Pilot Training - 2017 Review & 2018 Plans
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Entry posted by Daniel Crookes in Pilot Training ·
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Well, folks, we’re on final approach towards next year, chocolate consumption has increased exponentially within the last 24 hours and alcohol consumption isn’t far behind. Over the course of
this year a lot has been going off within the Pilot Training Department with new faces joining us and a new rating (or maybe 2!) so I’d like to share with you all what we as a department have
achieved this year, and more importantly, what we have got planned!
Our P1 course has yet again proven to be our most popular course with 153 mentoring sessions being conducted this year and 9 new mentors joining the mentoring team. Our P1
(Online Pilot) Course has surprisingly always been one of our most popular courses even with other considerably quicker services out there where users can obtain their P1 we have continued
to help new pilots on the network.
Interested in obtaining your P1 through one-to-one mentoring? Submit a ticket here.
The Darkhorse of the department this year has been our P2 course! After the winter months had passed in January this year our P2 course sored into action with over 68 mentoring sessions
being conducted and 10 new mentors joining the team this year. The course is an excellent for anyone who is currently studying their PPL as it is tailored to the same structure as the EASA
PPL exercises 1-12.
Earlier in this quarter, we updated the rating enabling the course to be conducted in the C152, C172, and PA28 expanding the variety for the community. With recent announcements from
several aircraft developers it appears that general aviation aircraft are on the rise, so why not learn how to fly them! We are currently developing the relevant checklists and documentation for
these aircraft, want to get involved in developing this material? Please let us know!
We’ve had the weather for this one! One of our more challenging ratings but this year we’ve had some excellent P3 exam passes. Due to the complexity of the course, we have always struggled to
find mentors, but we’re sure you’re out there. If you hold any real-world licenses and enjoy teaching, please get in touch with us and join the team! The course is excellent for anyone who is
currently studying their PPL as it is tailored to the same structure as the EASA PPL exercises 13+ (Navigation).
Make way for the new guy. Back in January this year we obtained an addition to our ATO license approving us for the P4 (IFR Pilot) Rating. This rating caught the eye of the veterans out there
who wanted to jump into the true depth of IFR procedures. This has been by far the most successful rating launch the Department has ever seen. After nearly a year the demand for the course is
still immense and we need you! If you hold a P4 rating and wish to join the mentoring team, then send us a ticket and we’d be delighted to have you!
The P5 (Advanced IFR Pilot) Rating has finished development as is currently awaiting VATSIM.net approval. The P5 Course focuses on flying the aircraft manually and solely by reference to
instruments including partial panel to simulate instrument failures, and non-precision approaches such as VOR, NDB, etc. The rating will require a P1, P2 and P4 to be held before
eligible to enroll on the P5 course due to the complexity of the course. The course will be available to the community in Q1 of next year and will defiantly be our most
challenging course!
Flight Training Exercises
Fancy something different, a new way to learn and have fun! VATSIM UK will be launching Flight Training Exercises next year. Choose one of 3 launch exercises and take flight discovering the
South East of the UK learning and refining new skills. FTE’s will use TFDi’s smartCARS software to track your flight analyzing parameters such as altitude, airspeed, and position to see if you are
on track! Once FTE’s have been launched we plan to expand the number and type of exercises available to the community ranging from short VFR flights to IFR Roster exercises, the possibilities
are endless!
Moodle Courses
Over the past 6 months, we have been looking at the possibilities of expanding our administration of theory to moodle, VATSIM UK's current e-Learning platform. Tests are still ongoing with the
view to move all of our course theory over to the platform by the end of next year. We feel that this is necessary in order to meet our current and future demands as we expand our courses.
A final one from me. For me to say that I am overwhelmed with the support and effort that has been put into Pilot Training Department over the course of this year would be an understatement.
Change has been on the cards throughout this year but throughout it all, mentors have mentored, instructors have continued to grow their teams, and the community has plunged its time into
helping the department like nothing we have ever seen before. But the pace for growth is never stationary, so, let’s keeps the throttles up there, stay on the centre line, and
see where 2018 takes us.
From myself, and all of the staff in the PTD, I'd like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Thanks,
Dan 
Edited by Daniel Crookes
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