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Happening now: Boston Center is online! Join us on the network for ZDC support coverage this evening.

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.

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To see all of our upcoming events, please visit the Events Calendar. 

 

 

 

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.

 

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:

1. Aerosoft
2. HiFi Simulations
3. Orbx
4. QualityWings
5. RealityXP
6. REX
7. Thrustmaster

For official Tea Party Poker rules as well as other event updates, please visit the Tea Party page.

 

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.

 

 

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!

 

June's winner was Nathan Rankin:

 

 

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