In the interests of transparency, the internal procedures of the HQ Pilot Group are published below.
The HQ Pilot group is managed by the HQ Pilot team, under the responsibility of the Training Director and the Training Assistant Director.
The service provided by the HQ Pilot group is available on request for ATC training sessions (exams and training) managed by divisional Training departments.
The HQ Pilot Group can only be requested by the examiner or trainer from the Training department of division which hosts the training activity.
The HQ Pilot Group must be requested approx. 5 days in advance via the appropriate website.This allows a better organization of all activities worldwide. Examiners/trainers are encouraged to apply as early as possible, as requests are processed on a first-come, first-served basis.
Rules: A maximum of 1 session per hour can be allowed. All requests received on the day of the scheduled activity will be rejected.
Note: Divisions are reminded that they are responsible for providing and ensuring the necessary traffic for exams and training taking place in their area of responsibility.
Each examiner can brief the HQ Pilots approximately 30 minutes before the start of the exam.
For an optimal organization of flights during a session, the examiners are invited to allocate tasks and to take into consideration any constraints expressed by the pilots.
Pilots will do their best to complete all tasks requested in the briefing or requested by text during the flight. It is up to the Examiner/Trainer to take into account the traffic situation, the examinee/trainee's capabilities and the particular needs for the session.
To make it easier to identify an HQ pilot, the item 18 of his/her flight plan displays RMK/HQPILOT.
Any feedback from the Examiner/Trainer is very welcome and in particular, in the case an HQ pilot did not comply with the instructions and/or the expected spirit of the group.
In order to monitor the activity of all HQ pilots and to reward their participation, each flown leg should be submitted into the HQ Pilot Group's website.
Any submitted leg is subject to validation according to the following criteria:
● Prior to the ATC training session, the pilot should declare his/her intention to participate by clicking the Attend button corresponding to the session he/she wishes to fly in the HQ Pilots' website/Internal/All Incoming Legs. This is the only way to report the leg.
● It is not necessary to contact the HPM or any HPA to validate the legs. Validation is done manually by the HQ Pilots Management Team after analyzing the flight tracker.
● If, for any reason, the pilot forgets to press the Attend button and the session disappears from the website, it is not possible to recover the leg.
● To validate a leg, the HQ Pilots Management Team requires at least 1 flight (takeoff and landing), at least 30 minutes of network connection and that the examinee (ATC) be contacted.
● The HQPILOT remark (RMK/HQPILOT) in item 18 of the flight plan is a mandatory criterion for the leg to be approved.
● If the session trainer/examiner is him/herself an HQ pilot, although he/she may attend the session as a pilot to increase the necessary traffic, it will not be possible to accept the leg and his/her participation as an HQ pilot will not be counted.
● The philosophy of the HQ Pilot Group is to help both the candidate and the examiner during a training or examination session, always with kindness and at the best of his/her flying skills. Complying with the examiner's requests is essential for the group's image, whether they involve emergencies, go around procedures, holding procedures, visual approaches, etc. In the case an HQ pilot has not followed the instructions, the situation is reviewed by the HQ Pilots Management Team in the first instance, and then possibly in cooperation with the TD/TAD.
● The pilot's leg is be rejected if any of the above conditions are not met.
● If the examiner confirms in the #session-changes-requests channel on Discord that the session is cancelled at least 2 hours in advance, and, for some reason, the session remains active on the website, no flight for this session will be approved.
● In the event of a last-minute cancellation (< 2 hours before the session), the trainer/examiner shall inform the HQ pilots in the #session-changes-requests channel on Discord. All pilots already connected to fly from/to the session airport will have their legs approved if a flight (takeoff and landing) is performed according to the leg validation rules.
● Pilots who connect to the network after the session cancellation has been announced on Discord may have their flight rejected, even if a full flight has been completed.
● If the pilot has tried to participate in a session and was unable to take off in time and the session has ended, the flight will be approved if the pilot has logged in at least 40 minutes after the scheduled session time. In this case, even if the session has ended, a flight (takeoff and landing) is still required to report the leg.
● Always read the Staff Member Requests and plan your flight accordingly.
● VFR flights are possible if you have all the VAC charts you need and are familiar with the area you are flying in.
● In the case of an ADC session, consider helping as a TGL traffic if you have the VAC charts onboard.
● In the case of an ADC or APC session, prefer short routes over long ones.
● In the case of an ACC session, check the FIR and look for 2 airports far enough away to be able to spend enough time with the ACC area.
● Always check if the member connected as ATC is the expected examinee.
● If you are taking off from the airport where the session is taking place, try to connect within the first 15 minutes of the session to avoid unforeseen circumstances.
● You can send a private message to the examiner, kindly introducing yourself as an HQ Pilot and making yourself available for any requests, but be aware that you will not always be asked to do something.
● Only press the Attend button if you are sure you will be able to fly. The number of missed flights may affect your continuity in the group.
● Remember, we have to be role models on the network and, above all, during all ATC sessions. We are here to help.
● It is the pilot's responsibility to check that the session is taking place before the flight, so it is strongly encouraged to follow the appropriate Discord server.
Note that on our website, on the All Incoming Legs page, we have all relevant information about ATC training sessions. Check webeye to see if the examinee is connected at the appropriate position at the session time, as well as the examiner and verify his/her callsign. Also check the #session-changes-requests channel on Discord, any postponement or cancellation of the session will be reported there by the examiner.
● In some cases, two sessions may be held on close times and at close airports. It is possible (and recommended) to fly from one airport to the other and report your participation in both sessions.
● It is allowed to takeoff before the session begins and to remain in a holding procedure outside the controller's jurisdiction awaiting his/her connection to the network and the start of the session, as long as this does not hinder the flow of other aircraft.
¶ AUTHOR
VID 208011 TD - 14 May 2024 - Publication of the HQ Pilot group procedures
¶ COPYRIGHT and DISCLAIMER
This documentation is copyrighted as part of the intellectual property of the International Virtual Aviation Organisation.
The content of this documentation is intended for aviation simulation only and must not be used for real aviation operations.