VATSIM P1 Rating

Test Structure and Format

1. The P1 Rating test will comprise a written test and a practical flight test.
2. The written test must be passed before a flight test can be taken.
3. If a student fails a written test, he may not retake the test for 24 hours.
4. A student does not need to take the flight test if they have 100 or more hours logged on the Club Pilot Report (PIREP) record AND they pass the written test with a mark of 31 or more (88.6%).
5. A student who is exempt from taking the flight test as defined above may elect to take the flight test if they wish, in which case they must pass it to be awarded the rating.
6. If the flight test cannot be completed in a single session for technical reasons, such as computer or network problems, the completed sections will be marked, and a new date arranged to fly the uncompleted sections.

Test Request

The student will request a P1 test by completing the test application form on the Club website Pilot Ratings section. The form will be received by the Club Training Administrator, who will:

• Select a suitable and available Club Examiner (a Club Instructor) who will carry out the flight test.
• Register the student in the Student Training Record System (STRS).
• Enrol the student on the P1 Rating Test in the STRS.

Written Test Content

The written test comprises a series of 35 multiple choice questions which are displayed on the test web page in the STRS. The questions are selected at random from a database of 113. It is very unlikely that any two students will receive the same set of questions.

There will be five questions on each of the following subjects: -

• VATSIM Basics
• Flight on the Network
• Weather
• Good VATSIM Citizenship
• Communications
• Charts and their interpretation
• Flight Planning

The student is allowed 30 minutes to complete the 35 questions. There are pop-up warnings given at 5, 2 and 1 minutes before time-out.

Written Test Result

When the student submits the written test, it is automatically emailed to the Club Examiner (Instructor) in charge of marking all written tests. This Examiner will

• check that the requisite 24 hours has elapsed since any previous attempt, and if it has not, he will reject the attempt and inform the student.
• If the attempt is valid he will mark the exam and return the result to the student within 24 hours if possible, and 48 hours maximum.
• He will record the result in the student's record in the STRS, and
• send a copy of the result to the examiner allocated to the student for the practical flight test.

The pass mark for the written test is 25 correct answers (71.4%). If the student has recorded more than 100 hours in the Club PIREP system, and achieves 31 correct answers (88.6%), the practical flight test will be waived, and a pass will be awarded.

Preparation for a Flight Test

The Training Administrator will advise the student where to find the shared cockpit instructions, so that they may adequately prepare for the test. If requested by the student, prior to the test date, the Training Administrator will assist the student to set up shared cockpit, and provide information on how to log into the Club TeamSpeak server. The Student will also be told how to access the Student Training Record System to view the results of both the written and flight tests.

The flight test examiner will advise the student of the airfield where the test will take place, and, using the information supplied in the application form, confirm by email the date and time of the test and the aircraft type in which the test will be conducted. The examiner will also advise the student to obtain the necessary aerodrome chart, and, if necessary, any VFR procedures charts for that aerodrome.

The flight test will be conducted in one of four ways: -

• In Instructor Mode in FS9 or
• In Shared Cockpit Mode in FSX, or
• By means of the software tool "Teamviewer", or
• With the examiner manning an ATC position at the examination airfield as an Observer.

The student will be connected to VATSIM throughout the test and will be expected to communicate with any active ATC station covering the aerodrome or local flying area in which the test is held.

If FSX Shared Cockpit mode is to be used, the student must have the De Luxe version of FSX, including having both Service Pack 1 and Service Pack 2 installed.

Flight Test

Student and Examiner will communicate with each other via the Club TeamSpeak server.

The flight will be conducted under Visual Flight Rules, and will normally be carried out in the default Cessna 172. An alternative aircraft in the "Light" category (less than 5,700Kg MAUW) may be used by prior agreement between the examiner and the student.

The examination airfield will be one of the following:
Bournemouth EGHH  :  Gloucestershire, EGBJ  :  Shoreham, EGKA  :  Bristol EGGD  :  Cardiff EGFF  :  Liverpool EGGP

The test duration will be approximately 1.25 hours, including:

• Approximately 20 minutes Pre-flight briefing, including obtaining the necessary flight information from source and preparing the aircraft for flight.
• Approximately 45 minutes flight, including departure from and return to the designated airfield.
• 10 minutes debrief including a statement of pass, or fail.

If the examiner needs to test ATC dialogue when there is no ATC position manned, he will do so on TeamSpeak, not on the live frequency.

If the student passes the flight test, or the test is waived, the Examiner will update the VATSIM Member database as soon as possible.

If the student fails the flight test, he will be advised that the Club can offer training to assist in achieving a pass at a subsequent attempt.

As part of the debrief at the end of the test, the student will be asked to complete a short feedback questionnaire for quality control purposes.