All Activity

Valid Thursday 3 July 2024 – Sunday 6 July 2025 During the weekend of the Qatar Airways British Grand Prix 2025, Silverstone Heliport and Turweston Aerodrome have adopted the following procedures; A temporary ATZ of radius 2 NM centred on Silverstone Heliport (EGBV) from SFC - 2000 ft AAL (excluding the portion of airspace which overlaps with the Turweston Aerodrome (EGBT) Restricted Area [Temporary]) is established for the duration. Any aircraft within this airspace must obtain clearance from Silverstone Tower. Additionally, two temporary restricted areas have been established. The Turweston restricted area, and the Silverstone restricted area. Both extend from the surface to 3500 ft. Traffic must obtain permission from the relevant controlling authority to enter the area. Traffic inside the Silverstone/Turweston restricted area is to maintain their own separation. Procedures Silverstone features two helipads during the Grand Prix weekend, the permanent one located in the centre of the circuit, and a temporary one located in the south-eastern corner of the circuit. The permanent Silverstone Heliport (elevation 484 ft) is located in the centre of the racing circuit and comprises a FATO - 06/24 with parking to the south of the FATO adjacent to the car parking spaces. Circuits operate to the south of the FATO at 1500 ft QNH. This heliport is typically used for television helicopters. A second temporary heliport, known as the ‘F1 Heliport’ (elevation 495 ft) has been established in the south east corner of the circuit. It comprises a FATO - 03/21 with parking to the west adjacent to the FATO, marked 1 through 6, and B through D. Numerous aircraft may use the FATO at the same time. This heliport is typically used for VIP traffic and transfers to the circuit. The temporary heliport is shown in this video. Four reporting points are established - North Point, East Point, West Point and South Point as depicted in the figure below. VFR holds are established for inbound traffic at East Point for FATO 24 and 21 and South Point for FATO 06 and 03. Traffic must route via these holds to final. Departing traffic may route via any of the exit sectors at 1000 ft. Upon initial contact, arriving aircraft are to be instructed by tower to join (at 1500 ft) or hold (between 1500 ft and 2500 ft) and should be passed the QNH. When aircraft have passed the south or east point, Silverstone Tower will instuct the aircraft to 'Report final with Pad'. Pad will either assign the aircraft a gate or be told to continue. Winds and an explicit landing clearance are omitted from the gate instruction. The clearance shall be '[Callsign] Gate 1'. Aircraft ready to depart should be instructed to do one of the following; “Hold” - hold position at your Gate “Line up” - lift, turn around, move forward from your Gate and line up with the FATO “Back up” - lift, move backwards and line up with the FATO “Lift and go” - from your Gate, or when lined up, lift, turn around, fly along the FATO, and climb away normally “Helipad lift and go” - from your Gate, line up at the FATO threshold, and climb away normally “Lift and go vertical” - from your Gate, move forward in line with your Gate, and climb away vertically to a safe height before continuing forwards (usually used for traffic departing directly from Gates at the departure end of the FATO) F1 Heliport Gates Once aircraft are clear of the FATO they will route to leave via one of the reporting points and should report leaving the frequency. If holding is in progress in the aircrafts exit sector, Pad my hand the aircraft to Tower. When Tower and Pad are offline, Silverstone Radio assumes responsibility for the RA(T). Silverstone Radio is not to issue any instructions and is only an advisory service. Approved Positions Controllers rated S2+ may control the following positions, Silverstone Tower - EGBV_TWR (123.330 MHz) - Responsible for Silverstone Heliport, Aston Martin Helipad, Medical Helipad, Holds, Outbound Traffic, Silverstone ATZ and the Silverstone restricted area. Silverstone Pad - EGBV_H_TWR (130.280 MHz) - Responsible for the F1 Heliport, parking and FATO. Receives traffic once they have left the hold. May only be opened with EGBV_TWR online. Controllers rated S1+ with the FISO/A/G endorsement may control the following positions, Turweston Radio - EGBT_R_TWR (122.180 MHz) - Responsible for Turweston Aerodrome and the Turweston Restricted Area. Silverstone Radio - EGBV_R_TWR (121.080 MHz) - Responsible for A/G services at the Silverstone Heliport (not the F1 helipad). May not be opened when Pad or Tower are online. Silverstone has a dedicated ATIS frequency of 121.180 MHz (EGBV_ATIS) Euroscope files, including an SMR and a .ese file for Silverstone and Turweston can be downloaded here, courtesy of @Daniel Button More information can be found in the AIC, however please not the times and dates of the real AIC do not apply to this temporary instruction.

