Evan Reiter

Thank you to the many members who have taken the time to email, Discord, or provide feedback to us via voice in TeamSpeak. We are excited to finally have a website platform that we have control over. Over the next 1-2 weeks, we will be implementing several bug fixes and minor changes to improve functionality based on your feedback. Stay tuned on this thread and here on our forums where we'll provide more information.

Welcome to our new website and forums! As you've been reading about over the past few months, this launch represents the culmination of hours, days, and weeks of effort by our webmaster Szymon Puzdrowski. Szymon has been working tirelessly, mostly on aspects of the site we as members will never see, but we will take advantage of on an almost daily basis. To do this, he has moved his computer from home to the office, and avoided controlling on the network to get everything done. I hope you will join me in offering thanks to Szymon, and the others on the Administration Team, who have made this new site possible! Please take a few moments to look around and orient yourself to the new site. As of this launch, there are now four main components of the website, all of which are tied together through VATSIM's Single Sign On: The landing page, accessible from www.bvartcc.com. This page is designed for non-member pilots looking for information about our community, and for prospective members who want to join. The main website and forums, where you are now. Before, our website and forums were two separate systems, with separate logins and databases. Now, you're able to access the forums alongside information from the website like events, the ATC Timetable, Pilot Ratings Program flights, downloads, and more -- all in one place. The new technology we have will enable future integrations with Discord and TeamSpeak, too. Project Lindbergh, a new system that streamlines air traffic control training. Controllers will be able to request training, view progress, and submit test corrections all through the new system. Controllers should check their email for more information about this component of the website. FlyBVA, where you can find a live map showing flights across the ARTCC, charts, and more. Beginning today, you'll be able to login to all four of these systems using your VATSIM credentials: the same information you use to login to the VATSIM network or website. Once you have been authenticated through VATSIM's Single Sign On, you'll have full access to the website if you are a BVA member. You will no longer need a BVA Username or unique/BVA password for access. (Please note: we have migrated user accounts from our old forums. If you didn't have a forum account, or you haven't logged into our old forums within the past year, you'll need to reclaim your account. Information on how to do this is available when you click the "Sign In" button.) Using newer technology has also allowed us to transition our website and forums off the ISP that has been providing hosting services for many years. This will result in much less website and forum downtime than we have had in the past. As you can imagine, converting the many existing forum posts, users, and website content was a large undertaking. We know there will be some bugs that need fixing, a few items we still need to clean up over the next couple of days. The current list of known issues includes: We are still in the process of transitioning information and sign-ups for events (like the Regional Circuit) to the new website. This will be available in the coming days. The Pilot Timetable was not something we could convert directly to the new system. In our recent review of underused aspects of the community, it was identified that the Pilot Timetable receives very little usage from our existing members. (By comparison, the ATC Timetable, which has been migrated, is used almost daily.) As a result, we have elected not to convert the Pilot Timetable at this time. We encourage members to use Discord and TeamSpeak to coordinate group flights. We're happy to look at the addition of a Pilot Timetable again if members identify this as a feature they would like to see restored. Controllers are currently not able to submit Pilot Safety Reports. These will be added to the Lindbergh portion of the website in the coming days. The Notification Setting "send me news and information" does not actually do anything, nor will unchecking it unsubscribe you from the community. We are working on removing this setting. We will update this list as additional issues are identified. Because of the change in domains, we expect there to be several URLs and links that are no longer pointing to the correct place...and we're hoping you can help find them! As a thank you, the member who finds the most broken URLs on our website will win a prize of their choice from the Boston Tea Party prizes (these include items from Aerosoft, HiFi, Orbx, QualityWings, RealityXP, REX Simulations, and Thrustmaster). Please see this post for more information. In addition, we recommend you take a moment to edit your profile and (if you wish) include a cover and avatar photo. You can view this information by hovering over your name in the top right corner of the forums, and choosing the "Profile" link. You can also check your "Account Settings" (accessible from the same menu) to set your signature and choose notification and other preferences. We look forward to your feedback on the new website! This site is much more adaptable to changes than we have had in the past. Issues, changes, things you like -- please, post here so we can continue to build a website and forum system that will serve the community for years to come.

