TYS - Knoxville Tower | Air Traffic Control Tower

Facility Information

Facility Overview
Identifier	TYS
Facility Name	Knoxville Tower
Airport	Mc Ghee Tyson Airport
Type	Tower and Approach Control
Level	Level 8 Show historyHide history • Prior to Oct 2022: Level 7
Core 30 Airport	No

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

Career Level	Hourly Min.	Hourly Max.	Total Pay Min.	Total Pay Max.
CPC	$52.53	$70.91	$109,627	$147,997
D3	$45.99	$52.53	$95,983	$109,627
D2	$39.45	$45.99	$82,337	$95,983
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	92.6 (7.4% below avg)
Cost-Adjusted CPC Min	$118,426

How this pay is calculated

Basic Pay (Level 8 CPC band maximum)	$126,428
+ Locality Pay (17.06% of Basic Pay for Rest of U.S.)	+ $21,569
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$147,997
= Total Pay	$147,997

Basic Pay (Level 8 CPC band minimum)	$93,650
+ Locality Pay (17.06% of Basic Pay for Rest of U.S.)	+ $15,977
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$109,627
= Total Pay	$109,627

Basic Pay (Level 8 D3 band maximum)	$93,650
+ Locality Pay (17.06% of Basic Pay for Rest of U.S.)	+ $15,977
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$109,627
= Total Pay	$109,627

Basic Pay (Level 8 D3 band minimum)	$81,995
+ Locality Pay (17.06% of Basic Pay for Rest of U.S.)	+ $13,988
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$95,983
= Total Pay	$95,983

Basic Pay (Level 8 D2 band maximum)	$81,995
+ Locality Pay (17.06% of Basic Pay for Rest of U.S.)	+ $13,988
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$95,983
= Total Pay	$95,983

Basic Pay (Level 8 D2 band minimum)	$70,338
+ Locality Pay (17.06% of Basic Pay for Rest of U.S.)	+ $11,999
= Adjusted Basic Pay (counts toward your High-3)	$82,337
= Total Pay	$82,337

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, November 2026
CPCs on Board	23 CPCs
CPC Target (CWP)	26 CPCs
Current Staffing	88.46%
Projected Staffing Show componentsHide components	113.08%
↳ Est. Trainee Certifications	+ 9
↳ Projected Retirements/Losses	- 2.6
Number of Trainees Show breakdownHide breakdown	12 trainees
↳ Academy Graduates	4
↳ Developmental 2	4
↳ CPC-IT 0 (Transfer)	2
↳ CPC-IT 2 (Transfer)	1
↳ CPC-IT 3 (Transfer)	1

Training Information, November 2026
Training Time (Avg)	2.25 years
↳ New Hires	2.44 years
↳ Transfers (CPC-IT)	1.58 years
Training Success Rate (Avg)	75%
↳ New Hires	75%
↳ Transfers (CPC-IT)	75%
Travel Days from Academy	2 days

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

Eligibility & Staffing, November 2026
Staffing Source	Academy Sourced
TSL (One Training Time)	93.85%
Gaining Target	101.54%
Possible Gains	0
Primary Releases Avail.	0
Secondary Releases Avail.	0

ERR Demand, October 14, 2026
ERRs on File (Inbound)	12
↳ Releasable	0
Employees with ERRs (Outbound)	3
↳ As % of CPCs	13.0%
↳ Total ERRs (Outbound)	6