Up/down guys, what should I be studying?

GnW

New Member
I printed off all the approaches, SIDs, STARs in my airspace. 12 IAPs at my airport, 29 in the airspace. Apart from learning adjacent facility frequencies/airspace, VORs, Victor routes, and airports, what should I be learning as far as the approaches/SIDs/STARs go? Everything on the plate? IAFs, altitudes, and MAPs?

I can't really fathom committing all 35 or so to memory at this point... but I'm prepared to do it if necessary.
 
I know that you'll be checked out in the tower cab first, then go back to OKC for radar. If you're already at OKC, maybe get use to your airport layout. Everyelse you'll learn at your facility.
 
I printed off all the approaches, SIDs, STARs in my airspace. 12 IAPs at my airport, 29 in the airspace. Apart from learning adjacent facility frequencies/airspace, VORs, Victor routes, and airports, what should I be learning as far as the approaches/SIDs/STARs go? Everything on the plate? IAFs, altitudes, and MAPs?

I can't really fathom committing all 35 or so to memory at this point... but I'm prepared to do it if necessary.

Worry about learning the academy airport/airspace first. You'll have plenty of time once you get to your facility to go over all that stuff..
 
I printed off all the approaches, SIDs, STARs in my airspace. 12 IAPs at my airport, 29 in the airspace. Apart from learning adjacent facility frequencies/airspace, VORs, Victor routes, and airports, what should I be learning as far as the approaches/SIDs/STARs go? Everything on the plate? IAFs, altitudes, and MAPs?

I can't really fathom committing all 35 or so to memory at this point... but I'm prepared to do it if necessary.

We have a binder with all the plates for all of our satellites in our radar room. Comminting all the IAF's to memory will help you when you're busy so you don't have to pull the book out everytime someone requests a RNAV to a satellite. It's a lot of stuff to know but then again if it was easy, anybody could do this job right? I'd say the MOST important thing to become extremely familiar with is chapter 5 in the .65. That would be my focus right now, then when you get to your facility, study up on the fixes.

HD
 
Worry about learning the academy airport/airspace first. You'll have plenty of time once you get to your facility to go over all that stuff..

my CTI school used the academy layout/equipment for everything... i really dont think i'll need to be studying that crap again. ;)
 
We have a binder with all the plates for all of our satellites in our radar room. Comminting all the IAF's to memory will help you when you're busy so you don't have to pull the book out everytime someone requests a RNAV to a satellite. It's a lot of stuff to know but then again if it was easy, anybody could do this job right? I'd say the MOST important thing to become extremely familiar with is chapter 5 in the .65. That would be my focus right now, then when you get to your facility, study up on the fixes.

HD

yeah thats how it is at boston center... just pull it up on ERIDS. but i have a friend at PDX and he says they take tests on EVERY APPROACH/SID/STAR. he's tower only, though. he claims they just blank out most of the info and have you fill it all in. I agree though... if this job were supposed to be easy... I wouldnt be getting into it.

I was just hoping I wouldnt have to commit everything on the plate to memory... "What's the MDA for a circling approach on the hi-tacan for a category C" :drool:
 
yeah thats how it is at boston center... just pull it up on ERIDS. but i have a friend at PDX and he says they take tests on EVERY APPROACH/SID/STAR. he's tower only, though. he claims they just blank out most of the info and have you fill it all in. I agree though... if this job were supposed to be easy... I wouldnt be getting into it.

I was just hoping I wouldnt have to commit everything on the plate to memory... "What's the MDA for a circling approach on the hi-tacan for a category C" :drool:

Thats what I do before I shoot an approach, I memorize the plate before I get to the FAF. DH, missed app. procedure, circle MDA if needed, MSA, tallest object in the area, app. lights, runway length, review the weather (when I expect to see the runway), do all this then fly the airplane in.

The only thing is I think Im going to have a hard time remembering everything about my airspace, because I dump all the info I just talked about after the approach. So I study hard then dump everything I just learned. after a while u start doing that with everything (poeple's names). I have a pic of my airspace up on the wall and every morning I reveiw Class B airspace then add one more thing to remember.
 
