Hello,
As said in my previous blog, I wanted to write this blog before the 8th of May so here it is.
First of all, I'd like to thank the two anonymous commentators for the kind words. I really appreciate them.
But I'd like to cut to the chase, namely the (probable) outcome of the review board.
The review board in itself went OK. We discussed many things, with the main focus on my results and my own opinion on how things went during my course. During the conversation, there was also a bit of time reserved to give feedback and/or to ask questions.
One important thing (for me) though was that the decision to stop my training is not yet 100% definitive. This actually means that right now, I am still a EUROCONTROL-employee until the decision has been officially taken. I'm not entirely sure about the hierarchy of EUROCONTROL in those echelons, but I think this means that the Director General has to put his signature on the paper stating I'm stopped in the training.
However, I asked the question if there would be any possibility for me to join the next course but unfortunately, recourses are only very rarely done. In the occasion where they are done, they are usually only given to people who are close to the final evaluations whereas the instructors think one is not yet entirely ready for those (but very close to it).
In short, this means that my chances of getting recoursed are pretty much non-existing. The Head of Training and Head of Recruitment, who will write the letter of termination of my contract, will most probably (as in 99.9% certainly) follow the advise of the instructors to end my training.
But I don't want to quit and drop my head just like that, so I'm still willing to try and reach the ATC license. To do this, I have already subscribed for the LVNL Information Days already (July 2nd), I will get in touch with Belgocontrol soon (most probably next week) and I might even consider NATS (the UK ANSP).
I've been thinking whether or not I should write another blog after this, in which I give the final decision EUROCONTROL has made, but I'm still not entirely convinced if it's useful. I'll leave that up to you to decide. If you want to hear the final word of EUROCONTROL, you can leave a comment.:-)
In case I would not write another blog, I already want to thank everyone who read my blog. I hope you enjoyed it, have an (better) understanding of the ATC Training Course and will maybe once become ATCo's yourself or continue to be one.
Kind regards,
Mathias Jacobs-Anseeuw
Saturday 7 May 2011
Wednesday 27 April 2011
The two options
Hey hey,
Here I am again with the probably long awaited new blog. In case you're wondering why I didn't write one for nearly 2 months, I have a few reasons.
First of all, I mainly had sim runs in Learning Unit 2, again sometimes up to 25 runs per week, so repeating everything over and over again seemed a bit pointless to me.
Second, I've been going through a bit of a rough ride in the rollercoaster called my life.
Third, I've been wondering how to write this particular blog, which brings me straight to the meaning of the title of this blog.
Even before I started writing this blog, I knew I would be able to write almost everything about the training. There would, however, be one thing where I would have to let the future decide: passing or failing the course.
Those who have me on Facebook may already have read it that for me, the training was stopped after the assessed runs at the end of Learning Unit 2, which is about 2 weeks ago by now. Along with me, one other person's results were also insufficient at this stage of training, so (s)he was also stopped. The reason behind the decision to end my training was mainly the lack of building in safety buffers.
There is however still a bit of hope for me left. After I got the news that the training ended, some of our group had a drink with some instructors. One of them said that he actually would have wanted to give me another two weeks to see if I made further progress (another instructor confirmed I had improved in the final days/weeks already, but that I didn't have the statistics to prove this).
Next week, I am invited for the Review Board (an obligatory meeting with the Head of Training and Head of Recruitment) in which my entire training is reviewed. In the same meeting, I am allowed to fight the decision to terminate my training, should I want to. With what my instructors said during the drink in the back of my mind, I think I will ask for the possibility to join the next course in Luxembourg, starting in June. It's a long shot, I know, but sometimes a long shot can go in, so who knows...
Should I not be able to continue my training with EUROCONTROL, I'll probably apply for ATC training at LVNL (Dutch ANSP), Belgocontrol (Belgian ANSP) or try to become a military ATC. Another option would be to get back in touch with Skyguide (Swiss ANSP) as they said we were allowed to contact them should we fail at EUROCONTROL.
As you can see, the motivation to become an ATCo is still very much alive, despite having received quite a blow. It's strange actually how I all of a sudden realize what impact the training, which only lasted 5 months, had on my life. I can't even drive around in my car without thinking about how it relates to ATC.
So next week, I have my review board, which means I'll write at least one more blog to tell you the outcome. I'll give myself the deadline to put this blog by the end of next week (May 8th), so stay tuned. :)
To end with, I'll give answers to the questions asked in my last blog.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
hi,
about this mental-note stuff! Do applicants must have some perfect memory to do this job? If you have 20 aircrafts under your control, you have to make at least 20 notes in your head and you will remember everything?
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Of course, you don't have to have some sort of super-mind, but a good memory is invaluable. While working the traffic, you can also forget things at a certain stage. For example, if an aircraft requests climb, it's useless to keep that note in your head after it has been cleared to/reached its altitude. Sometimes, if you're "lucky", this means you can forget about this after just 10 seconds.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
A I thought of a question,
Could you describe what the coordinators task is?
I have the following picture:
Tactical, responsible for separation. Solves the conflicts within the sectors.
Coordinator, answers and makes phone calls.
Marks (and solves?) conflicts entering the sector.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
I have 2 pages in my Local Operating Procedures document, explaining the roles of each controller.
In short, the Executive Controller (EC) is responsible for the radio frequency and moving the traffic. The Coordinating Controller (CC) is responsible for the coordination with adjacent units, planning the traffic and looking for entry and exit conflicts. If possible, the CC should also monitor the frequency and inform EC about things he may have missed (wrong read-back, request etc).
Of course, if one of the ATCo's makes a mistake, the other should inform him/her about this as soon as possible. Examples could be an exit conflict that slipped the CC's attention or a conflict in the sector that went unnoticed by the EC.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Another question:
What lists do you have available in the system? I know the eurocat system works with Sector Inbound List (SIL) and Sector Exit List (SEL), is that similar to what you use?
Can you sort the lists according to the different entries (so you can change sorting between callsign, XFL, CFL etc)? If you can, do you use that when scanning for conflicts or is it more of a "nice to have" feature?
---------------------------------------------------------------------
I don't know the name of the EUROCONTROL-system, but I actually think it is the Eurocat-system. We can sort the lists with two buttons. One button gives the options Entry, Exit, ABC. The second button gives the options COP, Level and Time.
