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  1. To the valuable members of VATSIM Australia Pacific, I wanted to take this opportunity to announce that Harrison Scott recently provided notification to the remaining Board members that he does not intend to continue in the role of VATPAC Director Operations effective immediately. This decision has been under consideration for a while although the recent departure of Callum from Director Division was a determining factor on the timing of this announcement. Speaking on behalf of the Board, I would like to recognise the efforts of both Callum and Harrison. Harrison has been nothing but professional in his execution of a role that is one of the more difficult roles in the division. Operations involves a lot of data, documentation and what could only be described as rather boring and unrewarding work, however he has managed to effectively lead his team in a time of major change within VATPAC and VATSIM. Thank you for a fine job Harrison and I (and I am sure the remainder of the VATPAC staff) wish you well for the future. Callum came on board as VATPAC1 just over 12 months ago and hit the ground running to move the Division forward and build on the development of his temporary predecessor. Through his tenure he has built a strong team and oversaw the implementation of major change including but not limited to Audio for VATSIM (something that many will be unaware involved considerable manual labour), the new and much more functional (so far) VATPAC Discord Server and laying the groundwork in bringing about an all new controller client for your region. Part of the reason for the somewhat deflated feeling within the senior staff team in recent days is brought on by the fact that Callum was in some resects the glue that kept us coming back to the table engaged and motivated to moving the division's policies forward to bring a more inclusive and active community together. Again, Thank you for your efforts and I hope to see you return to the VATPAC staff team soon, where I expect you have a lot more to contibute. Regards Greg Barber VATPAC Non-Executive Director
    33 points
  2. Hello Everyone, Firstly, I would like to take the time to thank David Zhong who has maintained a stable community for our members to enjoy. Without his continued efforts I’m sure the division and the community would not be in the place it is today. Today David and I met to discuss current affairs of VATPAC and what current projects are underway after which I was given the responsibility of Division Director. As an introduction to those of you who don’t not know me, my name is Callum Strawbridge. I’ve worked in the Aviation industry for over 5 years and have been involved in Aviation far longer. My VATSIM Journey began in January 2011 where I’ve held positions within VATSIM Australia Pacific (ATC Training, Operations & Events), VATSIM South East Asia (Training) and VATSIM (Social Media). In the preceding years that followed my appointment, the VATPAC community has been subjected to some difficult times. With this in mind came my motive to apply for the Director Of Division position as I have first hand experience and knowledge on the events which have occurred and from that have a vision in mind to ensure the future growth and stability of the division. I want you to know that I have been through all of the recent events with you, I understand what went wrong, what didn’t work and what we can do better. It’s important to note though that I cannot achieve this overnight and cannot achieve it alone. The decision to apply for Director Of Division is something that I and the people who applied as well as the selection committee doesn’t take lightly and I would personally like to thank all who applied and those who took the time to Interview and select. So, What is going to happen from here? As I mentioned above, as a community, we have been through some turbulent times over the past few years. This has lead to plenty of questions about the leadership of VATPAC, VATOCE and even VATSIM. I have been involved in a lot of these events and can safely say, they are over. I have full confidence in the team at VATSIM and VATSIM Oceania, having seen many of the changes happening behind the scenes. I am also excited to work with Alan and the VATPAC Board to bring the division back to the friendly, helpful, energetic and professional community it used to be. I will be working with the VATPAC Board to ensure each department has a plan for the next 12 months. This will ensure we stay on target to give the community the best service we can. We will be filling the recently announced resignations as quickly as possible to ensure each department has strong leadership. If you are interested in applying for these positions, once they open, please put your hand up. I would love to see some people putting their hands up who haven’t before or perhaps people who used to hold roles at VATPAC. I also believe one of the best things we can do to show you that we care is being more transparent. I would like to start by bringing back the VATPAC Newsletter. Once a month, we will publish the newsletter to the mailing list (available on the VATPAC Homepage) and forums which will include an update on what your Divisional team is working on. It is also an opportunity for us to get out information and changes from VATSIM and VATSIM Oceania in a more interactive format. I will be working with the VATPAC Board and will update you with more information on the newsletter in the future. In the next couple of months, we will also be publishing a survey for all previous, current and potential future members. The goal of this survey will be to create a plan for the future that is in touch with the community. I'll publish further information on the survey soon and hope we can get as many responses as possible from the membership, the results of which will be published. Where do I see the community? I've changed quite a lot over the years. I started out with a pretty big ego (a common trait). I’m not going to deny I didn’t cause some trouble in my early days but having grown up, I have changed into the easy going, laid back person I am today. I live life as it comes and treat everyone equally. I want to see this community return to the way it was when I started, supportive and forgiving. I feel there is a word that keeps popping into my mind that sums up how I believe the VATPAC community should be. Mateship. Defined: “Mateship is an Australian cultural idiom that embodies equality, loyalty and friendship.” I know that we have lots of people in the community of different ages, backgrounds, languages and maturity levels. It costs nothing to be kind to everyone. Something that popped into my head while on holiday (I’m currently in Hawaii) was how you can go anywhere around the world, and spot an Aussie. You can say G’day, have a chat, and instantly, that sense of mateship is there. I would love for VATPAC to get back to a place where that is the case. That relies on everyone working together, being friendly, offering to share knowledge and help each other out. Finally, I know everyone says this, but I genuinely want you to know. My door will always be open for everyone, regardless of who you are. I look forward to working with each and every person of this community we love to make VATPAC the great place it once was, again. Sincerely, Callum
    16 points
  3. I am happy to report that the application process to appoint VATPAC's new Director Of Division has been completed. It was a hard fought contest with 2 candidates nearly impossible to separate. It gives me great pleasure to announce that the new DD is Callum Strawbridge, I wish him well in his new appointment and I am sure the community will get behind him and support him as he works with the Board to improve VATPAC for all it's members. I must also thank the selection panel for the work they did in trying to find the best possible candidate. Thanks must also go to David for stepping in at a time of crisis in an acting role. He settled the Division down and has brought plenty of new structure and confidence to the board, I personally am very grateful to David for this and it will also set up Callum in a good position for moving forward. I would like to wish David well in his future endeavors. There will now be a short transition period where David can hand over to Callum. Thanks Alan
    16 points
  4. Hello all, It is with sadness that I wish to advise the community that Tracy has handed in his resignation as a Senior Instructor so he can retire from VATPAC staff roles effective 1st July 2020. Tracy has spent the better part of a decade spent climbing through various ranks and roles at VATPAC so he wishes to step away from VATPAC and quote, "enjoy the downhill run". I would now like to take this time to say a massive thank you to you Tracy for your work and commitment to not just the ATC Training Department but VATPAC as a whole. You've trained a fair amount of students in your time Tracy and its something to be very proud of. You've been a big part of the training department for quite a number of years both training and assessing. So on behalf of myself, VATPAC and previous ATC Training Directors, I'd like to thank you for the number of hours you've committed to training VATPAC controllers.
