I like #1 and #5 from a design perspective. 2 is a no-no because of the 3D thing, 3 would be good without the radar.

In fact, #3 with a transparent background and without the radar scope on the left would be pretty awesome IMO. See below image.

[img]http://dugan.io/img/vatusa.png\\\" border=\\\"0\\\" class=\\\"linked-image\\\" /]

Happened about 3 weeks ago while working SEA_CTR


DAL221: "Seattle Center DAL221 Requesting IFR Clearance to Seattle"

ME: "DAL221 state location?"

DAL221"Bozeman Int'l"

ME: "DAL221 your outside my airspace Salt Lake Center is offline you can monitor unicom on 122.800"

DAL221 "Roger thank you, by the way I don't know how to read charts, See ya in 20 minutes "

It's not unusual for Boston to get requests from pilots in N90...but I've had on different occasions pilots requesting ATC from Philadelphia, Montreal, and somewhere off the coast of Delaware.

I wouldn't classify this as a "competing" game...care to elaborate a little?

Northeast Virtual Airline is seeking instructors and mentors as we prepare to begin accepting pilots.

Qualifications:

    250 logged flight hours, with 125 landings (offline)
    OR
    150 logged flight hours with 60 landings (online)
    Demonstrated knowledge of VFR and IFR operations to include ILS
    Demonstrated in-depth knowledge of at least one aircraft type - almost any modern commercial aircraft is acceptible
    Desire to help new pilots learn to fly in a structured training environment



Requirements:

    Maintain availability of 2 hours per week for instruction
    Perform verbal and written review of exam content
    Administer and grade practical exams and checkout flights
    Perform in-flight training on specific aircraft types
    Communicate training progress with the training administrator
    Maintain awareness of pilots who are ready for advancement, and those who need additional training



Position Details:
The instruction and training staff (Master Instructors, Senior Instructors, Instructors, Mentors) will be appointed by and report directly to the Training Administrator. They will function as operational staff members, and must take and pass an in-flight checkout with the Training Administrator prior to receiving full instructor privileges.

If you come to us with the knowledge and practical skills of a pilot, we will give you the tools and knowledge to be an effective and competent instructor!

For further information or to apply, see contact information below:

Mike Dugan
Northeast Virtual Training Administrator
mjdugan14@gmail.com

I've also cross-posted this at VATSIM, but I'm also posting here to reach, more specifically, the US division since that's where I live.

So I've got S1, and I'm finding that I don't particularly care for the training pedagogy at my current region. I'm going to provide a bit of information what I'm looking for in a center, and hopefully those more experienced than I can provide some direction

Realism/Adherence to FAA: I prefer a center that embraces .65 and tries to emulate, but allows for some variance taking into the consideration that this is a recreational hobby in the end.

Traffic: A desirable center will have a major airport (obviously) with a reliable number of arrivals/departures. This doesn't necessarily imply it needs to be an extremely busy airport, but reliable in what traffic it gets. It also helps it there are at least 2-3 other airports in the region that get a "staffable" level of traffic, ~10+ flights/day.

Positions: Freelancing/moonlighting is fine and dandy, but there should also be some scheduling system for controllers to indicate the position(s) and time(s) they will be staffing. This gives other controllers a formal indication, and allows for simulataneous lateral staffing from GND to CTR. Similarly, I don't want to be at a center that is overloaded with controllers for number of positions that it is practical to staff at a given time.

Schedule/Availability:I'm on the East Coast and frequent the late nights/early mornings. Typical online times would be 7-10pm and/or 6-9am during the work week.

Training: My biggest pet peeve. Throghout my life, I have been the kind of person who learns through exposure, repetition, and teachable moments. I don't think a student controller should be forced to staff minor facilities where the traffic is minimal and be expected to have a solid understanding of the content they will be tested on. My ideal approach would be off-peak training at a major facility, or supervised/assigned training during higher volume times. (Think of medical interns...they work at high volume times, but handle a smaller patient load than regular physicians).

That said, I'm pretty open to suggestions, so let 'em fly