VATSIM P2 Rating

Test Structure and Format

1. The P2 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. 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.
5. Unlike the P1 Rating, there is no exemption for experienced pilots from taking the P2 flight test.

Test Request

The student will request a P2 test by completing the test application form on the Club website Pilot Ratings section. The form will be received by the Club's 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), if not already registered.
• Enrol the student on the P2 Rating Test in the STRS.

Written Test Content

The written test comprises a series of 21 multiple choice questions which are displayed on the test web page in the STRS. The questions are selected at random from a database of 66. It is very unlikely that any two students will receive the same set of questions.

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

• Understanding Flight
• Controlling the Aircraft
• Aircraft Systems

The student is allowed 30 minutes to complete the 21 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 16 correct answers (76.2%).

Preparation for a Flight Test

The test flight will be one of the following:

• Depart from Biggin Hill EGKB and proceed in a generally north easterly direction passing instructor-defined waypoints before turning north and positioning for an approach and landing at Stansted EGSS.
• Depart from Gloucestershire EGKB and proceed in a generally north easterly direction passing instructor-defined waypoints before turning north and positioning for an approach and landing at East Midlands EGNX.

The selected route will be given to the student in a written preflight briefing at least 24 hours in advance of the flight test. The student will prepare the flight plan, and carry out a weight and fuel calculation, plus any other "desktop" tasks required to conduct the flight competently, and email this information to the instructor, in advance of the flight test.

The student will be connected to VATSIM throughout the test. The flight will be conducted with at least two VATSIM Controllers on line. Students will be expected to communicate with these ATC stations throughout the flight.

If the Flight Test is to be carried out in FSX shared Cockpit Mode (the preferred option), 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.

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

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

• In Instructor Mode in FS9 or
• In Shared Cockpit Mode in FSX, or
• By means of the software tool "Teamviewer".

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 Flight is primarily designed to test the student's knowledge of his aircraft and flying within the VATSIM environment.  It will concentrate on aircraft handling, knowledge of aircraft systems, simple assisted visual navigation and ATC dialogue.

The test duration will be approximately 1.5 hours, including:

• Approximately 20 minutes Pre-flight briefing, discussing the planned exercise and preparing the aircraft for flight,
• A flight of approximately 1 hour duration,
• 10 minutes debrief including a statement of pass or fail.

The student and Examiner will communicate with each other via the Club's TeamSpeak server.

If the student passes the flight test, the Examiner will normally update the VATSIM Member database as soon as the test is completed. 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.

There are 36 test elements in groups of 6 items

• Preparation for Flight
• Departure
• En Route
• General Handling
• Arrival
• Vacate and Secure

Some examples of the test elements are:

• Carry out a 360° steep turn,
• Fly at appropriate altitude for terrain and cloud clearance and airspace requirement,
• Maintain altitude, heading and airspeed within defined limits for a specific period of the flight.

Each of the six sections must be passed in its own right with a score of 4 or more.
  ADVANCED PASS: A score of 5 or 6 in each of the six sections. Total 30 or more.
  PASS: A score of at least 4 in each of the six sections. Total 24 to 29.
  FAIL: A score of 3 or less in any one section.

Certain actions will constitute an immediate fail.

• Failure to File a Flight Plan
• Insufficient fuel to complete the flight
• Entering the runway without permission prior to departure
• Connecting to VATSIM while on a runway
• Failure to Communicate with VATSIM ATC
• Two failures to correctly carry out ATC instructions
• Entering controlled airspace without permission
• Landing without explicit "Cleared to Land" instruction
• Crash on Landing.