HLN - Helena Tower | Air Traffic Control Tower

Facility Information

2026 pay for Helena Tower, built from the FAA Air Traffic Specialized Pay Plan bands:

Career Level	Hourly Min.	Hourly Max.	Total Pay Min.	Total Pay Max.
CPC	$38.93	$52.56	$81,249	$109,685
D3	$35.79	$38.93	$74,698	$81,249
AG	$26.38	$26.38	$55,049	$55,049
Total Pay combines Basic Pay, Locality Pay. It excludes premium pay for overtime, nights, Sundays, and holidays.

Local Affordability
Cost of Living Index	95.7 (4.3% below avg)
Cost-Adjusted CPC Min	$84,917

How this pay is calculated

Basic Pay (Level 5 CPC band maximum)	$93,699
+ Locality Pay (17.06% of Basic Pay for Rest of U.S.)	+ $15,986
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$109,685
= Total Pay	$109,685

Basic Pay (Level 5 CPC band minimum)	$69,408
+ Locality Pay (17.06% of Basic Pay for Rest of U.S.)	+ $11,841
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$81,249
= Total Pay	$81,249

Basic Pay (Level 5 D3 band maximum)	$69,408
+ Locality Pay (17.06% of Basic Pay for Rest of U.S.)	+ $11,841
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$81,249
= Total Pay	$81,249

Basic Pay (Level 5 D3 band minimum)	$63,812
+ Locality Pay (17.06% of Basic Pay for Rest of U.S.)	+ $10,886
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$74,698
= Total Pay	$74,698

Basic Pay (Academy Graduate band, set nationally)	$47,026
+ Locality Pay (17.06% of Basic Pay for Rest of U.S.)	+ $8,023
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$55,049
= Total Pay	$55,049

The AG band is a single national rate, so the top and bottom of the band are the same.

Basic Pay (Academy Graduate band, set nationally)	$47,026
+ Locality Pay (17.06% of Basic Pay for Rest of U.S.)	+ $8,023
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$55,049
= Total Pay	$55,049

The AG band is a single national rate, so the top and bottom of the band are the same.

Amounts are rounded to the nearest dollar, so lines can differ from the total by a dollar or two.

ATC pay has stalled over the past decade. Marangos & Brown are on a mission to increase pay.

Staffing Information, October 2026
CPCs on Board	9 CPCs
CPC Target (CWP)	11 CPCs
Current Staffing	81.82%
Projected Staffing Show componentsHide components	104.50%
↳ Est. Trainee Certifications	+ 3.1
↳ Projected Retirements/Losses	- 0.6
Number of Trainees Show breakdownHide breakdown	5 trainees
↳ Academy Graduates	1
↳ Developmental 3	4

Training Information, October 2026
Training Time (Avg)	1.67 years
↳ New Hires	1.77 years
↳ Transfers (CPC-IT)	0.61 years
Training Success Rate (Avg)	62%
↳ New Hires	60%
↳ Transfers (CPC-IT)	88%
Travel Days from Academy	4 days

NCEPT manages controller-requested transfers between FAA facilities. See HLN transfer selections on the Transfer Flow Map.

Eligibility & Staffing, October 2026
Staffing Source	Academy Sourced
TSL (One Training Time)	91.72%
Gaining Target	109.90%
Possible Gains	1
Primary Releases Avail.	0
Secondary Releases Avail.	0

ERR Demand, September 15, 2026
ERRs on File (Inbound)	1
↳ Releasable	0
Employees with ERRs (Outbound)	0
↳ As % of CPCs	0.0%
↳ Total ERRs (Outbound)	0