Student Information
Welcome Thank you for choosing Bristol Groundschool, the UK & Europe s leading EASA ATPL distance learning specialist, for this next exciting stage of your aviation training. Contents 1. Loading and activating ATPdigital 2. ipad App 3. What do I need to get started? 4. What else will I need? 5. Setting the start and end dates of your modules 6. Maths and physics 7. Lesson format 8. Modules and exams - ATPL(A) and ATPL(H)/IR 9. Progress tests, practise and exam questions 10. Content updating and sending results 11. FREE Question bank, BGS Online 12. Student forum, ATPforum 13. Technical support Page 3 3 4 4 5 5 5 6 7 7 8 9 9 For Bristol Groundschool students only 14. Revision courses 15. Accelerator weekends 16. Booking your exams 17. Contact us 10 10 11 12 2
1. Downloading and activating ATPdigital There are different versions of ATPdigital for PCs and for Macs. Your licence entitles you to install ATPdigital on two computers. If you want to use a mix of PCs and MACs email: support@bristol.gs The hardware requirements are a 2GHz or faster processor, 2Gb of RAM and 10Gb of available hard disk space. Internet access to activate the program for the first time and whenever you wish to synchronise your results, or download updates. Flash Player. Most computers have this already, if not it can be downloaded free of charge from www.adobe.com For a PC you will need Windows Vista or later and for a MAC you will need Mac OS X version 10.5 or later. Please follow the details in the attached email to download your software and follow the on screen instructions. If you experience any problems when loading your software please visit our website: www.bristol.gs/support * ATPdigital presents the study tasks and progress tests to you in a sequence of lessons, the software also enables you to do practise exam questions. Your progress through the lessons is recorded and sent through to us. 2. ipad App Once you have activated your software on your PC or Mac you can download an ipad version from the Apple App Store. When you open the app, you will be asked to enter your username and password; use the same details you entered on your PC or Mac. On the Dashboard you will see, in the bottom right corner of the screen, buttons for Sync now and Update content. Get into the habit of updating the ipad content at the beginning of a session and synchronising before you finish. The PC and Mac versions synchronise automatically when you are connected to the internet. If you need help with using your ipad app, in the first instance go to www.bristol.gs/support; there is a self diagnosis tool there for the ipad and a fault reporting form you can complete. Note, the ipad app will run on all ipad versions, but updates are not available for 1st generation ipads. 3
3. What do I need to get started? The training materials you need will depend on the course you are studying and whether you have purchased a complete course or just one module. As a minimum, you will need the following: If your course includes the subjects Flight Planning and Flight Monitoring; and/or General Navigation, a Jeppesen Student Pilot Route Manual containing charts and plates used in these two subjects If your course contains the subjects Mass and Balance; Performance; and/or Flight Planning, hard copies of the appropriate UK CAA publications containing planning data and graphs (these are referred to as the CAPs ) You may also have received the hard copy course manuals in ring binders. A full ATPL course consists of 13 subjects which fit into 7 ring binders. Check what you have received and, if anything is missing, contact your course provider as soon as possible. 4. What else will I need? An EASA approved calculator ** A mechanical navigation computer (that gives solutions for airspeeds over 300 KT) We recommend the Airtours or Pooleys CRP-5 A fine tip marker (non-permanent) for use on your nav computer Some drawing tools, including a pair of compasses A protractor A ruler These can be used in all the exams and should be brought to your revision weeks. You can purchase any of these items at www.bristol.gs/shop ** Approved calculators. The approved models are: Casio FX 83/85/300 series; Sharp EL-W531; Citizen SR-260; Texas Instruments TI-30XS. Source www.caa.co.uk 4
