FAA training changes, short CTO/CTI pathways create new hiring choices for contract towers

Robinson Aviation told the advisory board that recent FAA changes expanding collegiate training pathways and a short Control Tower Operator (CTO) course are altering the hiring pool for contract towers and could bring personnel with limited tower experience into some facilities.

"This is new for us," said Stephen Smith, Robinson’s vice president for the FAA contract tower program, explaining enhanced CTI pipelines and a potential 10‑week baseline CTO path. Smith cautioned that graduates with limited tower exposure may perform well in some contexts but represent a new training challenge for contract-tower operations.

Smith said Robinson has also filed a waiver request related to FAA order directives to allow experienced terminal/center controllers to be considered for rapid checkouts into towers, arguing that experienced terminal controllers bring valuable procedural knowledge. He emphasized that Robinson is ISO‑certified and that safety reviews, MOR reporting and internal corrective-action processes (CPARs) are in place to track events.

Board members and the airport manager pressed Robinson on how these hiring-path changes might affect safety and day-to-day tower operations in New Smyrna. Smith suggested monitoring MOR entries and operational counts after nearby runway construction completes and offered to assist the board in identifying the appropriate data for a staffing justification to FAA.

Next steps in the board’s view include local data collection and a potential re-submission to FAA if traffic or safety metrics warrant a staffing increase.