The FAA is offering gamers $155,000 to help solve America's air traffic controller crisis — here’s why their skills are so desirable

The department is open to applications as of April 17, part of a multi-year push (2) to hire 8,900 new air traffic controllers through 2028, including 2,200 hires this year.

"To reach the next generation of air traffic controllers, we need to adapt," Transportation Secretary (3) Sean Duffy said of the campaign, noting the ad "taps into a growing demographic of young adults who have many of the hard skills it takes to be a successful controller."

There's an urgent need for air traffic controllers in the U.S. Over the past decade, the number of controllers has dropped 6% (4) even as air traffic has risen 10%. The Federal Aviation Association (FAA) is currently 3,500 controllers short of its target staffing level.

The staffing shortage comes with real-life risks. There is currently an FAA investigation into a crash that occurred in March when an Air Canada jet hit a fire truck (5) while it was landing at LaGuardia Airport in New York, killing two pilots and injuring 41 people.

A controller was heard over the comms trying to warn them at the last minute. "I tried to reach out…. We were dealing with an emergency earlier," he said. "I messed up."

The controller appeared to be juggling two jobs: controlling air traffic and ground traffic simultaneously.

The Administration is asking Congress for $95.4 million (6) to hire and train 2,300 more in fiscal year 2027, which is partly why they are recruiting gamers.

The gaming connection

Kivanc Avrenli, a professor of aviation safety at Syracuse University's Whitman School of Management, told Fortune (7) that "recruiting gamers is a reasonable idea."

Gaming improves a gamer's reaction time, spatial awareness and ability to track multiple variables on a screen — all moving at the same time.

Those skills are essential for an air traffic controller, who sits at a radar display and uses a trackball and keyboard to manage multiple aircraft simultaneously.

Air traffic controllers must track positions, speeds, altitudes, and headings in real time, issue instructions, and anticipate conflicts before they happen. They do this for hours at a stretch, under pressure.

While that may sound familiar to anyone who has spent serious time playing a strategy or simulation game, there is one key difference between gaming and air traffic control. It's real-life and real lives

"There is simply no 'undo' or 'reset' button, and it requires sustained attention for several continuous hours," Avenril said. "Gaming does not fully replicate these challenges," Avrenli said.

That's why the FAA has a rigorous vetting process — aptitude tests, medical and security clearances, months at the FAA Academy in Oklahoma City, then years of supervised on-the-job training. Only about 2% (8) of applicants may become certified controllers, which may still be less than what the FAA needs.

But Avenril acknowledges that the gaming community is a good place to start looking for hires.

Other sectors are already doing this

The FAA isn't the only sector recruiting gamers.

The U.S. military explicitly looks for gaming experience (9) when selecting drone operators and recruits for other tech‑heavy roles. Control systems for drones and missile‑defense platforms use handheld controllers that look and function like Xbox or PlayStation controllers.

Capt. Ronan Sefton, an intelligence officer in the Army's 2nd Cavalry Regiment, told (9) Business Insider Africa that the top drone pilots are gamers.

"Those are the soldiers who, when they get off on Fridays, then go and play video games." he said, noting that gamers are the ones who fly the fastest, most accurate drones.