Blogs

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 in United Kingdom

December 22, 2023

Training

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 in Training

December 19, 2023

ATC Training

Merry Christmas from ATC & Pilot Training

Merry Christmas from the Training Departments! We're entering that time of year where many of us have a little less time to spend online and as such you'll see less mentoring and a slower response time to tickets. From today (18th December) to Monday 8th January, students in both Pilot and ATC Training programmes are not required to have a session request or availability in the system. This includes those forwarded for exams, who should expect their exam to be conducted in January. Be

Kieran Hardern in ATC Training

December 18, 2023

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 in United Kingdom

December 18, 2023

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 in United Kingdom

December 16, 2023

Pilot Training

Moodle Theory Exam Changes

Hi all! In light of .net's recommendations with our recent Pilot Training audit, there have been some changes made to the Moodle theory exams. For both the P1 PPL(A) and P2 SEIR(A) courses, the three and two exams respectively have been concatenated to one exam with the same question weighting. The changes are as follows: P1 PPL(A) Three exams -> One exam Pass mark 75% -> 70% Total questions 60 -> 40 Total time 90 minutes -> 60 minutes

Darren Hill in Pilot Training

December 12, 2023

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 in United Kingdom

December 11, 2023

[Vacancy] Tower TG Lead Mentor

The ATC Training Department is looking to recruit an experienced mentor to the Tower TG, to act as Lead Mentor. You must as a minimum be a mentor at TWR level. Application Deadline: Monday 20th December 23:59z Role Description In conjunction with other Lead Mentors / TG Instructors, the new Lead Mentor will: Select and train new mentors; Work to motivate the mentoring team and driving mentoring levels; Maintain training standards in their designated group (in

Kieran Hardern in Vacancy

November 29, 2023

Resignation of TGI Tower

Regretfully, I must announce that @Daniel Blanco has stepped down as the TG Instructor for TWR. Daniel held this position for a year and a half, appointed by Adam in June 2022 at a time when we'd had a reasonably rapid turnover of TG staff. I'd like to thank him for his time in the role, keeping things stable and keeping up standards during this challenging time. Daniel and Will have kept TG TWR going this year, facilitating many hundreds of mentoring sessions. We look forward to seein

Kieran Hardern in Staff Changes

November 29, 2023

[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 in Vacancy

November 21, 2023

[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 in Vacancy

November 21, 2023

[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 in Vacancy

November 21, 2023

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 in Staff Changes

November 21, 2023

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 in Staff Changes

November 21, 2023

vacancy 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 in Vacancy

November 17, 2023

Enroute Operations Coordinator & Enroute TGI Resigns

It is with huge regret that I must announce what many in the community have known for a while. Harry, our Enroute Operations Coordinator will sadly be leaving his role in Operations and as the Enroute TGI at the end of 2023. Harry has been in his Operations post since October 2020, appointed by my predecessor Jack. During these 3 years, he has promoted our Enroute documentation to new highs - most notably with the creation of the Scottish vMATS, substantial clarity on our general Area proce

Kieran Hardern in Staff Changes

November 15, 2023

Member Services

John Batten Member Services Director Resignation

Hi all, I would like to let you know that I'm stepping down from Member Services Director. I have decided this for two reason. Firstly I have an upcoming promotion at work which is exciting but I am going to have to put that first and put a lot of time into it to prepare Secondly I feel while I had an initial success getting Visiting and Transferring open again with the opening of C1/C3 transfers this has since stalled. I feel someone else will have the skills and experience to f

John Batten in Member Services

November 15, 2023

Operations

AFIS/AGO Endorsement Positions Updated

I am pleased to announce that from November 3rd at 0001z, the S1 AFIS/AGO endorsement will cover an additional 41 fields that provide Air/Ground Radio or Aerodrome Flight Information Service. The list is updated on the Endorsement Page of the VATSIM UK website in advance of this change: https://www.vatsim.uk/atc/endorsements Please note that this change co-incides with the 8.33 frequency implementation and all AFIS/AG positions must have the latest sector file and utilise the correct f

Kieran Hardern in Operations

November 2, 2023

VFR Flight Instructor

Hi all! I am pleased to announce that @Benjamin Arrowsmith is joining us as the new VFR Flight Instructor! Ben brings a wealth of real-world instructing experience and has presented some insightful ideas for moving the P1 course forward. Over the next week, I'll be handing over to Ben and he will lead the course (including it's practical rewrite 👀). Welcome to the team Ben! Safe landings ✈️

Darren Hill in Staff Changes

October 10, 2023