Opppps, I forgot to add that there were at least 5 or 6 aircraft either coming into of flying out of KMIA at the time, all announcing intentions over unicomm, all observing East Operations.  Sorry, my bad, also sure there was no ATC on at the time, however, if there had been, Miami would have "clearly" been in east ops.

MM.. thanks for the explaination, so, I don't have any alerts, cuz I just got the one box, so will that just stay there and float during scrolls?  I noticed in your attachment the "close all" link, but does it keep the box there, just with nothing in it?

Bryan, I knew my faith was not misplaced...

I also agree with the fact that because a position is vacant, doesn't mean it's not getting done, it just means it's not getting done by someone specifically assigned to that task.

Cheers!
Rahul

I understand the logic.. "if you want it done right, do it yourself"..   or " too many cooks spoil the soup".. however.. I believe you have to "trust" and "keep the faith".  I know that sometimes backfires, but for me at American Virtual, it has worked very well, we have staff member with specific duties, and I trust them to do it.  Sure, I could do it all myself, because it's really not difficult of a v/job.  Another thing it does is get the "general" members an oportunity to "give back" to the organization.  That being said... "to each his/her own".   I don't see VATUSA falling apart, and I'm sure Gary is doing a fine job. Hope I didn't ruffle any feathers, just stating my opinions.... and I know, I know... what is said about opinions.. LOL

Zach, I know this is not much help, but I use FSX, and SB4, and the CS757, and I don't experience any of those issues.  I'm thinking it may be a corrupt file or something specific to your system.   Just a guess though.

Congrats Wes, just remember to keep the blinds open on those new windows of your  

Just out of curiosity, what knowledge should a ZLA I7 certified pilot have?

I am in no way, shape or form, knocking the training you guys in LA do, as a matter of fact, I applaud your efforts, this is a real curiosity question.

This year, AvA (joinava.org), not to be confused with other AA related VA's will reach a major milestone.

We will be celebrating our 10th anniversary not only as a VA, but as a VATSIM/VATUSA partner.
That's 10 years, not 10 months, weeks, or days.... but YEARS.

To celebrate this monumental milestone, we will be having our annual "Birthday Bash" into the Dallas/Fort Worth Intl. Airport sometime around the 1st week of June.  We invite all other VA's large and small to join us for this event.  I know it's 5 months away, but we plan on this being such a large event, that we want to make sure everyone is prepared, so mark it on your calendars, and be prepared to interact with some of the most professional pilots and ATC on VATSIM.  Our goal is to launch as many planes from each of our different HUBS to arrive in Dallas covering a 2 hours time frame.  We are planning on having a great time and hope everyone that attends will also.

Check our website (joinava.org) for continuing information concerning this event.

It appears that alot of people have alot of different ideas as to what VATSIM is all about.  My view is VATSIM is here to provide a service to those that want to either fly or control online in order to enhance their Flight Sim experience, like interaction with others that have the same interests.  Like I said, that is my view.  I've been doing flight simulators for a very long time, from the desk top ones, to the "real" ones (if that makes sense).  Umm Lockheed's P3 simulators.  Where I enjoy the flying aspect, there was always something missing.... the interaction with others whether it be talking with other pilots flying online at the same time, or having to deal (not meant in a bad way) with ATC.  Then I found VATSIM when I was laid up after major surgery, so I joined, and as David said, started as just a pilot, then got intrigued with ATC.  I've progressed up through the ranks, can't say worked, because I really enjoyed what I was doing, and didn't really consider it work.  I've held many positions both on the ATC and pilot side of the system, not because I was seeking titles, but for the most part, I was asked to help... I was asked to be the TA at Miami, I was aksed to be the CEO at AvA, I was asked to be the Dep Division Dir at Thailand....   so I helped where I could....  BUT.....  I still love to fly, so I do, and as I stated in a privious post, I find the time  while I'm flying, (thanks to whoever invented autopilot) to attend to my administrative duties as CEO of a VA that is, I"m thinking as large as or bigger than VATUSA, and my staff position at ZMA.  I answer endless emails, deal with group dynamic issues, but none of those deter from my love of flying, and can all be handled on a daily basis while flying, whether it be a one hour hop from Miami to Atanta, or a 5 hour trip from Seattle to Honolulu.  

So that statement about what's the point of being on VATSIM if you are not going to fly or control..... makes sense to me.  (not pointing any fingers, just giving my view)