In addition to a written theory exam (Communications), there is a practical test. Passing this entitles you to a FRTOL (Flight Radio Operators Licence). While training towards your PPL, you can use the radio under the supervision of your instructor – even when you are flying solo – but you must pass this test to be able to to use once you qualify. I suppose you could choose to fly only non-radio aircraft, but that would seem a bit limiting. To encourage you, the CAA don’t charge their normal FRTOL licence fee if you apply at the same time as your first full PPL licence.
Practice Session
The school offers a training session for this practical exam using a similar setup to the test itself. Your instructor sits in another room and pretends to be (several) Air Traffic Controllers, while you put a headset on in another room and pretend to be flying a predetermined course. At some point, a red light flashes and you have to declare an emergency, calling out MAYDAY three times. It’s important to include all the relevant information.
Having used the radio during our normal flying lessons, the extra training session wasn’t particularly new to me but probably did help refine the particular phrases used in the test itself.
FRTOL exam
An external examiner came in to run the test. He used a different set of equipment from my practice session, based on a couple of laptops. These were more fiddly to use, and included setting squawk codes. I found the difference in equipment used a bit offputting, and slightly annoying – either the same should be used or perhaps I shouldn’t have bothered with the practice session.
Fortunately at the end of the day, I passed. The examiner said he thought I could communicate my position at all times during the test and handled the case where I talked to the wrong non-radar station well.
Another tick in the box.
