Students come from as far as the Marshall Islands and American Samoa, to attend the academy. Since 1998, Flight Control Academy has graduated 52 students. Many of them work for airlines throughout the United States and the world, including such exotic locales as the South Pacific and American Samoa. Many students already work for airlines in some capacity before enrolling at the academy. There have been flight attendants, customer service agents and flight operations personnel who have signed up for classes.
Some students come from careers that have nothing to do with planes.
He's now working as a aircraft dispatcher in Wisconsin. Karen Tangen is one of those people. An April graduate of the Flight Control Academy, Tangen has worked for Southwest Airlines for more than 13 years in reservations and flight operations. She is a crew base coordinator, a role that puts her in direct contact with pilots every day. Tangen's goal is to become a Southwest aircraft dispatcher within three years.