Today, Boston Virtual ARTCC is launching its 2016 Member Satisfaction Survey. We are asking all members to take 10-15 minutes to complete the 2016 survey on our website.
BVA regularly asks for feedback in an effort to continuously improve the experience members have in the community. Whether through the forums, in an email, or in person, we hope you feel comfortable sharing your opinions, suggestions, and ideas for how BVA operates.
In addition to the regular and informal feedback sought out from members, the Administration Team runs a formal member satisfaction survey every two years to help better understand desired priorities for the future. In particular, this year’s survey focuses on:
- Perceptions of the community, its controllers, and its administrators
- The quality, quantity, and location of events
- Overall community atmosphere and social engagement
The survey is available for active members, occasional users, and former participants. Completing it will take approximately 10-15 minutes. The survey can be completed on our website.
As always, all feedback will remain anonymous. However, you may also to provide your email address at the end of the survey should you wish to be contacted personally by a BVA staff member.
The Administration Team looks forward to receiving your feedback and suggestions.
Regional Circuit: Albany (KALB) and Bradley (KBDL)
Monday, May 23, 8:00pm to 11:00pm ET
To see all of our upcoming events, please visit the Events Calendar.
BVA Military had an opportunity at the beginning of the month to participate in a VSO (Virtual Special Organization) event hosted by Albuquerque Center (ZAB). ZAB hosted Thunder In The Desert on April 9th and put on a spectacular event for the VSO's on the network. The week leading up to the event we had no idea what to expect, since BVA Military has never participated in any VATSIM sanctioned event. We planned, briefed, amended the plan and briefed again till it was correct and we had all our ducks in a row.
Every week one of the twenty-two ARTCCs in the United States takes center stage for VATUSA’s Friday Night Operations (FNO). This affords every ARTCC a bi-annual opportunity to showcase their airspace. On April 8th, BVA hosted the “Take Me Out To The Ballgame” FNO, in celebration of opening day at historic Fenway Park.
For more than four hours, the controllers of BVA staffed twenty positions in the ARTCC, from four sectors of Boston Center to Providence Ground. Controllers saw hundreds of aircraft movements every hour, ranging from long-haul commercial flights to PRP flights to VFR hops between uncontrolled airfields. There was truly something for every Flight Sim enthusiast to enjoy.
To our pilots and controllers: Thank you! Your continued hard work and presence have made Boston Virtual ARTCC’s events some of the premier events on the VATSIM networks. You should be proud of your achievements.
Deciphering METARs and TAFs
Last month's question was: "What are the precipitation and sky conditions in this METAR? KBED 282107Z 31008KT 3SM R11/6000VP6000FT -RA BR BKN007 OVC013 06/04 A2944 RMK AO2 T00560044 PNO"
The correct answer is: light rain, mist, broken clouds at 700 feet, and an overcast layer at 1300. The "-" in front of the RA means light, RA means rain, BR means mist (from the French word brume), BKN stands for broken, and OVC means overcast. A full list of METAR codes can be found here.
Challenge Question: What is the FAA definition of "critical phase of flight"?
The answer to the challenge question will be included in next month's Pilot Tip.