Hi all! Please take note of the purple supplements/corrections to the original post for changes made on 2 July 2025 after further consultation with members and PT staff.

What's Changing? Each of the Pilot Training waiting lists can be subject to three types of restrictions: Minimum network experience This requires members to have a minimum number of flying and/or ATC hours on the VATSIM network Minimum activity This requires members on the list to maintain a minimum amount of activity on the VATSIM network 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 two 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. Supplement for clarification (2 July 2025): Activity will be measured for the period 1 April 2025 00:00:00z to 30 June 2025 23:59:59z to determine the initial activity for everyone on the waiting list. The "strike system" will come into effect, with the first strikes being issued on 1 October 2025. If a home member has at least 10 hours of flying (or 5 hours if they are an active ATC) in that period, they will receive an email notifying them of these changes. If a home member has less than 10 hours of flying (or 5 hours if they are an active ATC) in that period, they will be informed by email. Between 1 July 2025 00:00:00z and 30 September 2025 23:59:59z, the member must complete at least 10 hours of flying (or 5 hours if they are an active ATC). If the member has not completed the minimum hours, they will be removed from the waiting list. A visiting member must complete 10 hours of flying (or 5 hours if they are an active ATC) before 1 August 2025 00:00:00z to be moved to the master list with their original join date. P1 PPL(A) List Controls The P1 PPL(A) will receive the strictest control measures due to the excessive demand for the course. 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 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 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. Minimum network experience Members are required to have a minimum of 60 hours of flying time logged on the VATSIM network Minimum activity Members are required to have a minimum of 10 hours of flying every 3 months 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.

VATSIM UK and the Portuguese vACC are partnering to bring you an event to kick off summer! Join us on an unique one way city shuttle between Bristol (EGGD), heart of the West Country, known for Banksy, cider and greenery as far as the eye can see and Porto (LPPR), Portugal's riverside gem known for the famous Port Wine, the UNESCO-listed old town and the scenic approach into runway 35 over the city. We hope to see you on the 12 of July, with departures from EGGD from 1400-1600z and arrivals into LPPR from 1600-1800z.

Waiting Lists Are Now Self-Enrollable! We’re excited to announce that all ATC and Pilot rating-based waiting lists are now self-enrollable. These are available through https://www.vatsim.uk/mship/waiting-lists If you meet the required rating and hour criteria, you’ll be able to add yourself directly, meaning no more waiting to be manually added by a staff member. This change brings several benefits: Reduces the workload on our Community Department. Ensures a faster and fairer process for members. Helps the division move towards greater automation, allowing staff to focus more on development and support. Note: Some ATC endorsement lists such as Heathrow TWR/APP are unavailable for self-enrolment. These lists require prerequisite endorsements that must be checked manually for the time being. Please continue to submit tickets for these as normal. A huge thank you to our Technology Team for making this possible! Their continued work behind the scenes is helping us create a more streamlined and modern experience to members. Going forward, any questions about ATC waiting lists (e.g. "Am I eligible?", "Why isn’t it moving?", "Where am I on the list?") should be directed to the ATC Training Department, not Community.

