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Contributors to this blog

  • Chris Pawley 44
  • Simon Irvine 37
  • Daniel Crookes 27
  • Ben Wright 22
  • 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

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

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

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

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

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

[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

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

[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] Operations Director

The Operations Department is responsible for the creation and maintenance of our sector file, controller pack, local procedures and documents, letters of agreement and temporary procedures. The Operations Department also supports the Events Team during the event planning phase to assess event feasibility and provide guidance in order to ensure the success of events. The Operations Director’s main responsibility is to provide leadership to the Operations Department. Other responsibilities of

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

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

Resignation - Dave Woodward

Good Evening All,   It is with sadness that I announce Dave Woodward’s departure from the VATSIM UK DSG and staff team effective immediately. Dave joined our team at the beginning of this year as Training Group Instructor for TG Enroute and, during his tenure, has been working hard to supervise the training of our C1 students. In stark contrast to this time last year, our C1 waiting lists currently stands at just 12 members, a large part of which is down to the effort which Dave has in

Ben Wright

Ben Wright in United Kingdom

[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

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

VATSIM UK Christmas Social

All,   It’s almost that time of the year, and what better a way to get in the Christmas spirit than dinner and drinks with your fellow VATSIM-ers? The VATSIM UK Christmas Social will be held in Birmingham on 30 November - join us for dinner at 19:30 at the Indian Cafe Racer, followed by one of the below group activities: VATSIM UK Christmas quiz, likely to be held at a hotel bar Darts at the Flight Club Birmingham Crazy golf at Golf Fang Birmingham Dinner w

Ben Wright

Ben Wright in United Kingdom

Department Restructuring

As alluded to during my October 2024 update, there are some planned changes to the structure of the Marketing Department. To summarise, this involves the splitting of the Marketing Department into Events and Social Media, with Events moving to fall under the Operations Department’s remit. Social Media responsibilities will move to the current Member Services Department, which will rebrand to become the Community Department. Luke Thompson and Thomas Hallam will move to the Operations and Communit

Ben Wright

Ben Wright 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 Operations Director

Good Afternoon All, Following Dave Woodward's resignation from the DSG, I am pleased to announce Jack Edwards as the new Operations Director. Many of you will already know Jack from staff roles he has held over the years, such as Division Instructor, and a previous stint as Operation Director. Jack's previous experience within the DSG and wider staff team makes him an excellent appointment - I look forward to working alongside him and seeing the Operations Department progress under his lead

Ben Wright

Ben Wright in United Kingdom

New Operations Director

Good Evening All,   Following the departure of @Jack Edwards from the role of Operations Director, I am thrilled to announce @Archie Middlefell as his successor following the conclusion of our recruitment process last week. Archie has a wealth of experience within the Operations Department as well as a number of ideas he wishes to implement moving forwards. I am certain that the Operations Department will continue to thrive under Archie's leadership, and I look forward to working along

Ben Wright

Ben Wright in United Kingdom

[Vacancy] Operations Director

The Operations Department is responsible for the creation and maintenance of our sector file, controller pack, local procedures and documents, letters of agreement and temporary procedures. The Operations Department also holds responsibility for managing the Events Team who plan and execute online events within the UK. The Operations Director’s main responsibility is to provide leadership to the Operations Department. Other responsibilities of the role include: Continually - Providi

Ben Wright

Ben Wright in United Kingdom

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