WestWind Airlines

Hey guys, 

I'd like to tell you that the Westwind Virtual Aviation Academy is now open for business!!  We provide the following training modules in the areas of VFR, IFR, Advanced IFR, and VATSIM. Passing each module will earn you a Pilot Recognition Award so if anyone is interested give us a shout!

 VFR:

straight and level. Attitude and powersettings

Steep turns, stalls

Circuits, take-off, landing, touch and go, go-arounds, EFATO

Emergency’s, engine failure (PFL), pitot static failure, engine out on downwind, 

basic instruments, straight and level, level turns, 

unusual attitude recovery

Visual Navigation, lost procedures

Night flying, Night circuits, night navigation

Basic IFR:

Straight and level, turns, climbs, descends, climbing/descending turns

Setting up/tuning/identifying/using NAV aides

VOR/NDB tracking

VOR/NDB holds

VOR/NDB approaches

Instrument Unusual attitude recovery

Instrument Stalls

Cross fixing

Advanced IFR

SIDs/STARs, instrument departures

VOR/DME holds

ILS approaches

Timed NDB approaches

Timed VOR approaches

Airways

VATSIM:

 

ATC, procedures, airspace

Radio use

VFR on VATSIM

IFR on VATSIM

Instrument approach/departures

Transition Altitude/level

FMS/FMC use

VATSIM Law

VATSIM SOP

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Eoin Coates

You mean all of us have to take tests to be awarded to certifications? Who will be the examinors? Who will appoint the examinors? What are the qualification requirements for examinors? Who can apply to teach? .... Need I go on?

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Paul Haubourdin
WSSS HM
Command Captain
W7/FSX/ASA/LVLD/PMDG/CS/...
+800hrs VATSIM
Mil ATC & CPL-H

A runway is nothing but a waste of good parking space ... Real pilots only need an H to land on!

MSFS has VFR, IFR, Commercial and ATP training built in. I think they even issue certificates. How about piggy backing on that?

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EVP Hub Operations, Sr. Test Pilot
Senior Command Captain +4
RWP SEL Instrument Rating (almost)
FSX-SP2 + Radar Contact
Orbiter, FaceBook

Ok, I hope I can get through all the questions! For these certifications, yes, you will need to pass an exam. The examiner will be appointed by the instructor. We're not sure on who gets to be an examiner, we'll probably go for either another instructor or an outside pilot we see fit to examine. At the moment there are 2 instructors: Wiek (doing IFR and Advanced IFR) and me (doing VFR and VATSIM). If you feel you have enough RW or VATSIM experience, you can apply to be an instructor. To be an examiner, again you have to be either a highly experienced VATSIM pilot or a RW pilot, depending on what you want to examine... At the moment there is no formal exams for instructors or examiners, but this is still pretty new, so we probably will in the future.

P.S. Paul if you want to be an examiner or instructor, just shout! Your definitely qualified enough!  

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Eoin Coates

Mike Gibbs:

MSFS has VFR, IFR, Commercial and ATP training built in. I think they even issue certificates. How about piggy backing on that?

That is partially what we are doing, but there is a lot more comprehensive books and documentation out there which Wiek and I have access to. Plus the MSFS is based on FAA training. We have to "expand our horizons" to include CAA and JAA so thats another reason we're going ahead with this...

This isn't necessary, and you don't have to do all the modules for the awards. You can just do the VATSIM module, or just the IFR module and get the certificate after you've passed that... The idea of this is to help pilots, not to scrutinize their flying skills.

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Eoin Coates

Eoin Coates:

Mike Gibbs:

MSFS has VFR, IFR, Commercial and ATP training built in. I think they even issue certificates. How about piggy backing on that?

That is partially what we are doing, but there is a lot more comprehensive books and documentation out there which Wiek and I have access to. Plus the MSFS is based on FAA training. We have to "expand our horizons" to include CAA and JAA so thats another reason we're going ahead with this...

This isn't necessary, and you don't have to do all the modules for the awards. You can just do the VATSIM module, or just the IFR module and get the certificate after you've passed that... The idea of this is to help pilots, not to scrutinize their flying skills.

Excellent point about the FAA. It was just a thought. Carry on!

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EVP Hub Operations, Sr. Test Pilot
Senior Command Captain +4
RWP SEL Instrument Rating (almost)
FSX-SP2 + Radar Contact
Orbiter, FaceBook

I would be willing to do some instructing. Just VFR right now, and I can help with VATSIM. Do you think we could do a checkride sometime to get me checked out? Or maybe I'll go through the course.

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Scott Cote
Senior Captain

Just a reminder that the ZLA ARTCC on VATSIM has an excellent pilot certification program used by many VA's, and for which there is already a Pilot Recognition award at WestWind.

see Executive Charter P260

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Bentley S.
CAT III
KSFO
WWA2183

I know that you are trying to make a more international flavor to this training but may I recommend that for standards for examinations the FAA freely publishes its practical test standards for each rating http://www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/airmen/test_standards/pilot/ and a portion of the knowledge test questions are provided for each certificate http://www.faa.gov/training_testing/testing/airmen/test_questions/. Using these resources you have assurance that the basis for your questions and evaluations are based on real world procedures. Also many countries are similar to the FAA in certification of crew and regulations as many of the FAA FARs are very close to ICAO guidance. So that provides a good basis. Most of ICAO's publications are hidden behind an pay ordering system and are not free http://www.icao.int/icao/en/m_publications.html.