    15 points
  5. Hi everyone. We aren't wasting any time here - let's get straight to business. I am pleased to announce that Josh Micallef, a well known and active member of our community, has been appointed to the role of Director of Events. His application was outstanding and he showed a clear vision for the events department, regarding the next 6 months and beyond. The selection panel was very impressed by his presentation and the decision was unanimous. I am excited to see what positive benefits his work will have on our community engagement and enjoyment. Please congratulate Josh next time you see him online.
    14 points
  6. Please join me in congratulating Joshua Micallef who has been awarded the Senior Controller rating by the VATPAC Board. Josh has been a committed member of the VATPAC controlling team for some years and has helped many students achieve their ratings while serving on the ATC Training Team. Josh is very knowledgable not only in Australian ATC Procedures but also the procedures of several divisions and regions around the world. He continues to commit to the Division through his roles in ATC training and Events and I look forward to working with Josh for years to come. Congratulations again Josh!
    13 points
  7. Announcement Published 22 SEP 2021 Hi everyone, I would like to announce a few major changes for that will be implemented for AIRAC 2110. The VATPAC Board voted in favour of removing support for VRC, inline with community/membership demand (polling indicated approximately, only 10% of users are using this client). Resources will be focused on Euroscope (TAAATSMod Euroscope 3.1d) and vatSys. This means VRC will no longer receive AIRAC cycle updates and any existing files will not be compatible with the new changes outlined below. The VATPAC board also voted in favour of removing the Melbourne and Brisbane upper (FSS) positions. The board agreed that the position no longer met the requirement that they were initially created for and that controllers should be encouraged to provide a quality top-down service as per our existing extended coverage policy, rather than a larger quantity (and lower quality) service over a significant geographical area. Finally, a number of changes to primary (parent) and secondary (child) sectors/frequencies have occurred to re-align most of our sectors with the IRL positions and to also better support the auto-activation of non-standard sectors. The major sector boundary changes occur in the central and west of Australia. Further minor changes between ML-SY-BN. Detailed changes: ORE becomes OLW, freq 134.0 Layout changes to main sector and sub-sectors as per AIP Sup S21-H91. ESP primary becomes PIY, freq 133.9. Layout changes as per IRL and draft map above. GVE/DAL merged as GVE only. ASP primary, freq 128.85. Layout and sub sectors as per IRL and draft map above. Include WRA sector from old BKE primary. BKE primary. Removed. TBD primary. Layout and sub sectors as per IRL and draft map above. Include BKE sector from old BKE primary. SNO primary becomes ELW, freq 123.75. HUM renamed BLA as per IRL upper sector, freq 132.20 Minor boundary changes to BLA, ELW and SNO. BLA (and by association, the parent sector ELW) continues to be responsible for the CB TCU when the dedicated CB controllers are offline. MDE primary becomes ARL, freq 130.9. OCN sub-sector freq becomes 128.6 as per IRL. DOS primary becomes INL, freq 134.2 GRN renamed INL as per IRL upper sector. Minor boundary changes to INL and DOS. SDY freq change to 134.3 TBP primary becomes KEN, freq 120.15 WOL primary becomes BIK, freq 129.8. Minor boundary changes to BIK and WOL. BN-TSN_FSS primary VHF alias becomes 124.65 HWE VHF alias becomes 124.95 FLD VHF alias becomes 132.85 COL VHF alias becomes 133.15 Inclusion of AGGG and ANAU under COL as per existing oceanic documentation and IRL services provided by AsA. Note that the above positions cannot be individually logged in to and are assumed by the COL subsector only.
