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A group blog by DSG in Division Updates

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Contributors to this blog

  • Chris Pawley 44
  • Simon Irvine 37
  • Daniel Crookes 27
  • Ben Wright 21
  • 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

United Kingdom

New Division Director

The last few weeks have been busy, as you can imagine, but even so, this message is well overdue. Firstly,  thanks to those people who have taken a moment to welcome me to my new job. I have agreed with Simon that my appointment should be of fixed term, lasting no later than the 1st February 2022. At this moment there is an opportunity to terminate the appointment or to re-appoint me as division director - but this is a choice to be made by the regional director.   I am grateful to Simon
Chris Pawley

Chris Pawley in United Kingdom

0
United Kingdom

New Deputy Division Director

I have been thinking about bringing a Deputy back for the past few months but have held off. It has not been easy as there are many people with the skills and attributes to do the UK2 job, and having been UK2 myself i know what it takes to be a great deputy. With this in mind I am delighted to announce that Nathan Donnelly has accepted my offer to be the Deputy Division Director.   Nathan is no stranger to the Division with previous staff roles in both pilot and more recently ATC
Simon Irvine

Simon Irvine in United Kingdom

28
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

0
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

6
United Kingdom

Merry Christmas....and other news

I want to thank everyone who has helped the Division this year whether it be flying in for an exam, mentoring, helping with sector files, document writing, staff roles, the list goes on.  You have all had a part in making this a great year for the Division. 2019 was another great year for the Division with more training, some great events and fantastic member engagement meaning that documentation and sector files were up to date and we were at the forefront of the testing for Audio for Vats
Simon Irvine

Simon Irvine in United Kingdom

19
United Kingdom

Merry Christmas from VATSIM UK

At this time of year, it's always good to reflect on the last 12 months and what to look forward to in the New Year. Firstly, I want to thank everyone who has helped the Division this year whether it be flying in for an exam, mentoring, helping with sector files, document writing, staff roles, the list goes on.  You have all had a part in making this a great year for the Division. Before we look ahead to 2018 let's have a quick look back at 2017 and thank some of the people that made o
Simon Irvine

Simon Irvine in United Kingdom

4
United Kingdom

Merry Christmas from VATSIM UK

I want to thank everyone who has helped the Division this year whether it be flying in for an exam, mentoring, helping with sector files, document writing, staff roles, the list goes on.  You have all had a part in making this a great year for the Division. 2018 has been a great year for VATSIM UK.  We have seen more students pass ATC and Pilot exams than ever before. We now have a brand new website. Community Awards have been rolled out. Our documentation and sector files have been updated
Simon Irvine

Simon Irvine in United Kingdom

8
United Kingdom

Merry Christmas from VATSIM UK

As 2020 draws to a close (a year many of us will be happy to see the back of) we have spent some time reflecting on recent achievements and saying thank you to the important contibutors within the division (You can find here the end of year messages from Training and Marketing). Both on and off the network, there have been many challenges which we have not always been in control of or predicted. Thanks to the hard work of hundreds of volunteers the division continues to grow and rise to mee
Chris Pawley

Chris Pawley in United Kingdom

0
United Kingdom

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

On behalf of everyone in VATSIM UK, let me wish all of our community a happy and healthy Christmas and prosperous and enjoyable 2022! As 2021 draws to a close, we reflect on another turbulent and challenging year outside of the network. While many of us had a return towards normality in the summer and autumn, we have seen widespread distruption for many celebrating with friends and family this week. Additionally, we have the prospect of a new year which is likely to bring new restrictions a
Chris Pawley

Chris Pawley in United Kingdom

0
United Kingdom

Member Support Department

Over the past few months, you may have heard some rumours about a new department in the Division (known to some as Department X ?).  I am pleased to say that I can give some more information on our plans. Since we disbanded the Community Department we have been looking at ways we can best serve you, if you are looking for help and support in the Division. The new department will deal with most of the administration that we deal with in the Division allowing the other departments to concentr
Simon Irvine

Simon Irvine in United Kingdom

0
United Kingdom

Marketing End of Year Message 2020

Hello everyone, please see below the end of year statement from the marketing department.   I can’t believe we’re at the end of 2020 already, where has the year gone? Before I break down different areas of the department, I would like to take a moment to share my appreciation towards every person which makes the clock tick in marketing, the Graphics, Livestreaming and Rostering teams all make this possible, so it is now time to follow in the footsteps of training and take a break
Loui Ringer

Loui Ringer in United Kingdom

1
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

0
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

0
United Kingdom

January 2025 Update

Good Evening and a Happy New Year!   An update is once again long overdue and as the beginning of a new year is always a great time for both reflection and looking to the future, I can think of no better time than now. Starting in somewhat standard fashion with staff changes, in November 2024 we welcomed @Jack Edwards into the role of Operations Director. Jack agreed to take this position to enact a number of internal changes in the Department, with one of the primary focuses being to
Ben Wright

Ben Wright in United Kingdom

0
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

0
United Kingdom

It's not the end of the world, but you can see it from here.

