In order to introduce the world of ATC to potential air traffic control trainees, the Deutsche Flugsicherung [DFS] have put a number of games / tests online for free.

These tests are fun to do and give a good insight of some of the skills one needs to become an air traffic controller including:

• Continously splitting attention over a number of task – whilst maintaining an overall picture.
• Extrapolation of spacial position and conflict resolution through turning [vectoring] of aircraft.
• Memory
• Appreciation of left and right turns
• Etc.

Have a look at these games and tests, I am sure you’ll like them.

My favourite is Pushing Thin [comes with an addiction warning]

Well done to DFS. Great inititive and great tests!

Click here

If anyone know of other similar games and test, please share with the rest of us by commenting to this post.

Thanks!

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I have made several references in the past to various training documents published by Eurocontrol, ranging from common core content syllabi, to training plans, to development and design guidelines and e-learning.

I have not yet given the link to a place where ALL the Eurocontrol Training Related documents could be found. And that was because there was unfortunately no one specific place where to look.

Now this is history, and an online catalogue of training documents is now available.

Goto http://e-learning.eurocontrol.int and click on the Training Publications link on the left hand menu.

Enjoy.

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[It is too early to comment on the effect of the volcanic ash cloud on air traffic management and aviation, I will when the dust will settle ]

Screen shot from the flight level compliance module

Most of us have heard of the butterfly effect metaphor [if you haven't click here] where in a complex system, a small change here causes an overproportionate effect there. ATM is a complex system and the butterfly effect may be of application.

How many times we as controllers have given a level which is different from the one onthe flight plan? How many times have pilots requested different levels themselves?  These seem as begnin actions in the direction of service provision. But are they?

This short, free and readily accessible e-learning module from EUROCONTROL’s CFMU describes the effects.

Click here to proceed and take a look at the image below to quickly find the module

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Towards the end of 2009, EUROCONTROL released a Phraseology Database called ‘Say Again’.

Image from Eurocontrol's website

This database [to whose development I participated] provides you with a engine which searches through out ATC phraseology key words. Once you find the phrase you are looking for, you can then retrieve the standard ICAO syntax for the phrase. You are also provided with an example, both written and sound, the context within which the phrase should be used and its relation with other phrases.

Screen shot from Say Again

A special thanks also goes to LFV, Sweden, as a good number of examples originate from its training school.

Goto Eurocontrol’s Training Zone and search for ‘Say Again’ in the course catalogue.

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I have just learned of a new e-learning module developed for the SESAR Joint Undertaking that aims at describing SESAR and the SJU.

I found the presentation as very fresh and informative. The technology used in this presentation is quite innovative and very well polished. It is worth to look at for both the aesthetics and also for its content.

I could not embed the presentation, so click on the image to access the presentation.

In brief, the presentation is divided into three sections: an introduction by the SESAR JU CEO, Patrick Ky, an introduction to the SESAR programme and an Introduction to the SJU.

I personally found that the introduction by Patrick is very well made. So is the introduction to the SESAR programme part. It gives in a brief and simple manner the challenges of aviation and air traffic management and the objectives of the programme. I found that the part describing the SJU was a bit less well made. There are considerable portions of this part where the narrator is reading extensive passages of text that are being type simultaneously on the screen. I did not know what to concentrate on: reading or listening? [this effect was not present in the previous part of the presentation]

The SJU calls this module an e-learning module, while I tend to call it a multi-media presentation. The reason I say this is that even if it is very ‘flash’ and polished, it severely lacks in interaction with the user as well as on feedback mechanisms which for me are necessary elements in learning. The navigation is also very basic, i.e. that of a standard video. I would expect a better pedagogical approach for an e-learning module. The presentation could be at least divided into three chapters – even if it is within the same video. Chaptering would enable direct access to a part you would like to go into again. Also I do not know if it is the streaming server or my receiving server which was particularly slow, but at one point the presentation blocked and no matter how many times I tried to rewind or forward the navigation pointer, it stayed blocked until I refreshed the screen.