Thanks for your hard work Cole! Don't be a stranger a ✈️

Good job Cholay! Good luck cooking your own steaks ❤️

Hi everyone, After joining the VATSIM UK Pilot Department in September 2023, I’ve made the decision to step down from the Initial Flight Instructor role. It’s been a genuinely rewarding experience to contribute to The Flying Programme, especially during a period of significant growth and change across the division. Life, however, has a habit of catching up with us all, and I’ve found it increasingly difficult to give the role the time and attention it deserves. I’m proud of what I’ve been able to contribute and grateful for the opportunity to work alongside such dedicated and passionate individuals and wish everyone the best of luck for the future. A huge thank you to everyone who’s supported me along the way - it's been a pleasure to be part of the team. Cole

It’s been in the events teams diary for months, so I'm delighted finally to announce the latest rendition of VATSIM UK's longest running event! An event that was first held in 2006, Mid Summer Madness is an annual event based out of Birmingham Airport (EGBB. On Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd August, Birmingham will host the 19th edition of its annual Mid Summer Madness (MSM) Event. Birmingham Airport will be fully staffed from 0900-1700Z on 2nd August and 0900-1500z on 3rd August. There are no flight bookings, so just turn up and fly to and/or from EGBB in whatever you like, when ever you like and as many times as you like! Please help us celebrate the 19th anniversary of this fantastic event by flying in and out of Birmingham - the skies are guaranteed to be busy around Birmingham! To help manage the sanity of our controllers, some airports may be subject to flow restrictions. We appreciate your patience in the event these flow measures affect your flight. Most of your controllers and a few of your fellow pilots will be sat in the same room coordinating in person in real time. We really hope you can help us make this the best Mid Summer Madness event yet! Prizes This year we've again teamed up with some amazing flight simulation software companies. Thanks to the generosity of these fantastic companies, we're able to offer the following prizes to pilots who fly in or out of Birmingham during the event weekend: Velocity Flight Training – 30 minute fixed-base Boeing 737 simulator ride British Avgeek – merchandise from online store Mystery Prize – from a well known addon creator Inbuilds – £45 store gift card for use on an item of your choice Pyreegue Dev Co – free copy of their upcoming Birmingham Scenery FS2Crew – 1 copy for a product of your choice These prizes will be available to win for pilots for the below: One for the pilot who flies the furthest distance whilst online to be with us, either departing or arriving Birmingham EGBB during event hours. Remaining prizes at random for pilots who fly a full flight online into or out of Birmingham EGBB during event hours. Winners will be contacted via the VATSIM UK Discord by a member of the MSM event team after the event to claim their prize. Please make sure you are registered there and check regularly after the event in case you win. We have also partnered this year with some of the UK’s favourite virtual airlines. Thanks to those who have offered to join us for the event: vEZY, BAVirtual, vEXS, UKV, vRYR, BVX (Osprey), vTUI, UNI – check with your favourite VA for more information! Thanks again to our sponsors who have made this possible. We hope to see you there! Controllers please note, Birmingham positions for this event will be staffed by those in attendance at the venue. Support with enroute and adjacent control would be greatly appreciated.

Effective 12 June 2025 Some of Prestwick's SIDs/RNAV transitions have been re-designated after waypoint OKNOB was replaced with AKODA, and UTITI replaced with MIJAG. TRN2S -> TRN3S SUMIN2S -> SUMIN3S OKNOB1L -> AKODA1L Documentation Status The Prestwick (EGPK) documentation at docs.vatsim.uk has been updated.

Effective 12 June 2025 Some of Guernsey's SIDs have been re-designated after waypoint PIKEY was renamed to VAXMA. LUSIT1E -> LUSIT2E GULDA1W/1E -> GULDA2W/2E Documentation Status The Guernsey (EGJB) controller documentation will be amended at the next release.

