Jump to content

ATC Training

A group blog by ATC Training in Division Updates

  • entries
    157
  • comments
    1109
  • views
    110953

Contributors to this blog

  • Daniel Crookes 35
  • Andy Ford 33
  • Samuel James 30
  • Adam Farquharson 17
  • Oliver Rhodes 16
  • Adam Arkley 10
  • Alex Beard 9
  • George Wright 3
  • Fraser Cooper 3
  • Kieran Hardern 3
  • Nathan Donnelly 2
  • Sebastian Rekdal 2
  • Fergus Walsh 2
  • Chris Pawley 2
  • Jack Edwards 2
  • Simon Irvine 1
  • Craig Stewart 1
  • Kye Taylor 1
  • Reece Buckley 1
  • Will Jennings 1

About this blog

Entries in this blog

ATC Training

CTS Controller Booking Etiquette

Hi all, Following a couple of queries and concerns raised over the last couple of days, I wanted to post a reminder of booking etiquette, particularly for new members who've joined fairly recently and might not be aware of the conventions. The website regulates that "booking shall not be excessive in duration", which is deliberately a rather vague rule (perhaps the main source of confusion). "Excessive" is a difficult term to define, as what may be considered excessive in one case may
Oliver Rhodes

Oliver Rhodes in ATC Training

8
ATC Training

Nova sanguinem - Welcome to...

Following on with the Latin theme... I'm pleased to welcome the following to the ATC Training Department staff team: Gregg Donohoe - TG Instructor for TG1 Gregg is a long standing member of the Division having previously held various roles including SCONI RTSI - It's a real honour to have him back and brings a bucket load of experience, enthusiasm and knowledge to the role Charlie Watson - TG Instructor for TG2 Charlie has been heavily involved with the UK Division for the past co
Samuel James

Samuel James in ATC Training

14
ATC Training

Military ACC Course - Released

We are pleased to announce the release of our Military Area Radar Moodle Course and the re-introduction of Military ACC endorsements. A massive thank you to Callum Presley and Lee Roberts for creating this course for us. The course is open to view to all members. Members holding a permanent controller rating of C1 or C3 and also a Military APC endorsement are invited to take the exam (please submit a ticket to the helpdesk to have the exam enabled) at the end of the course to gain their Mil
Andy Ford

Andy Ford in ATC Training

7
ATC Training

An Insight into Demand

When I was appointed to this post, I committed to being transparent with you all about all manner of different things. Specifically, I've committed to give everybody a view on the demand that ATC training is facing, at all ratings. Thanks to my colleagues in our Tech team, I have some data now that I can share with you. However, before we dive into any detail, it's worth saying that we can only work with the data that we have. We might draw many inferences from that data, but we'll never have a
Adam Arkley

Adam Arkley in ATC Training

13
ATC Training

ATC Update, Winter 2018

Hi all, As the year draws to a close, we wanted to give you all an update on what ATC Training has achieved over the past 12 months, and look forward to the next! Over the past year, we have: Issued 115 S1s (up by 51.3% from last year); Issued 58 S2s (up by 123% from last year); Issued 19 S3s (up by 46.2% from last year); Issued 4 C1s (down by 25.0% from last year, but the sample size is low - the absolute difference is by one); Inducted 90 visitors an
Oliver Rhodes

Oliver Rhodes in ATC Training

15
ATC Training

Training Staff Changes (ATC)

Bon Soir! After a few discussions over the past couple of days, @Luke Collister is stepping down from his role of TGI for TG2 due to his availability and other commitments. With that being said, @Lee Roberts will move into the role of TGI for TG2 whilst retaining his current role as TGM - TWR for a short period.  Please join me in thanking Luke for his time as TGI and in wishing Lee Roberts good luck in his new role. Dan ✈️
Daniel Crookes

Daniel Crookes in ATC Training

14
ATC Training

Shifting Focus: Tower Training

Following feedback received during and following the ATC Training Consultation, the department has been hard at work. One of the points raised during the consultation, that many of you have added your voices to since, is that as a division, we spend a lot of time in our training doing theory. Often, teaching the same thing multiple times and on topics that students should be able to learn for themselves. Some have gone as far as to say that some people expect to be spoon-fed information, like a
Andy Ford