As a conclusion, this presentation for me opens a new way of presenting things in the multi media environment for air traffic management. The approach and the look and feel are very fresh and made well in simply and succinctly presenting some complex ideas. There is some more work to do to turn this kind of presentation into an e-learning module mainly interactivity with the user [which for example could be an extra part of the web page on which the video is embedded] and better navigation mechanisms which would improve the direct access of certain information time and time again.
Finally I think the presentation was developed by Emakina [the video is hosted on their server]. Well done EMAKINA for the graphical effects!

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What is the ceiling or range of an Airbus 380? What is the MTOW of a Boeing 737-800? What is the expected performance of an aircraft? How does it look like? It is all freely available on the Eurocontrol Aircraft Performance database for 300 aircraft types.

Eurocontrol aircraft performance database

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This is an off subject to Air Traffic Management, but given my background as trainer, I thought I have something to share:

The question that this entry tries to discuss is how to react to the fact that while you are presenting members of the audience might be doing something else.

First of all, I think that every presenter should accept it as a fact of life that while presenting, be it face to face or remotely, some members of their audience may become distracted, not pay attention, start multi-tasking and not fully pay attention to what you are saying.

Then the real answer to what should the presenter do is, I guess, the usual: It depends.

It depends on a number of items so I’ll try to give some of the variants that come to my mind

1. On liberalism:

The liberal theory states that an individual should be free to do what they want as long as this does not have effects on society. Well, taking this to the presentation / training arena, to me it would mean that as long as through the act of doing something else while a presentation is going on, the attendant is neither hampering others from focussing on the subject nor, [properly] participating to a collective exercise, for example in the case of a work shop, thus slowing down the learning process of their colleagues, then they are responsible for their learning and for their doing. They are therefore allowed.

This assumes that the audience is adult, in case of minors, the question may be different.

The assumption leads to number 2:

2.  The power struggle:

What can be formally done by the presenter to control depends on the power balance between the audience and the presenter.

Assuming that the presenter is seeking to limit multi tasking: If the presenter has more power than the audience, for example because they are endorsed by someone senior in the organisation [such as in the case of the presentation being part of a corporate event] then they can set ground rules and be able to enforce them.

If, however, power tilts to the other side, there is little one can formally do to enforce ground rules [if they have been established at all] except in case of number 1, above, where the multi-tasking of one affects the participation of another.

3 A coin has two faces.

Finally, my third item considers the presenter putting themselves in the learners’ boots. This will help better understanding the situation and evaluating what could be done.

We all have been attending presentations, and I would say the one who has never drifted away, throws the first stone!

Some of the reasons:

a.         As Mollybob rightly says [ http://mollybob.wordpress.com/2009/10/08/multitasking-learners-opportunity-not-threat/ ] attendants have been multi tasking long before the age of iphones and connected laptops,: some were writing shopping lists, others letters to their lovers.

b.         All of us have been to conferences where 20 presentations were squashed on the one day agenda.

c.         All of us have endured a truly boring presentation at least once in their lives.

d.         All of us have found themselves in the middle of a conference wondering what on earth they were doing there, like when you discover you are in the wrong movie theatre 5 minutes into the film.

So what can a presenter do about this?

Assuming that they would like to control multi-tasking here area few tips that have worked.

i.                     Embrace the fact that people will be tempted to multi-task. If this is an issue for you and/or for the success of the presentation, tell them about it in the beginning of the presentation.  If your power balance allows you, think about ground rules. If not consider the following:  Tell them to take a piece of paper [or a notepad file for the tech-savvy ones ] and consider for a few minutes the things they ought to do and not directly related to the presentation and write them down. They have their shopping list. They will not forget to buy the milk on the way home. Now they can relax and get back to the presentation. If during the presentation something else of utmost importance comes to their mind, they should add it to the list, but they should agree not to act on it during the presentation.

ii.                   Engineer your presentation depending on its place on the agenda: If you notice that your presentation is behind a series of others and that the last time the audience would have taken a break would be more than one hour before the start of your presentation, then try to ask the organisers to fit a break. [again, it depends on your power balance]. If this is not possible, be inventive: for example shorten your presentation, thinking that it is probably reap more value to have a punchy presentation than a longer one where everyone is thinking of the break coming up. Anyways every situation demands its solution, so the bottom line is to be aware of the context and adapt to it.

iii.                  Be entertaining yet to the point and informative, include interaction, keep the audience hooked…. You need to make them feel that they should not miss the next thing you are going to say or do. Everyone has their style of doing this. Asking questions, telling stories, engage with the audience, ask them to change positions prior to the start, etc. etc.

