MATZ- No I haven't failed one, never got less than 98% if you must know! You are just following the typical Mil line on that one.
5milesbaby- OK, for the civil guys here is a quick resume of a PK/WK for you.
WK or 'Working Knowledge' check is carried out on mil controllers by Local Examination Officers (LEO)before they can obtain a Tower/Dir/RA etc endorsements. This is a theory check which consists of 10 Qs about the task you are covering and 10 'core' questions from the JSP552, your version of MATs. These are usually related to the task you are carrying out and take about 30 mins. They are also carried out by the Air Traffic Control Examing Board (ATCEB/SRG to you guys) on their check ride visits every couple of years when they visit your unit.
A PK or 'Professional Knowledge' check is carried out by the Air Traffic Control Examing Board based at Shawbury. They usually dispatch one of their members to visit the unit and exam Sups, Local Examination officers to ensure they know all the theory. This test usually takes around 2 hours to complete properly and is also carried out on Instructors every 3 years. The LEO can then 'check out' other controllers using a practical and WK before going solo.
The PK is taken from the Mil air traffic bible the JSP 552 and lots of questions from FLIPs. You can get asked some really bizarre questions- for example 'what is the frequency of Timbuktu Approach' or 'If you plane is flying from the IOM to MAN what airspace would you fly through'. There are also a number of air pressure calculations to contend with, lovely.
The WK makes sense and gets the new boys to learn their new airfield procedures pretty quickly so I have no issue with that. But the PK it is a waste of time and is a contridiction in terms.
I don't think there are any other organisations that give you a licence to control (having passed the Joint Air Traffic Controllers Course) and then make you do the theory all over again?
I would like to know if the civvy controllers have such a thing? I know you civvy controllers value your licence bigtime and would probably get the hump if you were made you do part of your basic theory training again, I do!
