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:{:{:{

As Luton is a NATS site, then your pretty screwed if you want to visit a centre as it will the same for all probably

I had no problem visiting any of the NATS sites that I rang.
I have visited
- Aberdeen
-Prestwick
-Manchester

Have also visited Manchester, they couldn't have been more helpful and willing to show me around

but did you two visit mid interviews or just off the street?

I visited Luton recently, no prob's.

Perhaps you should put the emphasis on "visit" not "jumping ship".

I visited just off the street, I simply found a number for Aberdeen ATC Admin, and then they put me through to the watch manager, who then helped me arrange a visit... simple really!

Us at Swanwick are only too happy to have visiters

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.

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??:ok: :ok:

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.

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.

centre visits
 

sounds like a bit of guff from Luton

If you want a visit round Scottish Centre I'd be only too happy to oblige.

PM me

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 :ok: to show me around (including the procedures for handling EGBE and EGBB approaches simultaneously).

Cheers :cool:

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 :ok:

Passport details were required in advance for security checks if I remember, and that was it.

Must have just been unlucky mate - they were great with us - spent a morning with the TMA guys.