Selecting EXIT and COP will list all aircraft according to their Exit Coordination Point. Selecting ENTRY and TIME will list all aircraft according to their estimated time of entry into the sector. Etc.
How you use the list is a bit different for everyone and differs per role as well. As EC, I actually didn't look at the list at all. As CC, I (and probably every ATCo) used the list for exit planning.
That's it for this blog. Until next week. Wish me luck. :-)
Here I am again with the probably long awaited new blog. In case you're wondering why I didn't write one for nearly 2 months, I have a few reasons.
First of all, I mainly had sim runs in Learning Unit 2, again sometimes up to 25 runs per week, so repeating everything over and over again seemed a bit pointless to me.
Second, I've been going through a bit of a rough ride in the rollercoaster called my life.
Third, I've been wondering how to write this particular blog, which brings me straight to the meaning of the title of this blog.
Even before I started writing this blog, I knew I would be able to write almost everything about the training. There would, however, be one thing where I would have to let the future decide: passing or failing the course.
Those who have me on Facebook may already have read it that for me, the training was stopped after the assessed runs at the end of Learning Unit 2, which is about 2 weeks ago by now. Along with me, one other person's results were also insufficient at this stage of training, so (s)he was also stopped. The reason behind the decision to end my training was mainly the lack of building in safety buffers.
There is however still a bit of hope for me left. After I got the news that the training ended, some of our group had a drink with some instructors. One of them said that he actually would have wanted to give me another two weeks to see if I made further progress (another instructor confirmed I had improved in the final days/weeks already, but that I didn't have the statistics to prove this).
Next week, I am invited for the Review Board (an obligatory meeting with the Head of Training and Head of Recruitment) in which my entire training is reviewed. In the same meeting, I am allowed to fight the decision to terminate my training, should I want to. With what my instructors said during the drink in the back of my mind, I think I will ask for the possibility to join the next course in Luxembourg, starting in June. It's a long shot, I know, but sometimes a long shot can go in, so who knows...
Should I not be able to continue my training with EUROCONTROL, I'll probably apply for ATC training at LVNL (Dutch ANSP), Belgocontrol (Belgian ANSP) or try to become a military ATC. Another option would be to get back in touch with Skyguide (Swiss ANSP) as they said we were allowed to contact them should we fail at EUROCONTROL.
As you can see, the motivation to become an ATCo is still very much alive, despite having received quite a blow. It's strange actually how I all of a sudden realize what impact the training, which only lasted 5 months, had on my life. I can't even drive around in my car without thinking about how it relates to ATC.
So next week, I have my review board, which means I'll write at least one more blog to tell you the outcome. I'll give myself the deadline to put this blog by the end of next week (May 8th), so stay tuned. :)
To end with, I'll give answers to the questions asked in my last blog.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
hi,
about this mental-note stuff! Do applicants must have some perfect memory to do this job? If you have 20 aircrafts under your control, you have to make at least 20 notes in your head and you will remember everything?
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Of course, you don't have to have some sort of super-mind, but a good memory is invaluable. While working the traffic, you can also forget things at a certain stage. For example, if an aircraft requests climb, it's useless to keep that note in your head after it has been cleared to/reached its altitude. Sometimes, if you're "lucky", this means you can forget about this after just 10 seconds.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
A I thought of a question,
Could you describe what the coordinators task is?
I have the following picture:
Tactical, responsible for separation. Solves the conflicts within the sectors.
Coordinator, answers and makes phone calls.
Marks (and solves?) conflicts entering the sector.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
I have 2 pages in my Local Operating Procedures document, explaining the roles of each controller.
In short, the Executive Controller (EC) is responsible for the radio frequency and moving the traffic. The Coordinating Controller (CC) is responsible for the coordination with adjacent units, planning the traffic and looking for entry and exit conflicts. If possible, the CC should also monitor the frequency and inform EC about things he may have missed (wrong read-back, request etc).
Of course, if one of the ATCo's makes a mistake, the other should inform him/her about this as soon as possible. Examples could be an exit conflict that slipped the CC's attention or a conflict in the sector that went unnoticed by the EC.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Another question:
What lists do you have available in the system? I know the eurocat system works with Sector Inbound List (SIL) and Sector Exit List (SEL), is that similar to what you use?
Can you sort the lists according to the different entries (so you can change sorting between callsign, XFL, CFL etc)? If you can, do you use that when scanning for conflicts or is it more of a "nice to have" feature?
---------------------------------------------------------------------
I don't know the name of the EUROCONTROL-system, but I actually think it is the Eurocat-system. We can sort the lists with two buttons. One button gives the options Entry, Exit, ABC. The second button gives the options COP, Level and Time.
Selecting EXIT and COP will list all aircraft according to their Exit Coordination Point. Selecting ENTRY and TIME will list all aircraft according to their estimated time of entry into the sector. Etc.
How you use the list is a bit different for everyone and differs per role as well. As EC, I actually didn't look at the list at all. As CC, I (and probably every ATCo) used the list for exit planning.
That's it for this blog. Until next week. Wish me luck. :-)
Saturday 12 March 2011
Quite the week
Hello everyone
As the title should already make clear, I have had quite the week. We didn't have any classroom lectures, except for the briefings, but a full week of sim (5h/day, so 25h this week). Let's just say my mind wasn't really happy when it exploded under such strain... But apart from the bits and pieces flying around everywhere, almost everything is going fine here.
Unfortunately, I have some bad news as well. We had to say goodbye to 2 persons (won't disclose identity by names or gender) of our course in the past few weeks. Strange thing is: it wasn't because of the course itself. Their results were all good to perfect, but one found out (s)he no longer had the motivation to fulfill the training and live the life of an ATCo, while the other had to stop due to medical issues. However, the person with medical issues will be allowed back on training with the next group (starting at the IANS in June).
Luckily, I also have some good news. The 6 of us remaining have now completed Learning Unit 1, in which we just took the role as Executive Controller. In Learning Unit 2, which starts next Monday, we will be switching roles as Executive and Coordinating Controller. Teamwork from now on, which will most likely lead to a noticeable increase in traffic, as we now have an extra pair of eyes on the screens.
