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Contributors to this blog

  • Chris Pawley 44
  • Simon Irvine 37
  • Daniel Crookes 27
  • Ben Wright 12
  • VATSIM UK 7
  • Nathan Donnelly 5
  • Kris Thomson 2
  • VATSIM UK Web Services 2
  • Andy Ford 2
  • Oliver Rhodes 2
  • Adam Arkley 2
  • Gdpr Removed 1
  • Loui Ringer 1
  • Adam Farquharson 1
  • Kieran Hardern 1

About this blog

Entries in this blog

VATSIM UK Live! : Tickets now available

Tickets for VATSIM UK Live are now available for purchase from our site - https://live.vatsim.uk Our event is open-door, meaning every VATSIM member is welcome to join us for this in-person event over the weekend of 10th and 11th August 2024. This is the one chance each year to fly, control and socialise alongside other VATSIM members from across the network hosted in the UK. It is not only a moment to deepen the experience of the network, but also learn and collaborate with other members. 

Chris Pawley

Chris Pawley in United Kingdom

Introducing Town Hall Sessions

During the last DSG Meeting and following feedback from our members, we discussed at length the lack of interaction between the DSG and our membership. We understand that this is not a new issue, and for many years there has been a growing feeling of disconnect between members, staff and DSG. We are keen to hear your thoughts and suggestions on matters concerning VATSIM UK as a whole, as we are conscious that many of our pilots and controllers can provide insight into problems which may not be a

Ben Wright

Ben Wright in United Kingdom

New Deputy Division Director

All,   I'm pleased to announce that @Nick Marinov has accepted my offer for the position of VATSIM UK Deputy Division Director. Nick has served as Assistant to the Vice President - EMEA for the past four and a half years; prior to this role he has also served as a Training Group Manager and Community Manager within the Division. Those of you who know Nick will understand that his return to the UK will bring a wealth of knowledge, and I am certain that he will be a great asset to the Di

Ben Wright

Ben Wright in United Kingdom

Discord General Chat Changes

Last Sunday we announced the removal of the ‘general-chat’ channel within Discord. Clearly this was an emotive subject for many of our members, and we pledged to thoroughly review this decision before committing to making changes. It was pointed out by many, and evident on review, that the brevity of the announcement and lack of clear explanation for this action was a mistake, and I would like to apologise for the confusion this has caused. The purpose of this post is to update you all on our pl

Ben Wright

Ben Wright in United Kingdom

VATSIM UK Live! Announcement

We are pleased to announce the 2024 edition of VATSIM UK Live! will take place on the weekend of 10th and 11th August 2024 at Conference Aston in Birmingham, UK.  VATSIM UK Live! is the annual in-person event where pilots and controllers can spend two full days flying and controlling besides one another in the same room. This brings another level of immersion to the VATSIM experience, as you get behind the scenes insights on the other side of the scope, control side by side or meet and chat

Chris Pawley

Chris Pawley in United Kingdom

Marketing Department Management

Good evening all,   Those of you who read my April update will be aware that we were unable to fill the position of Marketing Director in February. In the time since, I have continued to ‘caretake’ the role while temporary solutions were  discussed within the DSG.  Effective immediately, the responsibilities of the Marketing Director role will be split between Kieran Hardern and myself, with Kieran assuming responsibility of events and the Events Team. Thomas Hallam, who has done

Ben Wright

Ben Wright in United Kingdom

Shanwick Oceanic Currency Changes

After discussion amongst the DSG, it has been decided that UK Visiting Controllers who are only permitted to control Shanwick positions will be exempted from quarterly activity requirements effective immediately. Practically speaking, this means that Shanwick only visitors will not fall inactive on our controller roster. If you believe you meet this requirement and have been erroneously marked as inactive, please get in touch with the Member Services Department via the Helpdesk who will be able

Ben Wright

Ben Wright in United Kingdom

Pilot Quality and Network Enjoyment

The quality of many pilots on the network is the subject of much discussion across VATSIM UK and other vACCs, Divisions and Regions. For as far back as I can remember, the topic has been present on a daily basis across VATSIM and I have dealt with my own fair share of well meaning but very new members of the VATSIM network that disrupt my ability to enjoy the network. As a direct result, I have been encouraging people for some time to make better use of the .wallop command whilst controlling, pa

