Identifying aircraft

[stevekingsman]

Hi,
I'm sorry if this has been mentioned before, but can't find it anywhere.
Does anyone know the best place to find picture and details of the aircraft I will be expected to recognize during the ATC interview?
Thanks

[Jerricho]

I don't think there is a set "You must know this aircraft type and speed" bank of questions for interviews. If I remember correctly, Aircraft Performence was a topic you are taught in the College. We were given a lovely booklet with all the a/c types, pictures etc.....and I think there was a little test on it! (Apart from Helicopters....they work by magic!)

Jane's Aircraft Directory is always a good place to start.

[Barnaby the Bear]

Jerricho is right. When I had my interview, they had a couple of small models used for the scenario's. The interviewer just asked (more out of interest), what type they were.
Jane's is probably the best. But you will be expected to recognise types during your verbal exams at the college.
If you really have no idea, some of the spotter magazines will help (and are cheaper).
Look at stupid things like windows, wing tips and amount of wheels on the undercarriage to help you distinguish types of Boeings or Airbus etc.
I wouldn't worry too much about that initially though. Provided you make a sensible educated guess. :}

[AlanM]

or look at Airliners.net (http://www.airliners.net/) and about half way down the page select an aircraft type from "Aircraft Data and History"

Just the big stuff really - they had a 747 and A320 model at my interview and asked me to identify them. Don't get too excited by this though. As said, identification/climb rates etc will be taught at CATC.

Take solace in the fact that there aren't too many anoraks as controllers!!!

[fly bhoy]

SK

I worried about this myself as I don't have a clue about aircraft recognition, but don't worry.

There are a few aircraft on the link below which might help, but they didn't ask that much about them at my interview, more just general types of aircraft i.e can you tell the difference between a heavy, medium or light aircraft.

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/radar2001/resources/recognition.htm

The interviewer had a few models of smaller single prop planes up to a 747 and concorde and he just asked if I knew what type each one was. I think a general ballpark answer is ok (e.g. mistaking say an airbus A320 with a 737 is probably alright, but if you're shown a 747 and you say its concorde then you're in trouble!!)

Hope this helps

FB

[Bern Oulli]

Ah! Not like the good old days.
"Tell me laddie, what is the difference between a VC10 and a 707?"

The hard ones first eh? "Er.....dunno".

Got the job though, whatever that proves.

[Dances with Boffins]

Try www.ians.lu
This is the site for the Eurocontrol ATC training distance learning package, but it has a top banana Aircraft Performance section, plus a competition for all you spotters to show off your abilities.

P.S. Bern Oulli still can't tell the difference, but he does know all sorts of stuff about all sorts of things. Get to the college within the next 22 months, and you may just catch him. :cool:

[cb9002]

I back up AlanM here - at my interview I had a cessna propellor-jobbie, an A320 and a jumbo. That's all the recognition they expect, I believe. All the recruitment literature backs that up - they're practically screaming "NO SPOTTERS!"

Good luck - I'd spend more time practicing speed/distance/time calculations if I were you!

[45 before POL]

cb902 has more or less summed it up.
Small dinky models were used in Nov.. more focus was on performance/speed ie. B747 about 480kts.. I even got the recognition wrong mistaking a 737 for a 757 and still passed.
If you can remember the aviation/motivation paper in the first testing phase...questions are very likely to originate from any you got wrong...so its worth going back over it.


..Anyway Goodluck:ok:

[eastern wiseguy]

Why bother? The vast majority of you won't see an aeroplane throughout your entire career now that the Aerodrome portion is being removed! :rolleyes: Or am I just a cynical old goat?