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Navy NEC · Aviation

F15A Control Tower Operator

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

A control tower operator runs an air traffic control tower ashore and controls arriving and departing aircraft under Instrument Flight Rules and Visual Flight Rules. The operator also controls aircraft transiting through airspace assigned to a Naval Station or Naval Air Station area of jurisdiction.

Core Skills

  • Instrument and visual flight traffic control
  • Transit aircraft control in assigned airspace

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

F15A experience controlling arriving, departing, and transiting aircraft from an ashore tower directly overlaps civilian tower traffic control.

How to prepare: Gather facility ratings, certification dates, and records of full-time live aircraft separation to assess the FAA experienced-controller route. Original appointments through that route have a maximum entry age of 35 and require 52 consecutive weeks of qualifying post-certification active separation within five years of application at an eligible FAA, DOD, National Guard, or FAA contract facility; pre-certification training time does not count, and education cannot substitute.

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.
  • Issue landing and take-off authorizations or instructions.
  • Transfer control of departing flights to traffic control centers and accept control of arriving flights.

Notes & Sources

  • FAA entry-level hiring instead requires applicants to be under 31, with one year of progressively responsible work experience, a bachelor's degree, or combined post-secondary education and work experience totaling one year; applicants must also pass pre-employment tests including the ATSA.
  • FAA hiring requires U.S. citizenship and medical and security screening. Entry-level applicants must speak English clearly over communications equipment, and FAA controllers must requalify medically each year.
  • The supplied FAA experienced-controller notice requires willingness to work at any FAA facility, drug testing, and a Secret clearance; it is a resume repository, not a guaranteed opening. Previously appointed FAA or DOD civilian 2152 applicants must document their original appointment before the maximum entry age.
  • FAA entry-level hires complete Academy training followed by approximately 2-3 years of classroom and on-the-job training. Experienced hires enter the appropriate phase of field training for full certification and may also need Academy courses. These FAA hiring conditions are not universal requirements for non-FAA employers.
Evidence for this guidance (5 documents)
  1. NAVPERS 18068F Vol II (NEOCS, Jul 2026 edition): NEC F15A

    [1] NEC entry "F15A - Control Tower Operator"; cached text line 5218; NAVPERS 18068F Vol II, 2026-07 edition

    Supports: Instrument and visual flight traffic control, Transit aircraft control in assigned airspace, 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 F15A

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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