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VATSIM UK is pleased to announce it's latest event Liverpool-Aldergrove Shuttle on 6th June from 1830-2100z. Join us as we connect 2 historical naval cities, with tones of history and many sites to see. Event routes: EGAA-EGGP: DCT LISBO L603 PEPOD Q38 SOSIM L28 PENIL EGGP-EGAA: WAL M146 IPSET P6 BELZU DCT Controllers please note this event will be rostered, an EOI will be posted soon.

In our quest to create a holistic ATC Training Syllabus and overhaul documentation associated with ATC Training, I am pleased to announce the next training syllabi as now been released - the S3 Syllabus. The new S3 Syllabus has been formatted similarly to the recent S2 Syllabus and is detailed below: Block 1 - Fundamental Approach/Radar Competencies: Block 1 aims to take students from zero experience to a solid understanding of S3 fundamental competencies. This includes Euroscope usage, vectoring/descents, IVV, speed control and more - key skills that are the back-bone of APC controlling. Block 1 will be conducted on the sweatbox server only, so that the traffic situation can moulded to solely cover Block 1 competencies. CTS Identifiers will not change and mentoring sessions will be shown as [ICAO]_SBAT, although the progress sheets have been updated to reflect the syllabus - Mentors shall only grade areas under Block 1. Once a student has demonstrated proficiency in all areas of Block 1, mentors will forward them for End of Block Exam 1 (CTS: APP_B1). Instructors will conduct this progress check; each End of Block exam has its own progress sheet and students must be marked as 'good' in all areas before moving to Block 2. We expect that Block 1 will take the longest to complete although subsequent blocks will be considerably shorter. Block 2 - Advanced Approach/Radar Competencies: Block 2 aims to cover all the remaining, and historically more challenging, S3 competencies including handling VFR traffic, non-standard approaches and holding amongst others. Block 2 can be conducted on the live network or sweatbox, at mentor discretion - CTS identifiers are again unchanged shown as the usual [ICAO]_APP/[ICAO]_SBAT. The progress sheet is the same as above - Mentors shall grade areas under both Block 1 and Block 2 as required. Once a student has demonstrated proficiency in all areas of Block 2, mentors will forward them for End of Block Exam 2 (CTS: APP_B2). Instructors will conduct this progress check; students must be marked as 'good' or 'test standard' in all areas before moving to Block 3. On passing APP_B2, a Solo Approach Validation (SAV) will be given. Block 3 - Training Consolidation and Exam Preparation: Block 3 is the final and shortest part of training where students on an SAV have their final mentoring sessions to ensure exam readiness. Block 3 should be conducted preferably on the live network, or the sweatbox server if required. Again, CTS identifiers are unchanged and the progress sheet is the same as the previous 2 blocks - Mentors shall grade areas under both Block 1 and Block 2 as required. Once a student has demonstrated proficiency in all competencies, mentors will forward them for End of Block Exam 3 (CTS: APP_B3) which is considered a mock exam. Instructors will conduct this progress check; students must be marked as 'test standard' in all areas before being submitted for practical exam. On passing APP_B3, the student's SAV will be extended and they will be forwarded for the formal practical examination. Syllabus Objectives: The S3 Syllabus places a lot of onus on new students to arrive at training with a solid theoretical knowledge base, having studied the S3 Moodle course. It is hoped that this, combined with continual progress checks, will shorten training times and improve exam pass rates. Implementation: The Syllabus will now be trialled with 4 current APP students, who have just started their training with us and will thus be placed into Block 1. Mentors and students have been informed of this already in the #app-mentors Discord channel. All other students will continue training under the old system, however they will all complete End of Block Exam 3 (APP_B3) before being forwarded for their practical exam. Mentors can expect a meeting with @Samuel Lefevre and myself imminently to answer any questions and take suggestions on improvements to the syllabus. Thank you to those of you that have already responded to the thread in the mentors channel with suggested updates, we will be collating these and discussing their future implementation in the meeting. Please can I ask all mentors to familiarise themselves with the new syllabus and pose any questions/suggestions in the thread. The Syllabus will uploaded to the downloads section of the forum in due course. S3 Syllabus.pdf

Congrats!