The training in FS9 and FSX is very well structured with a flight checkrides that are very comprehensive. Referring back to the built in lessons is one way to reduce the time spent in multi-player sessions with pilots.

For Basic IFR and Advanced IFR you may want to stick with BI and AI skills testing.

BI is you Basic Instrument Skills and focuses on the basics of controlling an aircraft under instruments. Generally it includes an instrument take-off, climb, level flight, level turns, descent, climbing and descending turns. The focus is aircraft control through interpreting instruments and applying correct inputs. Partial panel work is also a part of BI as well as knowing which instruments are primary and alternate for various maneuvers.

AI on the other hand is where you put the skills of BI to work through adding additional items, such as tracking a radial or bearing, holding, approaches and departures. (DP or Graphical DPs). This is prefaced with lots of classroom in interpretation of approach charts and basic FAR/AIM understanding. Good good read through of the AIM is often required as well as knowing when you need to file and alternate, fuel planning, weather minimums ect. Approaches are precision and non-precision and generally we introduce both to the instrument student as the backup for an ILS in a Localizer approach and any good instrument student is ready at a moments notice to transition to a localizer on any ILS.

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-KenG
A358 (Retired)

Thanks for the links and tips Ken!! Wiek is in charge of the IFR sections, as hes got way more IFR (RW) experience than me. Hes doing his Instrument Rating in Oxford, so hes got a good bit more experience!! I'm sure he'll check this thread out, if not, I'll send him your info! Thanks! 

About the ZLA Certificate, this is just our alternate to that.  

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Eoin Coates

What we are trying to do is not to teach to the very rigorous standards of the FAA or JAA. We want to try and give our student's a look at how the real world flying is done and what is applicable to flightsim. I bet a fair amount of the community doesn't know how to fly an NDB approach or a hold. What we want to do is give some extra knowledge to keen flightsim pilots who want to have something more challenging or something new.

That is at least the setup of my IFR section. The exam will therefore not be to the standards the FAA or JAA requires an instrument pilot to fly, because that takes about 150 hours of flighttraining at least. We want to offer this in about 15 hours per section. Ofcourse you can always ask to go a little bit more in depth about the things you would like to know.

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Wiek Schoenmakers, WWA2351, Command Captain,
HM KATL hub
3x 25 hours in one month
6 x 50 hours in one month
2x 100 hours in one month
100 hrs in A/C type: A306, A320, A332, A343, B763
5 million pounds
P001
Longest Passenger route

WWA2351:

What we are trying to do is not to teach to the very rigorous standards of the FAA or JAA. We want to try and give our student's a look at how the real world flying is done and what is applicable to flightsim. I bet a fair amount of the community doesn't know how to fly an NDB approach or a hold. What we want to do is give some extra knowledge to keen flightsim pilots who want to have something more challenging or something new.

That is at least the setup of my IFR section. The exam will therefore not be to the standards the FAA or JAA requires an instrument pilot to fly, because that takes about 150 hours of flighttraining at least. We want to offer this in about 15 hours per section. Ofcourse you can always ask to go a little bit more in depth about the things you would like to know.

Just FYI, my CFII didn't know how to do an NDB approach. They are pretty much history unless you are in the boonies somewhere. GPS has made them virtually completely obsolete. Having said that, I did have to do an NDB approach (using the GPS) to an airfield in Northern Canada on FS (Yellow Knife maybe??) I think that is the only time in 20 years of flight simming I have ever had to do one. And then, as I said, I flew it using the GPS, not the NDB.

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EVP Hub Operations, Sr. Test Pilot
Senior Command Captain +4
RWP SEL Instrument Rating (almost)
FSX-SP2 + Radar Contact
Orbiter, FaceBook

There is still a good few NDB approaches in Canada, Alaska, South America, Africa, and even Europe still has a good few! Over here its very very rare you find a GPS approach. I still haven't found one thats the primary approach in Europe. Its mainly ILS. 

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Eoin Coates

You don't have to have a GPS approach. If the airport has an NDB approach and you have a GPS in your aircraft, you can fly the NDB approach using your GPS without ever relying on the NDB or the ADF equipment because the GPS substitutes for the old equipment. In fact, I suppose the NDB could even be out of commission and you could still fly the approach using the GPS.

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EVP Hub Operations, Sr. Test Pilot
Senior Command Captain +4
RWP SEL Instrument Rating (almost)
FSX-SP2 + Radar Contact
Orbiter, FaceBook

Check out runway 06 at Southend. Only 24 has an ILS.

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Andy K WWA2229
AHM LEMD
Command Captain & RW PPL
FSX + ISG1