RT Practical exam
 

Hi All,

I've got my PPL RT practical exam soon and and just wondered if anyone had any pointers on what to expect or how to avoid going wrong!

Thanks in advance.

D

where you doing training? are there any instructors that can help? I'm looking for somewhere who offers some RT/Training too!

It is all pretty straight forward , remember to keep quiet when the mayday comes on frequency though

Ask if the examiner also conducts training sessions. If so, take a one hour lesson before the test.

If you can't pass after that, you aren't ready.

Top tip Custard!

Ecosse,
I'm at Prestwick. They're a friendly bunch and the instructors are great. I was just hoping for some external input, and maybe hoping the practical was fresh in someones head!

Get a scanner and listen. A lot.

You will pick up the good and bad, and with luck be able to learn what to avoid.

"Ah... Glasgow.. good afternoon sir.......this is the.... photographic Lima... Papa.... we... ah... will be ah... orbiting Grangemouth...... the refinery, not the town.... for about five minutes or so while we take some pictures... and then we will be following the.. ah... route ... ah... of the ... Motorway down to ... ah .. err. .. south of....ah... Cumbernauld... and then coming back up about as far as.... err.... Falkirk with.... err... another run south westish... ah... then we will be returning to Perth, Golf... Lima ....Papa"


Followed instantly by, "Shuttle six tango descend to and mantain three thousand feet turn left heading 310 break break Ryaniar 556 turn left heading 230 report established break break Police51 surface wind at Glasgow 220 @ 12 report lifting from Jackton break break Speedbird eleven eightysix descend to and maintain six thousand on one zero two four". {very short pause for much needed breath} "Golf Lima Papa, remain clear of controlled airspace."

Not the slightest bit unusual to hear a fellow ATCO screaming 'shutuuuuuuuup!!!!' when idiots freecall and go straight in with their inane diatribes.... If only they realised the serious dangers of doing that....

Put your metaphoric hand up first, then wait until spoken to, ie. Listen out, BRIEF initial call, and wait...

... and in that particular example there was no request for anything, so no point in making the call at all.

Yup. And there are plenty of clowns out there depriving the ATCO of his/her primary tool for far too long...

Ask yourself, is your message really necessary...

2 ears.
1 mouth.
Use in direct proportion.

But back to the RT test. I shall not call it an exam. A test relates to current capability. An examination relates to retained knowledge.
To attain capability there is one very simple thing you need to do. (caps) PRACTICE.

Go for a gentle run around the block and chant to yourself
1) Mayday calls
2) First contact on Approach frequency.
3) Airways calls. You'll probably never need them, but they are in the test.

and again
and again.

When bored, chuck in an IFREFA or BUMCFFGGHHH. Then start again.
And do it out loud. I do this when jogging because that way I'm under similar stress levels as in the cockpit. If you happen to end up getting fit, just run faster.

Download a copy of the Training Record and make sure you are familiar with all items on it.

Download a copy of SSL22 and read section 13

Of course you will have done all this as part of your training!

Actually they were removed about 30 years ago

CAP 413. Haven't read it for 30 years.

I found it quite straight forward, I did it on a classroom course at LBA back in 2007. Few things have changed since then but I always recommend to people about screwing up. If you screw up a transmission just simply end it with “Disregard” or use “Correction” terms and then retransmit again.


I was given a mayday on the frequency where I had to relay the information onto test ATC so make sure you have your pen and paper available.

The test is a mock flight which would normally take 30+ minutes. There's no need whatsoever to cram that whole flight inside a minute - no points are awarded for finishing in record time.

So take your time: One call at a time. For instance, your request to enter controller airspace. Once that request is dealt with, just keep silent for a while. Think of your next call. What are you going to say, what is the likely response going to be. Only then make that next call, which is probably a reporting point or exit point of controlled airspace which in reality would be at least a minute flight time away. Engage brain before engaging the PTT switch. And don't worry about the examiner getting impatient.

Have pen and paper ready. Practice some shorthand notation for clearances, callsigns and such.

If the examiner throws you a curveball, sit on your hands for a few seconds while you think about how to deal with it. If you're not quite ready for it, a "standby" or "say again" is entirely appropriate. Do not react to calls that are not intended for you. Except maybe the "mayday relay" situation.

I did it back in 1978 with one of the Manchester controllers in a south side flying school. Got a tour of Man ATC afterwards.

It's probably changed a lot now, but back then it encompassed a lot of stuff more related to airway work than GA flying. But as has been said, ensure you know RT procedures - what information to pass in a given situation, what must be read back, mayday, what RT terms (like "roger") mean, etc.

Thanks for all the pointers folks!

All very interesting advice.

Dougie
Expect to get a laminated sheet which acts as your map, a route and an information card with frequencies and information about different locations you can call enroute. You will probably be told about an enroute emergency that you'll need to make at some point, and perhaps some options on the type of emergency.
You'll be in a room on your own, with a headset and control pad to select frequencies. You'll get a piece of paper to scribble on. The examiner will be in another room and will act as the controller that you call. Expect to hear calls from other people too. What I did, was to write my details on the piece of paper which made responding to "Pass your message" easier!

You'll probably need to get an initial clearance to depart (as normal at somewhere like Prestwick), basic service ("pass your message" which you'll need to do a full response of), do a VDF fix (without getting a service from that place - one of my mistakes), do a mayday , perhaps a mayday relay, a zone transit, a MATZ penetration, get a clearance and land.

As others say - take your time - there is no rush. George will look after you!

...or more likely you'll be sat in front of a computer screen with a part of the map on it and some controls you need to use with the mouse, such as a radio and a transponder. There's also a representation of a DI with a bug on it.
When the test starts, there's an aircraft symbol (of a 747, whereas the a/c you're 'flying' is a Cessna 172) that starts crawling across the map, on the heading shown on the DI. You need to learn how to steer the a/c at the various waypoints on your route, using the bug and the mouse. It will be emphasised to you that it isn't a navigation exercise but it does seem sometimes that the technology gets in the way of the test. You'll also hear recorded messages, which you should be prepared to write down, as they form a vital part of the test.
It's worthwhile booking a session with the examiner to learn how to drive all this computer stuff, so that during the test you can concentrate on what's being said rather than panicking about moving the aircraft around.
TOO