Los Angeles ARTCC on VATSIM - Controller Training Program

Welcome to the ZLA Controller Training Program!

As we as instructors and mentors look forward to working with you, we want to make sure you can accelerate quickly into a controlling position, and start enjoying the traffic ZLA is known for. Before you rush out and schedule an appointment with one or training staff, we ask that you take some time to look at the following basic requirements needed to get the most out of your free training sessions.

Our website is rich with information, so please take some time to study the information provided, as everything that's required to become a certified controller with ZLA is on this website. We ask that you take the initiative to prepare for your sessions, as we have many new students that signup with us, and as we as the training staff want to see you succeed with minimal delays between sessions, we ask that you become familiar with the following items before scheduling time with our training staff.

Thanks again for joining ZLA, and we look forward to working with you!

ZLA Training Department

BASIC RADAR CLIENT FEATURES:

Controller info setup
Visibility range setup
Primary frequency and voice channel setup
Radio selecting an aircraft
Radar client request list feature
Squawk code auto-assignment using the ZLA POF file
Amending route of flight within radar client
Amending cruise altitude within radar client
Accessing weather info within radar client
Marking aircraft with Voice / Text / Receive tags
Text aliases, specifically DEL/GND section

CLEARANCE DELIVERY/GROUND:

General Requirements SOP
Los Angeles Ground SOP
Los Angeles Delivery SOP
Position Relief Briefing procedures
Requirements for Controllers ATIS SOP
C.R.A.F.T. acronym in IFR clearances
Correct altitudes for direction of flight: SWEN, NEODD
Aircraft classes and altitude requirements for the TEC routes
Departure scratchpad codes
Airport runway and taxiway layout, movement and non-movement areas

TOWER:

Los Angeles Tower SOP, or the Tower SOP for another position intended to work
Components of traffic pattern, and meaning of the phrase "cleared for the option"
Rolling/boundary notification system, or departure releases (depending on the airport procedures)
VFR weather minimums
Tower airspace delegation
Wind and runway configuration
Successive Departure Separation
Departure and Arrival Separation
Wake Turbulence Separation
Use of visual separation
Tower separation responsibilities for IFR and VFR in Class B, C, and D airspace

APPROACH:

APPROACH RADAR CLIENT SETUP AND FEATURES:

Displaying particular fixes
Displaying MVA and their borders
Displaying sector boundaries
Displaying runway centerlines
Initiating and accepting radar handoff
Entering approach procedures scratchpad codes in the datablock
Entering temporary altitude in the datablock

MINIMUM REQUIED KNOWLEDGE FOR APPROACH:

Approach sector SOP for the position intended to work
IFR and VFR separation minimums
Required minimum distance from the FAF and intercept angle for vectors to final
Visual approach weather minimums
Approach sector airspace delegation
Assignment of safe departure headings as per the "Assignment of Headings to Departures & Missed Approaches" SOP
Types of departure procedures (DPs): Vector, PilotNav

NOTE: If during the session it becomes obvious that the student isn't competent on two or more items, the mentor/instructor can end the session immediately. The student will be given a waiting period of 3 days to review the required items before requesting another session.