To end with, I've received a few questions after my previous blog (one as a comment to my blog, others through Facebook) so I'll answer these now.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Any chance on some more details of the system? For example I've heard the label can't be moved freely but has 16 diffrent positions (so sometimes it takes 14 or 15 inputs to get it to the position you want!). Would also be great to hear a bit about the scanning loops you're taught, what qualifies as a conflict and how is it shown in the system?
-----------------------------------------------------------
The system is the same as the Maastricht-system (with some simulator-limitations), so we're getting used to the interface already. Most of it is very intuitive and it's not really that hard to get going on it, but I doubt I can go into real detail on the system (safety issues). I must admit I haven't counted the different positions of the label, but it is correct that it can only be moved counter-clockwise with mouse-clicks on the Radar Position Symbol (RPS), which is sometimes an nuisance if you want to have your labels in an orderly fashion, but you get used to it quite fast...
The scanning loops we're taught is what I abbreviate as DIEEM:
- Detect which aircraft to plan next (usually the next one(s) to contact you)
- Information gathering (what aircraft type, route, flight level, destination, ...)
- Entry conflict search (any other traffic on the same flight level, which will come within 20NM of this traffic in my sector?)
- Exit conflict search (any other traffic on the same flight level within the prescribed minima over the exit point?)
- Make a mental note (I need to do this and that with that aircraft)
There are different kinds of conflict we are detecting.
- In a situation where all aircraft are established on a flight level and maintaining that level, two aircraft at the same flight level that will come within 20NM of each other are considered a conflict during the entry planning. As soon as they've entered the sector, that minimum distance decreases to 10NM. If they come within those 10NM, they should both be put on headings to assure radar separation of at least 5NM.
- If one aircraft is climbing or descending, with an aircraft coming the opposite way, it is considered a conflict if the aircraft moving vertically has not vacated the other aircraft's level in the direction of movement 30NM in front of the other aircraft.
If the aircraft are crossing (for example, flying on headings 90° apart) the distance to have vacated the level is 15NM.
However, as 30NM and 15NM is a big chunk of airspace you're taking, they can both be put on headings to remain at least 5NM radar separated. Once the 5NM radar separation is assured, the vertical separation can be disregarded.
Hope this answers your questions properly. :-)
The following questions are related to the FEAST-tests, and as they are often coming back, I'll post them here as well.
-----------------------------------------------------------
1) Is there any way to prepare, I understand that the test itself is hard to prepare for, but what kind of skills are essential?
2) Are the tests extremely demanding?
3) Is it worth using simulators and tests that make you think a lot while doing them?
for example, i have an AT-SAT exam CD with various tasks that are built for ATC Tests.
4) Are there any other skills I can concentrate on during the build up to the test date?
-----------------------------------------------------------
1) As far as I was told, there's not really a lot you can prepare. You either have the skills or you don't. Some can be trained, but it takes a while (as in a few years at least).
Some items that are tested on are 3D-visualizing, logical thinking, memory, basic math, English knowledge, ...
2) Don't know really what you mean by "extremely demanding". They need your full attention and some parts are pretty hard, but I think it changes between persons whether or not it's demanding, depending on their individual skills. To person A, test X may have been too difficult, while to person B, test X was a walk in the park.
3) I wouldn't invest in expensive tests etc, if that's what you're asking. As said in item 1, you either have the skills or you don't. You COULD use tests to get accustomed to the style of questions and how they are asked, but in the end, they won't give you a real benefit. At least, I heard of quite a lot of people who have done such tests continuously as a preparation, but failed the FEAST.
4) Stress management maybe. It's an important item while doing the job, but it is definitely a good asset during the FEAST as well to keep cool. They will throw quite a lot at you in a short time span and you have to remain calm to make it to a good end.
That aside, a clear mind and a good night's rest should get you through the tests, if you have what it takes.
Something I hadn't included in the Facebook-reply to this question is the link to the wiki-page about the FEAST-tests, which you can find here.
Hope it answers your questions. :-)
-----------------------------------------------------------
I'm really into this job but my pants is full of shit: omg will I be able to learn and study day by day, really hard, and prove that I'm okay, or will fail the first few tests and go home, things like that.
The tests are like a quiz (A, B, C, D), or verbal tests or what?
Do you guys have some free time to do some fun (have a nice meal, go to do some excercise, cinema, etc.) or just learning all the nights?
What about the teachers, are they nice and helpful?
-----------------------------------------------------------
If you keep everything updated from day one, you shouldn't be in trouble by the way. If you let it slumber for a few days and then try to catch up, it gets harder (which is most probably what caused me failing the first LOP-test), just like in real ATC. If you plan well, you will always be ahead of the traffic and stress will be "low", even with a lot of aircraft under your control. If you fall behind, the stress level increases with the square of the amount of seconds you're running behind, and believe me, the seconds grow rapidly...
Don't start the course thinking you won't be able to. Personally, I didn't find it THAT hard in basic course, but I may have been helped a lot with pre-knowledge already, so it really depends from person to person, I suppose.
As to your actual question:
The kind of tests vary. We have oral boards, which is verbally answering questions, and we have computer-based and paper exams, which can be either multiple choice or written answers.
We'll soon have practical tests/assessments in the sim as well, which are completely different again.
We do have spare time left, so it's not continuously learning, but I sometimes just want/need to do some other things than write a new blog. We all spend our free time on different things. Some use it to get back in touch with people at home, some go working out, others go to the movies, others go for a run, some just play games on consoles or PC etc.
Our instructors are really nice and helpful. They really want us to succeed, which really is a good thing. If you have any questions, you can approach and ask them. I have a feeling they'll do quite a lot, if not everything, in their power to get it explained. :)
Hope it answers your questions. :-)
So that's it for this blog. As before, feel free to leave anything in the comment box, because that's what it's there for.
Kind regards,
Mathias
As the title should already make clear, I have had quite the week. We didn't have any classroom lectures, except for the briefings, but a full week of sim (5h/day, so 25h this week). Let's just say my mind wasn't really happy when it exploded under such strain... But apart from the bits and pieces flying around everywhere, almost everything is going fine here.
Unfortunately, I have some bad news as well. We had to say goodbye to 2 persons (won't disclose identity by names or gender) of our course in the past few weeks. Strange thing is: it wasn't because of the course itself. Their results were all good to perfect, but one found out (s)he no longer had the motivation to fulfill the training and live the life of an ATCo, while the other had to stop due to medical issues. However, the person with medical issues will be allowed back on training with the next group (starting at the IANS in June).