    11 points
  8. Please join me in congratulating Will Smart who has been appointed as the Deputy Director, ATC Administration on the ATC Training Department. Will brings a significant amount of administrative experience and leadership knowledge gained from the real world which he brings into this crucial position on the team. Will has also been a Mentor on the Training Team for a while now and his knowledge of controlling will certainly help him in this role. For those who are requesting Exams or asking us questions, he will be on the other end of the training email responding to all your emails. On behalf of the entire training team, we look forward to working with Will even more in the future and hope that he will help our community and training department grow.
    11 points
  9. 1. INTRODUCTION To assist in providing quality Air Traffic Services (ATS) throughout VATPAC airspace, the board is introducing several changes to our VATPAC ATS Policy. Changes will reflect ongoing improvement and alignment with the new VATSIM Global ATC Administration Policy. Until our updated VATPAC ATS Policy is released, in the interim to help further online experience of realism on the network, positions listed in the "List of approved non-standard positions" may be opened subject to specific requirements outlined below. 2. OPENING OF APPROVED NON-STANDARD POSITIONS Activation of a Non-Standard Position by a Controller A non-standard (child) position may be activated at any time, by an appropriately rated controller and the following additional requirements: a) An agreement must be obtained between the controller wishing to open the non-standard (child) position and the controller currently operating the standard (parent) position, under which the non-standard position is to be opened; and b) All controllers affected by the activation of the non-standard (child) position must review: 1) the local instructions applicable to the non-standard position being activated, noting the designated responsible airspace; and 2) the frequency and login identifier of the non-standard position; and 3) any additional coordination requirements that arise from the use of the non-standard position; and 4) any other questions or concerns from either controller. Affected controllers are encouraged (but not required) to keep a record of their agreement. Any breaches of this NOTAM or any issues that arise in relation to the opening of a non-standard position should be reported to VATPAC staff at the earliest convenience. Activation of Non-Standard Positions by Staff and Senior Controllers Non-standard positions may also be activated in certain circumstances outlined below, by an authorised person. An authorised person is either a VATPAC staff member or a local VATPAC controller holding a Senior Controller (C3) rating. An authorised person may waive requirement a) (obtaining agreement of the parent controller), should a situation arise where activation of a non-standard position is deemed crucial to the delivery of a quality ATC service, and the existing parent controller does not agree to the opening of this position in the first instance. An authorised person must not approve themselves to open a non-standard position under the circumstances outlined above, unless exceptional circumstances apply. 3. LIST OF APPROVED NON-STANDARD POSITIONS The follow is a list of Login Identifiers of approved non-standard (child) positions. Melbourne Centre Positions: ML-SNO_CTR ML-BLA_CTR ML-WOL_CTR ML-MUN_CTR ML-AUG_CTR ML-FOR_CTR ML-ESP_CTR ML-GVE_CTR ML-MEK_CTR Brisbane Centre Positions: BN-MLD_CTR BN-OCN_CTR BN-DOS_CTR BN-KPL_CTR BN-SWY_CTR BN-KIY_CTR Sydney TCU Positions: SY_DEP SY-S_DEP SY-D_APP SY-DE_APP SY-S_APP Sydney ADC/SMC Positions: SY-E_GND (121.70) SY-E_TWR (124.70) Melbourne TCU Positions: ML_DEP ML-S_DEP Brisbane TCU Positions: BN_DEP BN-S_APP BN-S_DEP Brisbane ADC/SMC Positions: BN-W_TWR BN-S_GND BN-N_GND Adelaide TCU Position: AD_DEP Cairns TCU Position: CS_DEP Canberra TCU Position: CB-W_APP Perth TCU Position: PH_DEP Perth SMC Position: PH-E_GND 4. AUTHORITY Division Director, [email protected] 5. CANCELLATION This NOTAM will self-cancel when incorporated into official ATS policy, unless otherwise noted.
    10 points
  10. Recently, Sam Wilson informed me that due to outside commitments he has decided to step down from the role of Technology Systems and Support Manager. I thank him for his time in the role and wish him luck in the future. I am quite happy to say that Adam Hammond has been appointed the role of Systems and Support manager. Adam brings extensive experience from industry and will be able to really excel in the role. He will be looking at managing some of the systems as well as implementing some new platforms. Please join me in congratulating Adam on his new role.
    10 points
  11. To be honest, I am quite speechless at the feedback and no idea what to say. These days you are more likely to hear negative feedback with more positive feedback being put in the too hard basket. I would like to thank whoever spent the time to write that feedback that it actually moved me (I even showed my partner the feedback). I know there were delays in getting aircraft off the ground and I appreciated the patience, so thank you. Ever since I got back into VATSIM, my original love was of flying. I am now thoroughly enjoying the challenges / learnings of the "other side" of aviation, ATC. Thanks @Brett Vaughan and @Joshua Micallef for being "very" patient with me during training and my assessment - I am still learning everyday I login to the network. Not a day goes by where I don't have the AIP open in GEN to lookup Phraseology for the obscure cases I come across when I connect.
