CATC Course structure
 

What is the current CATC course structure?

subject to change ;)

Not very helpful.
:(

Before I left it was something like this:

Area

• Introductory Course
• Area Basic
• Area Intermediate
• Area Advanced

Aerodrome

• Introductory Course
• Aerodrome 1 (these may have fancy names like basic and advanced now)
• Aerodrome 2

Approach @ TC

• Introductory Course
• Approach Course

Approach Regional

• Introductory Course
• Aerodrome 1
• Aerodrome 2
• Approach Course

I was on 201 Introductory course and went through the old style Area course so the approach/aerodrome details mightn't be correct but it should give you the general jist of things. I wouldn't be surprised if it had changed again though :E

Aerodrome is now just the Basic (Introductory) Course and then the Aerodrome Course. No more aerodrome 1 and 2. In and out in just under seven months!

The question's a little vague. Any particular course structure?

Scuzi,
Thanks for your reply.

I'm not joking sir,
My question is basicly:
What courses does everyone have to take (everyone as in what do all the trainees start on and then where do they get split etc.)

Cheers

Everyone begins with the Introductory course which covers all the general bookwork and I believe the old Radar Skills course has been integrated. After the Intro course, people are sent their different ways.
Things can and do change though. You could be told you're going to a London airport only to find at the end of your aerodrome course you have to stay on to do approach.

Everyone does the Basic/Intro course. That covers law, met, nav, aircraft recognition etc. At some point towards the end of those three months you're told what ratings course you'll be doing.

For Intro/Introductory course read Basic course - this is a combination of the old Intro course and Radar Skills.

The courses currently go like this:

Basic Course
All do this (3 months); it ends in theory exams, summatives (practical assessments) and a mock oral board.

Then you get to fill in your preference of discipline based upon the company's requirements. You might or might not get your preferred choice.

Then you do as follows:

All airports people do 2 weeks / 15 hours flying training.

Aerodrome-only
10 week course with regular summatives, several written exams and an oral board.

TC Approach
Aerodrome familiarisation (1 week); written exam.
12 or 16 week course with one exam, two sets of summatives and an oral board.

Regional Airport
Basically does Aerodrome followed by Approach as above (minus the TC Approach Aerodrome famil. week).

Area
Area Foundation: roughly 3 months with a theory exam, an oral board and one set of summatives
Area Advanced: roughly 3 months with a theory exam, an oral board and one set of summatives.

Finally all disciplines do the 1 week BA Airline Ops Familiarisation course, then posting. Sometimes people have to be brought back from their units to do the BA course as they run quite infrequently and you could have already been posted by the time one comes up.

Thanks for your reply Foghorn.

So they all do the Basic course and then it depends which one they do after that and you get told where you will be posted after the first course?

Cheers

You won't get told where you'll be posted until the very end of your time at college - possibly even in the last few days.

Obviously your choice of discipline narrows things down your a bit e.g. if you're doing TC Approach you're likely to be going to TC, Area folks tend to go to Swanwick or TC, etc.

That early?! :)

I got my official posting letter 90 minutes before the end of my last day at the college! :\

261A you didn't answer the question. Why do you want to know?

I sense a bit of snooping....:hmm:

Dances you do not have time to post on here. You should be working on some project or other.

"Regional Airport
Basically does Aerodrome followed by Approach as above "

Then how come at our regional airport they are being posted in with just an aerodrome rating and have not been through any form of approach course ?

Flower,

It's because the poor college staff were sick of the sight of your latest trainee. They wanted you guys to look after him for awhile, before they take him back and make him a proper controller. :D :D :D :D :D :ok: :ok: :ok: :ok:

Oi! I resemble those remarks!

That's more or less what I'm doing!! :)

You make one little post - and all of a sudden yer accused of slacking. I'm off back to me cave....

Oh, some get sent to Regionals with just the aerodrome rating, if the regional in question can't start their Approach OJT within the allowed time. They then validate their Tower ticket and get sent back to Hurn at a later date to become complete and useful members of the community.
Don't blame us. It's a Eurocontrol thang.