What do you think?
Rate this book
Cleared for Takeoff: Memoirs of an Air Traffic Controller
Cleared for Memoirs of an Air Traffic ControllerIf you are intrigued by the fast-paced field of air traffic control, John R. “Rusty” Potter give you an insider’s perspective in “Cleared for Memoirs of an Air Traffic Controller.” For those interested in a career watching radarscopes and making split-second, life-or-death decisions, Potter’s firsthand account may serve as a source of inspiration or a cautionary tale.During the course of 35+ years with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), he guided more than 500,000 aircraft from propeller-driven trainers to jumbo jets that flew to destinations around the world. He also trained hundreds of controllers, as well as college and high school students in the intricacies of managing traffic in one of the nation’s most congested aviation settings. Recognized throughout his career for his conscientious approach to the demanding responsibilities of air traffic control, Potter also made significant contributions to air safety on a national level. In “Cleared for Memoirs of an Air Traffic Controller,” Potter offers an engaging account of accidents and incidents, sharp exchanges between pilots and air traffic controllers, hair-raising “saves” and flashes of real humor. As Potter says, “Automated technology has made major advancements over the years, but no one has invented an application that can duplicate the mix of multi-tasking, innovation, and sixth-sense intuition that are staples of successful performance for an air traffic controller.”
- GenresAviation
544 pages, Paperback
Published September 21, 2020
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 9, 2021
5 stars - but ONLY if you are extremely interested in the inner workings of Air Traffic Control. There is very little in this 700+ page book that ISN'T about airplanes or ATC - vanishingly little about his family life or outside interests like is usually included in autobiographies. For this I'm actually grateful as the book focuses solely on the subject matter. Mr. Potter had a very long career in ATC, including various staff positions, technical work, and training duties, even as a contractor after he retired from the FAA. Starting in the 60's and finally retiring for the last time in 2012, his career spanned a lot of advancements and changes - technological, social, and political - and of course the most significant event for any air traffic controller of that era, the PATCO strike of 1981.
Fascinating reading.
Fascinating reading.
June 28, 2021
I enjoyed this book very much.
This is a long read and i'm a quick reader.
I kept at it. I recently started using the ATCpro simulator on my computer.
I learned so much about Miami International with this book from a controller's viewpoint.
I am retired with a lot of time to kill and I enjoy the challenge.
I will feel the author, Rusty looking over my shoulder as I learn.
Thanks Rusty for sharing your story.
"Keep them separated"
This is a long read and i'm a quick reader.
I kept at it. I recently started using the ATCpro simulator on my computer.
I learned so much about Miami International with this book from a controller's viewpoint.
I am retired with a lot of time to kill and I enjoy the challenge.
I will feel the author, Rusty looking over my shoulder as I learn.
Thanks Rusty for sharing your story.
"Keep them separated"
July 4, 2025
At times thrilling
Randy’s narrative sometimes took us to the brink of near miss accidents when the controller’s sharp decisions averted a crash. More often I was lost in a sea of difficult jargon and abbreviations which I found hard to follow. Still, I felt rewarded by a look into the “secret world of ATC.
Randy’s narrative sometimes took us to the brink of near miss accidents when the controller’s sharp decisions averted a crash. More often I was lost in a sea of difficult jargon and abbreviations which I found hard to follow. Still, I felt rewarded by a look into the “secret world of ATC.
June 16, 2022
Interested, good read, but too long and nuanced in some parts. Overall enjoyable, but I had to skim through a couple parts as they dragged on. If you’re a pilot, love learning about aviation, or want to hear some interesting flight/tower stories, this is the book for you!
September 17, 2022
Detailed Look at ATC
Potter provides an in depth examination of the ATC system from the perspective of an air traffic controller. It is very interesting, eye opening and probably a little detailed for anyone not keenly interested in aviation.
Potter provides an in depth examination of the ATC system from the perspective of an air traffic controller. It is very interesting, eye opening and probably a little detailed for anyone not keenly interested in aviation.
April 18, 2023
As an IFR rated pilot. An amazing
STORY. I wish this book had been available before my instrument training. I trained during the controller strike in Southern California. If you want to be great and safe pilot. It is a must read.
STORY. I wish this book had been available before my instrument training. I trained during the controller strike in Southern California. If you want to be great and safe pilot. It is a must read.
August 15, 2023
Nice Memoir
Despite the sometimes unintelligible (to me) air traffic controllers numbers, this memoir lets the reader into a world that is almost unknown to outsiders. Glad I read this.
Despite the sometimes unintelligible (to me) air traffic controllers numbers, this memoir lets the reader into a world that is almost unknown to outsiders. Glad I read this.
April 28, 2024
Insightful
Absolutely well written. A great look into what Air Traffic Control is all about.
As a person who had a career in aviation, It was great to relate to what the author had to say.
Absolutely well written. A great look into what Air Traffic Control is all about.
As a person who had a career in aviation, It was great to relate to what the author had to say.
November 17, 2023
Excellent story. A bit long but interesting throughout. Not just the technical into but also story of life decisions in this eventful period of time.
October 21, 2022
Interesting but way, way too detailed in parts. How he could he possibly remember such minute details over such a long time period?