    10 points
  12. G'day All, I wanted to take this opportunity, on behalf of the VATPAC Board, to wish you, your friends and your family season's greetings and a wonderful and prosperous 2020. Thank you for your continued support throughout the year. If it weren't for everyone in VATPAC, we wouldn't have regular ATC, plenty of traffic and such a fun, diverse and friendly community. Some of the VATPAC Board and Staff team will be taking a break over the next couple of weeks as they take time away to celebrate the festive season. There may be some delays to ATC Training, Operations, I.T Issues and Events. We appreciate your patience and understanding. We look forward to returning stronger than ever in 2020 as we continue working with the community on making a better VATPAC for everyone! Best Wishes, Callum Strawbridge
    10 points
  13. Everyone please join me in congratulating Joshua Micallef on his appointment to Deputy Director, Special Events. Joshua has been a member of VATPAC since joining VATSIM back in November 2015 and has since climbed the ranks and currently obtains an I1 rating as an instructor for the VATPAC training department. In January 2019 Joshua joined the Events department as an Event Coordinator and has proven his worth through his high quality, consistent, hard work in everything he publishes. Joshua’s persistence and work ethic will greatly assist the department as he steps into his new role. I look forward to working with him in all events soon to come. Once again congratulations Joshua!
    10 points
  14. It's with great pleasure that I announce Cam Tyson has been appointed as Director, ATC Training. Cam has been a member of the VATPAC and VATNZ training teams over the past 3 years, holding roles as Mentor, Instructor and most recently, Deputy Director, ATC Administration. Throughout his time in ATC Training, he's helped many students achieve their ratings and has always been committed to sharing his knowledge and passion of ATC. Cam has great ambitions for the department which I'm sure he'll discuss in the near future. Daniel Martin is leaving the training department and VATPAC Board due to real world commitments. I'd like to take a moment to thank Daniel, on behalf of the VATPAC Board and community, for all of his hard work. Without the hundreds of hours he dedicated to ensuring all members got quick responses to emails, ensuring all the administrative documentation was filed correctly and for creating and maintaining such a fantastic team of staff, the ATC Training Department would not be as successful as it is now. Welcome to the team Cam!
    10 points
  15. I am pleased to inform the community that we have successfully registered and established VATSIM Australia Pacific as an unincorporated association in Australia. Operating not-for-profit, this allows us to tap into financial benefits for community organisation such as ours. The process for this started many years ago when David Z and his Board introduced the Constitution. This has evolved over the last few years and gave us the bones/structure required to officially establish the organisation. Given that we don’t “own” the rights to the name VATSIM, we couldn’t register the association using those words. The organisation was registered as the Online Aviation Organisation Australia, trading as VATSIM Australia Pacific (VATPAC as we know it). VATPAC has always been funded by either the Board of Directors and also through minor business sponsorships (NetSpace and Delion in the past). Unfortunately, the finances have not always been shared equally amongst Board members with the highest financial burden often falling to the Director of Technology. VATPAC now has as a registered not-for-profit community bank account with Bendigo Bank, which is connected to Open Collective, allowing us to transparently show the community the money coming in, and going out. This also allows us contribute equally and reimburse any board members with costs that they incur. It also allows us to transparently collect donations from the community to contribute to operating costs. Thanks to our newly registered organisation, we have also been able to tap into a number of significantly discounted or free products, which allow us to continue to run our organisation efficiently. This includes services like website hosting and email/document storage. This will overall reduce the total cost to the Board of Directors by about 70%. This doesn’t change how the organisation operates fundamentally, however it enables us to run more economically and hopefully provide a better service to our local community. The VATPAC constitution cover pages have been amended to reflect the correct organisation names moving forward and you may see the new organisation name referenced in other documentation such as board meeting minutes. If you have any questions or suggestion around these changes, feel free to reach out.
    9 points
  16. Thank you Josh, Thank you everyone! I am truly heartbroken to have had to make this decision. The events department has been mine and Josh's little baby for over a year now. I have absolutely loved working with the team that we have built, in addition to some of the long standing members of the team! I was always going to be a long shot, I know that, Josh knows that, you all probably knew it! A Brit, living in Britain, being a senior staff member in the Australian division of this big network that we call home. I have lasted a lot longer than I thought I would, ill be honest, however, the time has now come. My work life, education life, and personal life, unfortunately must take priority, meaning I must leave the demanding role that the Events Manager position is. I am extremely grateful for all of the opportunities that working in VATPAC has given me. However, I am 100 times more grateful for being able to work with my best friend, even if he is over 16000 k's away. I will not forget this part of my life, not one moment... All the best, Cam -
    9 points
  17. Greetings, I was extremely disappointed to receive feedback regarding several controllers' conduct over the ATC text channel over the weekend. All controllers are reminded that whenever they are connected to the VATSIM Network, they are bound by the VATSIM Code of Conduct and User Agreement and may face consequences up to and including having their account permanently terminated under the VATSIM Code of Regulations if they are found to be in breach of these policies. Furthermore, the ATC text channel should be used for ATC coordination only, and not general chat including the harrassment of other members. BE ON NOTICE that any such behaviour will be treated with the utmost seriousness, you WILL be referred to a VATSIM Supervisor and you risk finding yourself suspended from the network. That is all.
