Broken Controller:

by Carl McLelland

BROKEN CONTROLLER is the true story of Carl McLelland's career as an Army and then FAA air traffic controller. From a tiny radar van on the battlefields of Vietnam, to the control tower and radar room in one of the nation's busiest airports, Carl tells the story of his meteoric rise in this unique career field. It isn't anything like you see on television. The men and women in charge of separating airplanes in our nation's skies are a unique breed. While their egos boast of superhuman abilities, do they see this profession as protecting thousands of human lives on a daily basis, or is it the ultimate video game? How do they handle this pressure cooker on the human psyche? Perceiving the opportunity to make phenomenal advances in simulation training, Carl transferred into an automation staff position. Yet another meteoric rise in his career, only to be crushed by the political bureaucracy when their empires were challenged. What happened when the personality of an immediate supervisor attempted to derail Carl's career? What is the truth behind the 1981 air traffic controller strike? Walk in Carl's shoes as he takes you on this unbelievable journey. During the course of Carl's ATC profession he also takes you along in his career as a commercial pilot and flight instructor. This is a truly unique book, about a truly unique individual, in a truly unique and stressful career. Don't plan anything after you open the cover of this one, you won't be able to put it down until it's been read.

201 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 16, 2013