| 9/18 | September Update (Read More) |
| 8/14 | Interface Updates (Read More) |
| 7/4 | New Extra: Dynamic Banner (Read More) |
| 7/1 | Add Hours Form Updated (Read More) |
| 6/25 | New Extra: Time Tracker (Read More) |
| 6/5 | ATCHours Beta Testing Underway (Read More) |
About Us
ATCHours is designed to provide ATC trainees around the United States and even the world over with a solid, reliable system for keeping track of their training hours. This system was developed by actual air traffic controller trainees to be as flexible and accessible as possible. Our goal is to keep you organized and on top of your training.
Comments and suggestions are always welcome. If you think there is something that this site's missing - aside from a printable Golden Ticket granting you instant checkout on all positions :) - please drop us a line!
A note from the lead developer....
When I started ATC training, it was frustrating keeping track of all the OJT forms I had to fill out. So many trainers, so many forms, and it was a real pain keeping track of which ones had been filled out, which ones were still needing comments, and which ones I'd already turned into my supervisor. Paperwork sucks, and when your career progress depends on it, it sucks even more.
So... I decided to create my own system for tracking hours.
Reliability and Detail
Some of the trainees at work would keep paper logs in notepads. If they lost that one pad, they were sunk and would have to go back through all of their training reports. Other trainees used Microsoft Excel to keep track of their records. However, some of them would keep their files on a single computer at work. With FAA computer updates and other people fooling around on the computers, if their files weren't backed up elsewhere they could potentially lose everything.
On top of that, the format they used only listed the actual hours, not who they trained with or other details. I wanted a lot of detail and the ability to track down which trainer was holding out on me with his reports.
Rolling My Own
So, being a former web designer with a background in database design, I decided to roll my own system. I first prototyped it on my laptop and used it for several months. Then I revised it, streamlining it. After a while, I'd whittled it down to a solid system that allowed me to view the information quickly and easily. After receiving several favorable comments from other trainees who saw it, it seemed that a system like this would be beneficial for the literally thousands of other ATC trainees out there.
The End Result
While that initial prototype was effective for my own needs, ATCHours takes that concept to a whole new level. Fully rebuilt from the ground up and designed to be modular - i.e. easy to add new features - this site is intended to grow with its user base.
- Built using input from actual trainees at my facility and around the country. I take every suggestion seriously and have incorporated many into the site.
- As user-friendly as possible.
- Flexible enough to be used by trainees working in everything from an ATC-12 En Route Center to an ATC-5 VFR tower.
- Easy to expand later on.
Best regards,
Mark Rossmore
Pensacola TRACON (P31)