensive), so that commute to reasonably priced housing would be tough for me. I couldn’t do anyplace cold (I’m bronchial), so Minneapolis is out. In the end, the real reason I couldn’t go to a Center…THE MAP TESTS. Screw that. I’ve heard how hard they are, and I’m not about that shit. I know I started out the article slamming Center pukes, it’s just what we do. I have much love for my brothers and sisters working the Enroute option. They do terrific work, and are good people (shout out to Lakeland Low sector at Miami Center…y’all got game).

If you liked this article, check out this funny story about Gulfstream Pilots. They really are the Axe Body Spray of Aviation.