Adam Arkley

Adam Arkley in United Kingdom

April 2024 Update

Good Evening Everyone,   I hope you have all enjoyed your long weekend. I can assure you this is not a late April Fools joke, but simply another opportunity to update our members on what has been going on ‘behind the scenes’ since my previous post. Beginning with recent staff appointments, @Archie Middlefell and @Alice Ford were appointed as an Aerodrome Operations Coordinator and Operations Assistant respectively. Last month we also welcomed @Dylan Parkes into the Member Services

Ben Wright

Ben Wright in United Kingdom

TVCP Update 1: Visiting/Transferring Eligibility, Restrictions and Training

As some of you may be aware, an updated version of the Transferring and Visiting Controller Policy (TVCP) was recently published. This will be implemented worldwide between now and 01 June 2024 and, although the majority of the changes have been made to align TVCP with GCAP, there have been other changes which will affect Visiting and Transferring Controllers across the Network.  You may view the full policy via the link here. We will endeavour to provide further details on how the Transfer

Ben Wright

Ben Wright in United Kingdom

GCAP Update 2: Technology and Endorsement Changes

As the 1st March rapidly approaches, Mr. Jennings and I caught up with the Tech team this evening in order to review the progress of our technology solutions that will enable us to meet the requirements laid out in GCAP. I am pleased to say that things are progressing well and that there should be no impediment to us going live with new and enhanced functionality on the 1st March. Details of the pending technology changes are outlined later in this blog post. Before we explore anyt

Adam Arkley

Adam Arkley in United Kingdom

[Vacancy] Marketing Director

Vacancy - Marketing Director Role Description The Marketing Department is responsible for all public-facing media and the planning of events in our Division. The Marketing Director is a position appointed to the Division Staff Group, with the primary responsibility of providing strategic direction to the Marketing Department. As this position frequently serves as the first point of contact with Divisions and Subdivisions across the world, excellent interpersonal skills and a good stand

Ben Wright

Ben Wright in United Kingdom

New Member Services Director

Hello All,   I'm pleased to announce that @William Shaw will be joining the DSG as our new Member Services Director. Will has been an active staff member within the Member Services Department for almost 2 years and many of you will have already interacted with Will through this capacity before. He brings a number of new ideas to the Department, and will be working closely alongside the ATC Training Department in particular as we embrace GCAP and look to open Visiting and Transferring f

Ben Wright

Ben Wright in United Kingdom

January 2024 Update

Good Evening All,   The days seem to be moving incredibly quickly, owing to time off during the Christmas break and, in my case, a subsequent week on holiday. It seems hard to believe I am now over a month into this new role, but nevertheless, your staff team have been hard at work, and I would like to provide a quick update on our progress over the last month. Firstly, we have seen a number of recruitments to our staff team. @Adam Arkley's appointment as ATC Training Director and

Ben Wright

Ben Wright in United Kingdom

New ATC Training Director

Hello All,   Following a competitive application process which concluded this week, I am happy to announce Adam Arkley as the Divison's new ATC Training Director. Adam is no stranger to our staff team, serving in a variety of positions over the past 10 years, including his recent appointment as the Aerodrome Operations Coordinator. His passion for the role was made obvious during the interview process, and he brings a host of new ideas to the ATC Training Department. I personally look

Ben Wright

Ben Wright in United Kingdom

GCAP Update 1 : Roster and Waiting List Changes

On 1st March, GCAP will be fully implemented worldwide. This brings some necessary changes to some of the processes in the UK as well as offers some opportunities. Updating you about all of these changes at once is not possible, so, today we are informing you about some of the first changes you can expect - the introduction of a Controller Roster and changes to Waiting Lists. Changing from one system to another will introduce challenges for old vs. new systems and ensuring parity for all members