Hi All,   It is with great sadness that I must inform you all of my decision to step down from the role of ATC Training Director and away from VATSIM for the foreseeable future. This has not been an easy decision to make, but I believe that it is in the best interests of both myself and the division.   For all you conspiracy theorists out there, I know we all love a good scandal on VATSIM and we love to speculate who got hacked off or which part of collective responsibility got v
Andy Ford

Andy Ford in United Kingdom

28
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

0
United Kingdom

Gunnar Lindahl - Q&A - Sunday 30th September 1900z

I am delighted to announce that the VATSIM President, Gunnar Lindahl will be holding a Q&A on Sunday 30th September from 8pm local.  This will take place in the VATSIM UK teamspeak. You will have the chance to ask Gunnar a question on the night, or if you can't be there or want to put in a question in advance please send a question via our Twitter account, @vatsimuk using #askgunnar or email [email protected].  We look forward to seeing you there.  
Simon Irvine

Simon Irvine in United Kingdom

3
United Kingdom

Global Control Adminstration Policy (GCAP) feedback

The UK Division has provided a lengthy feedback document privately to the authors of the new global controller administration policy (GCAP). We are broadly supportive of a new policy which unifies some of the key policies which determine how many elements of our division operate. With this in mind there are some concerns which remain in the current draft. We believe it is especially important to ensure that all divisions are treated equally; regardless of their (internal) structure. In addition,
Chris Pawley

Chris Pawley in United Kingdom

0
United Kingdom

GDPR - What It Means For You

Unless you've been living under a rock, you will have heard of the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) that comes into effect on May 25th. What you may not know is what it means, how it may affect you and why organisations of all sizes are flooding your inbox with "please click here to say we can contact you" links... I don't study the law... but what is GDPR? I don't either so I'll give you the key points! GDPR... is the biggest shake up to data protection regulations in aro
VATSIM UK Web Services

VATSIM UK Web Services in United Kingdom

1
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

19
United Kingdom

Flight Training Exercises

VATSIM UK is proud to announce the launch of Flight Training Exercises! https://core.vatsim.uk/fte/dashboard So, what is it? Flight Training Exercises is a new system that will allow you to track your flight whilst completing your chosen exercise. We are initially launching with 5 VFR challenges that will take you from the busy airspace around London Biggin Hill Aiport (EGKB) to the South-West coast of the UK. Whilst you fly through the skies, in the background, TFDi's 'smartCARS' appl
Daniel Crookes

Daniel Crookes in United Kingdom

26
United Kingdom

February Changes

Hi all, There’ve been a few staff changes over the past few months. Thanks to: •    @Fraser Cooper for his work as TGI in TG1; •    @Tom Szczypinski for his work as a TGM in TGNC; •    @Tom Knowles for his work as IFR Flight Instructor; •    @James Gibson for his work as Development Flight Instructor. And welcome to: •    @Oliver Gates, who’s joining the team as a TGI for TG1 – he’ll be working with Nathan to develop the mentoring team in TG1 (a TGI for TG2 will be coming
Daniel Crookes

Daniel Crookes in United Kingdom

17
United Kingdom

DSG Meeting Minutes Published

This week, we have published several versions of the minutes of previous DSG meetings. This covers almost all of the meetings held in 2022. We plan a change in process to inform the community about the content of these meetings at a more regular interval moving forward.   On behalf of the DSG, Chris.
Chris Pawley

Chris Pawley in United Kingdom

0
United Kingdom

DSG Changes

Nathan Donnelly is standing down as Deputy Division Director with immediate effect. I would like to thank Nathan for his support and friendship over the past 2 and a half years that he has been in the role.  As Dan had indicated last month, Nathan will also be relinquishing his TG1 Instructor role.  
Simon Irvine

Simon Irvine in United Kingdom

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