Certification and Promotion Policy

Major and LCTP Positions Defined

VATUSA policy defines certain fields as major or LCTP facilities. An explanation to these definitions and a list of all major/LCTP positions within vZBW airspace can be found in the policy.

Certification at Major/LCTP Positions

Certification will be achieved via oral testing and online observation by a mentor or instructor at each of the following positions. Please note that these positions are in order from least permissive to most permissive. In other words, if you are certified for Class C APP, you may also work a Class B, C or D TWR, GND and DEL position.

• Class C/D TWR
• Class B TWR
• Class C APP
• Class B APP
• BOS_CTR

Based on recommendations from mentors and instructors

• OBS may be assigned the VATUSA Student exam.
• STU may be granted certification at any Class C/D DEL-GND-TWR Position
• STU may be granted certification at any Class B DEL-GND-TWR Position
• STU may be assigned the VATUSA Senior Student exam
• STU+ may be granted certification at any Class C APP TRACON
• STU+ may be granted certification at any Class B TRACON
• STU+ may be granted certification to work BOS_CTR during off-peak times
  The STU+ will then be assigned the VATUSA Controller exam
• STU+ may be granted certification at BOS_CTR
• CTR may be granted full certification at BOS_CTR

NOTE: Mentors may train at any certification they are authorized to, but shall only be allowed to apply certifications up to the Class C TWR certification and then only the Class C Approach certification. For all other certifications, an Instructor must be present to apply the certification.

Certification Defined

• Certification, or having been certified, means the person has been through the elements of the syllabi for the position, has reflected the knowledge of those sections and has reflected an ability to handle a reasonable amount of traffic. The way the syllabi are laid out, a person receiving a certification is three or four steps from being ready to test for a promotion to their next level. No one should be certified to work a position unless that person has completed a review of the appropriate sections of the syllabus for that position with a mentor/instructor, AND has also demonstrated to a mentor/instructor that the person can handle the traffic for that position. This too allows maximum flexibility to the mentor/instructor to make that call, whenever they want to make that call without time limit.
• The new controller joining vZBW will enter the training program with an OBS rating. Through study and testing of the online materials and following training and an over the shoulder evaluation by a mentor/instructor, the OBS will be assigned the VATUSA Student test. Upon passing this test the OBS will be promoted to the rank of Student (STU).
• The STU, when ready will study the Class C Tower syllabus and apply for any testing required before getting online with a Mentor/Instructor. Certification will be applied any Class C/D field. During the certification process a "Class C" tower certification will be granted, allowing the STU to control any Class C/D DEL, GND or TWR position within ZBW at all times and at the BOS_DEL, GND or TWR position without the presence of a Mentor/Instructor during off peak hours, which are defined in the Position Restrictions policy.
• Once certification is granted at Class C Tower, the STU then begins to study the Class B Tower syllabus, applying for any testing required. Certification will be applied at KBOS. During the certification process a "Class B" tower certification will be applied. This allows the Student to control all DEL, GND or TWR positions within ZBW.
• The STU, when ready will then begin studying the STU+ syllabus, applying for all testing required. Certification will be applied at any non-LCTP Class C TRACON position. Once certification is complete, the STU will be assigned the VATUSA Senior Student exam. Once passed this will warrant promotion to the STU+ rank and allows the STU+ to control any non-LCTP TRACON position within ZBW.
• The STU+, when ready will then begin studying the Class C Approach syllabus, applying for any testing required. Certification will be applied at any Class C TRACON position. During the certification process, a "Class C" approach certification will be applied. This allows the STU to control all LCTP Class C TRACON positions within the ZBW ARTCC. This certification also allows the STU to control BOS_APP during off peak hours without the presence of a Mentor/Instructor.
• The STU+, when ready will then begin studying the Class B Approach syllabus, applying for any testing required. Certification will be applied at the BOS_APP position. During the certification process, a "Class B" approach certification will be applied. This allows the STU+ to control all TRACON positions within ZBW.
• The STU+, when ready will begin to study the Center-Enroute syllabus, applying for any testing required. Certification will be applied at BOS_CTR. During the certification process an off-peak certification will be applied. This allows the STU+ to control BOS_CTR during off peak hours without the presence of a Mentor/Instructor.
• Once off-peak certification is granted at BOS_CTR, the STU+ will be assigned the VATUSA Controller exam. Once the STU+ receives a passing grade of 80% or greater, they will be promoted to the rank of Controller (C1).
• The CTR will then continue the Center/Enroute syllabus and be granted a full certification to control at BOS_CTR at any time.

• A promotion to the rank of Senior Controller will be applied as per VATUSA policy 0705.

• A Controller or Senior Controller who displays the ability and desire to become an Instructor will be assigned the VATUSA INS exam and syllabus on the recommendation of the TA, in consultation with the ATM and DATM.
• Certifications may be removed at the discretion of the ATM, DATM or TA. These removals are not taken lightly and only happen in the most extreme circumstances. Removal will take place after a quorum of the ATM, DATM and TA. Removal of a certification does not mean demotion from the current rank of the controller, it just means the controller is no longer allowed to work that position.

vZBW ARTCC Promotion Qualifications

Eligibility for promotions for vZBW ARTCC staff is based upon certifications at particular positions. The following table shows those qualifications. Please note that this table does not guarantee promotion upon certification or certification based on rating. Instead, it simply shows the prerequisite position certifications for each promotion level and the associated training syllabi to be completed within the vZBW training program.