TRI
Tri-Cities Tower
FAA Control Tower and Approach Control Blountville, Tennessee
Facility Information
| Facility Overview | |
|---|---|
| Identifier | TRI |
| Facility Name | Tri-Cities Tower |
| Airport Name | Tri-Cities |
| Type | Tower and Approach Control |
| Leveli | Level 6 History |
| Core 30 Airporti | No |
| Airspace & Operations | |
|---|---|
| Hours of Operationi | 0600-2359 |
| Airspace Class | Class D |
| Overlying ARTCC | ZTL |
| Airport Diagram | View Airport Diagram (PDF) |
| Location & Contact | |
|---|---|
| Address | 2701 Hwy 75 Blountville, TN 37617 |
| Phone Number | 423-325-6271 |
Salary Information
2026 Pay for Tri-Cities Tower
| Career Leveli | Hourly Min. | Hourly Max. | Salary Min. | Salary Max.i |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPC | $43.02 | $58.08 | $89,784 | $121,205 |
| D3 | $38.86 | $43.02 | $81,100 | $89,784 |
| D2 | $34.70 | $38.86 | $72,414 | $81,100 |
| AG | $26.38 | $26.38 | $55,049 | $55,049 |
| 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 6 |
| Locality Area | Rest of U.S. |
| Locality Payi | 17.06% |
| Local Affordability | |
|---|---|
| Cost of Living Indexi | 86.5 (13.6% below avg) |
| Cost-Adjusted CPC Mini | $103,857 |
Staffing and Training
| Staffing Information, June 2026 | |
|---|---|
| CPCs on Boardi | 21 CPCs |
| CPC Target (CWP)i | 17 CPCs |
| Current Staffingi | 118% |
|
Projected Staffingi
Click to view components
|
132% |
| ↳ Est. Trainee Certifications | + 2.6 |
| ↳ Committed Inbounds | + 1 |
| ↳ Temporary Inbounds | + 1 |
| ↳ Projected Retirements/Losses | - 1.6 |
|
Number of Trainees
Click to view breakdown
|
5 trainees |
| ↳ Academy Graduates | 2 |
| ↳ Developmental 2 | 1 |
| ↳ CPC-IT 0 (Transfer) | 1 |
| ↳ CPC-IT 2 (Transfer) | 1 |
| Training Information, June 2026 | |
|---|---|
| Training Time (Avg)i | 1.45 years |
| ↳ New Hires | 1.76 years |
| ↳ Transfers (CPC-IT) | 0.71 years |
| Training Success Rate (Avg)i | 52% |
| ↳ New Hires | 45% |
| ↳ Transfers (CPC-IT) | 80% |
| Travel Days from Academyi | 3 days |
Historical Trends
TRI Staffing Percentages
TRI Personnel Counts
TRI Training Metrics
NCEPT
NCEPT manages controller-requested transfers between FAA facilities.
| Eligibility & Staffing, June 2026 | |
|---|---|
| Staffing Sourcei | Academy Sourced |
| TSL (One Training Time)i | 90.21% |
| Gaining Targeti | 101.98% |
| Possible Gainsi | 0 |
| Primary Releases Avail.i | 5 |
| Secondary Releases Avail.i | 3 |
| Transfer Activity | |
|---|---|
| Releases, Past 3 Yrsi | 7 |
| Gains, Past 3 Yrsi | 3 |
| Time Since Last Selectioni | 2.1 years |
| ERR Demand History | |
|---|---|
| Priority / Draft Order Mar 2026 |
#196 |
| Inbound ERRs on File Feb 2026 |
0 |
| Employees with Outbound ERRs Feb 2026 |
2 (10.5%) |
Demand Trends
NCEPT Priority
Traffic
| May 2025 - April 2026 (12 Months) | |
|---|---|
| Tower Operations | 49,367 operations/year |
| TRACON Operations | 68,480 operations/year |
| Total Operations | 117,847 operations/year |
| Average Daily Operations | 323 operations/day |
| Peer Group Median (Lvl 6 Up/Down) |
149,028 operations/year |
| Relative Workloadi | -20.9% vs peer median |
Traffic History
Administration
| Organizational Structure | |
|---|---|
| Service Area | Eastern |
| District | Atlanta |
| HR Region | Southern |