Over the past few weeks a dedicated group of awesome individuals has been working tirelessly to launch the return of the Honolulu Control Facility (HCF) and Anchorage Air Route Traffic Control Center (ZAN), which were formerly combined as the Pacific Control Facility (PCF).
I would like to personally thank Joseph Kerr, Danny Evans, Dave Mayes, and Paul Biderman for their time, effort, and energy in creating new SOPs and setting up the structure of these two facilities.
Joseph Kerr will be overseeing operations at both facilities as the Air Traffic Manager. Dave Mayes and Paul Biderman will be the Deputy Air Traffic Manager at HCF and ZAN respectively. Danny Evans will be doing triple duty as not only the ATM at ZFW but also as the interim Training Administrator at both HCF and ZAN. Mark Mangrinch will be serving as the Facility Engineer overseeing both facilities at this time.
HCF and ZAN home controllers are granted mutual visiting for non-major designated airspace at both facilities, a greater availability of training staff, and a wider swatch of airspace in which to control. We encourage those interested in staff positions to view the recent position vacancy announcements.

I would like to thank @Nolan | ATM for his over year of service as ATM (and practically ATM before that) and TA here at ZFW. He will be sticking around controlling and will continue to be a valuable member of the facility.

But without further ado, I would like to welcome Danny Evans as the new Air Traffic Manager at ZFW! Danny brings a massive amount of VATSIM and RL experience in the aviation industry. He holds numerous pilot ratings (as exemplified by his current Discord nickname on here), has served as an events coordinator, instructor,/TA and former DATM at both HCF and here at ZFW

ZDC also has quite the active Discord, that you can join when you become part of the facility.

ATM Vacancy Announcement

Position: Air Traffic Manager
Location: Fort Worth ARTCC (ZFW)
Time Commitment: 15-30 hours monthly, plus required hours to maintain currency
Supervisor: Deputy Director of Air Traffic Services (Midwest Region)
Application Deadline: 6 June 2022

VATUSA is currently seeking qualified candidates to fill the position of Air Traffic Manager at the Fort Worth ARTCC. This position is not an entry-level position and will require significant time commitments to effectively perform the duties of Air Traffic Manager.


Duties of the Air Traffic Manager:

- Reports to their respective Deputy Director of Air Traffic Services.
- Must maintain an online presence on the VATSIM network
- Maintains facility website and discord/teamspeak
- Drafts ARTCC SOPs, LOAs and other appropriate documents; seeks RM approval for the same
- Ensures ARTCC SOPs, LOAs and other appropriate documents are readily available for viewing/download
- Functions as VATUSA staff member and attends meetings as necessary to discuss and stay current with region and division issues, policies, and initiatives
- Manages and defines the duties of ARTCC staff; submits selection of Deputy ATM and Webmaster to their DD for division confirmation; submits selection of Training Administrator to the Training Director for division confirmation
- Provides guidance and help to assigned controllers; may establish a staff of "Mentors" to assist with training
- Works with or delegates a liaison to work with region/division-level Events Coordinators on events as necessary
- Addresses disciplinary situations with the Southern Region Manager when appropriate


Minimum Requirements:

- Possess a high degree of energy and commitment appropriate to the requirements of the position
- Must have at least a Controller (C1) rating
- Must be at least eighteen years old by the time of application
- Must be an active member of the network in good standing
- Must be able to work in a team environment and function as a team member
- Must conduct themselves in a professional manner in all interaction within their role
- Have no significant disciplinary record, no history of unprofessional behavior
- Demonstrates qualities of understanding, patience, and maturity.
- Understands the role of the ARTCC and ARTCC staff within the Midwest Region, VATUSA, and VATSIM Americas
- Understands the position requires CONSIDERABLE commitment of time
- Experience effectively managing others through good leadership practices

Preferred qualities:
- Current home or visiting controller
- Prior ARTCC staff experience
- Prior or current Instructor or Mentor experience
- Real world management experience

Only those candidates who understand the requirements and can make the appropriate commitment should apply.  Candidates can expect an initial evaluation of their application after which they may be contacted for a comprehensive interview.  All qualified candidates will be reviewed and considered. Qualified candidates currently assigned to the ARTCC will be given special consideration.

Applications should include:

- Name, active email address, and CID
- Resume (including any applicable real-world management experience).
- An overview of the culture and community of the facility and plans for it

To Apply please fill out this assessment (You will be required to upload a CV and letter of intent to the google drive, these items will be deleted after the position is filled or if your application is not referred for interview). Applicants deemed best qualified from review of the application materials will be referred to an interview panel.

Questions may be directed to Rick Rump, Deputy Director for Air Traffic Services (Midwest Region) via e-mail, r dot rump at vatsim dot net, or via Discord, trawr#7622

Dilly Dilly!

Well deserved, congrats!

Sweatbox is a simulated environment where the aircraft are controlled via a training staff member. As such, things are in a more "controlled" (pun unintended) manner where scenarios can be tuned to fit the trainee's learning needs.
On the live network it is much more "anything goes" as you are now dealing (hopefully) with multiple pilots and ATC colleagues.