You probably know that pilots fly planes. But have you ever wondered how they avoid crashing into each other? And do you think about what guides them when they’re 30,000 feet in the air, above the clouds? 

    That’s where Jamaal Haltom comes in. He’s an air traffic controller (ATC). It’s his job to help pilots and their aircraft take off, fly, and land safely.

    Each day, Jamaal and his team track thousands of flights. They use radios to communicate with each other and computers to monitor aircraft in the sky. We asked him about his important role.

How does an ATC help an aircraft get where it’s going?

    Let’s say a plane is flying from Los Angeles to New York City. ATCs help the pilot know when to take off and land. During flight, a pilot may be in contact with up to 25 different ATCs in cities along the way! Each makes sure the plane stays on its route. In a single day, there can be up to 70,000 flights in the air in the U.S. It’s like putting together a puzzle in the sky.

What are some challenging parts of your job?

    We have to make sure that aircraft aren’t too close together at any given time. Bad weather or busy travel times, like the holidays, can make this tricky.