Heathrow Endorsements

Background

London Heathrow (EGLL) is the only airfield in VATSIM UK that has been designated as a major aerodrome under the regulations set out in VATSIM's Global Ratings Policy. Members rated S2 or higher may undertake a number of special endorsements to be allowed to control Heathrow positions up to and including their permanent controller rating. VATSIM UK does not offer training at Heathrow towards a new permanent controller rating. These endorsements are also required for any controller that wishes to open or be trained on the London South sector group or encompassing bandboxes.

Endorsements Offered

Heathrow offers a total of three endorsements:

  • Ground and delivery
  • Tower
  • Approach (Director)

Training Process

Heathrow Flow Diagram

  1. Complete the Moodle course for the endorsement you are requesting. All members have access to the Heathrow Moodle courses:
  • Heathrow Ground / Delivery here
  • Heathrow Tower here
  • Heathrow Approach here
  1. Open a ticket at the VATSIM UK helpdesk (here) to request access to the theory exam.
  2. Upon completion of the theory exam, reopen the existing ticket to advise Heathrow staff of your exam pass. (Should you fail the exam, a cooldown period of 7 days is applied automatically.)
  3. You will be added to the waiting list for the applicable endorsement. You can monitor your training place position here. You must maintain eligibility in order to be considered for a training place. See below for eligibility requirements.
  4. When available, a training place will be offered.
  5. Permissions given to request practical training. A session request and availability are required in order to keep your training place.

Recency & Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for a training place you are required to maintain the following requirements:

You must be on the active controlling roster and must not have significant negative feedback for all endorsements.

Heathrow DEL/GND (S2+)

  • A minimum of 40 hours on domestic UK DEL/GND/TWR positions, post the award of your S1 rating, which must be made up of:
  • At least 10 hours on Gatwick DEL/GND/TWR positions
  • At least 10 hours on Manchester DEL/GND/TWR positions
  • The remaining hours on relevant, domestic UK DEL/GND positions (i.e. not overseas), excluding AFIS/AGCS and Military positions.

Heathrow TWR (S2+)

  • Hold a Heathrow DEL/GND endorsement, and have controlled a minimum of 10 hours on Heathrow GND positions in the three months preceding the award of their training place
  • A minimum of 100 hours on UK TWR positions, post the award of your S2 rating, which must be made up of:
  • At least 30 hours on Manchester TWR positions
  • At least 30 hours on Gatwick TWR positions
  • The remaining hours on relevant, domestic UK TWR positions (i.e. not overseas), excluding AFIS/AGCS and Military positions.

Approach (S3+)

  • Hold a Heathrow TWR endorsement, and have controlled a minimum of 10 hours on Heathrow TWR positions in the three months preceding the award of their training place
  • A minimum of 120 hours on UK APP positions, post the award of your S3 rating, which must be made up of:
  • At least 30 hours on Manchester APP positions
  • At least 30 hours on Gatwick APP positions
  • The remaining hours on relevant, domestic UK APP positions (i.e. not overseas), excluding Military positions.

Get Started

If you are interested in obtaining a Heathrow endorsement, please complete the relevant Moodle course then submit a ticket to ATC Training in the helpdesk to request access to the theory exam.

  FAQs

How long will it take to gain a Heathrow endorsement?

It varies from student to student, and with the amount of time you are able to dedicate to your training.

Where will training take place?

On the live network and via offline training (sweatbox).

What do I need before attending my sessions?