All Episodes

July 29, 2025 34 mins

The Federal Aviation Administration has been trying to solve the air traffic controller shortage for years, and recently, they’ve made a variety of changes to get more people trained and employed.

But hundreds of trainees are dropping out before they get certified. While some say the program weeds out people who can’t “hack it,” others say a culture of hazing and disrespect is pushing promising controllers out of the FAA.

Post Reports producer Emma Talkoff speaks with transportation reporters Lori Aratani and Ian Duncan about why so many air traffic controllers are “washing out” of FAA training. 

Today’s show was produced by Emma Talkoff. It was edited by Ariel Plotnick and mixed by Sean Carter. Thanks to Christopher Rowland.

Subscribe to The Washington Post here.

Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

Stuff You Should Know
The Joe Rogan Experience

The Joe Rogan Experience

The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.

Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.