Book excerpt: Air traffic control is an exciting, interesting, exacting, and high paying career open to anyone with a willingness to study, learn, and work hard. It can be a difficult profession to enter, but the rewards are worth it! This book is an attempt to inform you about all the different careers available. It acts as a primer concerning the basic principles and practices of air traffic control. This book will make you a better-informed applicant or student of the profession. LaRue’s and Nolan's practical approach to the field and comprehensive coverage of difficult-to-understand concepts is key in providing you with a decisive advantage in reaching your goals of becoming an air traffic controller. They each bring years of experience as a professor, FAA traffic air controller, and pilot to the subject. Unlike other books, which focus only on reciting rules and regulations, this book focuses on teaching you how the air traffic control system works and the rationale for why the system functions as it does. In short, this book will give you a solid foundation in air traffic control. FEATURES Explanation of employment process Practical explanation of all ATC areas Covers difficult-to-understand ATC terms and procedures Authored by university professors with years of practical experience Clear illustrations and photographs End of chapter questions and discussions Instructor supplemental materials