ATC academy

General

The ATC academy manages the education of VACC-Austria's permanent and visiting controllers. The main purpose consists in the training of new controllers, quality control of our active controllers, arrange CPT's and over the shoulder sessions. The current ATC academy management, can be found on our homepage.

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How to start your education

1. How to become a VACC controller
   
2. How to become a visiting controller
   

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How to become an Student 1 controller

Required lessons

1. Basic lesson
2. Theoretical lesson for the clearance/delivery position
   
3. Theoretical lesson for ground control
4. Eurotest "Basic"

• A lot of theory is done allready, now you have your first VATSIM controller rating and its time to geather some practise experience, well done.
  

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Required practice lessons and trainings

1. Practical lesson LOWS_DEL
2. Staffing LOWS_DEL
3. Practical lesson LOWW_GND
4. Staffing LOWW_DEL/LOWW_GND
5. Training high traffic procedures for ground controller

• Please note, additional training due to the traffic situation and your knowledge can be required.

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How to become an Student 2 controller

Required lessons

1. Theoretical lesson for tower control
2. Eurotest

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Required practice lessons and trainings

1. Practical lesson LOWS_TWR
2. Practical lesson uncontrolled airfields
3. Staffing LOWS_TWR
4. Practical lesson LOWW_TWR
5. Tower CPT

17.) Theory Tower

    You're now familar with two airport as a delivery and ground controller. It's now time to get the next part of theory, a very important one! As a tower contoller you are responsible for departing and arriving aircrafts. Your mentor will teach you some more phraseology, how the determine the active runway(s), set up an ATIS (automatic terminal information system), issue takeoff and landing clearances as well as handling VFR traffic.
Further information about the content can be found in the lesson overview (LINK zur Übersicht der Lehrinhalte).

18.) Practical lesson info station

    As you now have to deal with VFR traffic, the tower lessons starts at an info station. You will learn how to navigate VFR traffic safely in the vicinity of an uncontrolled airport.

19.) Practical lesson LOWS_TWR

    VFR traffic is no longer a problem for you, so you come back to Salzburg, and learn how to operate as a tower controller on a controlled airport using the theory skills you have aready learned.

20.) Additional training

    The mentor decides, wheather there sould be additional training with him unless you will continue with the next step.

21.) Practical lesson LOWW_TWR

    Taking your theory knowledge as well as the skills while staffing Salzburg tower, you will get your introduction for Vienna.

22.) Additional training (as required)

    You know, depending on traffic and your skills some more additional tranings may take place at Vienna as a tower controller.

23.) Eurotest Tower

    Beacause as a tower controller you have much more responsibilities than as a ground controller, you have to pass another Eurotest.

24.) Tower CPT

    To pass your first CPT (controller practical test), you have to proofe than you are familar with the airport in Vienna, and that you can handle normal operations safly. Your mentor and a checker are wattching you and judge upon your skills.

25.) Rating S2

    Congratulations, you have earned your first rating that needs to pass a CPT! Your mentor will request the rating upgrade and some days later you will be able to log into the network using your earned rating.

26.) Staffing LOWS_TWR/LOWW_TWR

    You are now able to handle the traffic at the most busiest airport in Austria at your own. Now you should train on your own, improve your skills. In case you have any questions just contact your mentor to coordinate an extra training.

27.) Theoretical & Practical lessons LOWG_TWR/LOWK_TWR/LOWL_TWR and LOWI_TWR

    At this point, you should feel comfortable with Salzburg and Vienna aiport. So contact your mentor to get introductions on the other airports in Austria. You will see, every airport is a challange on its own.

29.) Staffing a tower of your choice

    The tower education is complete. You are able to control any airport in Austria, another big step is done!

30.) High traffic procedures Tower

    When staffing the tower position you may have had times with a large amount of traffic. To improve your skills in this high traffic situations your mentor will show you how to deal with such large amount of traffic.

28.) OTS training

    You feel familar with the tower position and decide that you want to prove your skills during a so called "Over the Shoulder" test for quality insurance. Talk to your mentor for the last training to be well prepared for your OTS.

30.) Tower OTS

    Last step as a tower controller, it's time to proofe your skills during a high traffic situation. The checkers will watch the traffic flow, your phraseology and will prepare special situations you have to deal with. When the tower OTS is passed, you have proofen, that you are a very good tower controller and the training can go ahead in 3D.