Luckily, I also have some good news. The 6 of us remaining have now completed Learning Unit 1, in which we just took the role as Executive Controller. In Learning Unit 2, which starts next Monday, we will be switching roles as Executive and Coordinating Controller. Teamwork from now on, which will most likely lead to a noticeable increase in traffic, as we now have an extra pair of eyes on the screens.
To end with, I've received a few questions after my previous blog (one as a comment to my blog, others through Facebook) so I'll answer these now.
-----------------------------------------------------------
Any chance on some more details of the system? For example I've heard the label can't be moved freely but has 16 diffrent positions (so sometimes it takes 14 or 15 inputs to get it to the position you want!). Would also be great to hear a bit about the scanning loops you're taught, what qualifies as a conflict and how is it shown in the system?
-----------------------------------------------------------
The system is the same as the Maastricht-system (with some simulator-limitations), so we're getting used to the interface already. Most of it is very intuitive and it's not really that hard to get going on it, but I doubt I can go into real detail on the system (safety issues). I must admit I haven't counted the different positions of the label, but it is correct that it can only be moved counter-clockwise with mouse-clicks on the Radar Position Symbol (RPS), which is sometimes an nuisance if you want to have your labels in an orderly fashion, but you get used to it quite fast...
The scanning loops we're taught is what I abbreviate as DIEEM:
- Detect which aircraft to plan next (usually the next one(s) to contact you)
- Information gathering (what aircraft type, route, flight level, destination, ...)
- Entry conflict search (any other traffic on the same flight level, which will come within 20NM of this traffic in my sector?)
- Exit conflict search (any other traffic on the same flight level within the prescribed minima over the exit point?)
- Make a mental note (I need to do this and that with that aircraft)
There are different kinds of conflict we are detecting.
- In a situation where all aircraft are established on a flight level and maintaining that level, two aircraft at the same flight level that will come within 20NM of each other are considered a conflict during the entry planning. As soon as they've entered the sector, that minimum distance decreases to 10NM. If they come within those 10NM, they should both be put on headings to assure radar separation of at least 5NM.
- If one aircraft is climbing or descending, with an aircraft coming the opposite way, it is considered a conflict if the aircraft moving vertically has not vacated the other aircraft's level in the direction of movement 30NM in front of the other aircraft.
If the aircraft are crossing (for example, flying on headings 90° apart) the distance to have vacated the level is 15NM.
However, as 30NM and 15NM is a big chunk of airspace you're taking, they can both be put on headings to remain at least 5NM radar separated. Once the 5NM radar separation is assured, the vertical separation can be disregarded.
Hope this answers your questions properly. :-)
The following questions are related to the FEAST-tests, and as they are often coming back, I'll post them here as well.
-----------------------------------------------------------
1) Is there any way to prepare, I understand that the test itself is hard to prepare for, but what kind of skills are essential?
2) Are the tests extremely demanding?
3) Is it worth using simulators and tests that make you think a lot while doing them?
for example, i have an AT-SAT exam CD with various tasks that are built for ATC Tests.
4) Are there any other skills I can concentrate on during the build up to the test date?
-----------------------------------------------------------
1) As far as I was told, there's not really a lot you can prepare. You either have the skills or you don't. Some can be trained, but it takes a while (as in a few years at least).
Some items that are tested on are 3D-visualizing, logical thinking, memory, basic math, English knowledge, ...
2) Don't know really what you mean by "extremely demanding". They need your full attention and some parts are pretty hard, but I think it changes between persons whether or not it's demanding, depending on their individual skills. To person A, test X may have been too difficult, while to person B, test X was a walk in the park.
3) I wouldn't invest in expensive tests etc, if that's what you're asking. As said in item 1, you either have the skills or you don't. You COULD use tests to get accustomed to the style of questions and how they are asked, but in the end, they won't give you a real benefit. At least, I heard of quite a lot of people who have done such tests continuously as a preparation, but failed the FEAST.
4) Stress management maybe. It's an important item while doing the job, but it is definitely a good asset during the FEAST as well to keep cool. They will throw quite a lot at you in a short time span and you have to remain calm to make it to a good end.
That aside, a clear mind and a good night's rest should get you through the tests, if you have what it takes.
Something I hadn't included in the Facebook-reply to this question is the link to the wiki-page about the FEAST-tests, which you can find here.
Hope it answers your questions. :-)
-----------------------------------------------------------
I'm really into this job but my pants is full of shit: omg will I be able to learn and study day by day, really hard, and prove that I'm okay, or will fail the first few tests and go home, things like that.
The tests are like a quiz (A, B, C, D), or verbal tests or what?
Do you guys have some free time to do some fun (have a nice meal, go to do some excercise, cinema, etc.) or just learning all the nights?
What about the teachers, are they nice and helpful?
-----------------------------------------------------------
If you keep everything updated from day one, you shouldn't be in trouble by the way. If you let it slumber for a few days and then try to catch up, it gets harder (which is most probably what caused me failing the first LOP-test), just like in real ATC. If you plan well, you will always be ahead of the traffic and stress will be "low", even with a lot of aircraft under your control. If you fall behind, the stress level increases with the square of the amount of seconds you're running behind, and believe me, the seconds grow rapidly...
Don't start the course thinking you won't be able to. Personally, I didn't find it THAT hard in basic course, but I may have been helped a lot with pre-knowledge already, so it really depends from person to person, I suppose.
As to your actual question:
The kind of tests vary. We have oral boards, which is verbally answering questions, and we have computer-based and paper exams, which can be either multiple choice or written answers.
We'll soon have practical tests/assessments in the sim as well, which are completely different again.
We do have spare time left, so it's not continuously learning, but I sometimes just want/need to do some other things than write a new blog. We all spend our free time on different things. Some use it to get back in touch with people at home, some go working out, others go to the movies, others go for a run, some just play games on consoles or PC etc.
Our instructors are really nice and helpful. They really want us to succeed, which really is a good thing. If you have any questions, you can approach and ask them. I have a feeling they'll do quite a lot, if not everything, in their power to get it explained. :)
Hope it answers your questions. :-)
So that's it for this blog. As before, feel free to leave anything in the comment box, because that's what it's there for.
