Vol 9: Issue 3
VIRTUAL SKY
MAGAZINE FOR THE ONLINE FLIGHT SIMULATION COMMUNITY
DevOps An insight into the complexities and work carried out by the team
A Pilot’s Story Never give up on your dreams!
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International Virtual Aviation Organisation
Editorial After a short recess from publication, “Virtual Sky” is back with this slightly
Contents
delayed Autumn
Meet The Staff
4
Manager - Louis Verdeau
IVAO Poland RFE Weekend
5
With each new management
DevOps: A Brief Q&A Interview
9
edition brought to you by our new Magazine Team Assistant
team the format of the magazine
IVAO Belux Region - An Introduction
14
edition is no exception.
The Life Of A Passenger Service Agent
18
The aim of this new design is
What did they say? Doing it the FAA way!
26
From AE to XG
28
TVS Virtual
32
Demistifying Special Operations
36
Story of an Airline Pilot
39
The Senegalese Division
42
The Continental Online Day
44
changes as new ideas are explored and developed; this
to create a more corporate image that can be presented to industry and commerce and extend circulation outside of the IVAO membership.
I hope you enjoy the new look and feel of the magazine as well as some of the new features we have added.
“Virtual Sky” has always been supported by, and produced for, our members and we can only survive with your article contributions.
We look forward to receiving your amazing stories and thank you all for sharing!
Virtual Sky is published by: The International Virtual Aviation Organisation - www.ivao.aero Please send all article submissions via email to the magazine team: magazine@ivao.aero Editor-in-chief: Stephen Howarth prd@ivao.aero Editor: Louis Verdeau mtam@ivao.aero
International Virtual Aviation Organisation
Editorial Assistants: Henk Wolsink, Robert Pepio, Stanislas Chareyre, Mohammed Almuqbel, Achilleas Moraitis Contributors: Stephen Howarth, Ken Andries, Filip Jonckers, Jessy Stas, Luc Schweizer, Tom Gilmore, Jan Podlipský, Fabian de Jong, Olivier Monnot, Lamine Badji, Marco Frosio, Giorgio La Pira, Balint Takacs, Shaun Sullivan, Adam Offra, Joshua Rees
3
Meet The Staff
Meet The Staff Stephen Howarth (PRD)
by Stephen Howarth, Public Relations Director
After some considerable
I often find in life that if I meet someone or
investigation and a hint
know a little about them, communicating
of
and working with them is much more
online flight simulation, I
productive and friendly than if they
joined IVAO in May 2009
remain just a name or title. That is why in
along
this issue I am introducing the “Meet The
While I concentrated on
Staff” sections.
trepidation
with
regarding
my
father.
my piloting skills my father had his sights firmly set on a virtual ATC career. IVAO offered such an
I contacted over 600 IVAO staff members
amazing and realistic environment that I never knew
and invited them to provide a picture and
was possible, I felt that I needed to give something
short introduction so that everyone would
back to the community. I therefore joined IVAO as
be able to identify and connect with them
a staff member in 2011 as the GB-MAC and was
better – a few of them replied.
immediately hooked on helping members, what a great feeling, maybe I could achieve more? As luck
I did not wish to have a dedicated page
would have it, a rapid promotion in 2012 put me in
for this section where all the profiles were
charge of the GB division as GB-DIR. This role was
together, I wanted readers to ‘find’ them
not only very challenging and demanding on my time
as they read through the magazine.
but invaluable in exposing me to the organisational structure and responsibilities of running a division.
I have scattered just a few staff profiles
A year later and I joined the senior staff team as
around in this issue with more to follow.
PRA2 where I found my vocation, somewhere I felt I could make a real contribution to IVAO. Within a
If you are a staff member then send over
year I found myself in the privileged position of PRD
a profile; I am sure our readers will be
where I continue to do my best to promote IVAO and
interested to read about your IVAO history
its divisions on the global stage.
and your goals. IVAO staff are here to serve the community, I hope these small insights into some of your staff members helps to strengthen
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SIMPLY AVIATION
that community spirit. www.simply-aviation.com
I will start the ball rolling with a short profile for myself; keep an eye open for other “Meet The Staff” boxes in this issue and future issues. 4
International Virtual Aviation Organisation
IVAO Poland RFE Weekend by Stephen Howarth, Public Relations Director
My adventures in Poland this year actually
During the Berlin event I had the
originated back in March at the European
opportunity to talk more to Jędrek and
Flight Simulator Conference, Schönefeld
Michał with lots of ideas and opportunities
Berlin. IVAO Germany was invited by our
being discussed along with an invitation to
sponsor Aerosoft to demonstrate our
visit Poland for an IVAO event.
network and provide a lecture to the I am certain that at this point no one had
visitors.
envisaged that only four months later Always welcomed by IVAO Germany and
IVAO Poland would be hosting a mammoth
never having actually met Aerosoft, I
18 hour RFE, effectively relaunching the
jumped at the offer to attend the event
division. An ambitious event for even the
and started to prepare my speech.
most adventurous division, this RFE was made all the more challenging as few of
It was during this preparation period that
the ATC staff at the event had ever met
I was contacted by a couple of members
before.
from
IVAO
Poland,
primarily
Jędrek
Przybylski and Michał Wiśniewski. Both
The venue for the event was at the
were travelling to Berlin for the event and
offices of GearUp (www.gearup.aero)
were keen to meet and chat to me.
in Poznań who boast the only full-scale
International Virtual Aviation Organisation
5
Michal Wisniewski and myself are finishing off pizza and making up lanyards with a 5am wakeup alarm set. 5:30am – duty calls and Michal and I travel into town, half asleep and in need of strong coffee, arriving to find the entire RFE staff setup and operational at the GearUp offices. airliner simulator in Poland and what a simulator it is, simply awesome! I cannot fault GearUp on anything concerning the event, an imaginative and well
Not even the constant film crew presence or media buzz could interrupt the controllers
presented establishment with friendly and professional staff and great coffee.
The next 18 hours were not only part of a well organised and executed event by
Hosting such a long event obviously meant
a relatively newly reformed division, but
we all had a very early start on Saturday
a host to a frenzy of media exposure
morning. Clearly lots of sleep the night
and patronage from PANSA (Polish Air
before was required so that we were all
Navigation
awake and full of energy for controlling or
people were interviewed regarding IVAO
attending interviews. The best laid plans
Poland and SimNetAir’s (www.simnetair.
of mice and men... 3am in the hotel lobby
com) “Eagles Nest” program ranging from
and Lukasz Kaluski,
local radio to television channels POLSAT,
6
Bartłomiej Kipis,
Services
Agency).
Several
International Virtual Aviation Organisation
TVP and Poland’s leading general aviation
and PANSA staff enjoying online flights.
monthly magazine Przegląd Lotniczy. It was a real treat for the pilots to have Not even the constant film crew presence
PANSA staff manning Poznań approach
or
during the afternoon and I think it is safe
media
buzz
could
interrupt
the
controllers – pure professionalism!
to say that not only were IVAO Poland thrilled to have representatives from
Constant PR updates ensured members
PANSA present, but that PANSA were
were kept informed and over 300 flights
suitably impressed by the quality of the
were logged with extra ATC positions being
IVAO software and level of competance of
opened to cope with demand. A smooth
the controllers.
operation any division would be proud of with no major issues, relaxed controllers
A final late evening PR post resulted in a
and a friendly atmosphere all day, evening
flurry of activity online, bringing to a close
and into the night.
a hugely successful RFE for all concerned.