May 31, 2026
As someone who flies a lot and has read more than a few books by pilots, astronauts, and aviation enthusiasts, I realized that air traffic control remained a bit of a black box to me. This memoir helped illuminate that world.
Rusty Potter spent more than 35 years with the FAA and guided over 500,000 aircraft during his career. The book provides a fascinating look at the unseen infrastructure that keeps modern aviation functioning. I particularly enjoyed learning the distinctions between VFR and IFR operations, the various branches of air traffic control (tower, TRACON, en route, and flight service), and the constant mental vigilance required of controllers.
The most memorable parts were not the technical explanations but the insights into the culture of the profession. Controllers possess a unique combination of confidence, discipline, dark humor, and humility. Two lines capture that mindset perfectly:
“No one knows I am doing a good job until I don’t do it.”
And:
“I’d rather be lucky than good.”
The sections on the PATCO strike, the replacement of striking controllers by military personnel, and the challenges of managing increasingly crowded airspace were particularly illuminating. I also appreciated Potter’s observation that one of the biggest misconceptions among pilots is that controllers intentionally delay aircraft. As he notes, delays make a controller’s job harder, not easier.
My primary criticism is that the book could have benefited from a stronger editor. There is simply too much detail. Every assignment, promotion, procedural change, and administrative development is documented. Aviation enthusiasts may love that level of granularity; I occasionally found myself wishing for a tighter narrative.
Still, if you've ever wondered what happens on the other side of the radio when a pilot checks in with ATC, this book offers a valuable and often fascinating answer.
Memorable
On Air Traffic Control
"No one knows I am doing a good job until I don't do it."
That might be the single best description of invisible professional work I've ever read. It applies as much to accounting, IT, cybersecurity, and operations as it does to ATC.
On Expertise
"If I miss a day of practice, I can tell the difference. If I miss two days of practice, you can tell the difference." ––Vladimir Horowitz
A wonderful observation about mastery and the perishability of expertise. On the Nature of the Work
"The timely correction of previously made errors."
Potter calls this a whimsical description of air traffic control, but it also describes management, consulting, and much of life.
On Luck
"I'd rather be lucky than good."
Controllers use this darkly humorous phrase because they know that even highly competent people operate in complex systems where randomness matters.
On Professional Identity: Controllers referred to themselves as a fraternity of people possessing:
"balls and brains."
Crude perhaps, but revealing of the culture and self-image of the profession in that era.
On Misunderstood Work: Potter's observation that pilots often think controllers unnecessarily delay aircraft was interesting because he points out exactly the opposite:
Delays compound every element of difficulty in the air traffic controller's job.
A nice reminder that incentives matter. The people closest to a problem usually don't benefit from making it worse.
Rusty Potter spent more than 35 years with the FAA and guided over 500,000 aircraft during his career. The book provides a fascinating look at the unseen infrastructure that keeps modern aviation functioning. I particularly enjoyed learning the distinctions between VFR and IFR operations, the various branches of air traffic control (tower, TRACON, en route, and flight service), and the constant mental vigilance required of controllers.
The most memorable parts were not the technical explanations but the insights into the culture of the profession. Controllers possess a unique combination of confidence, discipline, dark humor, and humility. Two lines capture that mindset perfectly:
“No one knows I am doing a good job until I don’t do it.”
And:
“I’d rather be lucky than good.”
The sections on the PATCO strike, the replacement of striking controllers by military personnel, and the challenges of managing increasingly crowded airspace were particularly illuminating. I also appreciated Potter’s observation that one of the biggest misconceptions among pilots is that controllers intentionally delay aircraft. As he notes, delays make a controller’s job harder, not easier.
My primary criticism is that the book could have benefited from a stronger editor. There is simply too much detail. Every assignment, promotion, procedural change, and administrative development is documented. Aviation enthusiasts may love that level of granularity; I occasionally found myself wishing for a tighter narrative.
Still, if you've ever wondered what happens on the other side of the radio when a pilot checks in with ATC, this book offers a valuable and often fascinating answer.
Memorable
On Air Traffic Control
"No one knows I am doing a good job until I don't do it."
That might be the single best description of invisible professional work I've ever read. It applies as much to accounting, IT, cybersecurity, and operations as it does to ATC.
On Expertise
"If I miss a day of practice, I can tell the difference. If I miss two days of practice, you can tell the difference." ––Vladimir Horowitz
A wonderful observation about mastery and the perishability of expertise. On the Nature of the Work
"The timely correction of previously made errors."
Potter calls this a whimsical description of air traffic control, but it also describes management, consulting, and much of life.
On Luck
"I'd rather be lucky than good."
Controllers use this darkly humorous phrase because they know that even highly competent people operate in complex systems where randomness matters.
On Professional Identity: Controllers referred to themselves as a fraternity of people possessing:
"balls and brains."
Crude perhaps, but revealing of the culture and self-image of the profession in that era.
On Misunderstood Work: Potter's observation that pilots often think controllers unnecessarily delay aircraft was interesting because he points out exactly the opposite:
Delays compound every element of difficulty in the air traffic controller's job.
A nice reminder that incentives matter. The people closest to a problem usually don't benefit from making it worse.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews