BGS Progress tests

[Gillespie]

Hi, (hopefully Alex is reading this)

How long should you spend on the progress tests from BGS? I like to do them thoroughly (sometimes using the text) and spend up to 2 hours to complete them, sometimes even more.

I'm currently sitting the General Navigation 6 paper on Plotting. I've taken ages over it so far.

As a result I'm achieving high grades of 90%ish per paper, but should I exercise more speed for a sacrifice in score?

Many thanks

[benhurr]

You need to get it down to about 20 minutes per test. Repeat and repeat and repeat, all subjects.

I am currently doing an FI(R) rating and have been taught a CRP5 method which will save you ages on the wind calcs. Allegedly it is the system that the CRP5 designer had planned.

1. Set up with your wind first - and planned airspeed.

2. Move the slider down to the squares at the bottom. (well down)

3. Change track setting from wind to planned track.

4. Draw a vertical line above and below your cross.

5. Slide slidey bit back up.

6. Align your vertical lines with the nearest drift line on the scale.

7. Read off heading and groundspeed.

I need to scan my whizzwheel to clarify or pm me to go over it over the phone. 100% accurate but easier to demonstrate than type!

[Sky Wave]

Gillespie

From what I can tell different people have different methods. I always treated the progress tests as a closed book exam because I wanted to see what I had remembered. Having taken the test and usually scored badly I checked all incorrect answers and then took the whole test again. I found this good because you often come across questions that you guessed and got correct and it helps to see it a second time. (It's a real bugger when you get it wrong the second time!) I usually scored high 90's or 100's the second time through the test. Worked for me.

I don't think it matters how long it takes at this stage. When you go on the brush up all of the exams that you get set will have realistic time limits for you to work to. Things like Gen Nav and Flight planning will always take a long time due to the amount of calculation and whizz wheel work required, HP &L will be quick coz you either know it or you don't.

The best place to find out what other students do is on the Jals forum. There is a lot of discussion there about these sorts of things.

Benhur is correct that you do need to be proficient on the whizz wheel. I use the wind up technique for wind calcs however that is the easy part, it's the other side you need to be good at. practice, practice, practice. If there's anything you don't get, which doesn’t get sorted on the forum, fear not it will be sorted on the brush up.

I don’t think that Benhur’s technique is correct (or it’s just different to what BGS teach). The part at the very bottom is used for calculating runway headwind/tailwind/x-wind components. If it’s runway calcs that you are doing then you set the slider so that the top of that area is on the center dot of the wheel. If you are trying to do GS/Drift calcs then you put your TAS in the center, set the wind up, draw the wind on the chart, and simply rotate the wheel leaving the slider where it is. It’s all explained in the CRP5 and BGS notes.

Good Luck

SW

[G SXTY]

Ah yes, General Nav progress test 6 – plotting. I’m still having counselling about that one! It took me a whole day to complete, and I never did manage to pass it. :)

It didn’t seem to make much difference, as most of it doesn’t come up in the exam, and by the time Baz has finished with you at BGS, you’ll be going to sleep dreaming General Nav. questions (literally).

If you’re averaging 90% ish in the progress tests, you should arrive for the groundschool well prepared.

[VFE]

Don't think I ever did a progress test without the text come to think of it!

Still passed.

VFE.

[benhurr]

Method is similar to wind-down - as taught by Mr Dalton who designed it. I assure you it works.

[flighttime2.0]

I agree with vfe

when I was studying my bgs notes I always used the text for for the progress tests . why bother wasting the whole day trying to pass a progress test when you could be moving on with the rest of the manual .. just learn the correct method and use the notes that you have to aid you in your progress .. flightime

it worked for me I passed them all ..

[2WingsOnMyWagon]

Come on people! This is surely something that should be discussed on JALS not PPRuNe! Youre giving a good school a bad reputation for using this site as cheap advertising!

2WINGS
:ok:

[VFE]

Are you on acid?

VFE

[flighttime2.0]

2wings what the hell you on about ?

[Wing_Bound_Vortex]

bristol kick ass

end of......in 2 weeks you wil prob know more than you have learnt in 5 months.

worked for me, and i'm pretty thick!

ps learn how to work the crp5 very fluidly, the gen nav exam this time seemed to consist of 30% wwheel stuff

WBV

[2WingsOnMyWagon]

Other schools are now starting to claim that Bristol GS are planting fake posters on this website as a way to drum up business. Thats what I was talking about.


Hi, (hopefully Alex is reading this)
How long should you spend on the progress tests from BGS?

I’m sure Alex spends far more time on his own website than on this one so your much more likely to get an answer! Also for other Bristol students who may wish to know the answer, it would be much more helpful if they could see it on JALS rather than here as this information is useless to other ATPL students.