Thanks for everything John, all the best mate 🤩

Thank you. It’s been a pleasure working with you all.

John, thank you for all your contributions to the Division over the last few years. Your hard work will surely be missed by the rest of the TGNC Team but wishing you all the best for the future.

Sorry to hear that John, thanks for the dedication you've shown to TGNC!

Was great to work with you John, you have helped forward the division in many ways, happy flighting.

Pleasure working with you John, thank you for your hard work and dedication in TGNC and beyond.

Effective 16 May 2024 Manchester Airport has published new times for dual runway operations during the summer months (which VATSIM controllers are permitted to simulate year-round). The times are as follows; Monday-Friday (0615-2000L) Saturday (0615-1600L) Sunday (0615-0930L) (1300-2000L) AIR 1 may open dual runways during these hours, or when the other conditions documented in the vMATS are met. In addition, GMC may now elect to select dual runway operations only during the published times, in the absence of AIR or top-down coverage GMC controllers are reminded that an ATIS without an AIR controller is advisory, pilots on unicom may choose to land on a different runway. GMC controllers do not provide service to traffic on the taxiways south of runway 23R/05L whether AIR is online or not. Therefore, when simulating dual runway operations without AIR coverage, GMC should instruct traffic to monitor UNICOM when approaching the northern runway and allow them to cross and depart on unicom. Inbound traffic on 05R should only be controlled once they have crossed 23R/05L If traffic contacts GMC after vacating the southern runway, they should be instructed to cross 23R/05L on unicom and recontact when vacated.. Controllers are encouraged to put a note in the controller information making it clear they don’t cover the taxiways south of 23L/05R. Documentation Status The Manchester (EGCC) vMATS Part 2 has been updated to reflect the changes.

It's been a pleasure John, we've worked hard to keep TGNC rolling and we'll keep on it with everything you've put into place and the ideas you had for the future! I know you won't be a stranger, we'll be badgering you for group flights and alike going forward!

Dear all, It's with some regret that I announce that @John Battenis standing down from his post as Training Group Instructor within our New Controller training group. John was appointed in March 2022 and in the 27 months that he's been in post, he's been instrumental in the success of TGNC, leading the delivery of quality training to new members of our community whilst also juggling his tenure as Member Services Director. In recent times, the training group has seen record numbers of exam passes in the beginning of this year, under the joint leadership of John and his colleagues. TGNC is an exhausting place subject to significant demand as new members join our community and I have not been shy about sharing the view of demand that the team face. John has taken that in his stride and delivered excellence within that training group over a number of years and I am incredibly grateful for his contribution in that time. John has committed to continuing mentoring after a short break and I look forward to his continued involvement in VATSIM. John - thank you for your time and efforts - you'll be sorely missed. Adam

2024/05 Released! --- AIRACs: --- 2405: Added Fairford Danger Areas EGD218A-D Removed stand 32 from Jersey (EGJJ) SMR Changed Prestwick (EGPK) Runway designator 03/21 to 02/20 Updated Fairford (EGVA) Runway coordinates Updated Manchester (EGCC) SMR 2404: Changed Mona (EGOQ) Tower frequency Changed Valley (EGOV) frequencies Updated Leuchars (EGQL) frequencies 2313: Updated Southampton (EGHI) stands 2-5 --- Other: --- Procedure Change (2405): Updated agreed level (EHAM departure via LONAM) Removed ENSV_E_CTR from sectors 10,11,15 and added ENOR_SC_CTR to top-down order Bug: Fixed Fairford (EGVA) ATZ coordinates Removed EURN_FSS from top-down order of Stavanger low sectors Corrected Glasgow (EGPF) Tower automatic arrival airport selection Corrected Bournemouth (EGHH) SMR definition errors Enhancement: Removed old STARs from 2022/05 or earlier Re-structured 'Misc' folder Defined the Ostend (EBOS) TMA and updated agreed levels Added GND and DEL Automatic Airport Selection functionality Added Glasgow (EGPF) Campsie line Added Burnham Box (Bristol/Cardiff) --- Many thanks to our contributors this cycle: --- @Daniel Button @Luca Kulaga @Peter Mooney @Ben Walker

Effective 16th May 2024 The secondary runway at Prestwick (EGPK) has been redesignated. The Runway 03/21 has changed to Runway 02/20. Documentation Status The Prestwick (EGPK) Airfield Controller Brief will be amended at its next revision.