    9 points
  18. I'm pleased to announce that after much deliberation and consideration, the appointments committee has settled on a number of new appointments here at VATPAC for 2021 and beyond. Greg Barber - Director ATC Training and Standards Greg is a familiar face to the VATPAC board and will change from his role as a Non-Executive Director, back to his homeland of ATC Training. A position which has held for many years in the past. He is excited to establish the new ATC Standards Manager position as a strong piece of the ATC Training puzzle. Greg will be working closely with... Will Smart - ATC Training and Assessment Manager Will elected to discontinue his role as an (acting) Director and resumes his previous role of the administration of the ATC Training Department. It's great to have such a depth of experience in our training department. I'm excited to see what both of them come up with. Steven Cullen - Director of Membership Steven is also a familiar face to VATPAC and VATSIM, having previously been the "boss of VATSIM"! We are extremely lucky that he decided to put more of his time forward for VATPAC and it will be great to see where he takes this new membership role over the next 12 months. Steven will be working closely with the Membership Manager and DCRM (see below). Luke Maynard - Membership Manager Luke has been a prominent part of the Events Team this year and has done some great work. It was great to see his detailed application for this role and he will embrace this new position. Callum Strawbridge - Discord Administrator Once again, a name that needs no introduction. I am pleased to welcome Callum back to the senior staff team at VATPAC. I'm sure Callum will work closely with Steven and the membership team as the Discord forms an important part of the community. Ryan McDonald - Non-Executive Director Ryan elected to nominate for the non-executive Director role after being an acting Director for the past 6 months. I'm glad that Ryan was able to make this commitment to VATPAC as he has a great vision and passion for the community and seeing things grow. Shannon Wells - Non-Executive Director Once again, a name that is no stranger to VATPAC. Shannon has concluded in his role as the DCRM and will provide guidance and direction to the board as a non-executive director. His extensive history and knowledge of the inner workings of VATPAC will be invaluable. Clem Wu - Publications Manager Clem will be (and has already been) working closely with Peter Story and Ryan McDonald (assisting AIS and Publications as a non-executive director) on the much-needed updating of our local instructions and pilot tutorials. Clem has extensive experience with document creation and management/control. It will be great to see him impart some of this knowledge at VATPAC. We are still searching for these key roles. Are you interested? Apply to [email protected] - Director of Airspace and Publications; and - ATC Standards Manager. In terms of the Division Director, after consulting with Anastasios, I will continue in this role as a permanent Director for the time being. I do anticipate a hand over to a suitable applicant in the next 6 to 12 months. This also concludes VATPAC's administrative period and I would like to extend a huge thanks to Ray Lang for his guidance and support with helping VATPAC in the last 6 months. I would like to make a special mention of Peter Adamos, who after many years on the VATPAC Board will step down from his non-executive director role. Peter has been a great friend of mine and many others at VATPAC and I'm sure you will still see him around flying and controlling. Thank everyone - an exciting 2021 coming up!
    9 points
  19. Good Morning Everyone, It is my great pleasure to announce that Cameron Wilbraham and Luke Maynard have been appointed as Events Coordinators for VATPAC. Both of these individuals expressed interest to join the Events Team in the past and have both been incredibly active in VATPAC over the previous months. We look forward to seeing what both of you bring to the table as we head into the later half of 2020 and into 2021!
    9 points
  20. Comment: Well done to all the controllers who provided ATC last night its awesome to see this kind of feedback coming through keep it up!!
    9 points
  21. Hi all, Last week Callum approached me about taking some time away from VATPAC. Whilst I didn't really want Callum to leave his volunteer staff roles, I know from personal experience that taking some time away from this stuff is invaluable. Callum has been contributing many, many hours of his daily life for the past 4 years in many different roles, but most importantly as a Division Director. Callum's leadership of the Division out of a somnewhat turbulent period was invaluable and I know all of us here today appreciate the work he put in. I still often turn to Callum for guidance when thinking about VATPAC related problems and ideas, for his expertise and passion that he has for this community. Callum has also been an even longer member of the ATC Training department, where I'm sure a number of you have spoken or had interactions with him as you progressed through your ATC Ratings. I know his experienced will be missed, but it will also give opportunities for other members of our community step up and give back, just like Callum did so often. Of course, Callum was also very passionate about making the VATPAC Discord work and most of his recent volunteering hours have been spent dealing with a few absolute peanuts, who's sole life purpose has been to be disruptive. I wouldn't wish the Discord Administrator role to anyone at the moment. I hope our community can remember that yes, this is very much a game, but every person we are interecting with are very real people. Sometimes we forget that and Callum bore the brunt of these actions over the last 6 months. So I know that Callum won't be online very much in the next little while, but on the rate occasion that you do see him flying, controlling or on the Discord then please, thank him for his service to our community. I'm sure he'll be back soon. Thank you, Callum!
    8 points
  22. Hi All, I am pleased to announce that Matt Kelly has been appointed to the role of Manager ATC Standards. Matt will be responsible for overseeing and developing tools and resourcesfor the ongoing standard seen in our controllers. Congratulations to Matt, and thank you to all those who expressed interest in the role.
    8 points
  23. Hi all, As I am sure you all are aware the new senior leadership will start from the 1st October 2020 and you will no longer have a Regional Director but will have a VP who will sit on the BoG. I have already let the staff know but I am now letting you all know that it will not be me. I did apply for one of the new positions but suffered a heart attack 3 weeks ago so decided to withdraw my application. I would just like to thank you all for the support you gave me as your RD and for all that you do to make sure VATPAC is a success. There has been some enjoyable times and some not so enjoyable but it all came good in the end. You have a great Division which works really well so please continue doing what you all do and enjoy the network. I wish you all well for the future and I am sure our paths will cross again in the virtual skies. Take care and best wishes. Alan
    8 points
  24. Today arguably VATPAC’s hardest working staff member, the backbone of the ATC Training Department, our very own Will Smart was promoted to the rating of I1. Congratulations Will, thank you for being such a hard working, positive individual and I can’t wait to see you conducting assessments and continue to train VATPAC’s newest virtual air traffic controllers! Coming to an assessment and position with an ‘I1’ all over Australia and VATPAC Pacific Airspace near you! If you see him around thank him and give him a huge congratulations!