So in disguise of a conclusion I would say that multi-tasking is natural and is not new. It is possible not even on the increase but the fact that instead of in-mind side thoughts now we have iphones and laptops, the phenomenon is more visible .  The question should not be around stopping it or embracing it but around engineering the event to control and make the best out of the fact of life that people will drift into doing more than one thing at a time or something else altogether.

I have mentioned three considerations: that the adult learner should be considered as free of doing what they think is best as long as this does not put others in difficulty, that the margins of what a presenter could do depend on the power balance between them and the audience and that the best things to do come out when we consider the context from the learners’ viewpoint. Then I gave some tips that have worked for me in the past.

I hope my contribution has been of use.

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From the Eurocontrol IANS website:

“To support innovation in its training activities, EUROCONTROL is introducing a new LMS . The new system, which is accessible via the link below, is a flexible and user-friendly system. It provides an online training catalogue, e-learning delivery and classroom management under one umbrella. The new system also increases information security. The LMS has been in operation since the beginning of 2009.

All e-learning courses available from the Institute are already delivered through the new LMS . From the 2nd semester of 2009, all classroom courses will also be managed on this system…

…If you are an individual wishing to study e-learning modules then please consult our online training catalogue. If you are a recognised training provider or operational centre and wish to use the LMS for e-learning delivery please contact elearning.services@eurocontrol.int”

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It has been a long time since I last wrote on this blog. I thought no one was reading it, but I was wrong. So here I am again!

This time I have been thinking about the training progression for student air traffic controllers and wondering whether it is the most efficient manner to train students.

Surely it follows a logical flow: It starts with mainly theory and gradually evolves into practice. The logical theory behind this is that a student needs to know the theory before he or she can practice.

But is this efficient?

What I mean is that: is teaching theory before practice an efficient way?

The major difficulty and failure area for student air traffic controllers lies with the skill capacity needed to control aircraft. A significant number of students, even after sophisticated screening during selection seem not to have the required capacity to control aircraft. Equally  true, ATC training seems not to have yet found the right methods to teach anyone who is willing and motivated to become an air traffic controller the necessary skills to do the job. An innate level of the skill set is still a pre-requirement.

Since the difficulty is with the skill, why do we wait a few months before we start training for this area?

Is this not a waste of time?

Why should we not be able to discover at an earlier stage whether or not the student has what it takes to make it?

Why do we waste a few months of our resources and money, and of the students time when we could do it earlier?

So the question is: is a few months worth of theoretical training necessary before the student can start to practice?

For me the answer is no.

In a simulated environment, one could easily create a basic set of rules [that do not condradict the real ones] that could be quickly taught to the students for them to start practicing. For example, the full phraseology is not necessary, basic commands such as climb, descend, turn, proceed, etc. could be taught in a few hours.
Similarly the complexity of route structures, letters of agreement, advanced procedures, the encoding and decoding of route points and location indicators, etc. could also come later. We could easily teach students that this aircraft represented by this symbol needs to go from A to B via C and D, it will enter the sector at Level 250 and needs to exit at Level 300, etc. Students would need to keep 1000 feet separation between aircraft and 5nm between two which have less than this vertical separation minimum

The theory would then come after an initial period where in the student would have demonstrated that most probably [one can never be 100% sure, but at least there is a better indication than with our current training path] he or she has the innate skill necessary to successfully complete training.

I think if we did this, we would be saving ourselves money and time.

We would also be saving the students’ time.

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The human is a key part of the ATM system, right?  So if a piece of this system is changed or a new piece added [or an old piece taken out for all that matters!] the human may be affected.

The HF Case is a process which when used within projects aimed at conceiving, designing and or implementing significantly assists in the identification of issues that will likely effect the human and likewise proposes ways of finding means to deal with these issues, by either preventing or by curing.

Would you like to know more? Why not start with the e-learning module which has just been developed? [I participated in this project...]  It is clear and concise and takes the student through an interactive and concise journey [25 mins] of discovery of the HF Case phases and the tools and models used.

The training module is for free…If you’re interested, click on the image:

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HF Case Module [click to start module

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