5. Setting the start/end dates of your modules ATPdigital opens on the Home page. This shows the number of modules on the course you have purchased. Unless these are already set by your school, you can adjust the start and end dates of each module by selecting Module 1, 2 or 3 as appropriate. Then use the calendars to define the start and end date, this will determine the target dates for the lessons and progress tests in the course. Your progress (in red) will be graphed against your target (in blue). If you wish to redefine the start and end dates at any time you can do so (unless you are enrolled on a class by your school). 6. Maths and physics We recommend you work though the maths and physics module on the My course page before commencing the rest of your course. If you feel confident about your maths and physics ability, you may go straight to the progress tests. If you pass these ( 75%) then the associated lessons will be marked as complete and you may move on. If you fail, you will need to do the lessons and pass the lesson quizzes before being able to re-sit the progress test(s). If you would prefer, you may study the lessons anyway before attempting the progress test(s). Note, not all syllabi contain the maths and physics module. 7. Lesson format At the end of most lessons you are presented with a multi-choice quiz which tests your understanding of the lesson. You must complete the lesson quiz 100% correctly to record the lesson as complete. Each time the quiz is taken, the answer sequence is randomised. 5
8. Modules and exams - ATPL(A) and ATPL(H)/IR This is the breakdown of subjects and modules for the basic Bristol Groundschool course and exams set by the UK CAA. Your arrangements may be different; check with your school. Subject Exam duration No. of questions Module 1 Instrumentation 1:30 60 General Navigation 2:00 60 Meteorology 2:00 84 Human Performance 1:00 48 Module 2 Radio Navigation 1:30 66 Aircraft General Knowledge 2:00 80 Aviation Law 1:00 44 Flight Planning 2:00 43 Module 3 VFR Communications 1:30 24 IFR Communications 1:30 24 Mass and Balance 1:00 25 Operational Procedures 1:15 (A) 1:00 (H)/IR 45 (A) 38 (H)/IR Principles of Flight 1:00 44 Performance 1:00 35 6
9. Progress tests, practise and exam questions Multi-choice progress tests are inserted after each topic; topics may comprise of several lessons. Progress tests are more difficult than the lesson quizzes and longer, often containing up to 60 questions. The pass rate is lower, at 75%. You may take the progress tests as many times as you wish to perfect your scores and consolidate your learning. The answers are randomised each time and the system records both your initial and most recent test scores. In addition to the quiz and progress test questions, you can access a built-in database of exam questions that is designed to match the EASA post NPA-25 CQB as closely as possible. The options are either to search for a topic, to take a timed exam, to take an untimed exam or to practise questions. When exams are requested they are generated so that they contain the correct proportions of content from each syllabus objective. The software allows you to start working through the questions and then return to the subject later to look at either, the questions you have yet to attempt, those you got wrong, or all the questions again. ATPdigital will display the lessons by subject from the My course page, to make revision easier once you have completed them. 10. Content updating and sending results It is important to connect to the Internet on a regular basis throughout your study. By connecting to the Internet software and data updates will automatically take place. At the same time the results of any of your recent activity are uploaded to the main database where your course provider will assess your progress from the lesson and test results. 7
11. FREE Question bank - BGS Online As part of your course you get free access, for 12 months, to our industry leading examination practice website, BGS Online (www.bgsonline.eu). ATPdigital also contains the same database of questions under the exams function which can be used offline with less functionality. Visit www.bgsonline.eu and log-on using the same username and password you used to activate your copy of ATPdigital. Go to your user profile and check Available exam shows the course you are studying. If it is incorrect you have the option to alter this on this screen. IF YOU ARE A HELICOPTER PILOT BE CAREFUL YOU SELECT THE CORRECT LICENCE; ATPL(H)/IR AND ATPL(H) ARE NOT THE SAME THING. Your free subscription period will expire 12 months after you activate ATPdigital. However, you may renew it once for up to 12 months at a 50% discount on the usual subscription costs. The best way to use BGS Online is to study your course first then, when you are preparing for your exams, practice papers on the BGS Online website. There are far too many questions for you to attempt to learn by remembering the questions, you really do need to have a sound understanding of the subject, which you can only gain by studying it. Exam feedback - We would appreciate it very much if you would provide us with any feedback on the questions, as soon as you come out of your exams. The quality of BGS Online is dependent on the quality of feedback we get from our students who sit their EASA exams each year. Please email info@bristol.gs 8