I mean no disrespect; I just don’t like any decent Training establishment getting a tarnished reputation for something that they probably have no control over

Regards

2WINGS

[High Wing Drifter]

Other schools are now starting to claim that Bristol GS are planting fake posters on this website as a way to drum up business.
That's the stupidest thing I ever heard (read, I mean) :D

In fairness, I think you maybe referring to the recent and infamous punch-up thread. What the person (school) in question was asking was why are there so many people who praise BGS on this site. Some read the surrounding text as an implied accusation that there are fake "BGS is wonderful" posts. This was not actually claimed by the person (school) in question, neither did I think it was intended. But like all gosip it has more inertia than a depleted uranium anti-tank round.

[2WingsOnMyWagon]

Actually, the thread on PPRuNe you are referring to came after the rumours had started in the real world. You are correct it is gossip but gossip can be extremely damaging and has help to finish off more than one ground school in the past! Unfortunately, things like this get around very quickly!

:ok:

[lostconcern]

Cant bristol afford to have their own website?

Pretty poor school if they dont have their own student forums in my humble opinion ! On the surface this does appear to have the markings of a pr stunt.

[VFE]

Well if enough people posted their views on schools instead of running for cover in fear of ridicule perhaps the wannabes forum will be able to claw back some of the respect and usefullness of past years and prospective students wouldn't lose thousands of pounds with the wrong FTO. Some of the few people posting here are no longer using wannabes for their own ends - some are paying back the debt they owe from information gained prior and during their own training.

If enough people are praising a school then there has to be substance to it and as such must be taken at face value or else what hope is there for a forum such as this? A school of BGS's integrity would never need to stoop to such low levels as drumming up business on PPRuNe anyway. When I attended their brush up course there was a three month waiting list so things cannot now be so bad that someone with the credibility of Alex Whittingham has to write spurious posts on PPRuNe. Anyone who has met the guy would know this.

The top schools like BGS deserve every good word that goes their way and if some simpletons think this is some sort of mass deception and false advertising then they're going to lose out when it comes to making their own choices of ground training providor. Who would think such a thing anyway?

VFE.

[2WingsOnMyWagon]

To call potential students "simpletons" is more than a little harsh! You were once one (no offence). It’s very easy to be lead into decisions at the start of professional training by sales blurb and rumours! If the school you attend was so good that feel you should put in writing well that’s fine! However my criticism is that the initial post should NOT be on PPRuNe it’s for JALS and only adds fuel to the fire, so to speak.

2WINGS
:ok:

[no sponsor]

Bristol do have a website at: www.bristol.gs

Their forums are also available to anybody, and can be located at: http://www.jals.co.uk/forum/index.php?

As for doing the progress tests, they are meant to be done closed-book, i.e. no reference to the text.

I would try and do each subject in a frame as if you need to pass the progress test without reference. i.e. avoid just reading the text once and then doing the progress tests. At the very least try and make sure you understand the concepts before moving on. You will find that you must do this in subjects like Met, Gen Nav, PoF, Perf and Instruments.

There will be the odd time when you have to look at the texts; certainly it is likely you will need to if you fail a particular test. I treated each test like a hurdle - I didn't move on to the next subject until I had gotten my 75% +.

[VFE]

Look 2wings, I wasn't calling all potential students simpletons at all. Just saying that anyone who espouses the same view as you on this matter is probably a simpleton. Can you handle that? :}

VFE.

[High Wing Drifter]

2Wings,

However my criticism is that the initial post should NOT be on PPRuNe it’s for JALS and only adds fuel to the fire, so to speak.
This initial post about BGS specific progress tests possibly should be on JALs, but really, does it matter?

In fact, up until your first post in this thread, the advice could probably be applied to the passing of any Gen Nav test.

[2WingsOnMyWagon]

VFE,
Lets not start slinging petty insults on an anonymous forum. :zzz:
I’m not saying that I really believe that Bristol are manufacturing posters however it is becoming a talking point in the real world and there are those with agendas who Im sure will highlight this in the near future.

HWD
My original post was...

Come on people! This is surely something that should be discussed on JALS not PPRuNe!

Which were agreed it probably is.
And

You’re giving a good school a bad reputation for using this site as cheap advertising!

Which is happening and a reputation is something, which does matter. I guess my post is "cautionary advice" and I think I will leave it at that.

Regards

2WINGS
:ok:

[VFE]

Lets not start slinging petty insults on an anonymous forum.
Oh why not? Some of us are bored with the christmas TV and have already eaten the turkey. Darts is on SKY SPORTS but there's nobody decent playing so far.

A good old internet slagging match helps pass the time. ;)

VFE.

[Gillespie]

Steady on people!

I am not a fake ppruner, nor was my initial post a cheap marketing stunt.

I suppose the reason I posted on pprune is habit. This is always where I come for advice. I find the pprune audience very helpful, except those fools who read in to things too much and get upset.

Thank you to all those that offered useful advice.

[G SXTY]

Peace on earth and goodwill to all men . . .:)