The School

The ATC School is the "controllers' school" of IVAO french division. It offers adaptive training to students on the Tower position.

Several actors ensure the proper functioning and monitoring of the ATC School.

• TC/TAC: oversee the entire process related to controller training.
• ATC School managers: in addition to their role as trainers, they ensure the daily management of the ATC School. They are the privileged contacts of the members.
• Trainers: follow the students throughout their training, following them during the modules, and being available between the modules. They set objectives and means with the student to achieve them. All members of the Training department of the France division are ATC School trainers.
• FIR chiefs: ensure an important link between the students and the network by facilitating, for example, the search for adjacent controllers but also by guiding the students towards documentation related to controlled terrain.
• The student: the main actor of the training, organizes their curriculum with great autonomy.

Curricula

The ATC School is divided into curricula: these are different training formats, in order to best meet your demands. The training managers place you in the curriculum that is most suitable for your profile and your request.

Discovery Curriculum

The "discovery" curriculum is designed for beginners, or members who have been absent from the network for a long time. Its aim is to introduce the controller software and to have a first approach with tower position. It consists of one theoretical module, followed by one practical module.

For this curriculum, the training managers, taking into account your requests and available places, choose the airfield on which you will carry out your training.

Once your training in this curriculum is completed, you must wait for a month before making a new application to the ATC School.

Progressive Curriculum

The "progressive" curriculum is the closest to the former ATC School structure. Its aim is to make a member autonomous on the tower position. It consists of:

• An information meeting, which you must register for after being assigned to this curriculum. This meeting allows you to present the specifics of this long curriculum.
• Two theoretical modules, conducted in groups, which you must also register for independently. They allow you to acquire the necessary knowledge for controlling a tower position.
• Up to six practical modules, to be completed within a maximum of four months from the assignment to a trainer, which allow you to fulfill the curriculum objective. If the objective is reached before either of the two previous deadlines, the training ends.

During the information meeting, the training managers offer, taking into account your requests and available places, two suitable airfields on which you can carry out your training. You must then choose one of these two airfields where you will complete your entire progressive curriculum.

Following the information meeting, you must:

• Complete the two theoretical modules within 2 months after the information meeting.
• Control a minimum of 4 hours per month on the assigned airfield for the curriculum.

Once these two prerequisites are completed, you will be assigned to a trainer. Otherwise, your registration for the ATC School will be revoked.

Especially in this curriculum, a significant investment is expected from you: only regular control on the airfield where the training is conducted allows for effective progress. Your trainer will set autonomous control objectives : your availability, and above all, your motivation, are essential.

Once your training in this curriculum is completed, you must wait for two months before making a new application to the ATC School. Furthermore, this curriculum can only be followed once: after completing a "progressive" curriculum, the training managers will no longer assign you to this curriculum.

Specialized Curriculum

This curriculum is primarily designed for members who already have some experience in Tower control and wish to specialize in specific aspects of control. It can also be offered to members with less experience but who do not have the time or the required profile to follow the "progressive" curriculum. It is also the only ATC School curriculum offered to students who have already obtained their ADC qualification.

Conducted on the airfield of your choice, it consists of one or two modules, theoretical or practical, to meet your training needs.

After your assignment to this curriculum, you have one month to perform at least 8 hours of control on the chosen position. Once these prerequisites are met, you will be assigned a trainer, with whom you will carry out your modules. Otherwise, your registration for the ATC School will be revoked.

Once your training in this curriculum is completed, you must wait for one month before making a new application to the ATC School.

Conditions and Registration Process

Registration for the ATC School is open to all active members of the IVAO France division (with the exception of students who have never controlled, for whom the "inactive" status does not prevent registration). Registration for the ATC School requires compliance with the IVAO R&R, as well as the specific ATC rules for France division.

To register, you must first express your wish to follow an ATC School curriculum by submitting a "ATC School" training request via the IVAO HQ website. Once this request is received, the training managers will create your student access, which will set you as "registered student". You will also receive a link to the registration form which provides further information about your motivations and preferences. It must be filled out meticulously.

The training managers may refuse your entry request to the ATC School if it does not comply with the registration conditions.

The ATC School managers then assign you to the curriculum that seems most appropriate based on your experience, desires, and availability.

Information Meetings

Information meetings are regularly organized by the ATC School managers. They allow, within the framework of a progressive curriculum, to inform you about the rules, functioning methods, and requirements of the ATC School. It is also during this meeting that you will be assigned an airfield, chosen by the ATC School managers.

This meeting has other objectives: it allows you to ask your final questions about the organization of the training, but it is also the ideal time to emphasize that strong motivation and involvement are necessary.

After registering for the progressive curriculum, you must register yourself and participate in an information meeting in order to start your curriculum, and thus register for your theoretical modules. This registration is done on your student access.

Quotas before Assignment

Before being assigned a trainer, prerequisites must be met, depending on the curriculum. These ensure that you have recent experience on the position where your curriculum will be carried out, as only significant personal investment outside of the modules allows for sustainable learning of the concepts presented by your trainer.

Discovery Curriculum: No minimum connection time

Progressive Curriculum: From the information meeting, you must connect at least 4 hours per month on the assigned position, until assigned to a trainer. If you do not meet this prerequisite, your registration for the ATC School will be revoked. Once assigned to a trainer, quotas are set between you and the trainer.

Specialized Curriculum: When you are enrolled in this curriculum, you will not be assigned a trainer until you have performed at least 8 hours of control on the position. If these hours are not completed within a month, your registration for the ATC School will be revoked.

During the Training

Once your trainer is assigned, they will contact you to set the date for your modules. Your trainer will establish with you the objectives of each module, in order to make progress in the most suitable way for your situation and your wishes.

Communication with your trainer during the module will be done on the France division Discord server. You will conduct a briefing, the session itself, as well as a debriefing, which will allow you to identify positive points and areas for improvement. This last part is essential: it is mainly what allows you to progress by taking into account the advice of your trainer.

Your trainer will provide you, on your student access, a module report, so that you can keep a written record of your session. Depending on the curricula and sessions, if deemed relevant, your trainer may also enter a skills grid: this allows for measuring your progress throughout the curriculum.

Moreover, in case of unavailability, remember to inform your trainer as soon as possible, in order to cancel the module. Repeated absences without valid reasons may result in revocation of your registration.

After the Training

End of the Curriculum

Several cases can lead to the end of a curriculum, including:

• The maximum number of modules has been reached, or
• The curriculum objective has been achieved, or
• The student and the trainer have agreed to end the curriculum
  

In all cases, your trainer fills out an end-of-training comment, which summarizes your progress.

Once the curriculum is completed, you must wait before making a new request for ATC School training. This waiting period is:

• One month after a Discovery or Specialized curriculum,
• Two months after a Progressive curriculum
  

This time allows you to step back on your knowledge and progress, before continuing and deepening your learning with a new request.

Revoked Registration

Several cases can lead the ATC School managers to revoke your registration:

• Non-compliance with IVAO R&R, especially in the case of suspension, or
• Non-compliance with ATC rules specific to the France division, or
• Non-compliance with the terms of use of the ATC School presented in this document, or
• An ATC Exam request, or
• Repeated absences from meetings or modules you were expected to attend, or
• Any other disrespect towards other members of the network, or
• Any other reason noted by the training managers that would make your presence in the ATC School inappropriate.
  

In case of revocation of your registration, you will be notified by the training managers, and your curriculum will be immediately suspended, even if modules were already scheduled. The training managers will also indicate, depending on the reason for revocation, the time you have to wait before submitting a new registration request. A minimum period is set at two months, but this can be extended depending on the circumstances.