From 2025/06, the Sector File has a new home! The Sector File is included in the controller pack, but if you need to download it separately: https://docs.vatsim.uk/General/Software Downloads/Controller Pack %26 Sector File/

Get ready for one of Europe's biggest aviation gatherings! VATSIM UK will be hosting a Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT) Fly In. Held at RAF Fairford (EGVA) on the 13th of July from 1830-2100z, we invite people to come and celebrate the magic of military and civil aviation. RAF Fairford will be fully staffed, ready to handle a variety of inbounds. We invite VSOAs to attend, as well as civilian aircraft (which make up a small section of RIAT). Please note this event will not be simulating the aerial display part of the airshow. It's purely a fly in. A briefing will be published before the event. Controllers wishing to control this event should book via the CTS

Effective 12 June 2025 FAO: LAC Lakes; MPC West; Antrim; ScAC Rathlin Summary The sectorisation between Lakes & Rathlin, and PC West & Antrim is being revised. The changes will transfer airspace: From Rathlin → Lakes - for traffic via new COP WETFI (see this procedure change post) in EGPX FRA that will remain with AC Lakes before transfer to Shannon From Rathlin → Lakes - to give Lakes more room for vectoring in an area south of REMSI From PC West → Antrim - to enable earlier descent of Belfast inbounds. Revised Sector Diagrams LAC Lakes MPC West Antrim ScAC Rathlin Documentation Status The London (EGTT) and Scottish (EGPX) vMATS Part 2 and Agreed Levels Diagrams will be amended to coincide with this change. Revised versions will be available at docs.vatsim.uk/Enroute from the effective date.

Effective 12 June 2025 Introduction A new COP WETFI has been established north of BAGSO for Shannon overflights via northern Oceanic Entry Points (excluding MTMA outbounds). Traffic via WETFI will show intention code L6. The COP is situated in the part of the EGPX FRA volume newly transferred from ScAC Rathlin to LAC Lakes (see this procedure change post). We have also taken the opportunity to review our LoA with VATeir, permitting: cross-border FRA directs by Lakes into Shannon airspace RFC and RFT of all westbound traffic transferred from Lakes to Shannon after passing abeam RAMOX unlimited RFC and RFT of MTMA outbounds from PC West to Shannon after passing abeam RAMOX. vMATS Procedure Deleted text – red and strikethrough. New text in blue. LAC 6 | North LAG | AC Lakes LAC 6.4.4 Coordination with Shannon LAC 6.4.4.3 Transfer of Control and Communication (excerpt) Unless otherwise specified in the table below, transfer of communication shall occur at or before the relevant COP at the FIR/AoR boundary. UK ATS Route Coordination Point Transfer of Control Transfer of Communications From London ACC to Shannon ACC From Shannon ACC to London ACC FRA WETFI WETFI Abeam RAMOX N/A LAC 6.4.4.7 RFC/RFT of Westbound Traffic to Shannon ACC (new section) All westbound traffic transferred to Shannon via BAGSO and WETFI is RFC to any level and RFT after passing (abeam) RAMOX. This traffic must not enter Scottish Rathlin sector without co-ordination. LAC 6.4.4.8 Permitted Cross-Border FRA Directs (new section) Shannon overflights may be cleared by London direct to their Oceanic Entry Point (OEP), except that traffic with an OEP north of RESNO may only be cleared to REVNU (if not filed via REVNU, the traffic shall be left on its flight planned route). Where traffic is given a direct route, the transferring controller is responsible for ensuring that, at the point of transfer, converging aircraft have at least 10 NM planned lateral separation for a minimum of 20 NM beyond the common boundary. MPC 3 | PC West MPC 3.2.2 External Standing Agreements MPC 3.2.2.8 Shannon LIFFY (FL245+) (excerpt) From PC West to Shannon LIFFY From Agreement Conditions MTMA Group, EGNH, EGNO FL280 lvl RAMOX (See Note) Note: This traffic is RFC with Lakes to any level and RFT after passing (abeam) RAMOX, subject to known traffic. This includes traffic transferred on a heading. Note: Traffic is released for climb to FL330 after passing RAMOX, subject to known traffic. Traffic transferred on a heading is not RFT until passing RAMOX. Documentation Status The London (EGTT) and Scottish (EGPX) vMATS Part 2 and Agreed Levels Diagrams will be amended to coincide with this change. Revised versions will be available at docs.vatsim.uk/Enroute from the effective date.

