Wayne Farley's Aviation Blog - Air Traffic Control | Air Traffic Management | Safety Management System

January

After attending my first international conference (TRAINAIR) in 7 years, I returned home with renewed vigor and passion for my aviation profession. I have had the title “Rock Star” bestowed upon me by some of the fans I pickup up along the way. On a serious note, though, my blog subscription list grew significantly and my reach around the world got extended.

March

I was temporarily relegated to the Control Tower because of a shortage in staff. This move afforded me more time to dedicate to the blog, and a 300% spike in traffic was the result. I also added a new category - games - and this attracted a whole new demographic. There was no turning back - for better or worse.

May

The month of May brought a few anniversaries into focus. My tenure in the ATC profession reached 22 years, this blog became 1 year old, and I celebrated my 40th birthday.

A blog reaching it’s first birthday is a rear event, considering that hundreds of blogs get started each month, but only a small amount breaks through the clutter and hurdles to reach the one year mark and beyond.

Arriving at the ripe age of 40 is of significance here. It signals the beginning of the end of my career as a practicing air traffic controller. It’s the age that I voluntarily decided to retire from fulltime practice. Saying that I love the profession is an understatement, but I must pass the baton on to the younger generation on controllers. My career shall continue from behind a desk or in front of a classroom. I prefer the latter.

July

After more than a year of blogging, I unlocked the power of LinkedIn. I joined several aviation groups on that social networking site, and posted “13 Characteristics of an Air Traffic Controller” with a backlink to the blog. The conversation that ensued was unprecedented, with both current and retired controllers weighing in with their comments. “13 Characteristics of an Air Traffic Controller” remains the most commented on post in my collection.

August

The highest traffic volume for a single day, week and month occurred in August. A blog post that I wrote on the subject of solar storms several weeks before, suddenly went viral. As was expected, Google Ads revenue for that month was also the highest for the year.

October

The FAA in collaboration with ICAO hosted the first ATS Message Handling System (AMHS) workshop for the Caribbean, ahead of the operational trials. I attended this workshop which was hosted in Miami, along with other air traffic controllers and air traffic engineers. Air traffic controllers’ day fell on the second day of this 3-day event, and my first blog post on the road was done to commemorate that special day.

November

With the exception of one day, I took a 4-week vacation in my home town for some truly needed rest and relaxation. That exceptional day on November 8th, was spent at the Guyana ATS Training School giving guest lectures to some controllers-in-training on the subject of “Developing a Safety Culture”. That was a déjà vu moment for me. I am grateful to Artie and Courtney for affording me that opportunity.

December

After more than a year of running Google Ads on this aviation blog and a few of my other websites, I finally released the hold on my AdSense payments in December. My first check has been dispatched by Google, marking another milestone in the life of the blog. I would not tell you how much I’ve earned, but let’s just say that I will get myself a new smart phone when the check arrives. Blogging does have its reward.

Your Turn

What are some of your challenges and opportunities in 2010?