Kind regards,
Mathias
Friday 25 February 2011
I'm back
Hey
As you all know, it's been a long time already. Again. Reason this time: studying.
The IANS has already proven to give me more work than Skyguide (no offence there). As soon as we got here, we were starting the course, with subjects like Human Performance, Law, Navigation, Equipment, ... Also, there was a lot of studying to be done on the LOP-test, as it was a requirement to pass it before we could start in the simulator.
On the first go last week, 6 of 8 passed it and I wasn't among them. With 76%, I was just 4% short of the required 80%, which meant I had another week of studying ahead. The resit-exam, and also the deadline actually, was two days ago as sim was planned to start yesterday. For the resit, 80% wasn't enough anymore. To prove that you knew your stuff, 90% was the requirement to pass it. Fortunately, the extra week gave me the time to catch up on things and that resulted in a resit-score of 93%. The other person who failed the test initially did a tremendous job with 98% on the resit-exam.
And that of course meant we were all allowed in the simulator yesterday and have a go at the controls that are a (near-to) exact replica of the real MASUAC-control stations. Very impressive, I must say. Screens with a resolution of 2000 * 2000 pixels, I'd like to have them for my computer. If only they weren't so bloody expensive. Just one costs about 30.000 euro. Better not throw your mouse into it, when you get frustrated. ;-)
Yesterday, we just used a basic exercise to get used to the interface and the input system. Today, we are already starting to resolve conflict situation by vectoring. It's still a bit slow, as there is a lot more to be done now, than we had to do before (instruct, put it in the system, scan, pre-scan, plan, conflict searching etc), but I'm sure we'll become masters in it, once we get used to the HMI (Human Machine Interface) and the exact correct working methodology.
That's actually just about the basic quick run-through of what's been happening here in the past weeks. I know it's not a lot, but in reality there's not much to tell. I just have class, go home, study a bit, do some homework, relax a bit, go to bed, get up and repeat the same process. Luckily, it might change a bit now, with simulator starting and the days are getting shorter (today, I started at 10 and finish at 2, for example).
As the days are shorter, I might be back faster as well, though I actually think I'll have less to tell then. Most of what we are doing from this point on, will be simulator runs (300 coming up in the next months) and I'm not sure if I'm at liberty to discuss that in this blog. I guess I'll have to ask someone.
Again, if you have comments, suggestions, questions, anything related to the blog/training, leave something in the box below. Maybe I can get this blog alive more by giving (short) answers to questions instead of having to come up with stories of what I'm doing all the time.
Speak to you later.
As you all know, it's been a long time already. Again. Reason this time: studying.
The IANS has already proven to give me more work than Skyguide (no offence there). As soon as we got here, we were starting the course, with subjects like Human Performance, Law, Navigation, Equipment, ... Also, there was a lot of studying to be done on the LOP-test, as it was a requirement to pass it before we could start in the simulator.
On the first go last week, 6 of 8 passed it and I wasn't among them. With 76%, I was just 4% short of the required 80%, which meant I had another week of studying ahead. The resit-exam, and also the deadline actually, was two days ago as sim was planned to start yesterday. For the resit, 80% wasn't enough anymore. To prove that you knew your stuff, 90% was the requirement to pass it. Fortunately, the extra week gave me the time to catch up on things and that resulted in a resit-score of 93%. The other person who failed the test initially did a tremendous job with 98% on the resit-exam.
And that of course meant we were all allowed in the simulator yesterday and have a go at the controls that are a (near-to) exact replica of the real MASUAC-control stations. Very impressive, I must say. Screens with a resolution of 2000 * 2000 pixels, I'd like to have them for my computer. If only they weren't so bloody expensive. Just one costs about 30.000 euro. Better not throw your mouse into it, when you get frustrated. ;-)
Yesterday, we just used a basic exercise to get used to the interface and the input system. Today, we are already starting to resolve conflict situation by vectoring. It's still a bit slow, as there is a lot more to be done now, than we had to do before (instruct, put it in the system, scan, pre-scan, plan, conflict searching etc), but I'm sure we'll become masters in it, once we get used to the HMI (Human Machine Interface) and the exact correct working methodology.
That's actually just about the basic quick run-through of what's been happening here in the past weeks. I know it's not a lot, but in reality there's not much to tell. I just have class, go home, study a bit, do some homework, relax a bit, go to bed, get up and repeat the same process. Luckily, it might change a bit now, with simulator starting and the days are getting shorter (today, I started at 10 and finish at 2, for example).
As the days are shorter, I might be back faster as well, though I actually think I'll have less to tell then. Most of what we are doing from this point on, will be simulator runs (300 coming up in the next months) and I'm not sure if I'm at liberty to discuss that in this blog. I guess I'll have to ask someone.
Again, if you have comments, suggestions, questions, anything related to the blog/training, leave something in the box below. Maybe I can get this blog alive more by giving (short) answers to questions instead of having to come up with stories of what I'm doing all the time.
Speak to you later.
Monday 7 February 2011
Quick update
Hey,
It's been too long since I wrote a blog and the reason is just plainly a lack of time. Therefore just a quick update on how things are going.
We've all finished our Basic Course and left with the consent of Skyguide in the meantime and have moved to Luxembourg to do the Rating Course, which we started last week already, at the Institute of Air Navigation Services (IANS) in Luxembourg.
We haven't started sim as yet, but during our stay until July, we are planned to do some 300 simulator runs and by the time we end those, we are expected to be capable of handling somewhere about 60 planes per hour, all in our sector, whereas until now we had about 15 at most during a 40-minute exercise. Quite a change, but luckily, we have a few months to get used to it. :-)
Why haven't I written a blog before? As said before, too much to do. Been studying the pre-course study material EUROCONTROL sent us before we arrived at the IANS, been studying the subjects of which we still had exams in Switzerland on our last day there. My parents even arrived in Switzerland to come pick me up well before I even started my last exam. The irony of leaving a place, I guess. They don't want to let us go easily which, I guess, is a fair attitude in this business.
After moving, I've been busy keeping up with the theoretical subjects and the LOP which we have to know by heart by next week. This includes, but is not limited to, the map of the (fictitious) sector we'll be working on in the sim, the (fictitious) letters of agreement, separation standards, ...