Effective 12 June 2025 Introduction Berry Head CTAs 6 & 7 have been expanded both laterally and vertically, and the associated ATS route structure revised used by Cork (EICK) inbounds and outbounds. Traffic from/to Cork will be permitted to route via both LEDGO and now SAMON. We have also taken the opportunity to review our LoA with VATeir, introducing a LEDGO RFC Area and additional cross-border FRA directs for traffic in both directions. Berry Head CTAs 6 & 7 Airspace and Route Structure Existing CTA 6: Image from eAIP ENR 6-7 (15 May 25) New CTA 6: Image from eAIP ENR 6-7 (12 Jun 25) New route structure: Image from eAIP ENR 6-68 (12 Jun 25) vMATS Procedure Deleted text – red and strikethrough. New text in blue. LAC 8 | West LAG | AC West LAC 8.3.4 AC West External Standing Agreements LAC 8.3.4.6 Shannon Low Level (FL245-) From AC West to Shannon Low Level (excerpt) To Via Agreement Conditions EICK LEDGO/SAMON Max FL240 lvl LEDGO/SAMON (See Note) Note: Traffic must cross BOGMI OVZOG/EVCOR/CANZI at FL250 or above and is RFD and RFT after passing BOGMI these points. The transfer of communications shall take place prior to BOGMI OVZOG/EVCOR/CANZI. From AC West to Shannon Low Level From Via Agreement Conditions EICK SAMON/LEDGO Max FL230 Notes (1 & 2) Note 1: Traffic may be presented in the climb to the coordinated level at the AoR boundary. Note 2: This traffic is RFC to FL290 within the confines of the LEDGO RFC Area. It is not released for turn until passing SAMON/LEDGO. Shannon ACC shall ensure separation between this traffic and other aircraft within the Shannon FIR. [...] LAC 8.4.1 Coordination with Shannon ACC LAC 8.4.1.8 LEDGO RFC Area (new section) Traffic outbound from EICK via SAMON and LEDGO transferred from Shannon Low Level to London ACC is RFC to FL290 within the LEDGO RFC Area (see Figure LAC-34), without co-ordination with Shannon Upper. Aircraft must not be turned without co-ordination until passing SAMON / LEDGO. Figure LAC-34 - LEDGO RFC Area LAC 8.4.1.89 RFC/RFT of Westbound traffic to Shannon ACC (section renumbered) All westbound traffic transferred to Shannon is RFC and RFT (up to a maximum of 45°) on contact within the offering sector only. All traffic inbound to Irish airfields (EI** & EGA*) is RFD on contact within the offering sector only. If Shannon changes the level or heading of an aircraft, they are then responsible for providing separation against any potentially conflicting traffic on routes in the vicinity of DUB or CRK. If London is transferred a potentially conflicting eastbound aircraft from Shannon, the level of said traffic shall not be changed until co-ordination is effected with Shannon. LAC 8.4.1.910 Permitted Cross-Border FRA Directs FRA Directs from 15W to London AC Sector 9 Where traffic is given a direct route, the transferring controller is responsible for ensuring that, at the point of transfer, converging aircraft have at least 10 NM planned lateral separation for a minimum of 20 NM beyond the common boundary. Traffic making landfall at 15W may be cleared to certain directs by Shannon without co-ordination with London ACC, provided that the sector sequence remains unaltered. London TMA Arrivals – PEWBI, FONZU, SIDDI Overflights – FACTU, EMJEE, NUCHU, GAJIT, OXLOW, AMPOP, TALIG, DOLUR, NAKID, LIZAD Shannon overflights may be cleared by London direct to their Oceanic Entry Point (OEP), except that traffic with an OEP north of RESNO may only be cleared to REVNU (if not filed via REVNU, the traffic shall be left on its flight planned route). Documentation Status The London (EGTT) vMATS Part 2 and Agreed Levels Diagrams will be amended to coincide with this change. Revised versions will be available at docs.vatsim.uk/Enroute from the effective date.