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 an excellent job of managing the Division’s social media presence, will join Luke Thompson in event planning to pick up some of the workload that I will be dropping. Given the high level of involvement that Kieran has had in event planning from the Operations Department, this appears the most logical temporary solution. Kieran will be aiming to further improve the Events Team (discussed in my April post) and aiming to streamline some of our processes and interactions with Operations. This will have the effect of reducing the knowledge and time prerequisites for the Marketing Director role. This solution will be in place until the end of August 2024, at which point the DSG will re-evaluate the situation. Please continue to direct any event suggestions or proposals to the VATSIM UK Helpdesk as usual. For escalation to Marketing Management, please contact Kieran in the first instance and hwe will forward your message to the correct person as required. Ben

Well done !

Congratulations 🤩

🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉

Congratulations to @Alice Ford on passing their exam at Gatwick this evening!

VATSIM UK is pleased to announce its latest event On the Rocks, join us for the fun and challenging approach into Gibraltar, in collaboration with BA Virtual, we will offer top-quality service with a visual around the infamous Rock of Gibraltar, ready for a very important meeting with Mr J Walker on June 26th from 1700-2100z. Please be advised that this event will have arrival slots, please plan accordingly to try and stick to these times. Bookings for this event can be found here. Bookings will open on June 19th from 1700z. Controllers please note that this event will be rostered, an expression of interest will be posted in due course.

Effective 16 May 2024 Due to the implementation of the Global Controller Administration Policy (GCAP), all towered positions require the provision of top-down control services. Redhill however is an outlier for top-down in the UK, given it only handles local VFR traffic and departures are authorised outside the hours of ATC. For the purposes of VATSIM, Redhill Tower is now covered top-down by Gatwick FIN who will assume authority for both local flying zones. However, Gatwick FIN must prioritise its IFR workload and as such during busy periods it may be necessary to either delay VFR traffic or provide a reduced top-down service. During examinations on Gatwick Director, candidates may seek guidance from an examiner on the provision of service if no Redhill Tower is online. It is acceptable in this situation for circuit traffic to be denied until the end of the examination. Documentation Status The Gatwick (EGKK) vMATS Part 2 will be amended at the next revision. The Redhill ACB will be released with this AIRAC.

Good luck!

There will be an exam on Gatwick Tower (EGKK_TWR) on the 13th of May, commencing at 1900z. The exam is expected to last 1 hour and 30 minutes but the exam may end earlier/later, depending on whether the competencies have been sufficiently assessed. A good number of IFR outbounds as well as some IFR inbounds/VFR are essential to making this exam a success. Please, no funny business without first speaking to EGKK_M_TWR. Pilots wishing to fly to ensure that they are familiar with the pilot guidance for ATC exams. Good luck to the candidate!

Effective 16 May 2024 Traffic routing to EBOS, EBKT and EBFN via KONAN and VABIK are agreed as follows from London TC SE to Brussels West. via KONAN, FL80 to FL110 (odd or even levels) via VABIK, FL110 Ostend Approach has airspace between FL65 (at KONAN/VABIK) and FL95 (north of VABIK), the interface at the boundary is depicted below (Figure 1). When EBOS is operating in an easterly runway configuration it is advantageous for traffic to descended as early as possible, however London ACC shall not descend this traffic outside of controlled airspace (Figure 2). The agreed levels to Brussels West are therefore the lowest levels available for transfer. Brussels West may request London to transfer traffic directly to Ostend Approach during the easterly configuration. Figure 1 - EBOS TMA at the London AC/TC boundary Figure 2 - London Controlled airspace at the London/Brussels boundary Documentation Status This change will be reflected in the next London vMATS & Agreed Levels release.