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Training Regulation for Students

Purpose

This document establishes procedures that are to be followed by students training to achieve ATC ratings in VATSIM Scandinavia.

Requirements

All students should be able to converse and provide air traffic control services in English, the internationally accepted official language for air traffic control.

Training Progression

Requesting Training

Upon having set up their VATSIM account correctly, as instructed on the VATSIM Scandinavia website, students request training through our Training System CC (Control Center). Navigating to ​cc.vatsim-scandinavia.org​, logging in and then following the on-screen instructions. New students shall always select the Student 2 (S2) rating. In Scandinavia, the S1 rating is only used as an intermediate rating during the S2 course and does not serve as an independent rating. Transferees from other divisions or networks shall contact the respective Training Assistant for the relevant FIR for further instructions.

The training request will be automatically processed by the system. An e-mail confirmation will be sent to the student’s VATSIM registered e-mail address.

The student will now be placed in the training queue. The time spent in the queue will vary severely depending on mentor availability, training demand, season and other factors. Waiting times are often difficult to predict, and students are kindly asked not to repeatedly contact staff members asking for estimates. They are instead encouraged to study procedures, observe active controllers and in other ways do work that will later benefit their training process.

Mentor Assignment

Once the test has been completed, a mentor will be assigned through CC. An e-mail notification of the assignment will be sent to the student’s VATSIM registered e-mail address. The student is then to contact the assigned mentor within 7 days or the training request will be closed.

Practical Training

Training will initially take place on the Sweatbox simulator server and then transition into the online environment as the student gains proficiency. Before this transition, the student’s S rating will be requested. To avoid unnecessary rating upgrades, the Student will not be granted the S1 rating before they are ready to commence Online.

The students should include the following in the ATIS text field during all online training sessions: ​ Mentored by ICAO_M_POS. I.e. “Mentored by ESSA_M_TWR”.

Students are expected to study theory between sessions and always be prepared when showing up for training sessions. Mentors spend considerable amounts of their spare time mentoring students, and an even balance between time spent in practical sessions and time spent on self-studies is expected by the student.

Solo Endorsements

The Training Assistant of a country where solo endorsements are used may issue a temporary certification that allows the student to control a relevant position without a mentor being present. The student may only use the solo endorsement on the position and within the time frame specified in the endorsement. Solo endorsements will be issued at the discretion of the TA when the following conditions have been met:

  1. The student has passed the relevant theoretical test.
  2. The student’s endorsement is displayed on the list on the VATSIM Scandinavia website. A network Supervisor or Administrator can force a student to log off should their name not be on the list.

Completing the Training

As the student reaches the end of the training, the mentor will notify the Training Assistant to contact the Examiners. The student is asked to provide at least three dates within the following three-week period on which they are available for a CPT. Upon completing the practical examination, the student’s rating upgrade will be processed and should be made available within 48 hours.

Responsibilities and Expectations

In summary, VATSIM Scandinavia expects the following from students enrolling in ATC Training:

  1. That the students are prepared to commit to training, self-study and availability.
  2. That the students make initial contact with the mentor within 7 days of assignment.
  3. That the students correspond regularly with their mentor.
  4. That the students propose at least one date per two-week period when they are available to train. If availability permits, at least one session per week is a recommended average. If the students fail to propose a date over a two-week period, the students will be marked as inactive and will result in an investigation for the students training eligibility.
  5. That the students understand that the mentors commit their spare time to train others, and:
    • Show up well prepared to all sessions, with any questions either prepared or previously sent to the mentor.
    • Show up on time to all scheduled sessions.
    • Should any unforeseen problem arise, cancel training with as much notice as possible. Repeated late cancellations of training sessions will result in an investigation of the students training eligibility.
  6. That the students notify their mentor if they are absent and are unable to train for more than a two-week period so that the training request can be paused. Pausing the training request is intended for shorter periods for i.e. holidays etc. Pausing the training for longer periods will lead to cancellation of the training request.
  7. That the students understand and respect that if they do not adhere to the rules set by Standard Operating Procedures for Students, their training request will be cancelled.

Acknowledgements

  • Daniel Lange c/o Training Director - Version 3
  • Adrian Bjerke - Version 2.
  • Håvard Halvorsen, Kristian Kling & Arvid Hansson – Version 2.
  • Daniel Edvardsson & Claus Hemberg Jørgensen – Versions 1.1 and 1.
  • Håkan Schulz – Version 1
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