Two young Caymanians are on their way to becoming Air Traffic Controllers (ATC) after completing an intensive training course at the Civil Aviation Authority Training Institute in Trinidad and Tobago. Davina Bush-Jackson and Derrin Brandon successfully finished the seven month course on Aerodrome and Approach Procedural Control at the end of May.

The next step in their journey will be ten months of on the job training and then they will be examined and validated as new Air Traffic Controllers. Commenting on role of Air Traffic Controllers, Acting ATC Manager Craig Smith said, “Air Traffic controllers play a vital role at the airport since they must ensure that all flight operations in an out of our airspace are safely separated and sequenced in an orderly and expeditious manner.” He added, “Once all their training is completed, these two new officers will help complement our staffing levels.”

From Livingstone Enterprises:
The Civil Aviation Authority Aviation Training Institute (formerly “Centre”) in Trinidad and Tobago was established in June 1963, as a joint project between the United Nations Development Programme and the Government of Trinidad and Tobago. Its main purpose is to provide Air Traffic Services Training for Trinidad and Tobago and other Eastern Caribbean States desiring such training.

The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), a specialized agency of the United Nations, initially provided instructors while the building and other facilities were supplied by the Government of Trinidad and Tobago.

The Civil Aviation Division, as it was then called, provided training for the local personnel and in 1972 accepted total responsibility for the administration of the Center. At that time, ICAO withdrew the last of its personnel from the project.

The original role of the Training Institute was to provide training in the field of Air Traffic Services and other related areas as required to support Air Traffic Services in Trinidad and Tobago and other Caribbean States. This role has been expanded under the Civil Aviation Authority to include Aviation Security, Flight Safety training and additional courses of training and seminars in associated disciplines.

Function

Students from the following countries have been trained:
Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Montserrat, Saint Lucia, St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Suriname, The British Virgin Islands, The Cayman Islands, The Netherland Antilles, The Turks and Caicos Islands and of course, Trinidad and Tobago.

From its inception in 1963 to the year 2001, the Institute has conducted twenty-nine ‘Ab initio’ training courses in Air Traffic Control, three in Aeronautical Information Services (AIS) and one in Automatic Message Switching Techniques and Supervisory Management and has so far graduated 450 Air Traffic Controllers and more than 30 Aeronautical Information Services Officers from 19 Caribbean States.

Refresher Training is also customized for and provided from time to time to both local and regional air traffic controllers.

Staff

The CAA continues to provide quality instructor training to its training personnel. These instructors are themselves Air Traffic Control Graduates of the Institute and have acquired extensive experience at our International Airports. The staff has also been trained as Radar Instructors and the CATC is now in a position to offer Radar Training to other regional States.

The basic ATS Course itself, although reduced somewhat in content from the original 9 months to a shorter course of 6 months, is still very intense.

SOURCE: http://glivingstone.com/index14.html