Question for ATC Folks - What is a TGO ?

[Grogbog]

I was looking through an ASA document today and saw reference to a "Target Generation Officer". What do these people do and where do they work?

Sounds interesting....

Thanks for any replies

[Cloud Cutter]

I would imagine they generate targets, and work in a target rich environment.

[oldbull youngbull]

Target Generation Officer aka Blippy aka Blippdriver.

They work in the sim. Simulating you blokes and other ATC's. Used to be a great lead in to ATC, before the guts was ripped out of the profession

[aussiegal]

They would work in the simulator either at the academy (melb) or in the training annex associated with the centre (generally melb or bn). Academy work is generally for the newbies or for experienced controllers who are moving into a new stream (ie approach to tower, or en-route to tower or approach etc. The training annex has sector specific training for trainees who have already finished their initial training and are now training for a specific sector rating.

So the TGO's (or blippies) set up the sims for the training exercise and they play the role of pilots, other sectors etc as well as do whatever they need to do (been a long time since i have been in on) to "make" acft comply with the trainees requirements.

How did i do?

[max1]

Grogbog (Greatname)
A Target Generator Officer is now called a Simulator Support Officer (SSO) but they are known throughout ATC as Blip Drivers.

Their job, in a nutshell, is to work in the simulator as pretend planes for the trainees. They work a number of 'planes' at once and do all the RTF and turns,climbs, descents , approaches etc.

They also act as the surrounding sectors, and accept and give co-ordination to the trainee (this is loosely scripted in the training plan). They tend to be retired pilots, controllers, etc. It is a great way to learn ATC, if you would like to head down that path.


P.s. Jeez I type slow, and oldbull is right, before they ripped the guts out.

[Track Coastal]

...and some of the older ones are ex-Airline drivers keeping out of the missus' hair. Some of that crusty old RT intonation adds realism. Onya ladies and gents, great people doing a great job (and putting up with some precocious knobs at times).

SSOs and TFDCs SHOULD be the first approached and assessed/tested on any ATC staffing hunt, wonderful people who know the kit/systems etc etc.

Should is a funny word.

[oldbull youngbull]

TFDC's = Respeck

[Quokka]

A special thanks to the TGO who used to cup his hands over his mouth and take a deep and very loud breath during each transmission to... very accurately... simulate a military pilot transmitting, with oxygen mask fitted, in a MB326. Put a smile on my face... and my instructors... in the middle of a very difficult exercise.

[Spodman]

... or beating his chest like a gorilla when pretending to be a helicopter. Sounds real.

'tis a marvellous training tool, and a good blip driver makes it 4 times as good training value as a dog.

I once had a pretend RAAF Nav training flight calling pan, with all the other blippies screaming for help in the background.

KUTGW

[VH-XXX]

Hey Quokka, that's my gig, but not in the sim! There are *certain* people around who when flying their VFR light single at over 10,000ft cup their hands to make it sound like they are using oxygen when they aren't. I've heard it done on the odd occasion and it can be quite amusing, especially with deep breaths and a slow transmission. There are rumours around of a pilot who uses a mask from a hospital visit he had to get the right sound-effects.

Melbourne Centre, this is Non-Military VFR Piper Tomahawk Charlie Alpha Delta, on descent from flight level 145.... request VFR traffic...

I can hear it now...

(registration removed to protect the innocent and the aircraft type)