Effective 12 June 2025 FAO: All Enroute Introduction The Westcott (WCO) NDB is being decommissioned. It is being replaced by new waypoint WEZKO, affecting Heathrow STARs. Following a review of the naming of 5LNCs (5-letter name codes), the CAA (see AIC Y 066/2025) have amended a number of waypoint names deemed inappropriate, affecting Severn Group STARs. Changes to Prestwick and Guernsey procedures will be notified separately. WCO NDB replaced by WEZKO WCO is replaced by a new waypoint, WEZKO, in the same geographical position. The affected London Heathrow (EGLL) and Northolt (EGWU) STAR designators are incremented: Designator Arrival Via Route FITBO 2H Y125 FITBO – SOPIT – WEZKO WCO – BNN HON 2H L15, L10, L612 HON – TOBID – SOPIT – WEZKO WCO – BNN NUGRA 2H (U)Y53, Q36, Q38 NUGRA – TOBID – SOPIT – WEZKO WCO – BNN Oxford (EGTK) departures that previously routed via WCO will now route via WEZKO. Enroute 5LNC Changes Scottish - RATPU on P18 (Aberdeen traffic) is replaced by EPCAN. LAC Worthing - RUBMI on N866 (north of LORKU) is replaced by LAWJO. LAC West - COXPE on Severn Group STARs is replaced by FARJO. The affected Cardiff (EGFF) & St Athan (EGSY) and Bristol (EGGD) STAR designators are incremented: Designator Arrival Via Route TOJAQ 2B P16, FRA TOJAQ – FARJO COXPE – IZLAW – EXMOR – BRI TOJAQ 2C P16, FRA TOJAQ – FARJO COXPE – IZLAW – EXMOR – CDF Documentation Status The London (EGTT) and Scottish (EGPX) vMATS Part 2s will be amended to coincide with this change. Revised versions will be available at docs.vatsim.uk/Enroute from the effective date.

Effective 12 June 2025 FAO: Inverness (EGPE); Scottish Procedural Approach Position Removed Inverness (EGPE) Approach Control Services will always be provided using Radar. Therefore, the procedural Inverness Approach position (EGPE_A_APP) is being removed and shall no longer be opened by controllers. Radar Services are provided by Inverness Radar (EGPE_APP) on 122.605 SMAA Revisions Two Surveillance Minimum Altitude Area (SMAA) sectors on the ATC Surveillance Minimum Altitude Chart have been revised: The north east sector is raised from 2200' to 2300'. The southern sector is raised from 3700' to 3900'. The revised ATC SMAC can be viewed here (note that this link will only work until July). Documentation Status The Inverness (EGPE) documentation on the docs.vatsim.uk site will be updated to coincide with these changes.

Effective 12 June 2025 Summary The Heathrow Tower backup frequency is being converted to an 8.33 channel. We allocate this frequency for use as Heathrow Planner, therefore: Heathrow Planner (EGLL_P_GND) 124.475 becomes 124.480 Required Actions by Controllers Controllers are required to update their Sector File, Controller Pack and ATIS profiles to ensure correct recognition in EuroScope and radio coverage in AFV. Audio For VATSIM will be updated by the Operations Department on AIRAC day to reflect the new frequencies. Documentation Status The London Heathrow (EGLL) vMATS Part 2 and any other affected documentation will be updated at its next release.

Effective 12 June 2025 Summary The remaining 25 kHz Glasgow (EGPF) frequencies will be converted to 8.33 channels. Glasgow Radar (EGPF_APP) 119.100 becomes 119.105 Glasgow ATIS (EGPF_ATIS) 129.575 becomes 129.580 Required Actions by Controllers Controllers are required to update their Sector File, Controller Pack and ATIS profiles to ensure correct recognition in EuroScope and radio coverage in AFV. Audio For VATSIM will be updated by the Operations Department on AIRAC day to reflect the new frequencies. Documentation Status The Glasgow (EGPF) and Scottish (EGPX) vMATS Part 2s and any other affected documentation will be updated at their next update.