That's about what I can tell you right now, before I go to bed. I might put another blog online soon, maybe going into a bit more detail about our life during the last days in Switzerland (I actually started it already, but it just doesn't finish) and our first in Luxembourg, but that is still to be decided really. Could be I just omit it, but if you really want to know, feel free to leave something in the comment box. The more requests, the more likely you'll get to read and see (photo report) about our visit to the Zurich Zoo.
Good bye for now.
It's been too long since I wrote a blog and the reason is just plainly a lack of time. Therefore just a quick update on how things are going.
We've all finished our Basic Course and left with the consent of Skyguide in the meantime and have moved to Luxembourg to do the Rating Course, which we started last week already, at the Institute of Air Navigation Services (IANS) in Luxembourg.
We haven't started sim as yet, but during our stay until July, we are planned to do some 300 simulator runs and by the time we end those, we are expected to be capable of handling somewhere about 60 planes per hour, all in our sector, whereas until now we had about 15 at most during a 40-minute exercise. Quite a change, but luckily, we have a few months to get used to it. :-)
Why haven't I written a blog before? As said before, too much to do. Been studying the pre-course study material EUROCONTROL sent us before we arrived at the IANS, been studying the subjects of which we still had exams in Switzerland on our last day there. My parents even arrived in Switzerland to come pick me up well before I even started my last exam. The irony of leaving a place, I guess. They don't want to let us go easily which, I guess, is a fair attitude in this business.
After moving, I've been busy keeping up with the theoretical subjects and the LOP which we have to know by heart by next week. This includes, but is not limited to, the map of the (fictitious) sector we'll be working on in the sim, the (fictitious) letters of agreement, separation standards, ...
That's about what I can tell you right now, before I go to bed. I might put another blog online soon, maybe going into a bit more detail about our life during the last days in Switzerland (I actually started it already, but it just doesn't finish) and our first in Luxembourg, but that is still to be decided really. Could be I just omit it, but if you really want to know, feel free to leave something in the comment box. The more requests, the more likely you'll get to read and see (photo report) about our visit to the Zurich Zoo.
Good bye for now.
Tuesday 11 January 2011
Change of plans
Hey
Here I am again, but it won't be a long blog. Even with another week spent in Switzerland, I don't really have a lot to tell you, even though there's been some things happening.
The most drastic change is that we're already moving out of this apartment end of this week. We're not leaving for Luxembourg just yet, but we found out today that we are being relocated to a hotel room in Dübendorf. The reason behind that is a Maltese group of Ab Initio's starting their basic course here at Skyguide, and apparently, the Maltese ANSP insisted on having their trainees in an apartment right away instead of having to spend the first two weeks in a hotel. This means that Damien, Jennifer, Willem and I will have to move to the Sonnental-hotel in Dübendorf next Friday.
In fact, we were first asked if we could move on Thursday evening, but with the ACD-exam coming up (which we all expect to be quite hard, if it's not the hardest exam we'll have here) on Friday, we didn't really like the planning they had set up for us. But the move itself is still a coin on its side which could fall either way. So far, the new location looks good (who wouldn't want a 4-star-hotel to stay in for 2 weeks and have any expenses reimbursed) but I still have to figure out the shortest/fastest way to Skyguide. So far, it looks like we'll effectively start using our subscriptions to public transport just now.
Besides our relocation right now, we're also thinking about our move to Luxembourg already. Especially with Gregor, an instructor at the IANS who came to Switzerland for a few weeks, we got a lot of information on what life in Luxembourg is actually like, what to expect from the courses etc.
There's been some chatting going on about our stay in the Nittlerhof as well, like how we'll be able to get to the IANS if we all start at different times and such, but I'm sure it will point itself out in time.
To end with, achieved results and upcoming exams. Glad to say I passed LAW and the ACC Simulator-exam (examiner was Gregor, by the way). Of course, there are still some working points, but for this point in training, I'm doing pretty good.
This week, I have the MET and ACD-exam. We had MET today, and I don't think I failed it. Had some fears about specific things in the course, but the exam went very well. ACD could be another matter though. For some reason, I'm not able to get it inside my head and keep it there, even though I've been studying it for weeks already. I just hope the need to learn it now, will somehow help to cram it all in, but I guess we won't find out if it was sufficient until next Friday (or Monday, if we get the results then).
That's it again. Thanks for still reading. :-)
Here I am again, but it won't be a long blog. Even with another week spent in Switzerland, I don't really have a lot to tell you, even though there's been some things happening.
The most drastic change is that we're already moving out of this apartment end of this week. We're not leaving for Luxembourg just yet, but we found out today that we are being relocated to a hotel room in Dübendorf. The reason behind that is a Maltese group of Ab Initio's starting their basic course here at Skyguide, and apparently, the Maltese ANSP insisted on having their trainees in an apartment right away instead of having to spend the first two weeks in a hotel. This means that Damien, Jennifer, Willem and I will have to move to the Sonnental-hotel in Dübendorf next Friday.
In fact, we were first asked if we could move on Thursday evening, but with the ACD-exam coming up (which we all expect to be quite hard, if it's not the hardest exam we'll have here) on Friday, we didn't really like the planning they had set up for us. But the move itself is still a coin on its side which could fall either way. So far, the new location looks good (who wouldn't want a 4-star-hotel to stay in for 2 weeks and have any expenses reimbursed) but I still have to figure out the shortest/fastest way to Skyguide. So far, it looks like we'll effectively start using our subscriptions to public transport just now.
Besides our relocation right now, we're also thinking about our move to Luxembourg already. Especially with Gregor, an instructor at the IANS who came to Switzerland for a few weeks, we got a lot of information on what life in Luxembourg is actually like, what to expect from the courses etc.
There's been some chatting going on about our stay in the Nittlerhof as well, like how we'll be able to get to the IANS if we all start at different times and such, but I'm sure it will point itself out in time.
To end with, achieved results and upcoming exams. Glad to say I passed LAW and the ACC Simulator-exam (examiner was Gregor, by the way). Of course, there are still some working points, but for this point in training, I'm doing pretty good.
This week, I have the MET and ACD-exam. We had MET today, and I don't think I failed it. Had some fears about specific things in the course, but the exam went very well. ACD could be another matter though. For some reason, I'm not able to get it inside my head and keep it there, even though I've been studying it for weeks already. I just hope the need to learn it now, will somehow help to cram it all in, but I guess we won't find out if it was sufficient until next Friday (or Monday, if we get the results then).
