ATC Centre Visit
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 47
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From: round the corner
ATC Centre Visit
Anybody know a friendly ATC centre willing to take on visitors/people considering jumping ship to ATCO, that i can visit for a day, or at least an ATC to chat with. Have tried the one nearest one to me Luton the manager there told me it was not possible coz of security reasons
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 8,266
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From: Berkshire, UK
Firstly, Luton is not an ATC Center - it's just a tower facility. Approach Control for Luton is carried out at West Drayton. Towers are usually cramped and space for visitors is limited.
Secondly your profile makes no mention of what you do so what does "jumping ship" mean? If you are a pilot, or have serious aviation connections it would not be difficult to arrange a visit to an ATC Centre - typically Swanwick, as had been suggested, or Terminal Control at West Drayton. Telephone the Watch Manager and explain the situation. If it's not too busy you may be lucky.
Secondly your profile makes no mention of what you do so what does "jumping ship" mean? If you are a pilot, or have serious aviation connections it would not be difficult to arrange a visit to an ATC Centre - typically Swanwick, as had been suggested, or Terminal Control at West Drayton. Telephone the Watch Manager and explain the situation. If it's not too busy you may be lucky.
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 937
Likes: 0
From: Isle Du Cyber
Sunny Jersey
The ATC unit in Jersey welcomes any visitors that are connected with aviation.
Pending who they are the staff have been known to give the visitors a go on the ATC Radar simulator.
Providing prior notice is requested to the SATCO they can be provided with visitor passes to comply with the security side of things.
With a number of cheap flights available, a short brake in the sun, a visit to ATC followed by an air show which is on in 7 weeks time may make a nice brake??
The ATC unit provides for the whole of the Channel Islands Zone and not just the airport so the visit can be of good interest as they deal with any traffic from a puddle jumper up to Airbus 320 or similar and the zone can be very busy with transit traffic.
Hope to be of some help and you take it up.
Pending who they are the staff have been known to give the visitors a go on the ATC Radar simulator.
Providing prior notice is requested to the SATCO they can be provided with visitor passes to comply with the security side of things.
With a number of cheap flights available, a short brake in the sun, a visit to ATC followed by an air show which is on in 7 weeks time may make a nice brake??
The ATC unit provides for the whole of the Channel Islands Zone and not just the airport so the visit can be of good interest as they deal with any traffic from a puddle jumper up to Airbus 320 or similar and the zone can be very busy with transit traffic.
Hope to be of some help and you take it up.
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 18
Likes: 0
From: Glasgow
I asked only the other day to visit Prestwick Centre as I'm in the process of writing my application to NATS. They said no and usually only accept visits for people past the testing stage of the recruitment process.
Joined: Apr 2003
Posts: 1,045
Likes: 1
From: North of CDG
Had no problem setting up a visit to BHX tower/approach last year; a couple of phone calls and an e-mail is all it took, and I was up there for the whole afternoon. They couldn't have been more helpful to show me around (including the procedures for handling EGBE and EGBB approaches simultaneously).
Cheers
to show me around (including the procedures for handling EGBE and EGBB approaches simultaneously).Cheers
Joined: Jun 2000
Posts: 2,878
Likes: 83
From: UK
Yep, I've been on visits to Swanwick, West Drayton, Heathrow and Farnborough, all pretty much thanks to contacts made via this forum.
Couldn't have been made more welcome on each and every occasion
Passport details were required in advance for security checks if I remember, and that was it.
Couldn't have been made more welcome on each and every occasion
Passport details were required in advance for security checks if I remember, and that was it.
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 117
Likes: 0
From: A land down under
Originally Posted by DerekTheElephant
I asked only the other day to visit Prestwick Centre as I'm in the process of writing my application to NATS. They said no and usually only accept visits for people past the testing stage of the recruitment process.