PANSA were suitably impressed by the quality of the IVAO software
Organising RFE’s takes a great deal of time, effort and support from both staff and members and the results are greatly appreciated and enjoyed by all
A highlight of the event was having the
IVAO members who take part. They are
GearUp Boeing 737 simulator connected
hugely popular with pilots and equally
to IVAO all day, very popular with not only
challenging for controllers, however from
the event staff but also executive editor of
my perspective, they demonstrate the
Przegląd Lotniczy - Krzysztof Krawcewicz
commitment and professionalism of IVAO
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7
members and embody the core values of the organisation. This was my first visit to Poland and I was extremely impressed by the divisions work and enthusiasm. The event was exceptionally well organised with a huge amount of media interest and coverage. I consumed far too much pizza than I guess is healthy over a weekend, washed down with far too much Vodka, but more importantly I met some amazing, friendly
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Thank you IVAO Poland for an amazing
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8
International Virtual Aviation Organisation
DevOps: A Brief Q&A Interview
by Ken Andries (DevOps Support Coordinator), Filip Jonckers (DevOps Support) & Stephen Howarth (Public Relations Director)
The latter part of 2016 has seen an
Q: What kind/how many resources can
increasing number of demonstrations and
DevOps rely on?
live streaming events featuring IvAc2, the eagerly awaited update to IVAO’s air traffic
A: Our most recent appointment was
control software. The main question on
to the MTL team they now consist of
everyone’s lips is “When will it be released?”
four working their way through the
and the obvious answer to this is “When it
MTL backlog and making some exciting
is ready”. IvAc2 is a huge undertaking for
changes. two in forum support, two in
the DevOps team and many members are
Server administration, three on legacy
extremely interested in its feature set and
web projects, three core developers
functionality, but it is not the only project
(IvAc2, IvAp3, FSD). As you can see there
they are involved with.
are not a lot of people in our team but we are constantly looking for extra help. If you
I recently had the opportunity to chat to the
ever wondered why things take a while
DevOps team and pose some questions
to develop, we are not a game company
about the work they do and the role they
with a team of 20-40 developers working
play within the organisation.
40h/week. We put as much time in as we possibly can.
I hope you find the following interview interesting and informative and I thank
Q: What is the average time DevOps
the team for their time and commitment.
members spend on their IVAO job?
International Virtual Aviation Organisation
9
A: As much as possible; the core team probably spends a few hours a day on IVAO. We are all very eager to work on IVAO projects. Q: What tasks do DevOps members do which are not visible directly by the members? A: Meetings, and working on “sensitive” projects. We communicate very regularly with the Executive, BoG & PR department to discuss problems at hand or sharing ideas. We also try to get together a couple of times a year with the team which is not the easiest thing in the world to organise. Q: What departments are covered by DevOps and what are their responsibilities? A: The old Web, Logistics, Softdev & Support departments. The web team is in charge of maintaining the main IVAO website which we now call the legacy system, they fix bugs, make small improvements on request of the Executive or other departments. Logistics which already was a combined team of Network & Forum, their main tasks were to keep the operational network (FSD, Teamspeak, Web Servers) online and protect it, while the forum team handles any changes in the forum which are requested by divisions or HQ staff. Softdev took point on software development focusing on IvAp, IvAc clients and also FSD, MTL & WX Server. Finally, our support
The first feeling on IvAc2 just felt great! The assuming of planes who are transferred by other stations is just easy like 1-2-3 ~ David Flement
team, if you ever had any questions or issues with our software / network it is more than likely that you have met them. When DEVOPS was created the idea was to
integrate all these different teams which greatly improved communication and problem solving by putting developers, operational network team & support all in one group we are able to quickly react to changes. Which seems to be working quite well after a year. Q: How realistic is IvAc2? A: We have shown IvAc2 to several atco’s and generally speaking they are very excited, it 10
International Virtual Aviation Organisation
not only functions like a real radar, it is very intuitive to use compared to the real thing. Q: We have all seen the many previews and images on the forum, livestreams on Twitch and your posts on the DevOps blog. Considering this will members be able to use IvAc2 soon? A: It is not as easy as it looks, IvAc2 is getting to a more stable state with every BETA release to our DataPrep teams but bugs still exist, although we also want to release IvAc2 as soon as possible. Remember that we only have three of our core developers with two actively developing.
Somehow it felt very naughty to have multiple inset windows open with SMRs for different airports spread across three monitors after being used to frantic panand-zoom. Felt odd to go back to using v1 this evening ~ Ian Beswick
As soon as we feel comfortable putting it out, the members will have it. Q: Are you working on any other projects? A: We are working on a few “Top Secret” projects we cannot say anything about as they are either too early in development or we just do not want to spoil the surprise. We often talk to different people via Skype or even during real visit to have a brainstorm session, during these sessions we come up with hunderds of ideas to improve IVAO’s services towards our members, at the end of the day it is for them we do it. Q: Do you want to add anything else?
Both working on the FIRDEF and using IvAc2 is much easier than IvAc1. When using IvAc2 everything just feels natural. Comparing v1 with v2 would be like comparing apples with pears, there is just no comparison possible, it is just that good! ~ Jessy Stas
With both IvAc2 and IvAp3 using the enhanced features and security the new API offers, we will be able to deliver the best user experience ever!
The huge
progress made during the summer shows the commitment and craftsmanship of our team ~ Filip Jonckers
Working on IVAO software is very exciting, although we all wish we could release it tomorrow and could implement all our dreams, we have to stay objective. Since I joined SoftDev (now DEVOPS) about 2 years ago we have seen huge progress. I really feel we are working towards something amazing! ~ Ken Andries International Virtual Aviation Organisation
11
June non-edited screenshot contest winner
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IVAO Belux Region - An Introduction by Jessy Stas, IVAO Belux Director
It all started in 1998 when IVAO was
so it was a logical step to provide support
created. Belgium, the birthplace of IVAO
and service for the Luxembourg Division
and the place where IVAO currently is
as well.
registered as a Non-Profit Organisation. This might be one of the reasons why the
IVAO BeLux started with promoting IVAO
Belgian Division is so important for many
to the outside world since some years
people, as they have seen IVAO growing
already with a very small demonstration
from within this division.
stand on aviation related events. We showed an observer session of IVAC and
The Belgian Division has always tried
gave some explanations to the visitors
to provide the best service possible for
of such events. This all started while still
its members which was always highly
operating under IVAO Belgium.
appreciated. Today we can extend that service even
IvAc2 is another thing which is very important with IVAO BeLux
to Luxembourg as we have become IVAO BeLux Region since this year. This change gave us the possibility to provide training,
Today, we are forming a real Demo
events etc. for members residing in
Team and have multiple so called Public
Luxembourg. The Airspace of Luxembourg
Demonstration Events, PDE for short, a
has always been part of the Brussels FIR
year where lots of aviation enthusiasts
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International Virtual Aviation Organisation
come to take a gasp of those lovely flying
We also get support from our local Virtual
machines. Our demonstration stand has
Airlines who try to promote the PDE and
grown a lot the last year. These days we
encourage their pilots to fly them. People
always set up at least one ATC Station,
visiting our stand are always stunned by
being Brussels Tower, together with
what they see and what can be achieved
Tower View which adds a bit to the realism
through IVAO. Many people also mistake
but also helps us to make the connection
us with the real ATC from the airport
between IVAO, Flight Sim and ATC. It can
where the event is happening, many times
occur that we open multiple ATC stations
we get the question if we are providing
on our demonstration stand depending on
the ATC service live for the real airport fly-
how many people are present on location
in, which makes us a bit proud of course
of course.
as this shows how professional and real IVAO can be.
IVAO BeLux tries to support local Virtual Airlines as much as possible
During these PDEs IVAO BeLux works closely together with Flight Simulator Club Belgium FSCB, who are also present at these real life events. Some of their members fly to/from Brussels National Airport during these events, either from home or from the event location which is a huge plus as we can simply explain
It’s also nice to see how real IVAO can be
the whole IVAO concept this way. Visitors
if part of the Demonstration Team arrives
always switch from our stand to the stand
by plane during those events which again
of FSCB to see those pilots on both their
adds to the amazement of the audience
sim and on our radar and Tower View.
when explaining it. Next to our PDEs we had our yearly FS LAN Party, which has been a great success for several years. Unfortunately the interest of members to join such a LAN Party has been decreasing over the last year and we had to take the regrettable decision of no longer organising it at this moment. The concept of a LAN Party may be a little outdated so we started looking for
International Virtual Aviation Organisation
15
alternatives. What we have in the pipeline
title. We have been working very hard on
are several things and focus a bit on the
a system where each staff member can
social aspect.
help out in another department if their knowledge allows it. This allows us to have
One of those things are so called seminars.
more ideas and suggestions which would
During these seminars we like to present
otherwise just be neglected as it would
a few topics, heavyweight and lightweight
not be part of their “job”.
about aviation to our members. Just a few hours where we give some explanations about these topics, or we let guest speakers do that for us. Afterwards people can ask questions about that topic before we move on to the next one. It’s always so much more pleasant in person than over a Skype call. A second idea we had was to do some sort of daytrips with our members, be it a spotting trip to our National Airport, a visit to an aviation museum, a session at a full flight simulator, a guided tour at an airport, … so many ideas to work out
This has opened up more opportunities for
and bring the staff and members closer
each department, just an example would
together.
be that our Membership Department and Training Department are working closely together on a project to better guide new members in their virtual career and lower the threshold of making the step to online flying. Another thing is that IVAO BeLux tries to support local Virtual Airlines as much as possible. Virtual Airlines are most of the time the most important source for new members so we take care of our local
Speaking of staff, our staff team has
Virtual Airlines as best as we can. When a
evolved a lot in the last year and maybe
Virtual Airline would have an event they
one of the most important changes is that
can always rely on us to get some ATC
our staff do not work just for their Staff
online, they can even promote their event
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International Virtual Aviation Organisation
through our forum as other pilots might
closely together with the core developers
be interested in flying that event as well
to have our FIR Definition ready for
if they do not have any inspiration for a
upcoming beta releases. As a result of this
flight. In return they encourage their pilots
we were also able to provide ATC service
to fly during our events and PDEs.
with IvAc2 during our last RFE and we can use it during our PDEs as well which is a
We also work closely together with
huge motivation for everyone involved in
European Flight Simulator EFS. For our last
those events. So let us take opportunity to
Real Flight Event they offered their venue
thank the core developers to allow us to
entry as ATC station space. Visiting people
use IvAc2 during these events!
for EFS then could also get a glimpse of what we were doing. Our ATC was able
Well, that would be about it what we can
to take a few minutes in their B737NG
tell you about our division. Don’t forget to
sim after the event which was of course
check our website for upcoming events
the highlight of the day. EFS also offer a
and Public Demonstration Events. We also
10% discount for IVAO members. See
invite you to our weekly Online Evening,
our website on how you can achieve that
which is held every Tuesday from 1700z
discount.
till 2000z. Our neighbouring division also have their online evenings at that time
IvAc2 is another thing which is very
so a perfect moment for one or multiple
important with IVAO BeLux as we are
short flights under full ATC guidance!
one of the divisions on which other Data Preparations teams base themselves. Our
Until we meet each other in the virtual
DataPrep Team are always working very
skies or on one of our real life events!
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The Life Of A Passenger Service Agent by Luc Schweizer, Membership Advisor, IVAO CH Membership Coordinator
Dear members,
Gate Agent). The passenger handling for an airline requires a lot of different skills,
I wanted to share with you “A day in the
and thus they are divided into “teams”
life of a Passenger Service Agent”, as it may
or “departments”. For each airport you
give you some inspiration and impressions
will find the Airline Ticket Office team,
about the ground handling world at an
the Transfer Service team (irregularities
international airport.
handling & rebooking of misconnection passengers), Lounges and VIP services, the
I will try to show you some sides you
care team for Passengers with Reduced
might not know about the world of
Mobility (PRM), and of course the Check-
aviation. Indeed, there are plenty of jobs
in/Gate Agents. All these teams work
in the aviation industry next to the classic
together in order to help the passenger
Pilot or ATC job, and believe me, they are
find their way through the airport or assist
very interesting as well! From Passenger
if needed.
Services to Flight dispatcher, via Ramp Agent and Red Cap (the loadsheet guy);
Back to me: I am myself working as Check-
all these jobs have something in common:
in/Gate Agent and in addition to that I am
the “fascination for aviation”.
part of the irregularity pick-up team, which is responsible for handling irregularities
First of all, you need to know what are
(heavy delays, lot of misconnections,
the roles of a Passenger Service Agent (or
cancellations).
18
International Virtual Aviation Organisation
thing I know is my main task for the shift (Check-in or Gate). Throughout the shift I am planned for different tasks: check-in, departure or arrival flight. As for many airports, there are departure and arrival waves, which means that we are planned accordingly. For example, for an early shift (5am to 13.15pm), you will most of the time start with a few minutes at the check-in, then go to the gate to open the doors for an inbound long-haul flight (as the morning arrival wave starts at 6am), and finally go to another gate for a departure flight as the outbound wave is starting at 7.30am. Our shifts at Zurich Airport are in between
After that, you might have a first break
4am to 11.15pm. My day starts with taking
before starting again the same logical
my work mobile phone, and signing in. The
cycle: check-in > arrival/departure > and
mobile phone is used to provide me with
so on. Of course if your main task for the
my assigned tasks (which are managed
day is “check-in”, you will most likely spend
by the Employee Dispatch Team). I have
the whole shift at the counters.
to “confirm”, “start” and “end” these tasks at the right moment. For example, I may
I won’t go more into the details, as there
start with 30 minutes of First Class check-
are so many things to tell or explain that
in counter, and then have 10 minutes
I cannot cover everything. What you for
to get to gate E42 for flight LX38 to San
sure need to know, is that it is interesting
Francisco, and so on…
to meet plenty of passengers, all having other stories, different cultures, different
One thing is sure, you will never get bored at an airport!
destinations, and so on. Of course not every passenger is friendly: like for every service providing business, there are
These tasks are dispatched according to
always people complaining or unhappy,
the flight timetable and/or the need at the
which in some cases is understandable.
check-in counters, and may be adapted
What I definitely like the most regarding
if delays are occurring. So in fact I never
this job, is that you learn how to deal with
know what I will be doing in +3 hours, which
people, have a chat with them, or make
is what I like as every day is completely
them happy if possible. And all this into an
different than the previous one. The only
aviation environment.
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19
beds into the terminal, provide enough drinks and food. We rebooked passengers on a later flight, which at the end got cancelled as well. And so on … I let you imagine how difficult it was to handle, as nobody really knew if the flight was going to depart or not. After 5 or 6 days the weather was getting better, most of the flights were departing and we could handle it in a way that we were able to get Now, I think it is more interesting to show
the passengers out of Zurich. Of course a
you some examples of irregularities and
few days were needed to resume normal
special cases I had.
operations, but it was a great learning experience for everybody.
As you may know from flight simulation or from private experiences, not everything
I have hundreds of stories I could tell
is going according to plan. Every day there
you about, but this is definitely the most
are special cases such as technical issues,
memorable and challenging one. One
delays, medical cases, and so on. Of
thing is sure, you will never get bored at
course major cases luckily don’t happen
an airport!
that often, but still. I remember the Christmas period of December 2014, as there was so much snow falling that the airport wasn’t able to maintain the runways clean without closing the runway every 30 minutes, which of course caused major delays and cancellations. After 3 or 4 days like this, we had approximately 10,000 passengers stranded in Zurich, with half of the flights cancelled. Everybody was waiting in a 4/5
That was it for now, I hope you enjoyed
hour long queue in order to be rebooked
reading the article, and maybe you are
for the next possible flight. As you can
now motivated to start a career at the
imagine, it was a difficult period for
airport? As I wrote in the beginning, there
everybody, as it was Christmas time. Every
are plenty of jobs I didn’t know about until
passenger wanted to get home to see their
today, and I can assure you that they are
family, friends and relatives. The airport
all worth it if you want to embark on a
had to provide and prepare thousands of
career in the aviation world.