31.) Theory Approach

    After passing your first OTS, you will learn how to handle arriving and departing traffic. The mean topic is how to ensure separation between the aircrafts. As there are several approaches to handle the aircrafts safly in 3D, the approach station is one of the most interessting station for controlling.

32.) Practical lesson LOWS_APP

    Starting your practical lesson at Salzburg is a good idea, because the airspace is not complicated and the amount of traffic is not that high. So you will practice you theoretical knowledge learned in the theory approach lesson.

33.) Additional training

    You know, depending on traffic and your skills some additional tranings may take place at Salzburg as an approach controller.

34.) Practical lesson LOWW_APP

    The introduction into an approach airspace is completed at Salzburg. Now it's time to get an intrudoction into the largest approach airspace, in Vienna. Your mentor will show you how to guide the aircrafts in the new sector.

35.) Additional training

    Normally, a single training at Vienna is not enough, so you will spend some time with your mentor until you get the clearance to staff this position by yourself.

36.) Eurotest Approach

    In the Eurotest you have to proofe, that you are familar with the approach theory.

37.) Approach CPT

    As like at the tower CPT you have to pass the approach CPT to show your mentor and your checker, that you have laerned enough to staff the approach position at your own.

38.) Rating S3

    You passed the Eurotest, the CPT and earned the new rating, congratulations! Your mentor will request the rating upgrade and some days later you will be able to log into the network using your earned rating.

39.) Staffing LOWS_APP/LOWW_APP

    Another big step is done, you will be able to staff the approach sector at Vienna or Salzburg on your own!

40.) Practical lesson as/with LOWW_F_APP (can be done on a simulated session)

    To practise your skills (especially feeding the aircrafts on the localizer) you will train a high traffic situation on and with the director station present. 

41.) Theoretical & practical lesson LOWG_APP/LOWK_APP/LOWL_APP and LOWI_APP

    After some training on the approach sector, you will learn about the airspaces for the other main airports in Austria.

42.) Additional training

    Especially at Innsbruck, you will probably need some more training session to get familar with the speacial procedures there.

43.) Staffing an approach station of your choice

    Basis education of all Austrian airports is complete. So you are free to choose an approach sector of your choice and staff the position by your own.

44.) High traffic procedures Approach

    Some of our events bring us a large amount of traffic in a short amount of time. So will will practice staffing an approach station while the sector is split up into several parts. After that exercise you are completly trained on an approach station.

45.) OTS training

    You feel familar with the aproach position and decide that you want to proove your skills during an other OTS test. Talk to your mentor for the last training to be well prepared for your OTS.

46.) Approach OTS

    Last step as an approach controller, it's time to proove your skills during a high traffic situation. The checkers will watch the traffic flow, your phraseology and will prepare special situations you have to deal with. When the approach OTS is passed, you have prooven, that you are a very good appraoch controller and the training can go ahead for the center stations.

47.) Theory Center

    After passing your approach OTS, you will learn how to handle a mix of departing/arriving and overflying traffic. The mean topic is again how to ensure separation between the aircrafts. As part of the top-down service at VATSIM, you will access your knowledge of all the approach and tower stations.

48.) Practical lesson LOVV_CTR

    The theoretical introduction into the center airspace is completed. Now it's time to try to handle the traffic on the network.

49.) Additional training

    You know, depending on traffic and your skills some more additional tranings may take place as a center controller.

50.) Eurotest Center

    In the Eurotest you have to proove, that you are familar with the center theory.

51.) Center CPT

    Thats the last regular controller practical test. You will show your mentor and a checker, that you are able to handle the traffic at the center station on your own.

52.) Rating C1

    You passed the Eurotest, the CPT, and earned the new rating, congratulations! Your mentor will request the rating upgrade and some days later you will be able to log into the network using your earned C1-rating.

53.) Staffing LOVV_CTR

    Your education is almost complete. You are free to staff the center position without your mentor. 

54.) Practical lesson LOVV_I_CTR

    As VFR traffic also is going fly in your airspace, you'll have an extra look on how to deal with that kind of traffic on the center station.

55.) High traffic procedures Center

    Like in you approach lesson you will learn in this session how to deal with sector splits and handle the aircpraft in high traffic situations.

Education is done. You are free to staff ANY station within the Austrian airspace. The only thing to do is practice, practice and yes, practice ;-)