That's it again. Thanks for still reading. :-)
Tuesday 4 January 2011
The trip back
Hey,
To give you all a chance to read my previous blog, I'm only writing about the trip back to Zurich now. The flight itself wasn't as eventful as the previous, but New Year's Eve was.
For the first time ever, I didn't celebrate NYE with family. Not my own, at least. As I was leaving from Schiphol the next day, I decided to have my girlfriend over for Christmas and then I would celebrate NYE with her and her family. One thing I feel obliged to say:
THE DUTCH ARE CRAZY WHEN IT COMES TO FIREWORKS !!
Apparently, it's a big tradition there to go outside at midnight and congratulate neighbours, friends etc. As an extra bonus, people all around start aiming their own fireworks to the skies. A tradition, I'm not really accustomed to, I must say. In our family, NYE is mostly indoors and at midnight we can hear some fireworks in the distance, but that's about it.
This time, I couldn't see more than 5 meters in the street at times, because of the smoke. There were fireworks EVERYWHERE !! I even had one accidentally thrown right at me, and I'm pretty convinced I broke Usain Bolt's record right there.
I'm not sure anymore when I heard it exactly, as my mind was just blown, but the Dutch combined have bought fireworks with a total value of about 65 million euros. I thought we were still in economic crisis (emphasis on the past tense) but now, that just might be resolved by the Dutch.
The next morning, last night's mood was far gone when you looked outside, even though there were still small fireworks popping and (drunk) people celebrating here and there. The streets were as dirty as can be, filled with used fire-crackers, fireworks-boxes, even burnt Christmas trees. And it was also the day where I had to leave my girlfriend again, most probably for an entire month this time.
It was hard, after having spent about half my holidays with her, to leave her at the security check-in, but the show must go on, I suppose. And even though I nearly shed a tear saying goodbye, these 800-ish km don't mean we aren't connecting anymore.
The flight then. This time, no delays !! Not a single minute actually, which I noticed by coincidentally watching my watch during take-off. Even better, we landed about 15 minutes ahead of schedule.
But unfortunately, I didn't get the front-row seat this time, even though I did most just like last time. I did, however, make some pictures during flight and a video during landing.
Once arrived, I went to the apartment, installed myself and prepared for the coming days. I've been pretty nervous actually. Even though BRT 2 went pretty good, I was convinced I had done really bad on my AN2-exam. Fortunately though, I underestimated my capabilities BY FAR and apparently got a 90% pass-mark. I'm either a lucky guesser or I knew the subject better than I thought.
But somehow, it's becoming a habit with this teacher. Today, we had the LAW-exam, and I wasn't too sure about my result either, but then he said everyone would pass the exam, if they didn't change anything anymore. I, however, was just in the progress of changing things, so here's hoping it gets me a better instead of worse result.
Next exam to come up is Area Control in the simulator. After 8 exercises, we have to prove our skills next Friday. According to the lead instructor, it should be harder to fail than to pass, but there is a certain standard expected of course.
That's about it for now. Talk to you all in my next blog. :)
To give you all a chance to read my previous blog, I'm only writing about the trip back to Zurich now. The flight itself wasn't as eventful as the previous, but New Year's Eve was.
For the first time ever, I didn't celebrate NYE with family. Not my own, at least. As I was leaving from Schiphol the next day, I decided to have my girlfriend over for Christmas and then I would celebrate NYE with her and her family. One thing I feel obliged to say:
THE DUTCH ARE CRAZY WHEN IT COMES TO FIREWORKS !!
Apparently, it's a big tradition there to go outside at midnight and congratulate neighbours, friends etc. As an extra bonus, people all around start aiming their own fireworks to the skies. A tradition, I'm not really accustomed to, I must say. In our family, NYE is mostly indoors and at midnight we can hear some fireworks in the distance, but that's about it.
This time, I couldn't see more than 5 meters in the street at times, because of the smoke. There were fireworks EVERYWHERE !! I even had one accidentally thrown right at me, and I'm pretty convinced I broke Usain Bolt's record right there.
Not just small bangers. A lot of these big boys were going places that night.
I'm not sure anymore when I heard it exactly, as my mind was just blown, but the Dutch combined have bought fireworks with a total value of about 65 million euros. I thought we were still in economic crisis (emphasis on the past tense) but now, that just might be resolved by the Dutch.
The next morning, last night's mood was far gone when you looked outside, even though there were still small fireworks popping and (drunk) people celebrating here and there. The streets were as dirty as can be, filled with used fire-crackers, fireworks-boxes, even burnt Christmas trees. And it was also the day where I had to leave my girlfriend again, most probably for an entire month this time.
It was hard, after having spent about half my holidays with her, to leave her at the security check-in, but the show must go on, I suppose. And even though I nearly shed a tear saying goodbye, these 800-ish km don't mean we aren't connecting anymore.
The flight then. This time, no delays !! Not a single minute actually, which I noticed by coincidentally watching my watch during take-off. Even better, we landed about 15 minutes ahead of schedule.
But unfortunately, I didn't get the front-row seat this time, even though I did most just like last time. I did, however, make some pictures during flight and a video during landing.
Leaving behind a sunny Schiphol Airport.
Being approached by a converging A320-like aircraft.
Small ice crystals appearing on the window during descent, rapidly increasing in size and number.
The descent through the clouds and landing on runway 14 at Zurich Airport (LSZH; ZRH)
Once arrived, I went to the apartment, installed myself and prepared for the coming days. I've been pretty nervous actually. Even though BRT 2 went pretty good, I was convinced I had done really bad on my AN2-exam. Fortunately though, I underestimated my capabilities BY FAR and apparently got a 90% pass-mark. I'm either a lucky guesser or I knew the subject better than I thought.
But somehow, it's becoming a habit with this teacher. Today, we had the LAW-exam, and I wasn't too sure about my result either, but then he said everyone would pass the exam, if they didn't change anything anymore. I, however, was just in the progress of changing things, so here's hoping it gets me a better instead of worse result.
Next exam to come up is Area Control in the simulator. After 8 exercises, we have to prove our skills next Friday. According to the lead instructor, it should be harder to fail than to pass, but there is a certain standard expected of course.