As discussed on the forums and in the July Logan Informer, we are in the process of launching a new website and forum system for the community. To support the transition, the existing forums will be offline beginning tomorrow (June 29). The main website (www.bvartcc.com) will be offline beginning Sunday, June 30. We expect the new website and forums to be live by the end of the day on Monday, July 1. During the website migration process, you may be able to access portions of the new and old website. However, some features and links will be unusable. You will receive an email once the system is online and stable. For members who have an active forum account, your information will be transitioned over to the new system, allowing you to login seamlessly using your existing VATSIM CID and password. For those who don't, information about how to register for the new website will be sent to your BVA member email address. If you have any questions, please connect with us on Discord or TeamSpeak, or email [email protected]

Pilot Tip of the Month: Aviate, Navigate, Communicate Communicating over the radios—efficiently and effectively responding to ATC instructions or making position reports—is a very important aspect of safe aviation. But it isn’t the most important. Keeping the airplane in the air and navigating, whether on your own or in response to ATC vectors, take priority over what you have to say on the radio. The tagline is “aviate, navigate, communicate”. First, fly the aircraft safely. Pay attention to your critical instruments: airspeed indicator and altimeter. Stay ahead of the airplane, remain situationally aware, and make sure that your aircraft is safe. Next, navigate. Fly the airplane in the correct direction, whether that’s per your own navigation or a turn issued by ATC. Finally, communicate with ATC by giving the appropriate readback or explaining the situation. This prioritization is particularly important as you near your arrival airport and are being vectored for an approach, as ATC is expecting quick and correct compliance with instructions. When you are given vector, especially in an approach clearance, use “aviate, navigate, communicate”. Start making the turn first, then give your readback. If you don’t readback the instruction immediately but do begin turning, ATC will see that and then expect the readback in a few seconds. But if you readback a 30-60 second transmission before you start to comply, the heading or altitude probably won’t be valid by the time you’ve read it back!

BVA Receives Approval to Issue P1 and P2 Ratings By: Evan Reiter As members know, Boston Virtual ARTCC is a VATSIM-authorized ATO, allowing us to issue VATSIM Pilot Ratings as members move through our existing Pilot Ratings Program. Currently, members can achieve the P3 rating upon completion of PRP VFR Flights 1-6, and the P4 and P5 ratings through the PRP IFR flights. We are pleased to announce that BVA has now been authorized to also issue the P1 and P2 ratings. As a knowledge-based rating, P1 will be issued to BVA members when they complete PRP VFR 1-6 (at the same time as the P3 rating). P2 will also be issued at this time, for members who have completed PPR VFR 5 and who submit their navigation log to the PRP coordinator (completion a navigation log is a requirement of the P2 rating). Of course, members who are looking for more guidance are encouraged to reach out to VATSTAR, our partner ATO. VATSTAR provides one-on-one instruction through all VATSIM Pilot Ratings. Over the next few weeks, we will be updating our PRP documentation to reflect the changes, and shortly after will begin issuing the P1 and P2 ratings. Existing members who wish to have these ratings added to their VATSIM profiles will be able to do so at that time. Please keep an eye out for more information about this in the August edition of the Logan Informer.

20th Annual Boston Tea Party LIVE: August 10, 12-7pm ET By: Josh Nunn We are a little more than a month away from the 20th Annual Boston Tea Party LIVE! On Saturday, August 10, our controllers will gather together near the site of the real-world Boston Center facility in New Hampshire to provide 7 hours of uninterrupted ATC service across the ZBW airspace. From 12-7pm ET, we will be staffing Boston, Bradley, Providence, Nantucket, and other airports across New England. As we do each year, we will also be running Tea Party Poker: by flying across the airspace and landing at our controlled airports, you have the chance to win prizes from: [*]Aerosoft – winner’s choice of aircraft, scenery, or PFPX product [*]HiFi Simulations – winner’s choice of product [*]Orbx – winner’s choice of airport scenery [*]QualityWings – winner’s choice of aircraft [*]RealityXP – winner’s choice of product [*]REX – winner’s choice of product [*]Thrustmaster – winner’s choice of TPR Rudder Pedals or USAF Headset For official Tea Party Poker rules as well as other event updates, please visit the Tea Party page.