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International Virtual Aviation Organisation
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This add-on provides virtual pilots numerous detailed reconstructed features like the leaning tower, cathedral, stadium, photo real ground imagery and 2k textures. Pisa X is available for your FSX, FSX:SE and P3D soon!
www.aerosoft.com
Meet The Staff Shaun Sullivan (XG-ADIR, XG-EC) I am an Aussie living as an expat in Dubai since 2001. My first computer was a Commodore VIC-20 back when I was about 12 years old - for you young people - this is well before the Internet! I remain a geek to this day and cannot begin to count how many computers and gadgets I have had over the years. The first flight simulator I had was the original SubLOGIC flight simulator for the C-64 (which eventually became Microsoft Flight Simulator). I joined IVAO way back in 2004 and did all my early training in the GB Division where I was also staff for a while. I took a break from IVAO and Flight Simulator for a few years when real life became a little too hectic and I got back into flying and IVAO again a few years ago. Being based in Dubai I transferred into the AE division which is now the XG GCC division. More recently I have had the honour of heading the XG Events department and together with my EAC Adam Offra we have tried to bring more activity and events to our division. We are particularly proud of the success of our recent RFE’s - especially the Ultimate Dubai RFE. I am also honoured to be selected as the Assistant Director working with a fantastic team of staff in our division under the amazing leadership of our Director Gio. Finally, just wanted to add - I am constantly impressed with the hard work so many of you are doing to make our hobby enjoyable for all the members. It is fantastic to be a member of this community and I hope I can continue to help in any small way I am able, long into the future.
International Virtual Aviation Organisation
21
Virtual Airlines (VA’s) provide increasing levels of immersion within the flight simulation community, often able to provide compelling, realistic, experiences similar to operations inside a real airline. IVAO welcome the integration of VA’s within the network to provide real time air traffic control services that further enhance the realism of VA operations. Below is a list of a selection of IVAO registered Virtual Airlines - we are sure you will find a Virtual Airline that suits your needs among these! Hellenic Aviation Virtual is a bit different from other VA’s as we are a training academy operated by real world pilots and simmer enthusiasts, providing training in accordance with IVAO’s rules and regulations and maintaining high standards for students that want to start their virtual career with any virtual airline; all you have to do is show up and be ready to learn. Studies provided by Hellenic Aviation Virtual are: PPL, CPL, MEP, IR, NR, Type ratings and recurrent Type ratings for the individuals or other Virtual airlines that don’t have or don’t want to have a training department. Lessons are provided via our TeamSpeak server for theory with practical on IVAO’s network using our advanced VAM ACARS that provides scores for each flight made.
hellenicaviation.net
Air Nostrum Virtual simulates real company operation in terms of routes, callsigns and fleet. Come to enjoy regionals flights over Spain and Europe, with a complete CRJ family fleet and our prop king ATR. Air Nostrum Virtual a VAG (Virtual Airlines Group) member.
airnostrumvirtual.com
TVS Virtual (TVS VA) is an online based virtual airline (VA) community of pilots whom use our approved flight simulations to simulate the operations of a real airline. We strive to maintain realism while still ensuring that the airline is fun for all members of any skill. TVS Virtual Airline is also proud to say we have a growing online presence on IVAO and we actively seek to support members wishing to give IVAO a try!
tvs-virtual.cz
Sky Club Italia was established to provide group activities to train virtual VFR pilots to make them aware of how much this practice can give and sufficiently skilled to taste its flavours. We promote VFR flights on the IVAO network focusing but not limiting to the Italian Division and in such context, support ATC training and exams, flying these events, and the IVAO ranking of our pilots. For these purposes, Sky Club Italia provides through its virtual flight school, all the required resources to improve ourselves as virtual pilots, and through its internal ranking system, the self awareness of each one capabilities.
skyclubitalia.it
KLM Virtual Airline is one of the largest and most active virtual airlines in the flight simulator community. We represent our nation’s pride, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, on the IVAO network. Using our extensive fleet of aircraft, our pilots fly around the virtual world to hundreds of destinations in their world-famous blue and white aircraft. We offer all the benefits of being part of an online virtual airline community without the strict regulations. To our pilots, our offer is supposed to be fun, not a second job. Therefore, you are allowed to fly any aircraft to and from any destination regardless of your rank. Moreover, for pilots looking for more realism, we will in the near future also offer the possibility to perform highquality flights, where strict, real-world limitations are to be observed.
klm-va.nl
Founded 02/07/2011, Sunwings Express is a Portuguese Virtual Airline operating a vast fleet of aircraft around the world in several hubs including Regional flights within those hubs and routes for IVAO Tours and VA special events. We consider ourselves to be a high frills, low cost airline and welcome every level of pilot, newcomers as well as experts. Our main goals are for all of you to enjoy flight simulation and have fun along the way. With a dedicated team of staff members and the best virtual and real pilots, we are capable of satisfying your every need in Flight Simulation! Sunwings Express is a Fun airline that works with pilots and rewards good pilots. Come fly with us online on IVAO!
sunwingsexpress.com
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International Virtual Aviation Organisation
VA AFL was founded and officially registered in IVAO in January 2012. The virtual airline has significantly grown since then. Our philosophy is: “to strive for perfection.” We always have a strong desire to keep developing. Our VA places great importance on the quality of flights carried out by our virtual pilots. For the past four years, VA AFL underwent two major changes: in February 2015 the VA was totally updated and in September 2016 we launched a new website which offered our members fascinating features that made virtual flights more real. In 2016 the number of our members almost doubled and amounted to 700+. Today VA AFL is one of the most advanced and fastest-growing virtual airlines in IVAO. Together with the virtual pilots of the VA we are constantly improving the skills. Our friendly and dedicated team is always ready to help and support the members of VA AFL.
va-afl.su
Welcome aboard Virtual Enter, place for aviation enthusiasts real and virtual. Our operations are based on the real schedules operated by the airlines as well as procedures used by the airline in the real world. Virtual Enter was founded by aviation enthusiasts. All operational and logistics are performed in the virtual world of network using MS Flight Simulator. Both founders of the line as well as the members have a great importance in maintaining high standard of operations performed.
virtual-enter.eu
AlexandAIR Virtual, as descendants of Icarus, the first man on earth who tried to fly, we continue the tradition and follow our passion for lifting from the ground and to explore the Earth from above, following the birds in their own ways... With a fleet that is always updated and 4 HUBS (LGAV, LGTS, LGMT, LGRP and KSFO) our pilots using the phpVMS system are always “on air” with one of the oldest Hellenic VA’s.
gralexandair.net
Olympic Airlines Virtual is a virtual airline that was created to simulate the actual Olympic Airlines, when it was culminated in the world’s aviation community. It was created by people with enthusiasm and passion for flight simulation and love for aviation. Experienced and new virtual pilots, all together, we have created a company, having fun with our hobby, but at the same time, and pass the most experienced, their knowledge to the younger pilots. Olympic Airways-Airlines Virtual is divided into two subsidiaries, the Olympic Airlines and the Olympic Charter. The first simulates the actual flights of OAH, while the second one provides the freedom to fly to and from any destination. If for you, the name OLYMPIC is in your heart, we are waiting for you!
olympicairlinesvirtual.com
The KKW Compagnie is a French Virtual Airline with hubs in Paris, Bordeaux, Nice, Nantes and Montreal in Canada ! We are a passionate community of simmers based on mutual help and exchange. The staff is listening to pilots who want to learn in a friendly atmosphere, the quest for realism is what drives us ! The KKW Compagnie is a registered virtual airline on IVAO. Follow us on Facebook and check our website.
