SMO
Santa Monica Tower
FAA Control Tower Santa Monica, California
Facility Information
| Facility Overview | |
|---|---|
| Identifier | SMO |
| Facility Name | Santa Monica Tower |
| Airport Name | Santa Monica Muni |
| Type | Tower |
| Leveli | Level 5 History |
| Core 30 Airporti | No |
| Airspace & Operations | |
|---|---|
| Hours of Operationi | 0700-2100 |
| Airspace Class | Class D |
| Approach/Departure | SCT |
| Overlying ARTCC | ZLA |
| Airport Diagram | View Airport Diagram (PDF) |
| Location & Contact | |
|---|---|
| View on full map → | |
| Address | 3300 Donald Douglas Loop N Santa Monica, CA 90405 |
| Phone Number | 310-398-1525 |
Salary Information
2026 Pay for Santa Monica Tower
| Career Leveli | Hourly Min. | Hourly Max. | Salary Min. | Salary Max.i |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPC | $48.71 | $65.76 | $101,662 | $137,242 |
| D3 | $44.78 | $48.71 | $93,465 | $101,662 |
| AG | $33.00 | $33.00 | $68,879 | $68,879 |
| Includes everything except premium pay. | ||||
ATC pay has stalled over the past decade. Marangos & Brown are on a mission to increase pay.
| Pay Factors | |
|---|---|
| Facility Leveli | Level 5 |
| Locality Area | Los Angeles |
| Locality Payi | 36.47% |
| Controller Incentive Pay (CIP)i | 10.00% |
| Local Affordability | |
|---|---|
| Cost of Living Indexi | 113.6 (13.6% above avg) |
| Cost-Adjusted CPC Mini | $89,515 |
Staffing and Training
| Staffing Information, June 2026 | |
|---|---|
| CPCs on Boardi | 12 CPCs |
| CPC Target (CWP)i | 11 CPCs |
| Current Staffingi | 109% |
|
Projected Staffingi
Click to view components
|
133% |
| ↳ Est. Trainee Certifications | + 4.1 |
| ↳ Committed Outbounds | - 1 |
| ↳ Projected Retirements/Losses | - 0.5 |
|
Number of Trainees
Click to view breakdown
|
5 trainees |
| ↳ Academy Graduates | 1 |
| ↳ Developmental 3 | 3 |
| ↳ CPC-IT 3 (Transfer) | 1 |
| Training Information, June 2026 | |
|---|---|
| Training Time (Avg)i | 1.03 years |
| ↳ New Hires | 1.16 years |
| ↳ Transfers (CPC-IT) | 0.38 years |
| Training Success Rate (Avg)i | 82% |
| ↳ New Hires | 83% |
| ↳ Transfers (CPC-IT) | 89% |
| Travel Days from Academyi | 3 days |
Historical Trends
SMO Staffing Percentages
SMO Personnel Counts
SMO Training Metrics
NCEPT
NCEPT manages controller-requested transfers between FAA facilities.
| Eligibility & Staffing, June 2026 | |
|---|---|
| Staffing Sourcei | Academy Sourced |
| TSL (One Training Time)i | 88.87% |
| Gaining Targeti | 107.05% |
| Possible Gainsi | 0 |
| Primary Releases Avail.i | 1 |
| Secondary Releases Avail.i | 0 |
| Transfer Activity | |
|---|---|
| Releases, Past 3 Yrs | 10 |
| ↳ Standardi | 10 |
| ↳ Priority/Otheri | 0 |
| Gains, Past 3 Yrsi | 0 |
| Last Standard Releasei | 0.3 years ago |
| ERR Demand History | |
|---|---|
| Priority / Draft Order Mar 2026 |
#195 |
| Inbound ERRs on File Feb 2026 |
0 |
| Employees with Outbound ERRs Feb 2026 |
8 (57.1%) |
Demand Trends
NCEPT Priority
Traffic
| May 2025 - April 2026 (12 Months) | |
|---|---|
| Tower Operations | 100,074 operations/year |
| Average Daily Operations | 274 operations/day |
| Peer Group Median (Lvl 5 Tower) |
82,009 operations/year |
| Relative Workloadi | +22.0% vs peer median |