Support is a two-way road. Part of my job as president was to find money, software, and bandwidth. When you have declining new membership, and a perception by the public that VATSIM is full of ATC zealots, it makes it hard to sell. Sit in our shoes for a few minutes also. I can't tell you how many times I have been told to shut-up and stay out of it because I'm not in the "trenches" with the troops. Well, the troops aren't in my trench either. We face different issues and have to help each other with those issues. That is not happening.

Richard,

I agree and hear what your saying 100%!

So I bolded the portion of your statement which I feel is the core of all of this and the question has to be asked: "Why?". Obviously you (the BOG/Founders) are facing different problems then us (the divisions). The question is why aren't we helping each other. Why is there such a disconnect.

I've been talking so much of perception, and so if we recognize that our perception (as divisional staff, or in this case former) of the BOG/EC is not the most positive one, and also recognize that it is a two way street and the BOG/EC may feel the same about us, what do we need to do to change that perception? I know personally, where I got frustrated was when it felt like it COULD NOT be changed. However, I do acknowledge that the moment you say something "can't" be done, it "won't" be done.

-Mike

Richard,

It's all about perception. While USA3, I made a very conscience effort to try to stay on top of how I was perceived. Not by the people above me so much as the people below me. After all, I had 22 TA's looking up to me for advice, guidance, and suggestions, and if they felt like I was working against them as opposed to for them, then we would never get anything constructive accomplished. I was there to help them, not micromanage them. I was there to support them and assist when they needed. That's all my job entailed. The sad part is, is that there are some, myself included, that honestly feel as though the BOG/EC is working against them as opposed to for them.

Now we all know there are those staff members that don't do anything productive. We all know they shouldn't have the opportunity to hold some of the titles that they do, but they do, and for the most part, we can't change that. However, when the politics of this virtual organization get to the point where it's pushing the good people out of positions, then obviously it's an issue that should be looked at and addressed.

Respectfully,

-Mike

Can't imagine why people control at all with garbage like this post flying around. Simple answer was given and it turned into the post that made the (in my opinion) top 3 ppl in Vatsim resign. Nice job guys.

If the pilot had a complaint he should have logged a complaint with the director of supervisors which is where I would have sent him rather than make a post in the forum.

Gotta hand it to you jason, u sure have a way of getting Vatusa1's to resign...first alex and now andrew...lol.

I can promise you that Jason had no hand in making Andrew (nor I, nor Rob) resign.

This is something that we are looking into and being fixed. This is the next priority in the big list of things to fix. (First was the TRC)

Melinda,

I can't say as for why the servers seem to act up, only to say that as VATUSA, we have no control over any of the servers, or any way of ensuring they don't hiccup during the busy events. The servers are operated entirely by VATSIM.

I will say this though, the server splits, in my opinion, have gone down dramatically compared to even a year ago (although it may not seem like it). Unfourtauntly, there isn't much we can do, other then to connect to another server once disconnected.

I do understand your frustration though!

-Mike

I enjoy the conversation created here, and if anyone has any other "atc tips" please post in a new topic so we can get these up.

As for the phraseology/procedure issue, my stance has always been this:

If we are going to teach it, we need to teach it right.

When I first released the S1 guide for the Training Resource Center, You should've seen all the corrections I had to make just to the clearance delivery section; just to the phraseology aspect of it. Here I was thinking that I was a pretty decent controller, and I was messing up simple clearance delivery.

Truth be told, no one ever took the time to teach me correctly, and when I thought about it, I thought about all the students who I have trained who have not been taught correctly, and realized that it's a vicious cycle. At some point in the time, the cycle must break. Now I'm not saying that I feel people should be trained to be real world controllers, but they SHOULD be trained using correct phraseology and procedure, and possess an understanding of why we do the things we do, as a minimum.

There have been  times I've had to tun away visiting controllers because they simply were not up to par to BASIC ATC standards. How do you think the student felt? All that time they thought they knew what they were doing, but it turns out they really didn't. It's a frustrating experience to the student.

That is why I'm so big about making sure the TRC is as correct as can be. I don't want there to be any more students who have be turned down because they didn't know something vital. I also don't want the instructors/TAs to be able to say, "I didn't know". The TRC is the guide. Use it. Now you know.

It does not matter if your a  mentor, instructor, TA, or even VATUSA3, you have got to keep teaching yourself and expanding your knowledge of this. The more you know, the more confident you are, the more successful you'll be, and the more you'll be able to think on your feet when you encounter that unusual situation or problem. I can't even begin to tell you all of what I've learned about ATC, in my time as VATUSA3, and am honestly blessed to have the opportunity.

I'm about to take my basic ATC controller test. Where can I find the open book material?

http://training.vatusa.net

All the exams reference the Basic ATC section under reference material.
It is reccomended that you read through the material prior to taking the exam.

I host a twitter feed (www.twitter.com/vatusa_training) for updates within the VATUSA Training Department. Right now there is only a few followers, but its there to keep those who are interested "in the loop" between the gaps of the monthly Training Department Report.