VATUSA C3 Awardees - January 2021

[Nicholas Watkins]

VATSIM UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
JANUARY 2021
C3 AWARDEES
CONGRATULATIONS ALL AWARDEES

From the Midwest Region:

Brandon Wening ZDV
Brandon started his unofficial staff experience early as the ZHU AFE. There he helped the FE start all ZHU's files from scratch, quickly got files up to date, and built the community with more interest in controlling. He also became a mentor at ZHU a short time later. Transferring to be the ZFW TA some time later, he made a whole new training department from nothing and brought life back into ZFW. After that, he transferred into ZDV as the DATM, and eventually was selected as the next ATM. Brandon has led ZDV from a somewhat lacking facility into a respectable one. Many ZDV's neighbors had complaints with controller proficiency and LOA observance. Those reports are no longer being submitted. I believe Brandon is an asset to VATUSA and is well deserving of a C3.

Raaj Patel ZDV
Raaj has made too many contributions to VATUSA to count. Firstly, he has made a reliable AADC program which 5 ARTCCs now use, and only growing to make events flow better. He has been a critical part in many ARTCC training departments, constantly pushing for growth and demanding the best out of our students. By being the TA here, a mentor for years, as well as the AFE for a long time, he has taken our files to new heights, getting closer and closer to realism every single day. I can't think of a more deserving person in VATUSA right now than Raaj.

Kyle Kaesnter ZKC
Mr. Kaestner has multiple accomplishments at the Kansas City ARTCC. Kyle started his career at ZKC in 2015 as a fresh S1 student. He has been in the EC, TA and ATM positions over his tenure. As EC, Kyle revamped the events department with consistent events; something that had not been seen in the years prior to his arrival. Kyle also revamped the training department as TA by creating course outlines, training syllabi, training scenarios and CBT material. As ATM of ZKC, Kyle has worked on multiple projects including numerous SOP/LOA revisions as well as leading the AFV frequency overhaul team at ZKC. Kyle is an excellent applicant for the rating and I fully support his nomination.

Maius Wong ZMP
Maius has provided a steady and skillful series of contributions to both ZMP and VATSIM since assuming the position of webmaster in 2016. Among his contributions include the VATSIM TBFM tool, ZMP's website, as well as the highly successful SimAware website which is recognized by both VATSIM as the default mapping tool as well as the VATUSA ATCSCC as a valuable source of metrics by which to analyze events.

Shane VanHoven ZMP
Shane has been a valued asset to ZMP since arriving at the facility with a renewed dedication to his progression and certification in 2013. Aside from his VATSIM qualifications, Shane brings a valued perspective to our roster as both an FAA Certified IFR pilot as well as a Certified Professional Air Traffic Controller with experience at BUR and ORD ATCTs. Shane has provided a wealth of guidance and information to student controllers within ZMP for several years, as well as previously stepped forward in staff roles, including facility DATM and ATM.


From the South-Central Region:

Brian LaFleur ZHU
Brian LaFleur has spent his entire VATSIM controlling history at ZHU. He is a real-world MSY Controller and has provided real-world policies and support for the various ARTCC managers.  Along with his extensive controlling history he has over 6800 hours as a pilot on the VATSIM network and many ZHU members feel he is a resource both on the scopes and behind the yokes.  Brian is deserving of this C3 rating not only because of his dedication to this Hobby, but his personality and his positive work ethic both on the scopes and off.  Any further questions may be directed to Marcus Miller - ATM of ZHU.

Justin Lawrence ZAB
Justin is one of ZAB's most active controllers, contributing to the ARTCC's online presence since he joined. Additionally, he has had a couple of Instructor terms over the years and has always provided fair and quality training. He has received 22 feedback submissions in 2020, and every single one of them rates him "Excellent". While Justin is not a member of the ACE team, I am aware that he visits at many ARTCCs and frequently helps out during events/FNOs. Justin is a major asset to ZAB, and VATSIM as a whole and deserves recognition.


From the South-East Region:

Howard   Snider ZJX
"Howard currently holds the ZJX Assistant Facilities Engineer position, but has previously held the ZJX FE and TA positions as well.  An active member of our training staff, Howard currently serves as a mentor with a focus on training C1 candidates in preparation for their exams. 

In addition to his general participation in ARTCC activities, Howard has made a strong impact on ZJX's facility files, standard procedures, and other documents. Over the course of his time on staff, he has assisted with (and in many cases led teams in) the updating and development of files for VRC (project lead; POF+alias), vSTARS (project lead), and vERAM (project lead).  Additionally, Howard has always made himself available to ARTCC senior staff during document review periods, wherein he actively participates in providing and reviewing feedback in an effort to improve the readability, accuracy, and overall usefulness of the documents.  Howard is, without a doubt, one of the most valuable members of our current staff team.

As a long-time member of the ARTCC and division, we believe that Howard perfectly fits the mold of a C3 candidate: He is well-known and well-liked by controllers and pilots alike from both inside and outside of ZJX, he consistently contributes to the improvement of the ARTCC, and he actively participates in our community."


From the West Region:

Josh Glottmann ZOA
"Josh has created numerous utilities for facility engineers that convert various RW dat and xml files into VRC, vSTARS and vERAM, as well as software that moves maps between the VRC sct2 format and vSTARS/vERAM XML formats. Josh has also provided the community with a tool that lets you change the colors of your radar in vSTARS. This and other software he's created for the community is available for free, and is open source on his GitHub page https://github.com/glott

In addition to providing free software for the community, Josh has served as an Instructor years ago and currently serves as a mentor at ZOA."

Dominic Nguyen ZOA
Dominic has provided numerous resources for ZOA including RW SOP's, LOA's, video maps, and inside knowledge that was otherwise inaccessible and he has done that for years. He's created sector files, vSTARS and vERAM profiles as well. In addition Dominic has served vZOA as an Instructor and Training Administrator, he's currently severing as a mentor. Earlier this year he lead a training project where Sac City College ATC students were using Vatsim to learn ATC.

Joshua Borges ZLA
"- ZLA Instructor 06/2018-present
- ZLA TA 12/2018-present
- Josh restarted the ZLA OTS Operations Team (ZOTSOT) program. This has been used a model for other ARTCCs to involve pilots in ATC training."

Justin Shannon ZLA
Justin wrote vATIS and xPilot.