12. Student forum ATPforum The best place to post questions is on our forum (www.atpforum.eu). The forum also includes exam feedback and comments from other students and links to web resources on different sites. If you get stuck, tutors are available to help you on the forum. 13. Technical support You are entitled to 12 months free e-mail technical support for ATPdigital from the date of purchase, provided you register your application with us. We will also, at our own discretion, provide telephone support for students who need it. If you experience problems with ATPdigital please go to the help tab on our website where you will find an interactive wizard and some FAQs. If you are unable to resolve your issue on the website you ll find a support form there. Complete this and we will get back to you as soon as possible, within normal UK office hours. Alternatively you can email our support team on support@bristol.gs or phone on +44 (0)1275 345913. It will help us to help you if you provide as much detail as possible and include screenshots if you can. The questions set by CAA would be next to impossible without the BGS Online question bank. Student feedback 2015 The online question bank is an excellent exam preparation tool. Student feedback 2015 The support I received before, during and after my exams really was of the highest order. The blend of knowledge and experience really made the whole process manageable and even enjoyable. Adam R 95% of students rate the quality and efficiency of our customer support as very good or excellent. Student feedback 2015 9
Bristol Groundschool students only 14. Revision courses We hope you enjoy your course and we look forward to hearing from you when you are ready to book your revision courses. You can do this by booking online through our website - please visit https://www.bristol.gs/revision-courses Each revision week module runs prior to the examination dates, we recommend you go straight from the classroom into the exams, without a gap. Please note that you must complete the CBT course, quizzes and progress tests before attending the revision course. If you call the office on +44(0)1275 340 444 our team will be able to tell you if there is room on your selected course, booking two to three months in advance usually assures you of a space. 100% of students rated the overall quality of the revision course as very good or excellent. Student feedback 2015 The revision week at Bristol helped me no end. I m so happy, I passed all my exams first time, cheers. Mike White 15. Accelerator weekends To supplement the revision weeks and to enhance your understanding through your training, we offer optional Accelerator Weekends every month. Three of these are included free with the 3 module course. We anticipate that you would use two days on each module. However, we recognise that different students want help with different subjects so you can pick and mix Accelerators to suit your needs and you may purchase additional days if you desire. These weekends provide face to face instruction, concentrating on specific subjects. A good time to attend an Accelerator weekend would be about half-way through each module. We recommend you use these weekends as a time to build your confidence in a particular subject and to clear up those areas that you just don t understand. You can book your place through our online booking system, please visit https://www.bristol.gs/revision-courses/#accelerator 10
16. Booking your exams (UK CAA) Bristol Groundschool is an EASA examination centre, so you have the benefit of sitting your exams with us, usually the week after completing your revision course, in a comfortable and supportive environment. If you are on an approved course, your school is required to certify that you have completed all the study required. In practice, you should apply for the exams before you have finished the distance learning phase so what actually happens is that we look at your work to see that you have satisfactorily completed a significant amount of the first module, sign you off, and then perform a final check that everything has been completed before you come on our revision course. When you are ready to book your exams, register with the CAA and book your exams at least 72 hours before sitting your first one, although in practice the examinations are booked up months in advance. You can visit our website which will guide you through the exam booking process www.bristol.gs/easa-exam-information 11
17. Contact us For technical support, please visit our website: www.bristol.gs/support For all other enquires: Email: info@bristol.gs Tel: +44 (0)1275 340444 Bristol Groundschool Windmill Road Clevedon Somerset BS21 6UJ United Kingdom For further information please visit www.bristol.gs and select [our courses] from top menu bar and then [course introduction].