Kieran Hardern

Kieran Hardern in Training

December 2023 Update

Hello Everyone,   Before people start heading away for the Christmas break, I wanted to take the time to formally introduce myself, as I am conscious that many of us have not had the pleasure of meeting before. I am no stranger to VATSIM UK, having joined the Division in early 2016 and, for the last four and a half years, I have served as the Marketing Manager under Loui Ringer's leadership. During this time, I have risen to the somewhat dizzying heights of VATSIM Network Supervisor, B

Ben Wright

Ben Wright in United Kingdom

New VATSIM UK Division Director

I am delighted to announce the appointment of @Ben Wright as the new VATSIM UK Division Director, effective immediately. Ben brings nearly 5 years of invaluable experience within VATSIM UK in the Marketing team, recently running the day to day operations of the department.   Ben is no stranger to the network as a controller, pilot and also part of the Supervisor team. Ben has some fantastic ideas for the future of the Division. @Chris Pawley will help Ben transition into the r

Simon Irvine

Simon Irvine in United Kingdom

Marketing Department Changes

I am regretfully informing you that due to a change in personal circumstances I have received the resignation of Loui Ringer as Marketing Director. Loui has contributed substantially to the division’s events and marketing for many years and has become part of the furniture. The entire DSG thanks Loui for his extensive contributions which have had a visible impact on the division and its members. We wish him well for the next stages of his training.   Due to the widespread staff changes

Chris Pawley

Chris Pawley in United Kingdom

[Vacancy] ATC Training Director

As Adam is leaving his role as ATC Training Director, the DSG notes and thanks Adam for his contributions to the division over the last two years in this role and over the several years before this within the training department. We wish him luck for the future endeavours outside of VATSIM. We now begin the recruitment process for a new ATC Training Director to replace him. Application Closing Date 04th December 2023 2359z The ATC Training Director shall: be delegated general

Chris Pawley

Chris Pawley in Vacancy

[Vacancy] Member Services Director

The DSG thanks John for his efforts both on the DSG and in the Member Services Director role for the last year and a quarter. We wish him well for the hard work which is to come in his career and hope he enjoys the new view. We look forward to continued collaborating in his role at TGNC and hope that this training programme continues to flourish. This marks the beginning of the recruitment process for a new director of the Member Services Department. This role is the lead for th

Chris Pawley

Chris Pawley in Vacancy

[Vacancy] Enroute TGI

Following the resignation of Harry from this role, I know that the entire staff team will wish him well for the future. He has been nothing short of a foundational piece of what the division has in terms of resources, knowledge and technology for controllers, especially in the enroute context but also more broadly. As Kieran noted, Harry's contribution is felt by all current (and many future) members, and we will miss his enthusiasm for all things VATSIM UK. This marks the begin

Chris Pawley

Chris Pawley in Vacancy

ATC Training Director Resignation

I am writing to inform you that Adam Farquharson is leaving his role as ATC Training Director. Adam has recently been awarded a place on a highly competative course which will hopefully result in a new career in the aviation industry. Naturally, this will take over a huge amount of Adam's time, so it has been agreed that he will leave his role. Adam has held this role for the last couple of years and has worked with the team to develop training programmes across several ratings to provide s

Chris Pawley

Chris Pawley in Staff Changes

Division Instructor Resignations

I have recently recieved the resignations of @Jack Edwards and  @Lee Roberts , two of the Division Instructors from the ATC Training Department. They have served in this role for several years and have made regular contributions to the running of the division - mainly behind the scenes - keeping examinations running, advising on procedure changes and revisions and providing input on many courses such as Military ATC endorsement and the Shanwick Oceanic endorsement. They have also been reliable a

Chris Pawley

Chris Pawley in Staff Changes

VATSIM UK Division Director

Applications are now open for the VATSIM UK Division Director position. The Division Director is responsible for online activity growth, ATC provisioning, and ATC training within their division. The duties listed below are intended for further delegation, in part, but the ultimate responsibility lies with the Division Director. A Division Director is expected to be able to commit to at least 2 years in the role and should take this into consideration before applying. REPORTS TO: V

Simon Irvine

Simon Irvine in Vacancy

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