Effective 12 June 2025 Summary The lateral extent of the Strangford CTA 3 (FL105-FL195) which sits above the Belfast TMA and CTR in the Aldergrove area is being revised. This will provide a contiguous airspace volume up to FL195 meaning that high-performing outbounds will no longer need to leave controlled airspace in the climb. New airspace structure Image from eAIP ENR 6-7 (12 Jun 25) Old airspace structure Image from eAIP ENR 6-7 (15 May 25) Documentation Status Diagrams in the Scottish (EGPX) vMATS Part 2 and Belfast documentation will be amended in due course. Revised versions will be available at docs.vatsim.uk/Enroute.

Good afternoon, James, I've only quoted your post in the hope that you get some sort of notification; I am conscious that I am days late in responding to you owing to a work trip. I hope you're well. Thank you for taking the time to write and to not only read but also consider what I have written. I agree with many of your points - this is in fact just 'data'. But the purpose behind providing it is to attempt to illustrate to everyone - those who are supportive of our efforts, those who are critical of our efforts and those who have self-serving interests or demonstrate perpetual impatience - just what's going on within VATSIM UK and the efforts we're going to in order to try to expedite training. As you say, people come here to have fun but they need at least an S1 to do it! I think that perhaps your best observation is one that I whole-heartedly agree with - other than 'good nature', mentors have little reason to mentor. There is no incentive for them to do so and I have mentioned, I think, in other blog posts that we do intend to do something about that, but our plan relies rather a lot on being able to track rather a lot of things and getting everything in line to do that is challenging to say the least - you are no stranger to the lack of resources that we have and thus, all things take time. Had this been a corporate entity, we'd have delivered it long ago! With respect to KPI, my focus is rating upgrades. Whilst recognising that we have few mentors, if we can at least make the process more efficient, we get better value from the precious time that our mentors do provide. You are also right that much of VATSIM's culture stems from .Net. In a late-2023 conversation with Simon, I shared with him my views on the Region/Division/vACC structure within VATSIM and that almost overwhelmingly, the reason for that structure relates to the provision of ATC, both training and for events. That is not to diminish the excellent work of our Pilot Training Team, but given that there is neither an obligation for divisions to provide pilot training, nor is it necessary for a .Net accredited ATO to sit within the division structure (think BAVirtual), it is not a requirement for the hierarchical structure to exist for the provision of pilot training. Accordingly, we are very limited as to our influence over network-wide pilot quality. That is not to say that we are doing nothing about it. Whilst I agree that the survey results are, again, just data, they're perhaps the most meaningful data that we have - it demonstrates a first-hand understanding of why people are voting with their feet. It is not actionable by us, but it's definitely something we can wave in front of other people's faces and do something with. If nothing else, it demonstrates that we, at least, are listening and part of what I have told people stoically from day one is that I'm here for them, to represent their interests. I've already presented the numbers to representatives of the Region and we'll be following up with some of our neighbours - watch this space. Your final comments on community are, honestly, challenging to address. We're very conscious of the topic within the DSG and I feel that addressing that in full is perhaps better left to others within the DSG. But, rest assured - I do have fun in my role. I very much enjoy teaching, I've had some cracking mentoring sessions recently and I still control independently when I'm not developing. What's important to me is that me and my team facilitate training so that others can enjoy their ratings and I think we're doing OK at that. To me, that's worth the stress. Take care, James - thank you again for sharing your thoughts. Adam