Boston Virtual ARTCC to Launch Updated Website By: Szymon Puzdrowski We are excited to announce the launch of a new, modern website for the community! Soon, when you visit www.bvartcc.com, you’ll be directed to a landing page that is designed for prospective community members as well as non-member pilots. This landing page provides general information about the community, becoming a controller, contacts, and more. The landing page links users to a new, forum-based website that includes all content from our previous site. All our reference material, Pilot Ratings Program flights, the ATC Timetable, and more is being migrated to the new platform. Air traffic controllers also have access to a new, custom-built platform for sign-ups, training requests, training reports, and much more. Our current website has served the community well since 2012. However, it uses older technology that no longer provides the functionality we need. The refreshed website takes advantage of more modern technology and will be able to support more integration across platforms and the VATSIM network. Beginning with the launch of the new website, you’ll be able to login using VATSIM’s SSO system, removing the need for a unique Boston Virtual ARTCC password. Part of the reason we’re sending out the Logan Informer a few days early is the website and forums will be offline for a few days to support the transition. As the site, users, and content are being ported over, members will have limited or no access to www.bvartcc.com. During this time, our TeamSpeak, Discord, and of course access to the VATSIM network will not be impacted. We are currently in the final stages of testing and reviewing the new website’s design and functionality. If you haven’t already, we encourage you to review the new site and give us your thoughts! This will represent the biggest website and technology change here at BVA in more than 5 years. As with anything new, you can expect a few weeks of bug fixes, URL updates, and other small improvements once the site goes live. We will be welcoming feedback from members through our new forums, Discord, email, and other channels so we can create a website and forum system that best serves our community today, and for the future. Over the next few days, please keep an eye on our email for information about accessing the new site.

FlightSimExpo 2019 By: Evan Reiter It’s 8pm on Friday, June 7. While most of our controllers are staffing up the Orlando area as part of a live Friday Night Operations event happening on the FlightSimExpo show floor, Phil and I are sitting behind the registration counter, checking in the odd attendee who wanders by and getting ready for the morning. It’s been a long day. Since Thursday, volunteers from Boston Virtual ARTCC have stuffed 1,800 attendee bags, alphabetized and prepared over 1,000 name badges, and oversaw a successful—and full—Captains’ Corner. So far, so good. Despite that, I’m a little nervous. We are planning for 1,300 plus attendees to appear by 9:00am the next day. That’s a lot of people to check in and get seated. We don’t have time for there to be a wait; the schedule is jam-packed, and with 63 exhibitors on the floor, we know attendees will be anxious to get simming. But as I sit there looking at the red “Ground Crew” T-shirt all of our volunteers wear, I think to myself: “we have some great people helping to make this event a reality. Whatever happens, we’ll be ready for it.” And we were. For the past two years, FlightSimExpo has asked BVA members who attend the show to volunteer. And you have more than answered the call. On Saturday morning, our community members helped almost 1,650 attendees—500 more than attended the first FlightSimExpo in Vegas—check in, receive their goodie bags, and get settled in to watch the show. BVA members in red FSExpo shirts were answering questions, directing traffic, moving tables, selling merchandise, and doing anything and everything else that had to be done to make the event possible. Any time something had to be done, one of our volunteers was there, stepping up to offer assistance. According to the surveys and feedback, the volunteers make the event what it is, every year. But as the largest member meet-up of the year, FlightSimExpo is not just about the volunteering. Members enjoyed drinks and dinners, hung out by the pool, and—of course—spent time trying out the tech on the show floor during the event. The conference also treated our members to a thank you dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings on Saturday night. As you may know, FlightSimExpo is managed by members from our community. To all of those who attended the event, volunteered for us, or supported by flying and controlling from home: you are the reason we do what we do. Thank you. We’re currently in the process of establishing dates and a venue for our next event. Based on community feedback, it looks like we’ll be heading back to Las Vegas. Stay tuned for more information about FlightSimExpo 2020 in the coming weeks. If you’re interested in seeing more about FlightSimExpo, check out their photos on Facebook, or the FlightSimExpo YouTube channel, which includes recordings of all event seminars.

Volume 11, Issue 7 Released June 28, 2019 Read the full issue online, or view some of the key articles from the issue below.

Congratulations!

Welcome aboard!

Hey, an RQ survivor...welcome to the team!

Hi Chris, thanks for the post. I believe the team is aware of these errors and is looking at correcting them for the next version. However, I've sent along the link just in case.

Nothing to keep quiet about here! Congratulations SH.

Way to beat off Josh's, I'm sure, hard OTS. Congrats, and welcome!