kkw.fr
Sky Aurora - with hubs in Copenhagen, Bergen and on Iceland we focus on offering exciting routes and planes. No matter if you want to fly small GA aircrafts or the mighty T7, short or long routes, passengers or cargo we have a flight for you. Our main goal is to have a good time while flying and we let our pilots influence the VA’s direction.
skyaurora.se
FlyUK - our mission is to provide a high quality virtual aviation experience for all flight simulator enthusiasts, striking the right balance between realism and flexibility within a friendly and helpful community. We will help pilots of all skill levels and experience to achieve their full potential as virtual airline pilots. Innovation has always been one of our aims and we’re proud to have brought a number of firsts to the virtual aviation community.
flyuk.aero
SkyAllianceVA simulates reallife operations and real fleets of 10 airlines. We include Air Seychelles, Air Mauritius, Air Madagascar, Air Austral, Air Caraibes, Corsair International, Air Tahiti Nui, Aigle Azur, XL Airways France, Frenchblue. Fly in one of the most beautiful areas and islands of the world. You have the choice from short island hopping over shorthaul up to longhaul in the heavies.
skyalliance-va.com
International Virtual Aviation Organisation
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July non-edited screenshot contest winner
Dominik Klomann - Through the Alps with the DA40
What did they say? Doing it the FAA way! by Tom Gilmore, XA Training Assistant Coordinator, XA Chief, Senior Training Advisor
Many online pilots are apprehensive about
clearance.
flying in areas of the world with which
Departure Clearance
they are not familiar and although this is understandable it is often overcome with
The departure clearance contains the
a little bit of knowledge.
same information as an ICAO clearance, but with slightly different formatting. It is
In the North America Region, specifically
issued using the acronym CRAFT.
the United States, things are done a bit differently than the rest of the world.
C: Clearance Limit: The fix, point,
The regulatory agency is the FAA, whose
or location to which the aircraft is
regulations supersede most ICAO Annexes.
cleared, usually the destination airport
As an online pilot, don’t let this scare you! If
R: Route: The route to the clearance
you have knowledge of general airmanship
limit. This will include departure
and ICAO procedures, you will not have
procedures (SID)
any issues if you listen closely to air traffic
A: Altitude: The initial climb altitude,
control’s transmissions. Most importantly,
or top altitude followed by an
if there is a question at any time, don’t be
“expected altitude” (this is usually final
afraid to ask the controller to repeat or
cruising altitude) see example below
clarify instructions. Controllers in the XA
F: Frequency: Departure control
region are used to doing so, and you will
frequency
find that they are quite friendly.
T: Transponder: Squawk Code
There are a few things that will help
With those elements defined, let’s take
you with flying in the U.S. The biggest
the example of UAL999 flying from KEWR
one is understanding how some of the
to EBBR on route MERIT HFD PUT BOS
clearances are issued. If you have a
WHALE N75A SUPRY NATY BEDRA…etc.
general understanding of how a clearance will be issued, it will make it much easier
“United 999, you’re cleared to the Brussels
for the readback and compliance with the
airport via the Newark Two departure,
instructions. The two biggest “culprits” are
radar vectors MERIT then as filed. Climb
the departure clearance, and the approach
via the SID. Expect FL370, 10 minutes after
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International Virtual Aviation Organisation
departure. Departure frequency 119.2.
turn left heading 240, maintain 5000
Squawk 3701.”
until established, Cleared ILS runway 21L
Approach Clearance
approach.”
The approach clearance contains several
The position element of this clearance
elements as well. This is using the PTAC
does not need to be repeated in the
acronym.
readback.
P: Position: Distance from one of the
As you can see, these clearances contain
fixes on the approach
the same general elements that you can
T: Turn: Radar vector to intercept the
expect to find in the ICAO world. There are
final approach course
just some minor changes that once you
A: Altitude: Altitude Restriction
understand, do not really make a huge
C: Clearance: Approach clearance
difference for an airman.
The following scenario is an aircraft being
The last two important things to remember
vectored from the northeast, for the ILS
about flying in the U.S. are conditional
approach runway 21L at KDTW.
clearances
and
sequential
landing
clearances. Conditional clearances DO “Northwest 1111, 5 miles from ROBBI,
NOT exist. For example, you will never be told to line up and wait behind an arriving aircraft. This is strictly forbidden in the U.S. The opposite is true with sequential landing clearances. Multiple aircraft can be cleared to land on the same runway in sequence. So don’t be shocked to hear
EC-1, 15 SEP 2016 to 13 OCT 2016
EC-1, 15 SEP 2016 to 13 OCT 2016
a traffic advisory followed by: “you’re number two [or three], cleared to land.” With those general elements discussed, there is no reason to be apprehensive about flying in an area with which you are unfamiliar. The important thing to remember is that we are all here for the same reason. We all have a passion for aviation. If you have a question about any instruction you are given, don’t be afraid to ask. Everybody begins at zero knowledge reproduced with permission from the Federal Aviation Administration ~ www.faa.gov
International Virtual Aviation Organisation
and has to learn somewhere! 27
From AE to XG Giorgio La pira XG-DIR, Balint Takacs XG-AOAC, Shaun Sullivan XG-ADIR, Adam Offra XG-EAC, Joshua Rees XG-EA1
The GCC Division
reflecting in our network. We thought we could do much better than that, and we
It is a great pleasure for us, here in the GCC
needed to establish a plan to restructure
Region of IVAO to give you a little insight
and improve the entire region.
on what has happened over the last 14 months in our well beloved Division.
That could only be achieved by focusing on
The GCC Division (XG) has undergone a
what the members wanted and needed.
profound transformation from the former
Our priorities were to establish a solid
UAE Division (AE) that has allowed us to
training department, an active events
position ourselves amongst the best and
department and a very wide range of
most successful divisions in our network.
resources to assist our members to fly or
Just over a year ago, we started with a
control in our division.
restructuring project for the Division that has taken us to where we are now.
Our web team has redesigned our entire
After my appointment as director, and
website, that included a series of web
with the collaboration of my staff and the
based tools for our users. We simplified
very many new members of the staff that
all the process to request GCAs or training
joined at the time, we decided to set some
sessions and created a simple user hub.
goals for ourselves.
Comprehensive ATC procedures for the entire division were written and presented
We started with a very low number of
online in a logical and useful way.
active members, around 30 to 40, and we needed to get this number to increase. The
In parallel, our training department started
Middle East is one of the busiest airspaces
organising regular training sessions and
in the world, and those numbers were not
exams, in coordination with our events
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International Virtual Aviation Organisation
department, to make sure those days
for the major airports and control sectors
were busy.
of our neighbour countries.
After some very successful RFEs, and
All of this would not have been possible
right after the release of the website and
without a strong collaboration with our
the new web tools, we started to notice
friends and colleagues over at the Kuwaiti
an increase in the number of division
and Saudi Arabian Divisions.
transfers and new members. Our members loved all these projects, and IvAc2
we started getting some enquiries about
development team, and we made sure we
the possibility of merging all the neighbour
were ready to be amongst the first testers.
countries with the UAE Division, and we
So that as of today we are fully ready
thought that it could have been a great
and compliant with the new software
idea. Since Multi Country divisions are at
that will be released shortly! In addition
this point, a great way to share resources
to that, we also completed the Arabian
amongst small countries that would
Control project, that basically significantly
otherwise not have an active division in
increased the ATC coverage in the region
IVAO.
