Self funding ATC course
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: TROON SOTLAND
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ATC Vacancies
There are often vacancies for self-improvers at the non-nats airports. Currently Prestwick have a requirement for an ADI/APS/APP rated ATCO. (Would consider individuals without APP)
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Edinburgh
Age: 37
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Hello folks. Has anyone got details for any non-nats airports that they wouldn't mind sharing with me? I'm keen to get phone numbers, email addresses, anything. I'm also very keen to get visits to towers so I can get my face known and hopefully secure a job for after spending the money self funding my licence! 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Manchester
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Just a small word of advice...when you visit units, try and do even a small amount of reading about that unit before you go. Sounds silly and you may think it's a bit of a waste of time but it will make you more memorable, it shows you are actually interested in that unit, is easier to work out what questions you want answered and it makes it easier for those of us showing visitors round!
I found if you put a call in units are generally very happy to show interested people round.
Good luck.
I found if you put a call in units are generally very happy to show interested people round.
Good luck.
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: UK
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I totally agree with you miss controller. Print the info from the AIP and have a good look through it. If you show that you are interested and you've bothered to do a bit of research then you'll make a good impression 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Edinburgh
Age: 37
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Thanks guys for the very useful information, I can't believe I didn't think of the AIP myself! D'Oh!
Does anyone know of any people who has managed to fail a self-funded course or anyone who has managed to get a licence and who has just never managed to find an ATC job?
Likewise, after you gain your student licence, I know if you don't start training within 6 months you will need to do a refresher course - but how long is the licence itself valid for without starting training before it is declared null and void?
Does anyone know of any people who has managed to fail a self-funded course or anyone who has managed to get a licence and who has just never managed to find an ATC job?
Likewise, after you gain your student licence, I know if you don't start training within 6 months you will need to do a refresher course - but how long is the licence itself valid for without starting training before it is declared null and void?
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: UK
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Well the Student (unvalidated) licence lasts 2 years before you must do the FULL course again. You have 6 months to start training before you require an APC.
So start hunting, be prepared to travel and work anywhere!! Remember once you have valid licences you are a useful and in demand so you can start small and work your way up - dreams of Heathrow or Hong Kong may have to go on hold for a bit!!
There are loads of units out there, recession is a tricky time to job hunt though, even the bigger units(some I can think of anyway) are running on low numbers to keep costs down.
Get out on visits with your cv, know your stuff and you may just plant a seed that'll come home for you later on.
Best of luck.
SP.
So start hunting, be prepared to travel and work anywhere!! Remember once you have valid licences you are a useful and in demand so you can start small and work your way up - dreams of Heathrow or Hong Kong may have to go on hold for a bit!!
There are loads of units out there, recession is a tricky time to job hunt though, even the bigger units(some I can think of anyway) are running on low numbers to keep costs down.
Get out on visits with your cv, know your stuff and you may just plant a seed that'll come home for you later on.
Best of luck.
SP.
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Edinburgh
Age: 37
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Thanks for the reply Sweet potatoes.
I have one more question. Which college is better, for an ex-NATS student especially. I saw a list of the 50 aircraft for one of the colleges, and there are many differences between them and NATS 50 - not just in actual a/c types but in cruise speeds, levels etc and this poses a problem for me due to having learnt figures for some of these a/c and now they will be wrong for the new college.
Are there many more differences between the other colleges and NATS?
Generally, I just want to make the best choice I can make - and similar learning to NATS would go down well for me.
I have one more question. Which college is better, for an ex-NATS student especially. I saw a list of the 50 aircraft for one of the colleges, and there are many differences between them and NATS 50 - not just in actual a/c types but in cruise speeds, levels etc and this poses a problem for me due to having learnt figures for some of these a/c and now they will be wrong for the new college.
Are there many more differences between the other colleges and NATS?
Generally, I just want to make the best choice I can make - and similar learning to NATS would go down well for me.
Join Date: Jun 2002
Location: UK
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Feonagh
Surely a B734 has similar performance no matter which college you choose?
All B734's do not perform identically. It depends on the pilot and the company SOP's.
If you end up needing to know extra aircraft, won't that make you better prepared for operational training?
Any college will prepare you for the examinations. My advice would be to learn as much as you can as early as possible, to prepare you for when the real training starts - at an operational unit.
161R
Surely a B734 has similar performance no matter which college you choose?
All B734's do not perform identically. It depends on the pilot and the company SOP's.
If you end up needing to know extra aircraft, won't that make you better prepared for operational training?
Any college will prepare you for the examinations. My advice would be to learn as much as you can as early as possible, to prepare you for when the real training starts - at an operational unit.
161R
Hi Feonagh:
The differences won't be as marked as you fear, where ever you go; all will be based on the Eurocontrol 50, so provided you're thinking in the right ballpark, no-one is going to hang you for 10kts, or a couple of thousand feet difference.