VATSIM UK Live! 2025 VATSIM UK Live! is back for the 12th edition and you are invited to join us! This year’s event takes place on the 2nd and 3rd of August 2025 at Conference Aston – a meeting space and hotel located close to the centre of Birmingham. We'll be taking over their large event room providing a space for everyone to fly, control and socialise in person with dozens of other members from across the network. The weekend offers a unique opportunity to see behind the scenes how VATSIM Controllers work, sit side-by-side with your colleagues, coordinate traffic, or learn from experts in the room, with in person training and mentoring. Conference Aston and its surroundings offer a range of options for meals over the weekend, with the option to join groups for dinners or make your own plans. The weekend is informally organised without a strict timetable to adhere to. Be sure to bring your own equipment (PC, laptop etc.) – all power and (wired) internet will be provided. We've also secured a hotel discount for up to 10 people at the Aloft Birmingham - Thank you @Craig Stewartfor organising this. Rooms include breakfast, Wi-Fi, and a king-size bed for one (with the option to add a second guest for £13). Bookings are flexible and cancellable up to 23:59 the night before, and must be made by 4th July. Rooms are limited and availability is not guaranteed - send us a ticket if you'd like access to the discounted booking link. Tickets cost £29 for a one day ticket, £39 for a weekend ticket and can be purchased now at live.vatsim.uk We look forward to welcoming you to Birmingham on the 2nd and 3rd of August! Facebook Instagram

Hi Adam, I appreciate your transparency over your time as a member of the DSG for publishing this data. Unfortunately, that's all it is: "data". Before you think what I'm about to say is an insult against your hard work, it's not because trying to keep mentoring rates at the level they are is not easy. What I'm about to say is just my take on everything. Firstly I agree that VATSIM UK is like a (sub-division of a) corporate organisation and to a degree, it has to be. It's a large operation, there are lots of people and lots to do and there needs to be some structure. What I don't believe in is why it feels like a corporate organisation such that member's names have had to be hidden because... well I don't know exactly why but it seems like students are going against each other instead of helping each other. That *data point* says something about the overall culture amongst students Secondly you gave a mentoring statistic about how # of sessions has changed year on year. Well, instead of looking at Q1 2025 vs Q1 2024, let's look at Q1 2025 vs Q1 2014 which is when I joined VATSIM. Looking at the CTS booking calendar, it seems that the amount of mentoring sessions (on average per day) has stayed somewhat the same/increased only very slightly despite having a dial-up voice codec, somewhat bad simulators, RTS's and very u-centralised training. My overall message is to ask you: what really is your KPI? If it's number of sessions/ratings, yes that's your ultimate goal but remember VATSIM is all about people. Mentors giving away endless hours of their time for... nothing? No fast track waiting list, no fast track ratings, no monetary remuneration... so why do they do it? The only statistic that I've pulled is that despite the number of active members in VATSIM UK growing in the past 11 years, mentoring sessions have not increased significantly. Why don't I mentor anymore? Because I live 7 times zones away from the UK and have a full time job. Of course, culture stems from .NET. Certain things like pilot quality are not going to be within your control. Other things are. When I was Heathrow TGI, one of my lessons in my 'lesson plan' was an RSIVA sweatbox but where people's times ended up on a leaderboard. It was fun to run, everyone walked away learning something and was a bit of a competition in a sense. The community of Heathrow controllers was always at reach; complaints reached my Discord inbox and were actioned more or less instantly and in 90% of the cases, those who received the feedback took it on well. The other 10% of the cases, they remained stubborn and realised they weren't going to be controlling Heathrow for a very long time. RTS's worked well because each person belong to a smaller community amongst this 'corporate' and 'bureaucratic' organisation ( @Oliver Rhodes we go way back...) and it makes the whole experience FUN. I'll leave it at that. We all appreciate what you do as ATC-TD Adam, it's tough. I just don't want you to waste your time/effort running a corporate organisation for nothing. It's going to drive you nuts and you won't get any enjoyment; just endless stress.

On the 3rd of July, ahead of the Formula 1 British Grand Prix, VATSIM UK controllers will be staffing up the airports at and around the famous circuit! Fancy getting up close to the action? Bring your helicopter to the temporary heliport at the track (EGBV). Or why not fly in the VIPs, team members and drivers to Oxford (EGTK)? Turweston (EGBT), the gateway to the British Grand Prix, will also be staffed for your general aviation needs. A brief for pilots is linked on the my.vatsim event page. Controllers please note this will be a rostered event. An expression of interest will be published in due course.