So who know's stuff about Security clearances? (FAA)

The truck driving thread has gotten me worried. I know someone who was in their field for nearly 40 years(between military service and contracted civilian). Never had any issues, credit, drugs, police, medical, etc. Overslept ONE morning, and the FAA decided to cancel his contract, he "resigned" before being terminated.

Tried to get rehired in another region (yes this would require a move, but he was willing to go) and for whatever reason he could not get his security clearance to work in the new facility. Now he's convinced truck driving is the way to go after taking a year off, and as I said above that thread has me worried greatly it's not going to be what he's happy doing nor pay what he thinks it will pay. PM or email at google mail if you want to discuss more details.

Was he given the reason he couldn't get the clearance? Working for TSA, I had to have a secret clearance and when a question came up about an old hospital bill, I was informed and given the opportunity to clear up the bad information.

Don49 wrote: Was he given the reason he couldn't get the clearance? Working for TSA, I had to have a secret clearance and when a question came up about an old hospital bill, I was informed and given the opportunity to clear up the bad information.

Not that I was told. I haven't pressed the issue too much, but I'm seriously debating on whether I should.

There may be a lot more to this story than he has admitted to. It just sounds wrong to me.

cwh wrote: There may be a lot more to this story than he has admitted to. It just sounds wrong to me.

It could make sense if he was an air traffic controller, there's roughly zero tolerance to any lateness in that job.

GameboyRMH wrote:

cwh wrote: There may be a lot more to this story than he has admitted to. It just sounds wrong to me.

It could make sense if he was an air traffic controller, there's roughly zero tolerance to any lateness in that job.

Winner!

1 time in roughly 38years and they can you. Hell I don't think he ever called in sick either. EVER.

That makes more sense. ATC is very strict with that. Probably not so much an issue with security clearance as the cause of termination. I've worked military and have always had a clearance even though my wife is not an American citizen (from Korea). Have a friend that was born in an oil camp in Venezuala and has dual citizenship. Only lived there as a young kid, about 8 years. No ties there and can't renounce as it automatic for life. 30 years military and 10 years military contactor and he still gets questioned every clearance renewal but always gets one.

TBH this is about my dad. I know he carried "top secret" clearance in the military. I KNOW for a fact he was facility manager for the last 4 out of 5 places we went. I know what his credit looks like, and I'm fairly sure he's never been arrested for anything. Doesn't drink, so no DUI or anything. It just didn't make sense to me when he couldn't get hired due to "FAA won't give him the security clearance he needs to work". Any idea's if there is anyway to get a clearance level without applying for a job first? Due to being a military brat I knew his information by heart long before I knew my own... don't know, I hate to see him doing something he doesn't love to do. I've done it for almost 20 years now. It's soul sucking... and believe it or not. He LOVED that job, before da gubment got all uptight about no visitors in the cab of a tower I used to go up and watch him work and the more traffic there was, the happier he was.

Security clearances are submitted by the sponsor with a justification attached. So unforuntetly there's no way to obtain one without the sponsor and a sponsor showing a need.

I'm surprised that would happen at a time when ATC is so in demand. Unless we're talking mandatory retirement age. Then the money required for a reinvestigation would hardly be worth it for one or two years.

Sorry to hear about this.

I am pretty sure he is out of luck.

Florida is an at-will state. They don't really have to give much of a reason.

Plus, it sounds like he technically quit. He might have had a shot at age discrimination, but maybe not if he quit.

I doubt the FAA has to give any reason at all.

But I would also think twice about truck driving. I know a LOT of truck drivers. Some make good money, but not too many. Most make average money at best, but then consume a lot of it in expenses while on the road. They are in physically bad shape, eat poorly, sleep irregularly, and spend too much time worrying about how to lie on their trip logs and deciding whether they are willing to get the clap from a truck stop lot lizard, just to have some companionship.

It's not a life that is easy to maintain a healthy outlook.

I am sorry for your situation. Encourage your Dad to use the skills he has in a different role- consulting? Training? Inspections? Security?