Andy Ford in ATC Training

5
ATC Training

British Summer Time (BST) begins Sunday 31st March at 01:00

"There is nothing stable in the world; uproar's your only music." - John Keats At 1am on Sunday 31st March the clocks will advance one hour. This means that 1am shall immediately become 2am, thieving us all of an hour of our day, and @George Wright will spend the next six months dancing 'the funky chicken' whilst dressed as Bob the Builder. For those of you in other timezones: as you were. For those of us in the UK, we must now engage in intellectual gymnastics every time we use t
Oliver Rhodes

Oliver Rhodes in ATC Training

13
ATC Training

E duobus unum: Merging Waiting Lists

Hi all, At the beginning of 2017, in the delightfully entitled post ‘Exitus Acta Probat’ (Latin for ‘the end justifies the means’, from the poetry of Ovid, if you’re interested), Sam announced the merger of the old RTSs into the Training Groups (TGs). One of the main reasons for doing so was to reduce the discrepancies in waiting times between the RTSs. In the same spirit, and following discussions with students, mentors, and staff, we have now merged the S2 and S3 waiting lists for TG
Oliver Rhodes

Oliver Rhodes in ATC Training

2
ATC Training

New CT S1 Training Programme Launched!

Hey folks, I'm pleased to announce the launch of our new CT S1 course. Main points: Comprehensive e-Learning/Moodle courses All S1 training completed within the New Controller Training Group All practical S1 training sessions conducted using London Gatwick   *Once process/event is complete, send a ticket to ATC Training to continue the process   I've just joined the New Controller Training Group (TG) - How do I join a Group session? You
Samuel James

Samuel James in ATC Training

3
ATC Training

January Changes

Hi all, After a few months of testing we are adjusting the way that ATC exams are picked up. Previously our Head Examiner has assigned exams to our examiners, the new method will allow examiners to pick up exams without waiting for them to be assigned. Our aim is to minimise the time students are waiting after being submitted for an exam. To ensure that examiner currency and any potential speculative bias is removed, we have set criteria that governs whether an examiner can  pick up and exa
Daniel Crookes

Daniel Crookes in ATC Training

5
ATC Training

Samuel James

All, Unfortunately, Sam will be taking some time away from VATSIM due to ill health in the family.  George Wright has kindly agreed to look after the ATC Training Department in Sam's absence. Any ATC Training Management matters can be directed to George during this time, via the helpdesk.  
Nathan Donnelly

Nathan Donnelly in ATC Training

9
ATC Training

S3 Moodle Course Release

Hi all, Following the launch of the S2 Moodle eLearning course in December, we’re very excited to announce the launch of our S3 Moodle eLearning course! The course guides students through 14 sections, starting with some fundamental Approach Control concepts (e.g. a high-level overview of the principles of separation) and moving on to Altimetry and Meteorology, Navigation, Approach Control Principles, Equipment and Systems, Identification, Validation, and Verification, Appreciation of A
Daniel Crookes

Daniel Crookes in ATC Training

0
ATC Training

Military Radar (APC) Moodle course RELEASED

A massive thanks to @Callum Presley and colleagues for their hard work developing and testing the new Military Radar (APC) course on our moodle platform. I'm delighted to announce that it is now available for S3s to enrol and complete. Once you have passed the Final Exam, simply submit a ticket to the Military RTS and we'll get the endorsement processed. It'll be great to see some more of our Military APP positions manned in the future. Enjoy!
Samuel James

Samuel James in ATC Training

13
ATC Training

CTS Theory Exam and Training Place Eligibility Changes

Hi everyone, As mentioned in my recruitment post, in the past couple of months I’ve been looking at what quick changes can be made in order to improve ATC Training. My main focus is maximising the use of mentors time - feedback from mentors suggests that they spend a lot of time teaching theory that is already available through other resources (Moodle, Syllabus, vMATS etc.). Explaining the practical application of theoretical concepts is an important part of the role of a mentor and we want
Adam Farquharson

Adam Farquharson in ATC Training

1
ATC Training

Area Training requirements

Dear all, This post is to clarify two basic requirements for S3 students who want to start their C1 training. These requirements have been in place for many years (but haven't always been followed and it seems they've been forgotten). In order to be eligible to begin training on any CTR position with us you must comply with both of the following requirements: Must have controlled at least 12 hours on any APP position in the UK in the last 3 months. This is to ensure you are actively p
George Wright

