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Navy NEC · Aviation

F09A Facility Rated Terminal RADAR Approach (RAPCON) Controller

Current service use not established

This code is listed in the directory. Inclusion alone does not confirm current service use.

A Navy Enlisted Classification: a skill designation sailors hold in addition to their rating.

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Overview

The Facility Rated Terminal RADAR Approach Controller controls IFR and VFR aircraft departing from or arriving at airfields within the facility's jurisdiction. This controller also manages aircraft transiting through the airspace covered by the Terminal RADAR Approach Control Facility.

Core Skills

  • Instrument and visual flight rules control
  • Arrival, departure, and transit aircraft control

Civilian Career Paths

Career associations are editorial assessments of the cited evidence, not an official crosswalk unless the evidence explicitly says so. O*NET supplies civilian occupation information, not proof of a military match. Related experience does not confer civilian qualifications. Tasks and tools below describe civilian work, not military training.

Air Traffic Controllers

F09A experience controlling IFR and VFR aircraft arriving, departing, or transiting terminal airspace directly overlaps civilian air traffic control work.

How to prepare: Assemble facility-rating records and dated operational experience to check the FAA experienced-controller route: original appointments have a maximum entry age of 35 and require 52 consecutive weeks of full-time active air traffic separation after certification or facility rating within five years of application at a qualifying facility, excluding pre-certification training, with no educational substitute. If that route does not fit, check FAA entry-level eligibility: under age 31, one year of progressively responsible work experience, a bachelor's degree, or a post-secondary education/work combination totaling one year, plus ATSA and other required pre-employment tests.

What the civilian work involves
  • Inform pilots about nearby planes or potentially hazardous conditions, such as weather, speed and direction of wind, or visibility problems.
  • Transfer control of departing flights to traffic control centers and accept control of arriving flights.

Notes & Sources

  • FAA hiring requires U.S. citizenship, medical clearance, security screening, and clear spoken English; controllers must requalify medically each year.
  • The 2026 FAA experienced-controller notice requires willingness to work at any FAA facility, drug testing, and Secret clearance. It is a resume repository, not a guaranteed opening; prior FAA or DOD civilian 2152 appointees must document their original appointment before the maximum entry age.
  • FAA entry-level hires complete Academy training and typically another 2-3 years of facility training. Experienced hires enter the appropriate field-training phase and may also need Academy courses before full certification.
  • These hiring gates are FAA-specific, not universal requirements for non-FAA controller employers.
Evidence for this guidance (5 documents)
  1. NAVPERS 18068F Vol II (NEOCS, Jul 2026 edition): NEC F09A

    [1] NEC entry "F09A - Facility Rated Terminal RADAR Approach (RAPCON) Controller"; cached text line 5110; NAVPERS 18068F Vol II, 2026-07 edition

    Supports: Instrument and visual flight rules control, Arrival, departure, and transit aircraft control, Air Traffic Controllers (O*NET 53-2021.00)

  2. O*NET: Air Traffic Controllers

    [2] O*NET 30.3 occupational data

    Supports: Air Traffic Controllers (O*NET 53-2021.00)

  3. FAA: Air Traffic Controller Qualifications

    [3] Minimum qualifications and training requirements; official page updated 2025-02-27, checked 2026-09-24. Current entry-level threshold is one year, not the older three-year wording.

    Supports: Air Traffic Controllers (O*NET 53-2021.00)

  4. FAA 2026 experienced Air Traffic Control Specialist direct-hire notice

    [4] FAA-FAA-26-PUB NOT-96466: Duties, Conditions of employment, Qualifications, Education. Checked 2026-09-24; a resume repository, not a guarantee of an opening or appointment.

    Supports: Air Traffic Controllers (O*NET 53-2021.00)

  5. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Air Traffic Controllers

    [5] How to Become an Air Traffic Controller; retrieved 23 September 2026

    Supports: Air Traffic Controllers (O*NET 53-2021.00)

Defense contractor jobs for F09A

Descriptions may be summarized for clarity. Verify all information with your branch career counselor or official military documentation before making career decisions.

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