NEW (UPDATED NOVEMBER 2017):
Radiotelephony Phraselogy manual for use in Latvia vACC.
(What should be adhered to when communicating with ATC in Latvia vACC).
Overview of ATC training and rating progression in Latvia vACC
First, you must be a member of Latvia vACC. If you are not, you must first request to transfer to or join us. You can do this here, on the VATEUD website – https://members.vateud.net/.
To check your VATSIM status, use this link – https://cert.vatsim.net/vatsimnet/statcheck.html (enter your VATSIM CID in the first box).
Joining the vACC does not automatically imply anything more than just joining it. You must show the courage to do the training. Either send an email to any of the ATC instructors or ask vACC training director ([email protected]) and you’ll get an instructor assigned to you (look at our Contacts page to find an instructor).
Bear in mind that at certain times instructors might be busy with other students or their personal life; do not expect things to get rolling the next day. It may take weeks or even months if you are unlucky. Patience is an important quality of an ATC controller, but you can always send a polite reminder if you think it takes too long.
Also familiarize yourself with the EuroScope documentation. The better you are prepared before you start, the smoother and quicker the training is going to be!
Also it is recommended that you spend some time in EuroScope, connected to network as an observer and watching and listening to traffic. There is no point in observing when there is no ATC online, do it when there is both ATC and some traffic around.
S1 rating (Tower trainee)
For all the ratings description, look at the Rating Progression section of ATC TD.
It is the first rating you are about to get. It is a bit different from all the other ratings as there can be local restrictions.
In Latvia vACC it means that you will be allowed to control on your own Riga Ground. To be able to control Riga Tower, you must have a mentor online at all times.
To obtain this rating, you will need to pass the ATSimTest theoretical test here – http://www.atsimtest.com/ . It is of your interest not to fail this test, as there is no automatic retake in case you fail – you will have to thoroughly work through all the problematic issues with your instructor before he can ask VATEUD to allow retake.
This is the only rating in Latvia vACC that does not require a Controller Practical Test (CPT). Instead of that, you will have several sessions with your instructor by using Sweatbox, the Euroscope’s simulator feature which employs instructor-controlled simulated traffic and you as “ATC”.
You will receive your S1 rating as soon as instructor decides that you are ready for the “real world” and as such, number of sessions and length of the entire process will vary depending on your progress.
S2 and higher ratings
The procedure for all the remaining ratings is basically the same; for detailed description of requirements and procedures, check the link at the top of this page.
First of all, you will be given access to take the theory test for the rating you are hoping to gain. After you have passed this and been taught the theory of the position, along with all the other airspace-specific information and requirements, you will be able to control on the network with the help of a mentor. After some sessions and, with his approval, you will be given a ‘solo’ permission. This allows you to control by yourself for a maximum period of ninety days, after which you will need to pass a controller practical test (CPT).
You have to arrange with your instructor a Training Event – that is controlling in the full scale VATSIM event on the position you are going for, with a mentor with you. This event is not a test and you will not receive any rating after that, even if you have performed brilliantly. This event might be omitted for S2 in some special cases, but is mandatory for the higher ratings.
After this you have to arrange a CPT, which is pretty much the same as Training Event, just in this case it is a test and you can either pass it or fail it. In case of success, you are eligible for rating upgrade. There might be another person examining you for the CPT, not your instructor, for obvious reasons.
If more than 180 days have passed since you took the ATSimTest theory test, you will need to re-take it before a rating upgrade can be given.
Have in mind that your instructor is not obliged to push you through your career in VATSIM – it is meant that you are the person who says “OK, I think I am now ready for the Training Event / CPT”. He will then help you with organizing it and all the involved actions, but the initiative must come from yourself!
To proceed on higher rating training a minimum hours requirements are established as follows:
S2 – requires 50 hours on EVRA_GND as S1
S3 – requires 100 hours on EVRA_TWR as S2
C1 – requires 100 hours on EVRA_APP as S3
Visiting Controllers
(Applications are currently suspended due to training priorities and resources.)
In general the VATSIM visiting policy applies for vACC Latvia, but besides this policy, the following rules must be adhered if applying as a Visiting Controller:
As our resources are limited, we may deny a Visiting Controller application.
Every Visiting Controller will do a practical endorsement, after initial theory lessons, in order to validate knowledge and local procedures, before staffing any ATC Position on their own.
If a Visiting Controller is unable to staff any approved ATC Position for a longer time, the vACC Latvia staff may withdraw all approvals for the concerned ATC positions, as well suggest the termination of the Visiting Controller status.
If you would like to apply as a Visiting Controller contact the vACC Latvia Training Director – [email protected].
We wish you the best of luck with your future ATC career!