In reply to The0retical:

He wasn't a FAA employee, he was a contract controller. He was beyond the age requirements when he left the Air Force. As far as I know(been wrong before) age limits don't apply to contractors. They basically decided to cancel his contract. He WAS the opening controller, so theoretically he "left the airspace uncontrolled" but they would hand off control of GNV to JAX approach @ 10:30PM and take it back @ 0630. I wasn't privy to the conversation with his boss. I just know he enjoyed the job, and was good at it. Like REALLY good at it. He set test score records with the last company he contracted with while "checking out" that still stand.

In reply to SVreX:

My fear is that the FAA doesn't have to give a reason. I'm worried that something I might have done might be weighing against him having basically the same name. I'm not sure what it could be, but it's still a fear.

In reply to Spinout007:

Gotcha misunderstood the contract part, you're correct in age limits, I just assumed direct employee. My experience with the secret portion of security clearances is that there may not be justification given. It's basically a free pass on discrimation because national security can be claimed. I'm not sure there's much recourse though it might be worth talking to a labor lawyer with experience in that field.

The investigation does extend to family, drug offenses are particularly troublesome. Below the felony level I doubt it would be an issue.

My wife was foreign born and no one even blinked when I told them.

He may want to look at opportunities with companies like Raytheon and Mitre that do work on ATC systems.

They may have a need for experienced testers, or other areas where the experience could be useful without FAA involvement.

Datsun1500 wrote: This is going to come off as harsh, but I don't mean it harshly. He was a contract employee, and he broke the contract by not showing up on time. It's that simple. I also assume the he "left the airspace uncontrolled" Is a big factor, technicality or not.

No harshness taken. It's the truth.

On the big deal, Yes and no. Yes it's generally a controlled space. One of the first things you learn outside of controlling an aircraft when learning to fly is entering and using an "uncontrolled" airport as a majority of the runways and airports you come across will be uncontrolled. That's what a radio is for, and in the event of a radio failure there are fall backs and rules to go by. So by being late and leaving it uncontrolled is a no, no. There's no reason operations couldn't continue, and in they did.

jstand wrote: He may want to look at opportunities with companies like Raytheon and Mitre that do work on ATC systems. They may have a need for experienced testers, or other areas where the experience could be useful without FAA involvement.

That's a definite thought.

I don't know your dad's location but with his experience he should really look in to teaching. I know Embry-Riddle in Daytona has ATC classes. They teach fundamentals and I think they have ATC simulations. Being a contract tower controller I'm not sure how much knowledge he has of the NextGen systems the FAA is putting in place but it's worth a shot.

At certain airports leaving the airspace under controlled can be kind of a big deal but usually its not. Monterey, CA for example can be a problem if the winds are out of the west and the weather is say 900 overcast. At night when the controllers go home the approach system is set to the east landing runway. A number of operators can't land unless someone is there to switch the system to west landings. Water under the bridge at this point but your dad has a lot of marketable skills that others would find interesting and probably pay to gain knowledge from.

Embry Riddle is an idea I don't think he's played with. A trip to the flight doc and a few hours re-certification(he hasn't flown since I graduated high school 16 years ago) along with a cheap mid time Cessna 150/152 would turn a ~2.5 hour commute into 30-45 min of relaxation (depending on the wind), not to mention with a bit of work we could probably build a runway on the property for him. Always been a dream to commute to work by plane for him.

Embry-Riddle has Satellite campus's all over. Mainly around military bases with a large aviation contengency. Don't limit to schools like Embry-Riddle, there are lots of smaller schools that have programs like that and easier to get into. I know Embry-Riddle requires a Bachelors degree at the minimum to teach. Other smaller trade schools just require certification in what you're teaching. I taught A&P at a small trade school while going for my degree. Embry-Riddle wanted me to teach part time at a Satellite campus and told me about requiring a degree. I was a semester from the degree when they asked me. I didn't go back to teach because I got a new job when I got my degree that requires travel.

My "FAA" internship was with Parsons removing old radar equipment from active airports. It won't be nearly the same but he should have some traction with his experience and time in field. The full timers were ex-phone company techs. We were organized out of the Parson's Kansas City office but we were rarely there. It was a bunch of travel though, which was fine for a summer in college, but I think it would get old.

Maybe something like that would be of interest. I think it'd beat driving a truck.