We
immediately
joined
the
and allowed a single controller to look after 4 or 5 major and super busy airports
After consulting our members, and in
in the world and in IVAO.
coordination with HQ we commenced the project that lead us to where we are now,
Our vision was to improve the services
a Multi Country Division that encompasses
provided to the users all across the region,
4 countries (UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and
and we thought that we had to start
Oman).
looking after our neighbour countries, to increase the traffic regionally. We
We currently have over 180 members
developed the IVAC sectors as well as
in the division, after only one year, and
QuickView documents, and we started to
we continue working on many exciting
update all the ATC procedures and SOPs
projects that include training videos for
International Virtual Aviation Organisation
29
IvAc2, a series of sponsored events and
is used in real life in the UAE and other
RFEs, new and updated web tools and a
countries of the GCC. Thankfully, this was
lot more that will be announced soon!
made possible through long hours of work and research, producing “As Real As
Make sure to visit xg.ivao.aero and our
It Gets� quality across all of our FIRs.
forum xg.forum.ivao.aero and see yourself what has happened in the Middle East,
While IvAc2 was under development and
and how incredible it is to fly and control
progressed to Beta testing, IVAO DevOps
in one of the busiest regions in IVAO!
elected our DataPrep to become among the Beta Testing Team. The Beta Testing
IVAC2 Dataprep
Team consists of a very limited number of divisions that use IvAc 2 to control on
Our division became involved in the IvAc2
IVAO Network to find and report issues
DataPrep Project in August 2015 and
and bugs to the developers.
underwent a lot of restructuring in our project and work to accelerate progress.
What
will
follow?
Well,
SoftDev
is
We have been working hard to complete
continuously introducing new features
OMAE FIR as main scope. However, around
so we need to constantly create, edit and
spring we started working on the rest of
update the files according to that. Also
the FIRs as well (OOMM, OBBB).
our target is to help out other divisions to take their first steps in the development
A key goal we had set was to create our
process.
IvAc2 radar screens to simulate what
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International Virtual Aviation Organisation
Events Department
these important airports in the region.
The GCC Division Events department has
Also, we work hard to come up with some
delivered our members over 28 events so
interesting events such as our Dubai
far in 2016 with 12 more events planned
Overload event where we simulated a
before the end of the year.
number of operational events such as airspace or taxiway closures seen often in
By far, the biggest events during the year
real life. This allowed controllers and pilots
were our Real Flight Events (RFE’s) where
to experience the additional challenges
we broke new ground in May with our
our real life counterparts experience.
first Ultimate Dubai RFE involving all three airports in Dubai. This event averaged one
Looking ahead, based on member’s
flight every 90 seconds.
requests and suggestions we continue to work to bring exciting and interesting
In August, we conducted an in depth
events, along with our popular and major
survey with all division members around
RFE events. We hope to meet you flying or
events to understand more about what
controlling in our skies!
their events and time preferences are. Members responded with many ideas and suggestions and also gave us a clear idea of preferences for days, time and types of events. These suggestions are already being incorporated into the Event Department planning for 2017. We have also been working very closely with our neighbouring divisions to deliver interesting Air-Bridge type events in the region. We have received fantastic support from all the Divisions in our region and had many well-attended events together. With the official launch of the GCC Division which merged Oman, Qatar and Bahrain with the UAE, it also expanded the events we plan. Exciting new airports are now having events planned such as Muscat, Salalah, Bahrain and Doha giving pilots and controllers wide variety and experience in International Virtual Aviation Organisation
31
TVS Virtual
Attractive destinations, Modern fleet, Sophisticated systems
by Jan PodlipskĂ˝, TVS Virtual Validations Director
TVS Virtual is a Virtual Airline, which simulates the operations of Travel Service airline based in Prague. Our primary hubs are Prague, Bratislava, Budapest and Warsaw. We have more than 100 real flights all around Europe, codeshare flights for Czech Airlines, and wet leases to Oman (Oman Air), India (Spicejet) and Canada (Sunwing Airlines, sometimes AirTransat) especially in winter, and much more.
Our skilled repainters are providing us with repaints for every aircraft in the fleet, which is a feature no other Virtual Airline has. Therefore, we have decided to provide our repaint library to only active pilots. TVS Virtual is also a member of the Aerosoft Virtual Airline Program, which offers us the ability to provide 20% discount codes for our pilots on selected Aerosoft products like PFPX, Mega Airports, etc‌
Our Booking System is based on your location. For example, if you fly from Prague to Dubai, it will change your location from Prague to Dubai once you have completed your flight. After that, it
We are using the smartCARS 2 as our
will offer you flights only from Dubai. We
tracking software, which provides us with
also have the Jumpseat option, which will
the professional and complex systems
easily allow you to switch locations.
needed for our PIREPs.
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International Virtual Aviation Organisation
TVS Virtual is proud to say that we have
Meet The Staff
a growing number of active pilots, which
Ken Andries (DOC, XB-ADIR, XB-WM)
is now more than 250 pilots and we are
After purchasing Microsoft
receiving more than 60 PIREPs per day.
Fight Simulator 9 and flying offline for a number of weeks, I decided to google if it was at all possible to
We have also created our own career
fly online somehow. As
system and exams for entry to our VA, as
luck would have it I found
well as rank upgrades.
IVAO and I joined the network in May 2006. I printed out our divisions
We have also created our own checklists
documentation on how to talk to ATC as a pilot and
for our pilots based on the real checklists.
how to correctly control aircraft. I read it anytime I had some free time. A year later I was fortunate enough to come into contact with Jessy Stas and Jean-Luc Courtois, we were all fascinated by military flying and together we put Special Operations in the BE division on the map. Still too young to be a staff member I eagerly helped where I could. In 2008 I became BE-SOAC. Together with Jessy (BE-SOC at the time) we gave training, organised events and created documenation. Over the next few years I got into training and started my integrated ATPL course in 2010. I continued to dedicate a lot of my free time
If you would like to give our Virtual Airline a
to IVAO by teaching others and organising a yearly
chance, please visit our website for details
BE FsLanParty. In November 2014 I both started
www.tvs-virtual.cz
working as a professional Software Engineer and joined SoftDev team as this is my second passion besides aviation. I tried to assist the team with my professional knowledge and collection of software tools. Slowly I got into developing IvAc2 and the new API. During the last year I took a step back in our division and focused my attention on helping Filip and the others with development of IvAc2 and our other software projects. IVAO has given me the opportunity to learn, experiment and grow both personal and professional, in return I try to give as
On behalf of TVS Virtual, we wish you many
much time and knowledge back as I can.
happy hours flying with us! International Virtual Aviation Organisation
33
August non-edited screenshot contest winner
Dmitry Lavrov - On final, runway 01
Demistifying Special Operations by Fabian de Jong, Special Operations Assistant Director
This issue we would like to take a look at
this point we are probably close to being
the Training Project that is being worked
halfway there, which is why we would like
on by the Special Operations Department.
to give everyone a quick update on where we stand.
We have talked about it in this magazine a couple of times before. Previously, we
Once the project has been finished we
have discussed a couple of the advantages
would like to implement three S.O. ranks
of such a project: no need for each division
for both pilots and controllers. Due to
to invest a lot of time setting up a training
technical limitations it will not be possible
program, the ability to standardise a lot
to implement these ranks as an FRA, but
of S.O. procedures so everyone knows
everyone will receive an annotation in
what is expected of them during S.O.
their IVAO profile once an S.O. rank has
events, a bigger audience with bigger
been achieved. We have created a big list
gains to warrant the time investment,
of subjects that we feel should be part
provide a centralised knowledgebase,
of the training for all ranks and we have
give people from divisionless countries a
roughly divided them by rank. The general
chance to participate in S.O. training. Most
goal of each rank is to enable people to
importantly, however, the ability to give
participate in increasingly more difficult
people who are new to S.O. a specific place
S.O. events once a rank has been achieved.
and path to start from under the guidance
Obviously we will be starting off with
of experienced S.O. trainers.
subjects that help people to participate in the most basic of S.O. events, slowly
The last couple of months the HQ Special
working our way up to complicated air-
Operations Department has been working
to-air and air-to-ground category B events
hard to get this project off the ground. At
with each passing rank.
