Sweden: Changes In Rating Requirements, OTS no longer required at ESGG, and all TWR positions available for S2 Options

[Martin Loxbo]

Due to a new interpretation of the VATSIM Global Rating Policy (GRP), the following changes to rating requirements in Sweden are effective immediately.

OTS no longer required at ESGG
Under the GRP, there can only be one so called major airport in each FIR. Since ESSA is classified as a major airport, the major airport designation for ESGG is removed. This means that it is no longer required to undergo an OTS checkout before controlling at ESGG. Hence, the rating requirement for ESGG TWR/GND is S2, and for ESGG APP S3, with no additional requirements.

All TWR positions available for S2
After discussions with VATEUD it has been decided that the rating requirement for all TWR positions will be S2, i.e. there is no longer a requirement for S3 for those TWR positions which also provide an approach control service. Students training for the S2 rating will receive basic training in approach control skills, such as basic vectoring.

Know your airspace!
I would like to remind all controllers in Sweden FIR that the removal of these restrictions does not in any way change your responsibility to be familiar with all the relevant procedures when manning a position. Check the page ATC Documents Sweden FIR including LoAs and LOPs before manning a new position, and also check back regularly for updates. (Most documents are only available in Swedish at this time - do not hesitate to contact the Swedish FIR Director if you would like the information translated into English.)

This post has been edited by Martin Loxbo: Nov 22 2009, 23:09

[Martin Loxbo]

See above.

[Felix Holmertz]

Nice

[Oscar Andersson]

Me in person belives that it's a wierd rule due to that ESGG has both peak and off-peak configs.

Will the S2 need to learn how to give vectors or is it just a ''recomendation''?

[Martin Loxbo]

Me in person belives that it's a wierd rule due to that ESGG has both peak and off-peak configs.

It's not really useful on VATSIM, I agree with that, but since the procedures exist IRL we simulate them. Remember that the peak STARs always require vectors from the IAF to final approach.

Will the S2 need to learn how to give vectors or is it just a ''recomendation''?

Yes, we will need to make sure that an S2 controller knows how to handle all the airspace that he/she may become responsible for. If you are manning ESNU TWR, for example, you are responsible for ESNU TMA up to FL95, so you need to be able to guide aircraft from FL100 to landing, and from takeoff up to FL90. The "extra" skills here that a normal TWR controller may not have includes vectoring to final approach, giving approach clearance (visual and instrument approach), separating aircraft vertically, and reading the complete MET REPORT to arriving aircraft.

However, since the traffic levels at these airports is usually so small, I think it should be no problem to give TWR controllers some basic training in these skills (1-2 Sweatbox sessions for example).

As always, it's up to the individual controller to man only positions he's comfortable with. For example, don't sign up for TWR during an event if you're not comfortable with handling at least 5 aircraft or so at the same time.

I will discuss with Tore and Magnus about how we should set up this "extra" training for the S2 stage.