Mike Mike would wet himself

I finally completed my training at Dubai Tower last week. Mandatory 40 days (4 hrs per day training). Add to the 40 days, other training courses, somedays where you only get 1-2 hours of training, and all the time off we get on our days off and between shifts and it takes awhile to get thru this training program.

My old Supervisor (Iron Mike) used to give legendary check rides that would last multiple shifts, included lots of questions and what if's, and was very thorough. If Mike Mike certified you, you knew your stuff and you were ready. His newly certified controllers almost never got themselves in trouble. Well, he has nothing on these guys when it comes to checking out.

First of all there is 2 days of check rides (4 hrs a day). The grading document includes phaseology (or R/T -- radio/telephony), adherence to procedures and ICAO/Dubai Tower rules, coordination, and of course safe, expeditious movement of aircraft. You are allowed 4 minor errors and Zero major errors; and major errors do not have to have anything to do with actually separating planes--it can be having a strip in the wrong bay. If you leave clear someone to land and there is a strip still in your runway bay for an airplane that is already clear of your runway--it's still a Major error. There is also a thorough equipment demonstration exam. There is an Oral exam dealing with many unusual situations--about 20 questions. And there is a 50 question written exam.

Finally there is one more Validation day, with another instructor--usually a training staff specialist. Another 4 hours on position; more Oral questions...and then you are thru. And you get a nice certificate suitable for framing.

Dubai is an interesting place to work and you have to stay on your toes. There are so many pilots who speak English as a second language or barely at all. It takes a few months to develope an ear and catch the key information. You have the same problem with alot of the vehicles on the airport--many heavy accents that are hard to pick up. And there is such a variety of vehicles...Fire, Electrical, Works, Honeywell, Airside, Ops, Safety, and Control (that's ATC...yes, I can go drive around the airport). And even after 4 months working here, I still see new callsigns everyday. I won't even go into all the destinations.

I have seen aircraft do some crazy stuff and you wonder what instructions they think they heard? Of course, we also have many controllers who are not native English speakers...Danes, Swiss, Norwegian, plus the local Emaratis. Even some of the English speakers are hard to understand when their accents get heavy.

I see room for improvement and change, but it will be a slow process. It would be nice to de-complicate things (Eg., At ATL we had two levels of alert for Fire and Rescue services...Standby Alerts and Crash Alerts. In Dubai, we have about 7). Unlike the USA where the FAA is the end all as employer, regulator, and enforcer; Dubai has Gulf Communities Aviation Administration (GCAA), Dubai Air Navigation Services, and Serco, so getting anything done is a cumbersome process. Things are also done in a reactionary mode also, and are difficult to undo once in place for the same reasons.

(As a little side note, I do get the impression that there are alot of people (ICAO) who look at the FAA with a jaundiced eye due to it's dual role as providor and regulator. They see it as a conflict of interest--and it probably is, though in actual practice it is departmentalized and doesn't really work that way. Still, we are kind of looked at as ATC Cowboys...lol).

If you don't pay attention, this place will bite you. But so far, I like it alot. And yes, I had to throw a check-out party...I'm still in recovery.