“Cessna 123, cleared for takeoff, runway 17 right,” a voice rings out over the radio.

An air traffic controller (ATC) peers out over the Oklahoma City Airport field.

“Copy. Cleared for takeoff, runway 17, right, Cessna 123,” the pilot responds.

This controller, however, is far from Oklahoma City, and the Cessna 123 does not even exist.

And the controller isn’t even licensed by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) — she is a student at Lewis University outside of Chicago, studying the logistics, lingo and practical aspects of air traffic control.

Lewis University, a Catholic Lasallian college in Romeoville, Illinois, supports a robust aviation program that helps prepare students for careers as pilots and air traffic controllers and in aviation administration.

In recent weeks, there have been a series of aviation incidents and near misses, including when an Army helicopter crashed into American Eagle Flight 5342 as the plane made its final descent into Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Washington, D.C., in January.

All 67 passengers died in the crash, the deadliest aviation incident in the past quarter century.

Following the crash and other recent incidents, there has been increased scrutiny over the training of air traffic controllers and a call for more controllers. A shortage of air traffic controllers has been a long-standing issue, as a 2023 FAA report found that 77% of critical air control facilities are understaffed.

Real-Life Example

At Lewis, the crash has been on the minds of both professors and students, as they reflect on the significance of their industry.

Matthew Miller, from Racine, Wisconsin, and Aishat Sheleru, from Bolingbrook, Illinois, are both freshmen in the department’s air traffic control program. The Reagan tragedy showed both just how important their work is.

“There have been quite a few airplane crashes in the news recently, and these stories have just reminded me why air traffic control is so important,” Sheleru said. “These crashes shouldn’t be happening as frequently as they do, and ATC is a crucial part in making sure that they don’t happen.”

In the aftermath of the crash, Sheleru and Miller’s classes discussed what happened and analyzed the various factors that may have contributed to the incident.

“I used it as an opportunity to pick apart the data, see what went wrong, and reflect on that information so we can make smart decisions when we end up moving into an air traffic controller position,” Miller said. “With the professors at Lewis University, we had the opportunity to break down the data from an aviation perspective and remind ourselves that, in the United States, we do still have the safest aviation industry in the world.”

Training and More Training

To become an air traffic controller, one must apply to the academy by meeting a set of requirements and passing a standardized test. Then, students take a set of required courses, spend three to five months at the FAA Air Traffic Control Academy in Oklahoma City, and receive additional classroom and hands-on training at various airports for an additional three to five years to become a fully certified controller.

Once in the academy, students receive classroom training taught by experienced air traffic controllers; they learn the language and fundamentals of controlling. During this time, they also work with high-tech simulators that allow them to practice coordinating airplane movements on a virtual airfield.

After those five months, students are sent to towers or control centers where they continue to receive training through on-site experience under close supervision.

Once accepted to the academy, the FAA pays for the training, and academy students begin receiving a salary.

After graduation, air traffic controllers earn a mean salary of $137,380, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

There are three paths that a prospective air traffic controller can take to prepare for the academy: attend a college program like Lewis, join the military or take the test right off the streets.

According to the FAA website, there are more than 30 colleges that offer an air traffic control program. Lewis University is the only Catholic school with an ATC program. Other Catholic schools like Saint Louis University offer flight training.

At Lewis, students spend the first two years learning aviation basics, such as meteorology, while taking general education courses like English and theology.

By their junior and senior year, they are taking more specified courses, including how to use radar, the phraseology, communicating with ground control and how to manage an airfield.

As for adjustments in training, Michael Julius Sr., the director of Lewis’ air traffic control program, explained that the standard curriculum is set by the FAA.

“What happened at Reagan was a tragedy,” Julius told the Register. “As far as the training we’re doing here, it’s standard to what’s expected by coming out of the [FAA] Academy. We don’t adjust our training for whatever incident or action has just occurred.”

“I like to say what we do is we provide the materials for them to build a foundation, that they can put any career they want on it,” Julius said.

Julius shared that students who go through the Lewis program have a 97% pass rate on the national exam. They also leave with a well-rounded knowledge of aviation.

“We don’t really teach to the national test,” Julius said. “We teach them to control airplanes. The ATSA exam is more of an aptitude test, and they can take it multiple times, and we have a 97% pass rate.”

Tuition for undergraduate students is $38,800 a year, with additional costs amounting to $47,900-$55,000.

Many students, like Sheleru, who are enrolled in Lewis’ air traffic control program double major in another aviation-related degree to provide other career options.

“The college route opens me up to more opportunities because I can double major in air traffic control with an aviation admin degree or I can try to become a pilot at the same time,” Sheleru said. “I feel more well-rounded than if I had applied to the academy off of the streets.”

Currently, Lewis is upgrading its ATC systems and capabilities so that student certification and test administration can happen through the university and students can graduate from the program fully certified.

Already, Lewis’ program demands a lot from its students, shared Alexander Bryjak a senior ATC student from Shorewood, Illinois. While he is grateful to have learned the ropes of air traffic control, he is even more grateful for the ways that his teachers require excellence.

“The professors put pressure on us. They push us to discover where our limits are and teach us how to manage or extend them,” Bryjak told the Register.

“When it comes to the local control class I took, our professor told us that we’d work more airplanes in the pattern at once than the academy will likely throw at us. I’m not assuming the academy will be easy when I eventually get there, but I know for certain that Lewis has pushed me to be better.”

Lewis’ robust aviation program also supports a robust aviation community. Sheleru has appreciated being surrounded by other airplane enthusiasts who are able to support and help her in her studies.

“It’s just really cool getting to talk to people and seeing how much they know about the different types of planes and stuff because, outside of Lewis, I haven’t heard much about aviation,” Sheleru said, adding, “The community around the program makes it so fun because these people are also passionate about flying or aviation.”

The Pressure Is On

When the students finally do reach an actual tower and begin directing pilots, they will become responsible for the safety of thousands of passengers a day.

“I read a quote recently that said something along the lines of ‘an air traffic controller is entrusted with more people’s lives during a single shift than a doctor will in their entire career.’ So, yeah, there’s always going to be a knot in your stomach knowing the high stakes that come with the job,” Bryjak said.

That is why the training offered at Lewis is so critical, he said.

“You’re not just separating dots on a radar scope or spotting planes out the window,” Bryjak said.

“Each one could have hundreds of souls on board. The pressure to be perfect and the thought of being trusted with all those lives makes me a little nervous now, but this training phase is all about shrinking that stomach knot and managing your limits.”

For Miller, he is constantly reminded of that pressure when he tells others what he is studying.

“Any time people ask what I am studying in college, and I reveal to them that I want to be an air traffic controller, all I receive are these doubtful comments such as ‘Wow, so many people drop out of that career because it’s so stressful’ or ‘I don’t know if you are capable of doing that from what I have read about the career,’” Miller said.

Yet he remains unfazed, confident that the training he receives will prepare him for his future career.

“The first day that I enter an air traffic control facility will be the most unnerving and stressful thing,” Miller said.

“But I feel much more at ease knowing that, with the preparation from Lewis, I will have mastered all of the necessary background information that I need to make smart, quick decisions to ensure the safety of everyone.”