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International Virtual Aviation Organisation
Special Operations not only entails flying
members need to be able to request
a fighter jet, it entails a lot more than
training sessions and exams, they need to
that. There’s transport aircraft, Airborne
be planned, members need to be informed
Warning And Control System (AWACS),
of the requirements per rank and briefed
Air-to Air refueling, firefighting, police
to prepare for the training sessions/exams
helicopters, attack helicopters, rescue
and many more things on the backend
helicopters etc. The possibilities are
that need to be created. For this purpose
endless. We feel that there should be
the Special Operations Department has
room for each discipline within the training
recently added Karim Wissel to our team
project.
as the Special Operations Advisor 4. Ricardo Carrano has also recently been
It would be impossible and too time
added to the team. He will perform the
consuming to train everyone on each
duties of the Advisor 1, but he will also be
possible discipline in detail. That is why
able to help out with the Training Project.
the first two ranks will focus on general
Welcome Karim and Ricardo!
procedures that are applicable to all disciplines. The last rank will be a more specialised one, targetting Air-to-Air and Air-to-Ground operations. In due time we hope to add some self-study documents to
The general goal of each rank is to enable people to participate in increasingly more difficult S.O. events
the knowledgebase about the specialised procedures for each other discipline.
There are still many things yet to be taken care of before the project
Now that the ranks and subjects have
can
been defined, we have a foundation to
documentation, infrastructure, negotiate
start from. The logical next step would
with divisions where and when S.O.
be to start creating documents on each
training sessions/exams can take place,
subject to help with the training. This is
gathering and implementing feedback are
a very time consuming process, which is
some of the things that spring to mind.
currently about halfway through. We do
We have set ourselves a soft target to
have one of these standardized documents
fully implement the training project for
to share as an example for anyone who is
pilots hopefully by the beginning of 2017,
interested: formation-flying. This is our
time and resources permitting. Training
most comprehensive document yet and
sessions for ATC will take a bit longer, but
focuses on formation flying.
they will follow as soon as possible.
Another thing we are currently working
Whether we will be able to make this soft
on is the infrastructure needed once the
target heavily depends on the availability
project is finished. Amongst other things,
of staff. Therefore, the only thing we can
International Virtual Aviation Organisation
be
implemented.
Finishing
the
37
guarantee is that we will release it “once it is done”. As always, any feedback and
How International is IVAO?
ideas are most welcome and will be highly
With over 180,000 registered members
appreciated. We can be reached through
in over 200 countries IVAO is one of
the “Special Operations” forum section or
the world’s largest Virtual Aviation
via email. We hope to be able to welcome
Networks, take a look at the active
you all at our S.O. training sessions in
countries and areas where IVAO is
the near foreseeable future! Prepare
represented by divisions or regions
yourselves for a great challenge! Algeria
Luxembourg
Argentina
Malta
Aruba
Mexico
Australia
Morocco
Austria
The Netherlands
I first joined IVAO in 2007
Bahrain
Netherlands Antilles
as an active ATC and was
Belarus
New Caledonia
absolutely daunted by it.
Belgium
New Zealand
Brazil
Norway
Bulgaria
Oman
Canada
Poland
Chile
Portugal
China
Qatar
didn’t really work out. I made a switch to GB-AOC
Columbia
Romania
and from there, they were inviting applications to
Croatia
Russian Federation
Czech Republic
Saudi Arabia
Denmark
Senegal
Dominican Republic
Serbia
Egypt
Slovakia
After a less than effective merge of GB with the
Finland
Slovenia
former IE division, I set about making changes to
France
South Africa
French Polynesia
Spain
Germany
Sudan
Greece
Sweden
Hong Kong
Switzerland
changes to further enhance the integration of
Hungary
Syria
Ireland. Long journeys begin with short steps. We’re
Iceland
Thailand
dedicating training sessions to controlling in Ireland.
India
Tunisia
Indonesia
Turkey
Iran
Ukraine
Ireland
United Arab Emirates
Israel
United Kingdom
We have training targets to get more people passing
Italy
United States
exams both as ATC and as pilots.
Kuwait
Venezuela
Meet The Staff Graeme Wright (GB-DIR)
Honestly, I still am. I fly lots as well both IFR and VFR. I was first introduced to the staff team as GB-FOC and it
be GB-ADIR in my division. I applied for it and was recommended to the Executive. I am pleased to say that they interviewed me and the rest is history.
involve the IE of the GB&IE division. It wasnt a lot but it was more than we had. I was then promoted to GB-DIR and along with my team we are making
We are involving Ireland in more Tours and Events. It’s not all about Ireland! I have a team of staff also tirelessly working on the implementation of IVAC2.
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Story of an Airline Pilot by Olivier Monnot, IVAO member
My name is Olivier, I’m 43 years old. I am
neighborhood was just a little reminder
a french airline pilot. I am the only one
on your way. But I am very touched that
in my family interested by planes. And I
you share with me the memory.” I was
wonder how I became so passionate about
moved by these words too. Yes, maybe
aviation and flying. Trying to understand
a fairy godmother looks at the cradle of
how my passion for aviation aroused, I
each of us to lay the seeds of a passion...
remembered a childhood memory. These seeds continued to grow, and When I was a 6 years old, we moved to a
at 15 years old, I was reading aviation
new appartment. Our neighbour was a
magazines at the public library. The title of
cabin crew for UTA, at the time the second
one of them was “Aviation & Private Pilot”.
largest french airline, flying from Paris
Two years later, I was able to work for this
to dream destinations such as Australia,
magazine for a month, as a summer job.
South Africa, Singapore, La Réunion island
I did my very first flight in a light plane
or Tahiti. Back from her trips overseas, she
with the editor in chief, in a nice Cessna
used to offer me small gifts like postcards,
Centurion, out of Lognes airfield, close to
key rings, goodies...
Paris. After this memorable flight, I bought the private pilot handbook... which laid
Maybe she was part of the explanation.
on a shelf for almost 10 years. Of course,
Ten years ago, I sent her a letter explaining
from time to time, I was reading a chapter
I was a private pilot (at this time), and
or another, but I didn’t really had enough
in her moving answer, she wrote: “I am
either time or money to fly.
pretty sure a good fairy filed in your cradle with this quest of sky and travel, and my
I started my PPL training in 2000, and 10
‘contribution’ by my presence in your
years after my first flight, I took off from
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the very same runway, at LFPL, flying a
the stratosphere, where the color of the
Robin DR400 with my flight instuctor.I
sky is not the same, a dark blue, so close
passed my test the year after, and flew
to the space... And a memorable arrival
as a private pilot for 9 years, with friends,
at Charles-de-Gaulle airport with firemen
family and colleagues to make them
trucks, a long taxi across the airport, with
discover how nice it is to travel in a light
a salute to the Concorde fans, and another
plane, overflying beautiful landscapes
one to the Air France staff in front of the
before relaxing for a nice week-end in
airline headquarters.
nice places like the Atlantic french islands (Ouessant, Belle-Ile or Yeu). I had a chance
The year after, back to Africa. I flew a Cessna
to fly in USA only two months after my PPL
172 with the Toulouse-Saint Louis du
skill test, in Nevada and California, doing
Sénégal air race. More than 20 light planes
amazing things for a young private pilot,
flying along the famous route created in
like landing on an airport at 8,000 feet or
the late 1910’s by the Aeropostale pilots
in the Death Valley, where your altimeter
like Jean Mermoz and Antoine de Saint
reads a negative altitude on short final.
Exupery (and dozens of other anonymous heroes).
I flew in French West Indies, flying from Grand Case airfield on Saint-Martin island,
I was jumpseating a lot during these years
and practising touch and go with a flight
and flight after flight, I realized I wanted
instructor in Saint-Barth, famous for its
to be an airline pilot. I was almost 35
very challenging approach above the hill.
years old when I started my professional training. I decided to do all my training in
In 2003, I had the unique opportunity to
English, and prepare my theoritical ATPL
be in the student seat of an Aero L29, a
exams with Bristol Ground School. Then I
military jet trainer used in most of the
went to Bristol for my CPL and IR training,
Warsaw Pact countries in the 1960’s.
flying the Piper Arrow and the Seneca.