    8 points
  25. Hello All, Please join me in congratulating Matt Kelly who has joined the training department starting as a Trainee TMA Mentor. Matt's experience flying turboprops day to day and his past teaching experience will provide not just the training department, but, VATPAC as a whole with many benefits I'm sure. We look forward to seeing what Matt can bring to the team. We are sure that he will do a great job of training our newest generation of controllers. Please also join me in congratulating Harrison Scott who has been upgraded to an I1 and joining the instructing team as a Trainee Instructor! Harrison has shown passion and drive within the department and therefore, with Harrison joining the instructing team I'm sure we'll see the drive and passion that he shows in his students continue as he carries out assessments in the not too distant future. Welcome to your new roles gents.
    8 points
  26. Hello Everyone, I just wanted to send out a merry Christmas to everyone as we enter the festive season this week! It has been a while since we have had a festive season since 'the thing that shall not be named' kicked off in early 2020. Some much needed family catch-up is in store. The Events Department will be taking a much needed break from the 22nd of December till the 12th of January. During this time, we will be running our regular events unrostered, and all events will be without an event coordinator. The team deserves a much needed break after the terrific work that they have all done this year. Enjoy the many laughs, catchups and relaxing afternoons that the festive season will bring. We will see you all in 2022!
    7 points
  27. Blake, VASO Manager, has decided after much thought that due to changing real-life circumstances he was now unable to commit to the time requirements for his position and as such Blake decided to resign from his role as of today. Blake has been instrumental in the transition of VASO's from the Operations and Director positions to the Membership department and we thank him for all the time he has put in during his time in the position. Blake re-joined the VATPAC staff team many years ago as an operations advisor and in his time in the role has worked closely with VATPAC's virtual airline operations so, when the time came to introduce the VASO Manager role in early 2021 Blake was the obvious choice. Since then Blake has worked with virtual airlines like Compass Virtual, RAAF Virtual and VeeOz just to name a few as well as communicating with new up and coming virtual airlines looking at taking over the virtual skies. From all of us in the VATPAC staff team thank you Blake and we look forward to hearing about what the future has in store for you. - VATPAC Membership Team
    7 points
  28. Hello All, It is with great pleasure I announce that @Jake Timandi and @Brodie Thorburn are joining the ranks as Event Coordinators within the VATPAC Events Department. I am very excited to see what both of these gentlemen will bring to the Events Team!!!
    7 points
  29. Brett, has been on the training team for quite some time now. During his time on the team, he has mentored many students from all ratings from S2 to C1. As of today he will be stepping up from mentor to assessor! Congratulations Brett, on achieving this new rating! On behalf of the membership, staff, and the board, your hard work and efforts are greatly appreciated!
    7 points
  30. The VATPAC Discord will be returning shortly and we are now looking for potential candidates to assist in the moderation of the service as a Discord Moderator. We'll be moderating Discord differently to how we moderate Teamspeak to ensure consistency and fairness. One major change to the moderation process is the enlistment of Designated Discord Moderators. VATPAC General Staff and Senior Staff are not entitled to this automatically and will be required to apply through the same process as community members. VATPAC Directors will hold the role of Discord Moderator. You do not need to be a member of VATPAC Staff to apply to be a Discord Moderator. We're looking for candidates who are actively involved in the community, are committed to the online safety of everyone (including minors) and are willing to assist others with navigating the Discord server. Reports To The VATPAC Discord Administrator The VATPAC Discord Administrator is an Executive Board Member appointed by the VATPAC Board who is responsible for the overall Administration of the server. The purpose of a Discord Moderator is to assist in the day to day administration of the server and where required, refer cases to the Discord Administrator. Duties Regularly monitor the voice and text channels of the VATPAC Discord Where required, moderate the voice and text channels of the VATPAC Discord in accordance with the VATPAC Discord Policy and Moderator Guidelines Escalate issues where required to the VATPAC Discord Administrator Assist in conflict resolution between Discord Users Assist other Discord users with using the server Act in accordance with the Expectations of Staff Policy Essential Criteria Be a VATPAC Discord User (When Discord Launches) Be in good standing with VATPAC Be 16 years or older Be an active member of VATSIM & VATPAC for at least one (1) year Be familiar with the VATSIM CoC and Divisional Policies How to apply Members who are interested in being considered for this role should send a brief application addressing their suitability and experience to [email protected] by 2359 AEST on Sunday 8th September 2019.
    7 points
  31. Congratulations to Brodie who just obtained his S2 rating, after nailing the exam.
    6 points
  32. The IT team has been working hard in the background to bring a new support system to the community. Using the power of the well known ticketing process, you are now able to open tickets for issues through https://helpdesk.vatpac.org From today, all issues should now be created as a ticket in the help desk system instead of emailing a particular department. This process will allow for a faster response to queries and a log of all tickets. You can also email [email protected] and a ticket will be automatically created. Issues with access, e.g. Discord Access, should be created as a ticket in the help desk. The previous feedback system will stay live for the next week, after that time it will be closed in favor of help desk. Adam Hammond has spent a lot of time working on this so let's thank him for his hard work on getting this going.
