PV Standards

Date Code Version Contact
2009-05-11 CPS-012 1.00 Facility Advisory Board (FAB)

1. PURPOSE:

This Center Policy Statement (CPS) describes the Standards for Performance Verification (PV) events and Over-the-Shoulder (OTS) events.

2. ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

This CPS shall be maintained, revised, updated or cancelled by the Facility Advisory Board and shall be effective unless there is a conflict with the VATUSA/VATSIM policies in which case they shall supersede these policies.

3. DISTRIBUTION:

This CPS is applicable to all controllers.

4. BACKGROUND:

Students who have met the requirements of the syllabus for a particular rating are subject to an evaluation prior to promotion to the rating sought. This evaluation is known as a Performance Verification or an Over-the Shoulder. A PV/OTS is conducted by a mentor/instructor whereupon a student is evaluated against a set of pre-determined standards. If the student exhibits proficient knowledge and performance, the student will be granted priveleges for the rating sought. This evaluation is also known as a “jeopardy” event; meaning that a student will finish the event with a pass, fail or incomplete result.

5. DEFINITIONS:

OTS – Over the Shoulder session. The primary means of obtaining training. OTS can be informal or formal.

e.g. An informal OTS might consists of training in accordance with the training syllabus eg. A formal OTS would be conducted for a student seeking a promotion.

PV – Performance Verification. This is synonmous with a formal OTS. Reference second example given above for formal OTS.

Bust - Also known as a "Deal." Any operational error or deviation made by the controller. A Bust results in an automatic failure of the PV. See section 6. PV Scoring.

  1. Examples of an operational error are:

    1. Loss of separation minima as described in FAA Order 7110.65, Air Traffic Control

    2. Vectoring Below the MVA except as provided for in FAA Order 7110.65, 5-6-3, Vectors Below the Minimum Altitude.

  2. Example of an operational deviation:

    1. Airspace transgressions, including: Transgression of a controller's boundaries without pre-coordination, pointout, etc.

Live Traffic - Traffic encountered that are connected to the VATSIM network excluding the Sweatbox server.

6. INSTRUCTOR & MENTOR DUTIES:

  1. The Instructors/Mentors are responsible for the administration of PV/OTS’. This includes the following responsibilites:

    1. Students enrolled in the ZOA Training Program must have completed all items set forth in CPS-001 Training program and the Syllabus contained in the ZOA Wiki prior to conducting a PV/OTS and shall follow the Student Progression plan outlined in CPS-001, Training Program.

      1. Real world pilots and controllers may have lessons omitted from the syllabus at the instructor's discretion in order to maximize efficiency. Lesson omitted must be noted in the student's training notes.

      2. Further consideration is required for real world pilots and controllers who fail a PV if the cause is due to syllabus lesson omission. Re-training thoroughly should always be a first priority in this situation.

    2. Visiting controllers are not required to complete the aforementioned syllabus prior to a PV being conducted. In lieu of this requirement, visiting controllers will follow guidelines as outlined in CPS-006, Visiting Controller Policy and CPS-002, Facility and Equipment Rating Requirements.

  2. The instructor/mentor shall ascertain that the student in question has appropriate ability to succesfully complete the PV/OTS and make a recommendation that the student can take a PV. E.g. A request from a student for a PV will not be granted unless the student currently meets standards for the rating sought. Students will NOT be set up for an automatic failure due to controlling deficiencies.

    1. The recommending instructor/mentor is currently permitted to conduct the PV on the student that they have provided the recommendation for. Note: In the future, the FAB and TA may mutually agree to changes in this paragraph based on the staffing needs of the training department.

    2. If another instructor/mentor is to conduct the PV for a student, they shall ascertain that a recommendation has been made prior to conducting the PV.

  3. The instructor/mentor shall use the published test standards to determine pass/fail results during a PV/OTS in accordance with section 6 of this CPS.

    1. Any result from a PV/OTS shall be recorded using the appropriate online form/report for record keeping purposes and review from the Training Administrator.

    1. A student who has failed a PV/OTS shall be subjected to further training prior to attempting to pass the PV a second time.

    2. An instructor/mentor who assesed a “fail” result shall provide a detailed description via the training note so that any training conducted after this event is consistent and productive in preparing the student.

    3. A successful result will be relayed appropriately to the TA and the instructor/mentor must ensure that the controller's controlling privileges are updated on the crew roster. A controller's profile may be updated by accessing the Instructor Tools.

7. PV SCORING:

  1. The PV session is conducted so that specific items are covered according to the rating sought. These items are found online under Instructor Tools --> PV Exam.

  2. A PV is worth 100 points. A score of 80 is the minimum passing score. Points are deducted as follows:
    • 1 point shall be deducted for minor mistakes: phraseology, scratchpad, temporary altitudes.
    • 2 points shall be deducted for procedural mistakes: lack of adherence to published SOP's, CPS, and LOA's.

  3. Any "Bust" or "Deal" as defined in section 4 of this CPS will result in a failed PV. Note: A bust previously resulted in a 5 point deduction. This has been changed to more preserve integrity of the PV and reflect a more realistic resting environment.

  4. If the required items are unable to be covered during a PV [items that must be covered using live traffic], the instructor/mentor will report an incomplete result. A second recommendation for a subsequent PV is not required.

  5. The instructor/mentor shall, in addition to reporting the result of a PV, keep records or the PV session so that a meaningful debrief can be conducted. Applicable references to SOP's, LOA's, CPS', and FAA Order 7110.65 are encouraged for the student's benefit.

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