With the owner, we flew from Paris to
Thereafter, I came back to France for my
Nouakchott. This was a wonderful trip, my
Flight Instructor Rating.
very first in Africa, through Spain, Morroco and Mauritania.
I was an instructor in an airclub near to Paris for a few months, then I was hired
A few weeks after this amazing trip, I had
to fly a Beech 200 in Paris-Le Bourget
another unique experience, one of my
Airport. I flew this aircraft for 5 years and
best aviation memory: a flight onboard
almost 2 000 hours, first as a First Officer,
Concorde, for the last commercial flight
then as a Captain. Our missions were
of the beautiful bird with Air France. A
Medevac flights (organs transportation
supersonic loop over the Atlantic. An
and ambulance flights), freight and VIP
incredible 1h45m flight, on the edge of
flights. I flew to almost 150 differents
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airports, from big ones as Amsterdam or
exercise, but flying a 42 tons and four
Charles de Gaulle to small airfields in 20
engine jet... My Line Training will start
differents countries.
soon. A new chapter of my pilot’s life is starting.
This was a very enriching experience. In this company, I was flying 30 year old
I love to read, and to write, and as a
planes with classical instrumentation, an
matter of fact, my first job was journalist.
old GPS not coupled with the autopilot
I own a (very small) edition company
(we flew using the heading mode for
(www.ankidoo.com), and during the last
departure, cruise and arrival), with a lot of
10 years, I published aviation books (in
technical issues. It definitely helps to gain
french), including several written by a
a good airmanship and captaincy skills.
friend, ATR42 Captain and TRI, another one by a pilot who started to fly just after
I started to use Flight Sim years ago, when
World War II, and a book of a cabin crew
the design was very basic. I joined IVAO in
and private pilot. I wrote and published, a
2008, but didn’t fly a lot at the begining.
few years ago, a book about my flights as
In 2014, as I was flying the Beech 200 in
a private pilot, and will publish by the end
Bordeaux, two friends of mine came to
of the year another one to share my flight
see the plane. One of them proposeded
experiences in Africa.
to do a livery for the King Air, using the exact paint of my company’s plane. When he finished it, I really wanted to try it, so I bought the last version of Flight Simulator and flew with the King Air. And decided it would be funnier to do it online. Thanks to him, I am back on Ivao, mostly as ATC at Lyon-Saint Exupery. Recently, my pilot career took a new direction,
as
I
passed
the
Cityjet
assesment. Last summer, I did my Avro RJ85 Type Rating, my first on a jet. Another memorable experience was my first flight on the real plane, taking off from Dublin to fly to Shannon where I did the base check. A few days before, I was practising trafic patterns with a PPL student in Toussusle-Noble, a general aviation airfield close to Paris, and I was now doing the same International Virtual Aviation Organisation
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The Senegalese Division by Lamine Badji, SN-DIR, SN-TC, MA6
IVAO Senegalese is one of the 7 active divisions in Africa. 2016 is definitely the best year of the division since the beginning with now 100 members (50 in 2015) thanks to our actual MAC and to our successfull activities: Divisions tours 2016 in progress: 5 tours are organized by our former SN-EAC, with large success of participations and awards: IFR / VFR / HELI / Special Operations / Vintage / Raid Latécoère. Lan party: 2 local lan party and fly-in were organized this year with participation 25 members. These events give us the possibility to make a demonstration at the ATC school with the Head Manager who really appreciated IVAO initiatives. Ivao Senegal Academy is now established with several trainings and exams proposed 42
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to members like PP, SPP, ADC, APC and
To continue our development we are
ACC. The training quality we are proposing
also working on a Multi Country Division
is really appreciated actually and pilots
project. The objective is to gather several
flying in our FIR are very happy to receive
african countries managed by the same
high quality services.
Aviation Authorities (ASECNA) that’s to say a number of 16 countries in Africa. All those the
target countries have actually no active
partnership that we have implemented
division but have some members looking
with the Civil Aviation Agency (ANACIM).
for assistance to increase their knowledge.
They are helping us to initiate yearly
This MCD will help them to pass their pilot
aviation event every 7th December during
and atc exams, and to increase the quality
the World Aviation Celebration Day. We are
level of west Africa Region. This could
actually finalizing a big event in Senegal on
also help to increase registration of new
December 2016 with our first Real Flight
members located in those countries with
Event.
a very large communication programme.
Another
major
development
is
Meet The Staff Ben Mathon (NL-PRC) As
Public
Relations
Coordinator in the Dutch division I see it as my privilege
to
bring
good
news to members and to the world outside of IVAO. Even a necessary negative announcement can easily be turned into a positive message, often with a smile or a reason for good laughter. My motto “A crazy mind is a joy forever” is in line with my secondary “job” in the IVAO community: I am also the CEO of the Insane Pilots Association as well as the Insane Controllers Association. Don’t bother to become a member of these entities; you are probably not insane enough to qualify. Considering my age and based on the qualifications as described above I should probably try and run for a more senior position in the IVAO community in the near future. Donations to my campaign fund will be very much appreciated.
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The Continental Online Day Marco Frosio, Events Director
The IVAO Events Department launched
was organised: the divisions were hosting
the Continental Online Day trial period
their online days on different days in the
on the 1st October 2016. The online days
same geographical area. Moreover, a lot
will temporarily be grouped by continent
of divisional online days were frequently
(Europe, Africa, Oceania, Asia, North
abandoned due to the inactivity of some
America and South America) and not by
divisions. This was leading to a chaotic
division; we asked Marco Frosio (Events
and messy system that needed a reform.
Director) about this project. Since the IVAO first years, the online days have become the core of the online member’s
activity
on
the
network.
We are very confident in this project, we hope that you will enjoy this new Continental Online Day system
They have always been a great way to attract pilots and controllers in specific
During the last few months, in our HQ
divisions all around the world and, for
department, we have been thinking: How
this reason, the Events Department has
can we improve the online day system?
always appreciated the importance and significance of the online days.
A lot of different options and ideas came up but we always tried to be focused on
After a number of years experience in the
keeping things simple and easy.
department, our team noticed that there seemed to be a fundamental problem
The IVAO member should be able to know
with the way in which the divisional system
in advance where they are able to fly each
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day to get reliable ATC service.
As this will be a drastic change for the online day system, we think this trial period
That is how we got to the idea of the
is the right way to test the new system and
Continental Online Day: a clear and simple
see if it gives the expected results.
weekly schedule, each continent has its own unique online day. We hoped that in
For this reason, we started a three months
this way we could both increase the traffic
trial from the 1st October 2016 until the
in remote areas of the world (Asia, Africa)
31st December 2016. At the end of this trial
and concentrate the traffic in the most
period, we will have an internal survey with
active zones (Europe, South America).
event staffs from all divisions (DIR/ADIR/ EC/EAC/EAx). Afterwards, we will assess
We also thought to set specific time-frame
and decide if the new system is working,
for each online day but this causes a lot
if it needs to be improved, or if it is better
of problems with the continents which are
to simply revert to the old divisional one.
far away from the main user activity (like Europe). That is why, for the time being,
We are very confident in this project,
we decided to set a full day time-frame
we hope that you will enjoy this new
from 00z to 24z, allowing divisions to select
Continental
their own start and finish times that best
perhaps take the opportunity to try
suit their members, however we reserve
flying in continents you may never have
the option to add the feature in the next
considered in the past.
Online
Day
system
and
months if we can find a good compromise.
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IN TERN ATI O NAL V I RTUAL AVIA T ION O RGANI S ATI O N
“Where the virtual world meets the real world“
http://ivao.aero