LCH - Lake Charles Tower

Facility Information

Facility Overview
Identifier	LCH
Facility Name	Lake Charles Tower
Airport Name	Lake Charles Rgnl
Type	Tower and Approach Control
Level	Level 5 Show historyHide history • Prior to Nov 2016: Level 6
Core 30 Airport	No

2026 pay for Lake Charles 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	85.9 (14.2% below avg)
Cost-Adjusted CPC Min	$94,641

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, August 2026
CPCs on Board	13 CPCs
CPC Target (CWP)	16 CPCs
Current Staffing	81.25%
Projected Staffing Show componentsHide components	111.30%
↳ Est. Trainee Certifications	+ 5
↳ Committed Inbounds	+ 1
↳ Projected Retirements/Losses	- 1
Number of Trainees Show breakdownHide breakdown	6 trainees
↳ Developmental 3	6

Training Information, August 2026
Training Time (Avg)	1.78 years
↳ New Hires	1.86 years
↳ Transfers (CPC-IT)	0.62 years
Training Success Rate (Avg)	83%
↳ New Hires	82%
↳ Transfers (CPC-IT)	89%
Travel Days from Academy	2 days

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

Eligibility & Staffing, August 2026
Staffing Source	Academy Sourced
TSL (One Training Time)	91.54%
Gaining Target	104.04%
Possible Gains	0
Primary Releases Avail.	0
Secondary Releases Avail.	0