RT Exams

[RNAV]

Could anyone detail what these entail ?

[The Greaser]

A short written test (about 20 multi-choice), exactly same as the JAR ATPL comms exam ie. laughably bloody easy.

The practical exam entails a typical simulated flight where you request taxi, takeoff clearance etc, get radar service and MATZ penetration and then approach and landing instructions.

Good Luck

[hasell]

RNAV/Greaser,

I took the RT written test two weeks ago and it was 30 multi-choice questions and not 20.

Regards.
H.

[gijoe]

Did my RT a few weeks ago when converting my overseas licence. Did the exam and passed first time. 30 q's as the last guy said.

The practical is a bit odd as the symbols on the map are a bit odd and not what you think they should be ( examiner said CAA's fault- surprise, surprise ). My examiner was very cool about it and we talked about everything. He said afterwards that the initial impression counts for a lot and if you get the first call right then that helps him to make his mind up. The test was about 20 mins long. MATZ penetration, LARS, Special VFR etc and hand over the cheque.

Not hard...if you have done the prep and are confident in you RT.

:cool:

[BEagle]

The absurdity of the requirement for RAF pilots to take this silly exam was highlighted to me recently when I examined a particular pilot on exchnage duties who'd flown into our base for the sole purpose of doing this daft exam to gain the FRTOL he needed for his ATPL (A). He obtained 100% on the written exam (Qualified Service Pilots are exempt the 'practical'), then got back into his Tornado, joined airways and flew back to his base in Southern Germany. The fee? 3 bottles of Bitburger Pils.......

[RNAV]

Thank you all for your responses.

The good news is that I passed the practical.

The bad news is that I made a total fool of myself ..... my RT just fell to pieces, and in comparison to its standard when flying I would actually call my performance c**p. However, the examiner managed to seperate the nerves from the RT and said it was good enough (only just though) and quite rightly gave me a thorough telling off during the debrief because of some very silly errors.

I couldn't face the RT theory test after that, so I'll return tomorrow morning.

[Speedbird19]

I am preparing for my RT exam at the moment and forget the official CAA Radio Telephony book, I just purchased number 7 of the Air Pilots Manual entitled suprisingly enough Radio Telephony! It is excellent and even has self test questions and answers in the back. I bought it from http://www.pilotwarehouse.co.uk
Happy Transmitting!

[BEagle]

CAP 413. An outstandingly good read for those who find counting sheep an excessively demanding soporific.......

[tacpot]

Available from :www.caa.co.uk/publications/docs/CAP413Ed12Amdt1.pdf (http://www.caa.co.uk/publications/docs/CAP413Ed12Amdt1.pdf)

(if this link doesn't work - it may be superceeded - try www.caa.co.uk/publications/docs/CAP413.pdf (http://www.caa.co.uk/publications/docs/CAP413.pdf) )

[Noggin]

Beagle

Its amazing how many military pilots are unaware of the civil procedures in CAP 413 including some VC10 captains. Most have never received any training on the subject. If the exam is simple, it merely takes 10 minutes of the candidates time. It probably remains a requirement because military pilots continue to fail the exam. For the JAA ATPL, all candidates will have to sit the JAA Communications exams and not the UK RTF written.

[BEagle]

Aah - but some folk might have a vested interest in perpetuating the myth that RT procedures are somehow a mysterious science, mightn't they? Eh??

Does it really matter when people say "Finals" rather than "Final"?

But I have actually met one RAF VC10 Captain who only just scraped a pass with the minimum mark - mainly RTFQ idiocy rather than lack of knowledge though!

[Noggin]

An interesting point to note is that the OnTrack independent survey of accidents and incidents has already identified poor RT as a major contributary factor in many incidents.

RT still remains the one factor that could have preventred the Worlds worst air disaster - Tenerife

[BEagle]

Quite right. You'll be pleased to know that I insist on correct RT procedures from my students whether in light ac or whether converting to the VC10. But the worst offenders I've heard in the London TMA are lazy airline pilots, not military ones. Some seem to think that their abbreviated argot makes them sound somehow 'cool': "Hello London, it's the Birdseed blah, standard to the Park" etc. I personally don't ever climb to anything; I know that you don't climb to a height or altitude, only a FL, but to avoid any possible confusion I never use the 'dangerous dative' (to or for) as that can be confused with 2 or 4. The old military RT calls such as "Passing four for six zero, requesting climb to seven" have hopefully known been trained out of most people!

Certainly the Tenerife accident could have been prvented by clearer RT procedures; after the 'Ready for departure' amendment was made, most of us in the RAF adopted it as well. But one Luddite Flt Cdr insisted that we continued to use 'Request take-off' as the JSP318A hadn't then been amended..... However, we refused point-blank and that was the first mutiny he'd ever faced!

As for go-around/overshoot and touch-and-go/roll - why on Earth we can't get agreement to adopt UK civil RT procedures throughout the UK, I just cannot fathom!

'Short finals' needs to go as well!!