Day 5 of ITR

Friday was a lot more interesting. We started off the morning with about two hours of working on a FDIO exercise on the computer. We were given a list of entries to work with in the simulated FDIO computer and we had to make amendments to them. The instructor walked around the room helping anyone who needed it, and we all got the hang of using the FDIO system. Here's what the screen looks like:

Then we moved onto a section on basic communication. This covered aircraft identification and call signs, pronouncing altitude and flight levels, pronouncing time and frequencies, radio and interphone message format, and read backs. At the end of the lesson we paired up and took turns asking questions off of a list. For example, one person had to read a question like, "What is the aircraft identification for an unknown aircraft type, 219AZ?" And the other had to answer, "November Two One Niner Alpha Zulu."

The next section was on ATC clearances. This covered the various items that make up a clearance, and how to give a departure clearance and abbreviated departure clearance. We also covered VFR to IFR clearance circumstances, how to issue a holding clearance, route amendments, and altitude amendments. The exercise at the end of this lesson was to look at various strips and write out the proper clearance for each one.

On Monday we finish up the last section of Block 2: data blocks. Then we have our Block 1 and Block 2 test. We're required to get at least a 70% to pass, which should be no problem. I believe the test is taken from the questions that are at the end of each section in our manual (about 15-20 questions per section). We've been reviewing these questions at the end of each section, so we've already got the correct answers.

Tomorrow we're also supposed to get a chance to try out the RTF computers (while the RTF class goes on their lunch break). He's going to let us run a short scenario that's very basic, and then if we do well he'll pull up another scenario. Should be fun.