What's Changing?

Each of the Pilot Training waiting lists can be subject to three types of restrictions:

1. Minimum network experience
   This requires members to have a minimum number of flying and/or ATC hours on the VATSIM network
2. Minimum activity
   This requires members on the list to maintain a minimum amount of activity on the VATSIM network
3. Maximum list size
   This will close enrollment to the list if it reaches a predetermined size

The implementation of these three control measures will vary with time and the demand for any given course.

The following controls remain in place:

• The P1 PPL(A) course will not be available to visiting members
  • This is due to the demand for the P1 from home members and will be continually assessed
• Both the P1 PPL(A) and P2 SEIR(A) require Moodle course completion to receive a training place

Note: these changes, along with the full policy for training place allocations, will be formally written into a policy document within the next quarter.

How will it work?

The maximum list size will be handled automatically through logic in the self-enrollment system. Additionally, the Community team will not process waiting list additions manually if the list has reached its capacity.

Minimum network experience will be determined manually by the Pilot Training Department team through software tools. I estimate that these checks will be run on a weekly basis. If a member joins the list with insufficient network experience, they will be removed from the list at the next check and notified of the reason for the removal. The member may rejoin the list without any restriction at a later date once they have the minimum network experience.

Minimum activity will also be manually tracked by the Pilot Training Department team through software tools. Activity will be assessed over a fixed period, beginning on the first day of the month following the member’s initial join date. The member will be notified at the end of the activity period if they did not meet the minimum activity requirement. A member will be removed from the list if they receive three or more activity reminders without providing mitigating circumstances.
For example, if a member joins a list with a 3-month activity window on 12 May 2025, their activity will be measured from 1 June 2025 at 00:00:00z until 31 August 2025 at 23:59:59z. If the member accumulates 10 hours within this period then they are considered active and their next activity window will begin on 1 September 2025 at 00:00:00z.

I'm currently on the list. What happens now?

The activity window for all members currently on the list will start on 1 July 2025 at 00:00:00z.

Members on the list who do not meet the minimum network experience will be given the opportunity to engage with the network and acquire 10 hours of network experience by 31 July 2025 at 23:59:59z. If the member meets this, they will be expected to acquire the remaining minimum experience before the end of their activity window.

An email referencing this post and explaining how it is individually applicable will be sent out over the next few days to all members of the waiting list.

P1 PPL(A) List Controls

The P1 PPL(A) will receive the strictest control measures due to the excessive demand for the course.

1. Minimum network experience
   • Members with no ATC experience are required to have a minimum of 30 hours of flying time logged on the VATSIM network
   • Members with ATC experience are required to have a minimum of 15 hours of flying time logged on the VATSIM network
   • In the future, members who have completed The Flying Programme will be credited with a reduced hour requirement
2. Minimum activity
   • Members who do not control within the specified activity period are required to have a minimum of 10 hours of flying every 3 months
   • Members who do control within the specified activity period are required to have a minimum of 5 hours of flying every 3 months
3. Maximum list size
   • The maximum size of the P1 PPL(A) waiting list is 100 members

Note: Members are required to complete the P1 Moodle course before receiving a training place. Any members near the top of the waiting list without Moodle completion will be notified and given 1 month to complete the course.

P2 SEIR(A) List Controls

The P2 SEIR(A) will receive the following control measures.

1. Minimum network experience
   • Members are required to have a minimum of 60 hours of flying time logged on the VATSIM network
2. Minimum activity
   • Members are required to have a minimum of 10 hours of flying every 3 months
3. Maximum list size
   • The maximum size of the P1 PPL(A) waiting list is 20 members

Note: Members are required to complete the P2 Moodle course before receiving a training place. Any members near the top of the waiting list without Moodle completion will be notified and given 1 month to complete the course.

Why is this necessary?

Firstly, these changes are long overdue. The P1 waiting list has been unmanageably long for a significant amount of time. This has meant that we could not give accurate waiting times for people on the list.

Since the P1 started, we used the Moodle course as the only criteria for people to get a training place. However, this has proved to be unhelpful. Students get to the course having forgotten most of the theory and it has not been an effective stopgap in managing the list size.

As of 16 June 2025, this is the distribution of people on the list sorted into bins by join month:

As is evident by the massive spikes this year, the majority of people on the P1 list joined within the last 2 months. 

I then looked at the amount of network experience people on the list had with flying and controlling on VATSIM:

The list has 189 members on it. The vast majority of people on the list do not have any ATC experience. 84 of the people on the list have less than 50 flying hours on the network, of which 73 have less than 30 hours. Worryingly, 30 people on the list have never logged onto VATSIM as either a pilot or an ATC.

While we strive to offer training opportunities to as many students as possible, practical limitations make this unachievable. Data consistently shows a strong correlation between a student’s network activity and their engagement with the P1 course. Furthermore, those with broader foundational experience on the network tend to perform significantly better when operating in controlled or high-traffic airspace.

Prolonged waiting times, caused by slow training progression and an imbalance between demand and available mentors, can demotivate even the most promising candidates. We believe this has, in some cases, led to the loss of potential mentors.

The P1 course is currently our strongest performer and ranks among the highest-performing programmes in the division. After reviewing relevant statistics with both our Flight Instructors and the Pilot Training Manager, we have concluded that introducing additional restrictions to all training lists is the most effective way forward. These changes will enhance the overall quality of training, increase the conversion rate from student to mentor, and enable us to provide more accurate waiting time estimates to those on the list.

The effectiveness of these changes will be monitored over the next two quarters of 2025 and will be reviewed in Q1 2026.