MO!  Congrats from an old salt!

Hi Michael -- quick request for clarification -- the event shows text shows that the event is on the 2nd local / 3rd Zulu, but it's on the calendar on the 23rd local.  Can you clarify if this event is on the 2nd or the 23rd (local)?  Many thanks!

Please note that the BoG has been listening and actively revising the New Member Orientation program to try to find a better balance between "thou shalt be perfect" vs. "some people think 'learning environment' means 'preschool free-for-all'"....  Finding the true sweet spot in the middle for the entire community is challenging, especially as one person's "perfect balance" is very likely to be different for many other folks.

That said, in addition to the aforementioned training improvements, the BoG is currently considering and working on drafts of what additional IFR training and certification requirements to operate on VATSIM would look like.

Also, please note that VATSIM is in a beta phase of a pilot referral program (currently known as the Pilot Accountability Project), kinda like "I've got a number for you", where controllers can request assistance from a Supervisor (via .wallop), explain the problem the pilot has, and either suggest (or the Supervisor will just refer) that the pilot be referred to Pilot Training for additional training.  Right now, that program is available only through reaching out to Supervisors, as the team working on the project architects how to make it more widely available to the whole community.

The community is definitely being listened to, and we are very actively trying to implement improvements to address the pilot knowledge gap (general reference, obviously not directed at all pilots) that have drained the patience, good nature, and occasionally will to live of so many controllers (myself included, at times...). 

Nothing moves fast enough, and of course one person's perfect is different than many others', but we're trying!!!

I hope this helps shed a little more light/perspective.

Sorry, Patrick, that does not exist in the US at present.  Many individual ARTCCs have their own booking calendars (as an example, upper left corner of https://forum.bvartcc.com/home) but I don't believe anyone has or is working an initiative to display a centralized calendar for the US (like VATUK does with the VATUK Central Training System, which is what I believe you were referring to). 

There have occasionally been requests by folks in the community for a truly centralized global ATC calendar, but no developers (to the best of my knowledge) have stepped forward to undertake such a project.  There are likely already systems out there that could handle bookings on a global level, but again not enough pull from the community combined with interest from any developer(s) to make it happen.

Sadly, Curley Bryant, a member of SATCO, an original member of VATSIM, a former VATUSA Deputy Director, Seattle ATM, and also held other roles within VATUSA, has passed away.

Hi Ian, you'd probably be best posting on the VATSIM forums; Justin hasn't been on here for 5.5 months.
https://forums.vatsim.net/forum/332-vatis/

Good luck!

Love it!