    6 points
  33. Great job @Mark Bernardinis & mentor @Brett Vaughan !!!
    6 points
  34. Good Evening Everyone, It is my greatest pleasure to announce to you all that Mr Cameron Wilbraham has been appointed to the position of Deputy Director of Events. Cameron was the outstanding applicant for the position and has shown great enthusiasm for his role within the Events Department over the past month. Personally I look forward to working with Cameron on VATPAC's Events into the future. His outstanding work ethic is something that will greatly benefit the team in the long term. Please congratulate Mr Wilbraham when you see him around next.
    6 points
  35. Hello All, Please join me in congratulating the following people who have joined the ATC Training Department as Trainee Mentors. Ryan McDonald Cameron Wilbraham Blair Shaddock I’m looking forward to seeing what they’re skills can bring to the team over the next three months! Coming to train the next virtual air traffic controllers near you!!!
    6 points
  36. Hi all VATPAC members, First of all can I thank you all for the patience you have shown during this last couple of weeks. I am now in a position to announce 2 interim appointments to the VATPAC Board. This announcement has been delayed due to me having to wait on an announcement from the BoG which can be seen here I am pleased to inform you all that Zach Biesse-Fitton has agreed to take on the role of Division Director/Administrator and that Ray Lang has agreed to become Deputy Division Director/Administrator on an interim basis. I am grateful to both of them for stepping up and volunteering to help. They will work together to keep the Division moving forward while also putting in place a permanent board. I am excited to see what they bring to the table and would ask that you all support them in all that they do. Zach and Ray will make further announcements as time progresses to keep you all informed of what their plans are. Please join me in welcoming them both into Senior roles at the Division. Thanks Alan
    6 points
  37. In addition to this I am please to announce Mr Paul Tudball who has also joined the department. Paul has a lot he can offer the training department and will be a great addition to the training team. Welcome Paul!
    6 points
  38. Please join me in welcoming Sam Keast to the ATC Training Department! Sam brings a wide range of aviation knowledge and has a real passion for controlling. I'm looking forward to seeing the fine controllers that Sam will produce in the not to distant future. Welcome to the team Sam!
    6 points
  39. Please join me in congratulating Clem Wu who has successfully passed his S3 rating. We look forward to seeing you control soon Clem!
    6 points
  40. Congratulations to Sam Keast who recently demonstrated his ability to separate aircraft he can't see! (Plus all the other stuff ) Coming to a Centre near you!
    6 points
  41. Congratulations to Corey who has satisfied all the requirements to achieve his S2 rating. Looking forward to seeing you online soon Corey!
    6 points
  42. It's with great pleasure that I announce Harrison Scott has been appointed by the VATPAC Board as Director, Operations. Harrison has been a member of staff at VATPAC for some time now holding roles in the ATC Training, Operations and I.T departments. During his time on the Board as the I.T Director, Harrison gained an important insight into the day to day operations of VATPAC which, alongside his recent work in Operations, has adequately prepared him to take on a role in the Operations Department. He'll be working closely with Peter Story while a transition occurs. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Peter Story for stepping in as Acting Director. Peter not only kept his own work progressing but also took on the workload of the Operations Director and saw through several projects over the last couple of months including Local Instructions updates, AIRAC1907 + 1909 and work on the Euroscope controller client updater. Peter will stay on-board the team as Deputy Director, AIS, supporting the team as we continue to update and bring new content to the community. Congratulations and welcome to the team Harrison.
    6 points
  43. Hello, A huge congratulations is in order to Cristian who has successfully completed the Oceanic endorsement and now had the ability to control any position within the Pacific Oceanic Agreement! I look forward to seeing him controlling the oceanic sectors in the near future. Well Done Cristian!
    6 points
  44. Hi All, Please see the following announcement from the VATSIM Board of Governors. On Monday July 15,2019 at 00:00z an updated version of the VATSIM Code of Conduct will come into effect. This update has been under development for several months. The updates modernize the Code of Conduct to reflect the many years of change on the network. The general intent remains unchanged - members are expected behave in a manner that is respectful and tolerant of others while enjoying their time on VATSIM. The New Code of Conduct can be found at http://vats.im/coc While many of the items in the Code of Conduct have been tweaked or reworded for clarity, most of them are rules that you already know and abide by. Every member should read though the new code of conduct as everyone will be held to it, but here are some of the biggest changes. Members are required to register for VATSIM using their full real names, but now may connect to VATSIM using their full real name, a common shortening of their real name, their given name only, or their VATSIM Certificate ID number VATSIM Members may stream content utilizing VATSIM and persons who intentionally disrupt a stream are subject to immediate suspension. Pilots will be required to be able to comply with hold short instructions, and flying a speed, altitude and heading assigned by Air Traffic Controllers A specific set of restricted callsigns as well as limitations on recreating flights or organizing events recognizing real world disasters or tragedies While Air Traffic Control positions are generally “first come, first served;” a division may set policy for booking a position ahead of time within reasonable limits Please visit the VATSIM General Discussion Forums to ask any questions you might have about any part of the new Code of Conduct. Thank you for your continued participation in VATSIM and we look forward to many more improvements within the coming months! Best Regards, VATSIM’s Board of Governors
    6 points
  45. Congratulations to Angus McKenzie (1314768) who became competent for the VATSIM S2 Rating on Sunday. Congrats!
    6 points
  46. Hello all, Please join me in congratulating @Elliot Parker, @Jamie Ashton, and @Peter Story who have just join the IT Development team. Each of these individuals possesses unique skills that they bring that will prove invaluable to the team.
