GCA – Guest Controller Approval

According to R&R 5.1.7, the German Division participates in the GCA program (“Guest Controller Approval”). Any user who is not a member of the German Division and would like to pilot at an FRA-restricted airport in Germany must first apply for their GCA, which is issued by the German Training Department and the division management.

The guest controller approval is based on the training and examination guidelines of the German division.

If you are not a member of the German Division but would like to pilot in Germany, you must meet the following requirements:

• You must be able to provide service in both German (according to “AIP GEN 3.4: Communication Services”) and English (according to standardized phraseology).
• Knowledge of division-specific and local procedures as posted on the appropriate procedures pages
• Knowledge of the airspace structure and the area of ​​​​responsibility of the position from which you want to pilot
• No division change from the German Division within the last 12 months*.
• No GCA request within the last 6 months*.
• No gross violations of the R&R or the philosophy of IVAO
• Maximum of 2 GCAs in other divisions

A general requirement for all applicants is to have at least the appropriate rating for the desired position. This ensures that you already have the knowledge and skills required to provide good service in our division. In the table below you can see which positions you can manage with your rating

*Under certain conditions, TC/TAC or the division management can issue a GCA if the requirements marked with an asterisk (“*”) are not met.

If you meet the above requirements, you can request your GCA by either sending an email to training-kontakt@ivao.de or writing a message to the training department using the contact form. You will then be contacted by us. An appointment for a GCA checkout will then be arranged with an examiner from the German Division, during which you will have to demonstrate your knowledge in a position of your choice. This checkout is not a test, just a normal pilot session where your general performance, skills and phraseology will be observed.

After the GCA checkout, the examiner will contact you via email with the result. If you show sufficient performance in the checkout and meet the other requirements, you will be granted the GCA.

• After the GCA is granted, it will be displayed in your profile.
• If you are not granted the GCAs, the examiner will tell you the reason why. You then have the opportunity to request the GCA again after 6 months

In order not to lose your GCA, you must meet the following requirements:

• At least 15 hours as an active controller in your sector in the German division within the last 3 months
• No suspension while you have the GCA
• No violations of the IVAO R&R
• Good service according to division-specific and local procedures
• You are only allowed to pilot in the sector for which the GCA has been issued. A new checkout is required for each additional sector

Apart from that, your GCA can be revoked by TC/TAC or the division management if there are other relevant reasons for this