Thats what I do before I shoot an approach, I memorize the plate before I get to the FAF. DH, missed app. procedure, circle MDA if needed, MSA, tallest object in the area, app. lights, runway length, review the weather (when I expect to see the runway), do all this then fly the airplane in.

The only thing is I think Im going to have a hard time remembering everything about my airspace, because I dump all the info I just talked about after the approach. So I study hard then dump everything I just learned. after a while u start doing that with everything (poeple's names). I have a pic of my airspace up on the wall and every morning I reveiw Class B airspace then add one more thing to remember.

right, but 30 approaches are a little different. then you have to figure feeder routes to multiple IAFs, IFs, intercept angles, (things pilots dont really have to consider. yes, im a pilot), etc... it just seems pretty daunting right now. i'm just trying to get a grasp on what i NEED to know vs. what i will end up knowing after a few years.
 
Worry about learning the academy airport/airspace first. You'll have plenty of time once you get to your facility to go over all that stuff..

Has anyone posted that academy info for terminal yet? I have only seen the enroute stuff.
 
Thats what I do before I shoot an approach, I memorize the plate before I get to the FAF. DH, missed app. procedure, circle MDA if needed, MSA, tallest object in the area, app. lights, runway length, review the weather (when I expect to see the runway), do all this then fly the airplane in.

The only thing is I think Im going to have a hard time remembering everything about my airspace, because I dump all the info I just talked about after the approach. So I study hard then dump everything I just learned. after a while u start doing that with everything (poeple's names). I have a pic of my airspace up on the wall and every morning I reveiw Class B airspace then add one more thing to remember.

This sounds too hard, maybe I should bag groceries.
 
Then why bother going to the academy at all Mr. Smarty.

if youre somehow suggesting that studying airspace i already know would be a better use of my time than learning my facility's actual airspace
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if youre somehow suggesting that studying airspace i already know would be a better use of my time than learning my facility's actual airspace
hsugh.gif

What benifit will your assigned airspace give you in OKC? Your attitude of "I don't need to care about the academy" is not good for this career. Your facility won't get you through OKC. Also it is almost certain that you will be starting at your facility in a ground school and then training on clearance delivery, so there is nothing you can study before hand. Don't worry about approaches and fixes.
 
What benifit will your assigned airspace give you in OKC? Your attitude of "I don't need to care about the academy" is not good for this career. Your facility won't get you through OKC. Also it is almost certain that you will be starting at your facility in a ground school and then training on clearance delivery, so there is nothing you can study before hand. Don't worry about approaches and fixes.

yea he will be doing ground school, and guess what you study in the ground part.....the maps, fixes, etc! so he can study if he wants to, its not like its gonna hurt him
 
What benifit will your assigned airspace give you in OKC? Your attitude of "I don't need to care about the academy" is not good for this career. Your facility won't get you through OKC. Also it is almost certain that you will be starting at your facility in a ground school and then training on clearance delivery, so there is nothing you can study before hand. Don't worry about approaches and fixes.

this is a joke reply, right?
bowroflarms.gif
 
yea he will be doing ground school, and guess what you study in the ground part.....the maps, fixes, etc! so he can study if he wants to, its not like its gonna hurt him

i've been working in the training dept at a center for over a year. i know exactly how it works. and guess what? the people who get through stage 1/2 the easiest with the deepest understanding have the least amount of troubles in training. :hiya:
 
this is a joke reply, right?
bowroflarms.gif

Actually, s/he is spot on in the replies...

You should focus 100% of your energy on doing well in OKC, despite your opinion that you know everything you're about to be taught and you know "exactly how it works."

It's a lot easier to teach a dev what they need to know in the way they need to know it right off the bat, than to have to first extract a bunch of information seared into the brain as a result of a three month long google-fu-a-thon. One of my devs who can blurt off missed approach instructions as published, but for the life of him cannot spit them out in accordance with our LOA's (among numerous other LOA procedures) can attest to that...

But, if you must...

If you're going to an up/down stay away from the radar stuff and focus on the tower stuff. Airport diagram, the tower airspace, common aircraft types for your airport - especially when it comes to their wake. By the time you get to the radar you'll be shocked how good of a base you have from being certified in the tower.
 
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