    6 points
  47. Hi everyone. Whilst I can't share the specifics of our discussions, I'd like to share a few facts with the community about the recent VATUSA announcement to leave the Pacific Oceanic Partnership. VATPAC and VATNZ received a proposal via our Regional Vice Prseident from VATUSA in early August 2021, almost 2 months after the original document was dated (June 2021). VATPAC and VATNZ had a senior volunteer management meeting and discussed options and alternatives to the VATUSA proposal. These suggestions were shared via email with VATUSA and other parties such a regional Vice Presidents and other senior VATSIM staff. VATPAC and VATNZ agreed that Oakland ARTCC should resume responsibility for the ZAK airspace. VATPAC and VATNZ took the view that the Pacific Oceanic Partnership was indeed due for review and could be expanded to include other pacific oceanic airspace, but we did not feel that the current partnership needed to be suspended. We received little communication from VATUSA, other than advising they would be progressing with their initial proposal to leave the partnership. There did not appear to be any reasonable consideration of our views or suggestions, nor was there an offer of any further discussion on the matter. VATPAC and VATNZ both take the stance that this is VATUSA's and the general membership's loss, not our own. We will continue to open discussions about a future LoA between Pacific Oceanic Airspace Divisions and ARTCCs. We belive such an LoA would benefit the members of the network, and that is after all, why we divsions/ARTCC's exist. To serve/benefit the membership. VATPAC and VATNZ are currently reviewing the Partnership Agreement with respect to existing agreement still being in force and the effect on our controllers. If you have any concerns about this change, please feel free to reach out to me or Andrew (VATNZ Director) directly. Thanks.
    5 points
  48. Congratulations to the Cam's! @Cameron Wilbraham @Cam Tyson who received this positive feedback today. Keep up the amazing work Gents!
    5 points
  49. NOTAM: Policy Updates 1. INTRODUCTION The VATPAC Operations Department has updated that VATPAC Controller Positions and Ratings Policy and the VATPAC Controller Information and ATIS Policy. These updates have been to facilitate the implementation of Audio for VATSIM (AFV). 2. DETAILS Controller Positions and Ratings Policy Changes Summary A controller providing top-down coverage from either an Approach/Tower/Surface Movement Control position shall do so using only the primary frequency designated to their logged-in position. Use of multiple frequencies (Other than an ATIS) is not permitted. A controller providing top-down coverage from an Enroute position shall do so using only the primary frequency designated to the overlying sector. Use of additional aerodrome and/or TMA frequencies (other than an ATIS) for the purpose of top-down control is not permitted. En route controllers providing extended coverage shall configure their client software to transmit and receive on the primary frequency assumed by the sector. En route controllers shall cross-couple all frequencies assumed by the controller. En route controllers shall remain aware of sector boundaries and frequency ranges, instructing pilots to switch to the most appropriate frequency when leaving/entering adjacent sectors. Controller Information and ATIS Policy Changes Summary En route, non-FSS or oceanic controllers shall include the three (3) letter sector identifier and frequency of any standard control position to which extended coverage is being provided, and the four (4) letter ICAO identifier of any aerodrome to which a top-down Tower or Approach service is being provided in their controller ATIS information. Aerodromes which are not specified in the controller information may be assumed to operate as uncontrolled aerodromes. For Example ML-SNO_CTR: “Ext WOL 125.0, TBD 125.3, Top-Down YMML, YSCB, YSSY, YPAD.” Controller information MUST NOT include: controller's name & rating and meteorological information. 3. AUTHORITY VATPAC Director Operations 4. CANCELLATION This NOTAM shall remain current unless notification is provided in the NOTAM forum.
    5 points
  50. NOTAM - AIRAC1909 Sector File and Client Installer Downloads 1 INTRODUCTION The VATPAC sector file updates are normally issued by the operations department every 3 months. The version released today is AIRAC 1909, effective on the 15th of August 2019. The sector files provided support both the Virtual Radar Client and the Euroscope Client. 2 DETAILS SIDs and STARs updated IFR and VFR fixes updated CTR Lower Levels for YBAS, YMAY, YMHB, YMLT and YSTW updated to 4,500 in Euroscope and Procedural Diagrams updated (see separate NOTAM) Euroscope Sector Definitions and VRC highlighted regions updated for new YBAS, YMAY, YMHB, YMLT and YSTW CTR boundaries Euroscope LL labels added for Darwin and updated for Cairns and Adelaide Removed Woomera and Gin Gin ATIS. Updated YSRI ATIS to 126.3, YWLM ATIS to 134.45, YBAS ATIS to 123.0 Euroscope Package Alias.txt updated for climb via SID and descend via STAR Euroscope Package Controller ATIS line4 line changed to "ATC Feedback - feedback.vatpac.org" Euroscope Package Readme.prf updated to explain the optional use of Navigraph for more accurate Flight plan and Route Probe information 3 DOWNLOAD LINKS Whilst the web pages are being updated, links to the updated files are; VRC: VRC Sector Files and POF file Euroscope: VATPAC Euroscope Package If you don't use the Euroscope package, you will need the updated Euroscope Sector Files and will need to manually update the voice file and any profiles with the new comms frequencies and ATIS line4. 4 AUTHORITY Director, Operations – [email protected] 5 CANCELLATION This NOTAM will cancel at 6 Nov 19 - 23:59UTC.
    5 points
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