Modus Vivendi (a Manner of Living.. a Way of Life.. ): The Trials and Tribulations of a Professionally-Minded Air Traffic Controller

By Robert L Burke and Robert L. Burke

Follow a high school graduate who finished in the top 98% of his class in 1969 and then must contend with the military draft lottery and the adventure known as the VietNam War. You see the unfolding of a most intriguing and convoluted real life experience which includes being fired from his coveted air traffic control job by the President of the United States on national TV. You also will be following the author as he journeys to The Dark Side. This is a place where most of us fantasize about in one form or another at certain not-so-good periods of our own life. It also requires a huge leap of faith in your own destiny and the repercussions which will most assuredly adversely affect the remainder of that life. But, hey, sometimes "stuff happens." In the authors case, that is exactly what did happen. In this day and age, everybody utilizes aviation as a mode of transportation in one form or another. You may be sitting with 300 other mindful souls in a huge wide-body jumbo jet airliner, or as the lone passenger in a multi-million dollar business jet like a Gulfstream, a LearJet, or even a Challenger jet. And then there are those such as The Donald (Trump) who have the stature to afford an airline jet which has been converted into a private mansion-on-wings. Everyone of these people are customers of the same entity: air traffic control, and the voice on the radio guiding these wonderful flying machines from Point A to Point B, the air traffic controller. As you sit in the terminal building awaiting the boarding call for your flight, or are in the middle of a 4-hour delay while being crammed like sardines in that long narrow cigar-shaped object known as the commercial airline airplane, peer out the window at the tall control tower and try to visualize the basic concept of ATC. My story, MODUS VIVENDI, will give you a unique look into the world/mind of a professionally minded person who has spent 30 years in either air traffic control (20 years) or training US Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training (UPT) student pilots in the T37 and T38 training jet flight simulator as an imitation air traffic controller (10 years). So, buckle your seat belt and hang on for a ride which will definitely amaze you, both in its formulation, implementation, repercussions, and the final, most unique outcome. During January of 2018 the top 10 professions/ occupations were published. The median income for each is also included. They are as follows: 1). Surgeon $409,665 2). Orthodontist $208,000 3). Psychiatrist/Psychologist $194,000 4). General practice physician $190,490 5). Senior corporate executive $181,210 6). Dentist $153,900 7). Petroleum engineer $128,230 8). Podiatrist $124,830 9). Air traffic controller $122,410 10). Pharmacist $122,230 Of the ten listed, air traffic controller is the ONLY one not requiring a college education. Realistically, a high school diploma is enough to gain you entrance into this most fascinating of careers. If you have the necessary initiative, you can actually commence your foray into the required training procedures on the day after you graduate from high school. It is all up to you. By reading my book, MODUS VIVENDI, you will gain a very complete picture of just how a person with the "right attitude" can embark on the most magical journey known as Professional Air Traffic Control. Follow him through his most unique MODUS VIVENDI as he deals with the yin-and-yang of an exceptional and, until now, relatively unknown and definitely misunderstood, professional occupation: Air Traffic Controller..

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1717290264
• ISBN13: 9781717290267
• Release Date: April 2018
• Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
• Length: 396 Pages
• Weight: 2.01 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 8.5" x 11.0"