NATS Supporting Docs Question

[neil209]

Hi, Just looking through the NATS supporting material/information booklet in prep for the first tests. I realise I will be tested on this and have committed it to memory, however in the back they have listed aircraft and their speed/capacity/cruise levels/operators etc. Do I need to know these figures parrot fashion becasue as anyone will know performance figures for each aircraft vary depending on where you read them and seating varies depending on what airline. So should I take these figures as gospel or are they just trying to give people a rough idea? Thanks!

[Brian81]

a rough idea (albeit a bit more specific) if thats makes sense.

Example Questions from my intereview years ago;

(*) An aircraft flies across the atlantic from the UK to the US, whats is likely to be? c130? c172? B757? etc

(*2) and how many people would that roughly carry fully loaded?

(*)[interviewer shows you a model a/c] whats this? how many people can it carry? where is it likely to fly to? how high could it climb? what sort of speed would you expect it to do?

thats the sort of accuracy required (in my day anyway)

[+'ve ROC]

On the test day they will ask you a few bits and bobs from the prep material but you're not expected to remember every detail. It was things like;

"Which aircraft would you expect to see flying London - Edinburgh. 737, 747 etc?"

"At what speed does a 737 cruise at?"

"How far is it from London to Brussels?"

It's multi-shoice and not too detailed, aslong as you've got a basic knowledge you'll do ok. It's the other aptitude tests that are the ones to worry about!

[atco-matic]

Jesus they've dumbed the interviews down a bit since I had mine!!! Mine were questions like:

"You're a controller at an airport and a plane taking off runs off the end of the runway. You've got another one coming in to land. what do you do?".

and

"You're a radar controller and you've got two planes at the same altitude on a collision course. What do you do?"

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

atco-matic... Shades of Eric Thompson as Board Chairman (God rest him). I came out of my ADC Board sweating blood!

[atco-matic]

LOL ditto HD!!!! I was convinced i'd fluffed it! I even left my folder of stuff in the interview room i had taken with me, and had the embarassment of the interviewer (whoever he was) bringing it down to me at reception. So if they'll take me they'll take anybody!:ok:

[TCAS FAN]

Some questions to ask your interrogators.

Why don'y Luton & Southampton ATCOs get home-to-duty allowance?

Why doesn't Southampton have an Operations and Training Manager?

Why doesn't Southampton have ATCO 2 Watch Managers?

[neil209]

ok thanks for those interesting and varied answers. So whatis the hardest part of the first round of tests then? People have told me the hardest part is the nets/shapes things but im ok with them????????? also how good is bournemouth to live in for two years? Do you actually ever get time off to go out and things?

cheers

[Dominic Nortney]

The Spacial Reasoning and Mathematics is what I will need to work on.

I control on VATSIM so the base ATC procedures and the min spacing horizontally and vertically of aircraft indifferent sectors e.g TMA high level.

But that's not what they base it on really anymore is it. It's easier to teach that than spacial reasoning?

[JayeRipley]

I found the second set of interviews the most stressful - the technical one with two atcos. They were obviously trying to see how people coped under pressure, and boy did they pile it on!!

We were discussing the stacks at Heathrow and they asked how I would deal with a non deviating flight at FL100 routing from Southampton overhead London and then to Stansted - I'm thinking help! I'm only an interviewee, how the hell do I know lol.

They really want to know that you can "think outside of the box" and not just trot out prelearned facts and figures.

I had the good fortune of going on a fam flight with Britannia a few weeks before my interview so I talked about that as there had been weather avoidance - I got hammered on responsibilities of atcos when pilots weather avoid outside cas (!)

Basically whatever you tell them in your "how did you prepare for this interview" speel, be just as prepared to talk about every aspect of the info that you give.

I'm glad I ain't applying again!!!

As for Bournemouth, it is great, especially in the Summer. I'm not sure how long the course is now but our Area course managed to be in Bournemouth for two Summers, with ojt in Winter and Spring - Good luck