That's about it for now. Talk to you all in my next blog. :)
Saturday 1 January 2011
The trip home
Hey everyone,
I was planning to blog about my trip home as soon as I got there, but seeing my family, girlfriend and friends again just made me forget about that. Therefor, I'm putting it online right now, but first of all I hope everyone had a great Christmas and I wish you all a very happy new year.
So yeah, the first part is over. In the meantime, I'm back in Switzerland already, after having had 2 weeks of leave. But getting home didn't come without problems, unfortunately.
As you might have noticed, Europe suffered under the snow of the past few weeks and this, of course, had a huge impact on aviation. Throughout Europe, there were several airports that had to be closed because they just couldn't cope with it all. One of those airports was Amsterdam Schiphol which was, as Murphy's Law prescribes, my destination aerodrome. This lead to some fearful hours, checking the internet continuously to see if my flight would be or was already cancelled. At around 13h00, the EUROCONTROL-website said Schiphol was closing until 15h00 but as my flight was scheduled at 20h00, I still had my hopes up.
Unfortunately, about 10 minutes later, I read on the KLM-site that all flights were cancelled. Expecting a huge mass at the airport, I decided to leave earlier than I would have in normal conditions so I arrived there at around 17h00. There I got the final confirmation of my flight being cancelled, so I started queuing for a new ticket in a long line of other people waiting there. A girl and her mother, who were standing right behind me, were actually supposed to be leaving Zurich at 08h00 that morning, but at 17h30 they were still far away from leaving.
During our wait, we all had a lot of time to look around and this made me notice the big and at that time very ironic/sarcastic billboard hanging above the desk where we were hoping to rebook our flights
I was planning to blog about my trip home as soon as I got there, but seeing my family, girlfriend and friends again just made me forget about that. Therefor, I'm putting it online right now, but first of all I hope everyone had a great Christmas and I wish you all a very happy new year.
So yeah, the first part is over. In the meantime, I'm back in Switzerland already, after having had 2 weeks of leave. But getting home didn't come without problems, unfortunately.
As you might have noticed, Europe suffered under the snow of the past few weeks and this, of course, had a huge impact on aviation. Throughout Europe, there were several airports that had to be closed because they just couldn't cope with it all. One of those airports was Amsterdam Schiphol which was, as Murphy's Law prescribes, my destination aerodrome. This lead to some fearful hours, checking the internet continuously to see if my flight would be or was already cancelled. At around 13h00, the EUROCONTROL-website said Schiphol was closing until 15h00 but as my flight was scheduled at 20h00, I still had my hopes up.
Unfortunately, about 10 minutes later, I read on the KLM-site that all flights were cancelled. Expecting a huge mass at the airport, I decided to leave earlier than I would have in normal conditions so I arrived there at around 17h00. There I got the final confirmation of my flight being cancelled, so I started queuing for a new ticket in a long line of other people waiting there. A girl and her mother, who were standing right behind me, were actually supposed to be leaving Zurich at 08h00 that morning, but at 17h30 they were still far away from leaving.
During our wait, we all had a lot of time to look around and this made me notice the big and at that time very ironic/sarcastic billboard hanging above the desk where we were hoping to rebook our flights
A huge billboard above the desk.
Translated, it says: When your trip around the world does take a bit longer.
Translated, it says: When your trip around the world does take a bit longer.
After nearly 5 hours of waiting, I was approached by someone who said he might be able to help me get a new ticket right away. At that time, I was just 3rd in line anymore, but as each person seemed to take some 30 minutes to get another flight, I took the shot. Apparently though, he wasn't joking as not more than 10 minutes later, he gave me a new ticket for the first flight of the next day. This flight was leaving at 06h55, so in the end, my delay would only have been about 11 hours. The women behind me weren't so lucky, as they were still waiting for their new ticket about an hour later and in the end, they were only able to leave Zurich in the evening of the next day.
As it was already 22h30 when I got my new ticket, I decided to stay at the airport for the night and sleep in instead of going to the apartment again. Even though it took me some time to find a comfortable place to sleep, I woke up several times during the night and had to get up at 05h00, it was an experience I really cherish now.
After waking up, I joined a group of people, already trying to check in. The first thing we heard, however, was that this flight was also cancelled and we had to start from the beginning again. Luckily, the flight's cancellation was an auto-cancellation connected to another flight that was cancelled (bit hard to explain, if you don't understand, feel free to ask about it), so at 06h00 we were finally dropping off our luggage and checking in continuously.
As of then, almost everything went pretty smooth and by 06h30, I was sitting at the gate to board KLM1952 instead of the intended KLM1964. Due to the late check-in start, there was another delay of about an hour but it didn't really kill my mood as I was finally going home again. In fact, it wasn't until I got a ticked-off gate attendant (apparently, my hand luggage was too big, even though the check-in guy said it would be fine) that I felt as if I could take on the world. But still, I didn't let that take me down. I boarded happy and I immediately asked the flight attendants if it was allowed to take the cockpit seat, being an ATCo-student.
I wasn't allowed in during start-up, taxi, take-off and climb but when we reached the French-Luxembourg border, I was called in by the flight attendant and got to sit in and follow every move of the airplane until it came to a halt at the gate out a front row seat, right behind both pilots.
I don't know whether it's standard procedure or whether they did it to impress me, but despite an overcast at a mere 600 feet, the autopilot was disconnected well before having the runway in sight and the approach was flown entirely manual.
"KLM50G, cleared to land runway 18C, only vacate via W8 or W10"
The above was our landing clearance, as received by Schiphol Tower, and what a sight it was to see the runway appear out of the clouds and all but two taxiways covered with at least 30 cm of snow, all from the cockpit. Not a bad thing actually, for my first flight in 3 years time, don't you think?
After having taxied the Boeing 737-400 to gate D46, I wished the crew merry Christmas holidays and headed for the train station, to get to Zwolle, where I was finally able to join my girlfriend on a family weekend.
At first, I had expected my trip to take about 5 hours, from leaving my Swiss bedroom to seeing my girlfriend. In the end, it took me just a bit more than 19 hours, including a night at the airport, but to be honest, to me it didn't matter at all. I was finally with the person I love, I met some great people at the airport, had some new experiences and I finally had some leave.
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