Blogs

Division Instructors - Review and Appointments

As part of my review of ATC Training when I took on this post at the end of last year, I sought to understand the roles that are in place across the department, from department assistants to training group leads and mentors to division instructors. It's this latter group that is the subject of this blog post. For many, many years, division across VATSIM - including here in VATSIM UK - have recognised the experience and seniority of some of our most capable mentors through their appointment

Adam Arkley in ATC Training

January 16, 2024

Review Findings and First Steps

Good evening, all, As many of you will be aware, I have promised openness and transparency following my appointment and both publicly and within my teams, have shared details of the plan that I intend to follow for ATC Training moving forwards. On Tuesday of this week, Ben Wright chaired the first DSG meeting of both the year and his tenure and, during that meeting, I asked to present my findings on ATC Training across the division so far and my high-level, unordered plan for the future. I

Adam Arkley in ATC Training

January 4, 2024

appointment TG Enroute - Appointment

Good evening all, I'm tremendously pleased to announce the appointment of @David Woodward who will lead TG Enroute moving forwards. Dave is no stranger to VATSIM, having led ATC Training in Bahrain as well as having previously been Division Director in VATSIM Sub-Saharan Arica. Dave's been a home member in VATSIM UK for some time now, mentoring in TG Enroute and sharing his expertise from his day job with both the ATC Training and Operations departments. As Dave is appointed, we must s

Adam Arkley in ATC Training

January 4, 2024

Pilot Training

VATSIM UK needs volunteers for the new P3 Course!

VATSIM UK is asking for talented aviation lovers wanting to help the divison create a new P3 course. Course content creators You will be given the resource, guidance, and support needed to help us create the lesson content needed for the P3 course. The P3 is being created with a radically new approach in comparison to the P1 and P2 courses, and you will be involved in the implementation of a brand new training system. Those involved in the creation of the course will also have t

Tarik Merrylees in Pilot Training

January 4, 2024

Staff Changes

Advanced Flight Instructor

Hi all! I am pleased to announce that @Tarik Merrylees is joining Pilot Training as our first Advanced Flight Instructor! Tarik has an extensive background in real-world instructing. His passion for developing the P3 CMEL(A) course and bringing a new perspective to the Department is simply fantastic! While we will not commit to any release date, the P3 CMEL(A) is now officially under development! Welcome Tarik! Safe landings ✈️

Darren Hill in Staff Changes

January 4, 2024

Operations Vacancies

As we go into 2024, the Operations Department is short of a few staff members. I would like to recruit at least 2 new members to the Operations department in January. As part of this, I would encourage anyone with an interest to reach out to me with any questions. Many of the roles in the department require a high level and breadth of knowledge and experience to be able to perform effectively, and we do not expect perfection from a new candidate. The department works very collaboratively an

Kieran Hardern in Vacancy

January 2, 2024

Operations

Happy New Year - Operations 2024

Happy new year of AIRACs from the Operations Department. I have to start the post with a thank you to my staff for yet another year of hard work. @Luke Brown, Harry, @Peter Mooney, @Adam Arkley, @Kye Taylor, @Chad Byworth and @Harrison Grose, thank you for all you've put in over 2023 and for all the jobs behind-the-scenes that go unnnoticed. Network Traffic The network continues to get busier - and the UK is no exception, with nearly 80000 more movements than last year. Currently

Kieran Hardern in Operations

January 2, 2024

2023 - A Year in Review

As 2023 leaves us and we bid a fond greeting to 2024, many will be undertaking a period of reflection and, as is tradition, we'll take a quick look back at ATC Training over the year. Before that, an extraordinary thanks needs to be given to all of our mentors, examiners, instructors and ATC training staff that make everything that we do possible. Mentoring controllers is hard work. Our mentors take people who have likely never, ever worked with, in or near Air Traffic Management before and

Adam Arkley in ATC Training

January 1, 2024

ATC Training - Review and Appointment

Good afternoon, all, I'm tremendously pleased to have been appointed as ATC Training Director and look forward to working with you all to improve the provision of ATC Training across the division. To those of you that have sent congratulatory messages; thank you - I appreciate them greatly. I realise that recent staff changes have caused some turbulence in the division, including within ATC Training and my thanks go to Kieran and the wider DSG for ensuring the smooth running of the departme

Adam Arkley in ATC Training

December 23, 2023

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

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

Staff Changes

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