However, an appreciation of the reality is what you need to concern yourself with - that's what works in the Verbal Assessments: a small single may have a theoretical ceiling of 12,000ft, that doesn't mean you'll ever see one up there! Think about what's on the flight plan, not what's on the Top Trump cards...
The differences won't be as marked as you fear, where ever you go; all will be based on the Eurocontrol 50, so provided you're thinking in the right ballpark, no-one is going to hang you for 10kts, or a couple of thousand feet difference.
However, an appreciation of the reality is what you need to concern yourself with - that's what works in the Verbal Assessments: a small single may have a theoretical ceiling of 12,000ft, that doesn't mean you'll ever see one up there! Think about what's on the flight plan, not what's on the Top Trump cards...
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: UK
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Completly agree with the other lads. Had a PA31 catching a 737-400 on the ILS the other day ... don't see it often but it can happen.
The colleges will teach you all you need to know. You just need to get in and do it!!
My advice would be to visit the colleges - I can recommend ASTAC, others will recommend Cwymbran(BAe Systems I think). Both are great.
Once you've decided on a college, get the head in the books. Maybe play some Air Traffic games online or something - don't heed too much cos it's a [I]game[I] not real!! But it will give you an idea!
Visit some units, spend a bit of time in a tower - not an hour with a cuppa!! Try a little longer! You'll find the smaller units very accommodating I'm sure.
Off course I could be teaching you to suck eggs depending on how far you got with NATS!
The colleges will teach you all you need to know. You just need to get in and do it!!
My advice would be to visit the colleges - I can recommend ASTAC, others will recommend Cwymbran(BAe Systems I think). Both are great.
Once you've decided on a college, get the head in the books. Maybe play some Air Traffic games online or something - don't heed too much cos it's a [I]game[I] not real!! But it will give you an idea!
Visit some units, spend a bit of time in a tower - not an hour with a cuppa!! Try a little longer! You'll find the smaller units very accommodating I'm sure.
Off course I could be teaching you to suck eggs depending on how far you got with NATS!
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: UK
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Feonagh,
If you are thinking of going to the expense of a private course I strongly suggest you invest in a VV Approach course first. I failed a radar course at college but easily passed a second one (at my own expense) after I did VV Approach. It taught me far more about radar vectoring and sequencing than two college courses.
If you are thinking of going to the expense of a private course I strongly suggest you invest in a VV Approach course first. I failed a radar course at college but easily passed a second one (at my own expense) after I did VV Approach. It taught me far more about radar vectoring and sequencing than two college courses.
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: spain
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ASTAC course price
Hi there!
Could anyone help me,please?If someone here has attended to any ASTAC course and know anything bout course prices to get an ICAO ATC licence,it would be very helpful.I´m thinking bout taking the courses and, as I´ve read, prices are negotiable,but I would like to have an overall idea.Can anyone throw some light over the matter,please?I´m not sponsored so it would be self funding.
Thanks to everyone!
Could anyone help me,please?If someone here has attended to any ASTAC course and know anything bout course prices to get an ICAO ATC licence,it would be very helpful.I´m thinking bout taking the courses and, as I´ve read, prices are negotiable,but I would like to have an overall idea.Can anyone throw some light over the matter,please?I´m not sponsored so it would be self funding.
Thanks to everyone!
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: London
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Helpful advice
Hi Flygirl,
Have a look at some helpful advice on getting a job as an ATCO here:
www.safeskys.co.uk
Go to the
'ATC Career Advice' page.
Good Luck
Have a look at some helpful advice on getting a job as an ATCO here:
www.safeskys.co.uk
Go to the
'ATC Career Advice' page.
Good Luck
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Europe
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Ello'.
Check out http://www.atcstuff.net and head over to the "EPN"-section (Entry Point North). It includes condensed PDFs of almost the complete curriculum of the ATC-education over at EPN in Sweden. Might be slight differences from UK-stuff since this is strictly based upon the Common-Core-Contents from Eurocontrol.
ATC for dummies: Basic course + Approach module
Extreme ADI: Tower-module
Top-50 aircraft: Pictures with marked A/C-characteristics + stats
Meteorology: Meteorology.
Good luck!
TH
Check out http://www.atcstuff.net and head over to the "EPN"-section (Entry Point North). It includes condensed PDFs of almost the complete curriculum of the ATC-education over at EPN in Sweden. Might be slight differences from UK-stuff since this is strictly based upon the Common-Core-Contents from Eurocontrol.
ATC for dummies: Basic course + Approach module
Extreme ADI: Tower-module
Top-50 aircraft: Pictures with marked A/C-characteristics + stats
Meteorology: Meteorology.
Good luck!
TH
