Every piece of graded work in the course, what it is worth, and when it is due.
Four components. A small early drill to establish you can operate the thing the rest of the course argues about, a transcript analysis, the audit that takes the reasoning outside aviation, and ten minutes on a live frequency.
They sum to 100, and that is checked rather than asserted:
spec/assessment-weights.test.ts fails the suite if it stops being true. The
content schema already verifies that the criteria within a weighted
component sum to 100; nothing in the platform checks across components, so
this course checks it.
Each component below states what you hand in, in what format, where it goes, and the one thing that has to happen before the deadline — an allocation to collect, a domain to clear, a slot to book. The brief behind it carries the rest: the argument, the traps, the criteria, and what each grade looks like band by band. The split is deliberate. You should be able to plan a semester from this page and open a brief when you start the work, not before.
- Week4
Readback Drills
A recorded set of readbacks, marked for accuracy and phraseology — and for whether you worked on the confusions you found in yourself
- Submit
- A recording of all twelve readbacks, plus a note under 200 words on the confusion pairs you found in week 2
- Format
- One audio file (mp3, m4a or wav) and one PDF. No editing between clearances
- Where
- The course submission folder, by Friday noon of week 4
Before that: Collect the clearance sheet — Week 4 sim session.
- Week7
Transcript Analysis
Transcribe a real exchange, diagnose it against the standard, and write a finding a stranger could check
- Submit
- A timed transcript of your allocated exchange, a diagnosis of every deviation you claim, and a finding of 600 to 800 words
- Format
- One PDF. The transcript uses the timings, station labels and notation used across this site, with unintelligible passages marked as such
- Where
- The course submission folder, by Friday noon of week 7
Before that: Collect your allocated exchange — Week 6.
- Week11
Phraseology Audit
Take a spoken protocol from outside aviation, audit it against what this course taught you, and propose a phraseology for it
- Submit
- An audit of 1500 to 2000 words, a table of proposed phrases with the failure each one is designed against, and a limits section
- Format
- One PDF, with the proposed phraseology as a table rather than as prose
- Where
- The course submission folder, by Friday noon of week 11
Before that: Clear your domain — Week 9, in the sim session.
- Week12
Live Frequency Check
Ten minutes on a live sim frequency in week 12, judged as a whole rather than scored against a checklist
- Submit
- You, on a live frequency, for ten minutes, working the pilot position and the controller position
- Format
- Live in the sim. Nothing is uploaded and nothing is recorded for marking
- Where
- Your booked slot, in and after the week 12 session
Before that: Book your slot, and rebook it free if it stops working — Slots open in week 10 and are booked in that week's sim session.
What none of them mark#
Accent, fluency, speed, and how much you sound like a pilot. Not a criterion anywhere, and not commented on.
The reasoning is week 8’s: a rating scale for human language has consequences that do not fall evenly, and this course is not qualified to apply one to a first-year student. The person who assesses that professionally teaches week 8 and agrees.
Asking for a repeat counts in your favour. A fluent readback of something you did not understand is the failure mode, and the frequency check is built around exactly that distinction.