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| Home > News > Announcements (All) > 2 months into it
Pilot Cert Center 2 month update
The Pilot Cert Center opened its doors on Oct 10, 2006. It's been just over two months (at the time of writing) so I thought it would be a good time to give an update on our progress.
The StatsThe numbers look pretty good from the outside:
- 54 pilots have completed at least one rating
- 35 pilots have completed all 3 VFR ratings
- 30 pilots have completed at least one IFR rating
- 14 pilots have completed all available ratings
- 57 pilots have registered on the site, completing a profile indicating their event and aircraft preferences
- 49 ZLA controllers have registered on the site
Controllers have adapted to the system quite well, and for the most part it appears to be running smoothly. Pilots have left very encouraging feedback regarding the ratings, and many have said it has opened their eyes to aspects of flight they hadn't previously considered.
ChallengesThe challenges we faced were, and still are:
1) bringing all controllers up to speed on the existence of the ratings, and the testing procedures. This has become less of an issue over time and was mostly a problem during the first few weeks after the launch
2) when a pilot's route involves communication with multiple controllers, it's taken time for controllers to learn how to coordinate the test, and to communicate the result, particularly during busy times. For example, the I5 rating, which involves a flight from Burbank to Vegas, can easily involve BUR_TWR, LAX_APP, LAX_CTR, LAS_APP, and LAS_TWR during the course of the flight. If any one of these controllers fails to relay the fact that a test is being conducted, the information is lost. When the pilot lands, he hears nothing about the result of his test, and is left wondering how he did
3) pilots are sometimes under the assumption that by saying "I'd like the V-3 rating", that controllers will know from that point onwards, exactly what the pilot wants to do. While that is actually true, the intention and spirit of the test is that once a test is underway, the pilot will make precisely the same calls they would make for a regular flight, stating their intentions where appropriate. After all, a huge part of the testing procedure is ensuring the pilot can communicate effectively with ATC. "I'd like the V-3 rating" is not a replacement for "request VFR departure to the northwest with flight following."
To the extent possible, we try to separate out the role of ATC with that of the examiner, even though they're one at the same person in real life. "Official" ATC calls should still be made, as though on a regular flight, while "examiner" type comments/questions/support also take place with the same person (either on frequency, or out of band through private msgs). A good example is the V-1 rating, which involves three laps of the pattern at KSNA. Pilots are encouraged to ask questions of the 'examiner', but still make the right calls with ATC at all times.
We'll probably alter the site instructions to bolster this concept in the future.
Going forwardSpeaking of the future, here's what's in store for the Pilot Cert Center going forward:
- tightly integrated message boards for registered pilots to ask questions about each rating, or discuss their experience/strategy
- rating-specific FAQ's. Now that we've been around for a while, we've seen each rating attempted enough times to help pilots avoid some common mistakes
- more ratings to be added. Believe it or not, we're not planning on launching a whole new wave of ratings. There will be a small number added, and that will likely be it for the future. If anything, we might add a 'fun flights' section with route suggestions, things to see, interesting approaches, etc, but it will not be conducted in a test environment. Once pilots have completed the ratings, we encourage them to go out and have fun and continue to practice the techniques and concepts introduced during each rating.
- event notifications. When pilots register on the site, they fill out some basic profile information, indicating their interest level in various types of events and aircraft. That information is starting to be used to send out targetting emails regarding events. This functionality has a lot of potential, and should scale well, perhaps involving more ARTCC's in the future. We might also use the profile information to provide personalized information on the web site regarding informative articles or upcoming events.
Thanks to all of the controllers that have helped support the launch of this concept. It will be interesting to see where it goes in the future!
Keith Smith
ZLA ATM
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