George Wright in ATC Training

1
ATC Training

S1 Examinations

Hi all, In order to improve and standardise the quality of our S1 training, and in response to feedback which we have received from mentors, students, and controllers, we will shortly be introducing S1 practical examinations, in line with the process followed at S2, S3, and C1. This will not change the process of training, whereby members initially attend in introductory group session, complete eLearning courses, and receive one-to-one practical training. However, instead of being reco
Oliver Rhodes

Oliver Rhodes in ATC Training

3
ATC Training

[POLICY] ATC Training Handbook

Hi all, Back in September of 2018 when the ATC and Pilot Training Departments merged into one - I was adamant that the ATC Training side of things needed an Operations Manual similar to the manual we are required to have as past of our ATO for Pilot Training. The purpose being to provide anyone who operates within the Training Department with guidance, advice, and direction on how we operate so that everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet. When we started making this manual we sud
Daniel Crookes

Daniel Crookes in ATC Training

0
ATC Training

S1 Syllabus and Lesson Plans Release!

Hi all, Marking the end of a year-long project for the New Controller TG, including six months of trials with groups of students and mentors, we’re pleased to announce the introduction of a series of structured lesson plans for S1 students. The practical component (part two) of the S1 training programme will now consist of a series of four sessions, which students will move through sequentially to apply the knowledge obtained from the programme’s theoretical component (part one) to sce
Daniel Crookes

Daniel Crookes in ATC Training

0
ATC Training

Changes to the Manchester Familiarisation Sessions and Gatwick Endorsement

Hi all, Over the past couple of months, me and Josh have spoken to mentors and students to see what could be improved in regards to S1 continuation training. The most common things that cropped up were that the Manchester Familiarisation Sessions weren't getting used to their full and proper potential, and that the Gatwick Endorsement was not properly training people. Here are the changes that we have made;Manchester Familiarisation: As some of you may be aware, TG New Controller, along with the
Fergus Walsh

Fergus Walsh in ATC Training

7
ATC Training

TG Tower Staff Changes

Hi all, Firstly I’d like to thank everyone for the kind messages following the announcement of my appointment as ATC Training Director. Having moved roles this left a space in the TWR team which a couple of people quickly expressed their interest in. Following a few discussions we have decided to appoint @Kye Taylor to the role.  Kye joined the Training Department 15 months ago as a New Controller TG Instructor. Having been involved in many projects including the development of th
Adam Farquharson

Adam Farquharson in ATC Training

4
ATC Training

ATC Mentor Feedback Form

We have now introduced a feedback form for ATC Mentors. It is available here. What this form is: An opportunity for students to provide constructive feedback to their mentors, regarding how they conducted a particular mentoring session. A place for mentors to help each other, by providing constructive feedback. For example, another mentor who is controlling adjacent to the mentoring session may wish to feedback on the way a particular situation was handled by the mentor.
Andy Ford

Andy Ford in ATC Training

1
ATC Training

S2s and Sweatbox

To resolve any confusion between who can and cannot run Sweatboxes as an S2 across the Division and to prepare ourselves for the onset of Central Training, from now onwards, S2 Mentors are permitted to run Sweatboxes without restriction. Naturally, as with all Sweatbox mentors regardless of rating, we would encourage those who are not particularly confident with its’ features to attend a ‘Introduction to Sweatbox’ seminar which will be regularly held and details of these will be promulgated on t
Samuel James

Samuel James in ATC Training

3
ATC Training

Get Involved: CT S3 Moodle Course

All, The ATC Training Department is looking for contributors to the ongoing development of our online self-learning moodle courses. The ultimate goal behind these courses is to shift the responsibility of learning towards the student, reducing the amount of theory that has to be explicitly taught in mentoring sessions. In turn, this will reduce the amount of mentoring sessions required to obtain a rating or endorsement by better preparing students for the situations that they will encounter
Andy Ford

Andy Ford in ATC Training

2
ATC Training

S1 Gatwick Endorsements - Hours Checker

Hi all, From listening to the feedback we’ve had over the past few weeks about the recently introduced Gatwick endorsement scheme, we’ve realised that the requirements to start training for the endorsement could be made clearer.  From today, thanks to some fantastic work by the Web team, we’re introducing a new system to guide you through the process of gaining your Gatwick endorsement. If you are currently an S1-rated controller, you can go to this page to use the new system. If
Oliver Rhodes

Oliver Rhodes in ATC Training

4
×
×
  • Create New...