News Archive

Tuesday March 9th
Charan Kumar Passes SFO TWR PV!
Congratz to Charan Kumar for passing his SFO TWR PV exam. Thanks to the training staff for their hard work with Charan.

Sunday February 28th
VATUSA Friday Night Ops - West Coast!

More Information

Tuesday February 23rd
ZOA's Newest Mentor
Congratulations to James Jones on being selected as ZOA’s newest mentor! Congrats James and have fun!

Saturday February 13th
ZOA's Snow Event - Skiing Lake Tahoe!

FNO

Sunday Feb 21 1300-1600 PST / 2100-0000 Zulu

Throw the kids, the bags, and the skis into your aircraft and take the short hop from KSFO to KRNO for a fun week of skiing. After you land at Reno, it's just a short ride over the pass to visit several of America's most beautiful ski resorts. ZOA will be well-staffed to give you great service from start to finish!

More Information

Saturday February 13th
GND Cheat Sheets
with the addition of RNO I finished the fourth and for now last GND Cheat Sheet. Online and downloadable versions are available via the links below. SFO GND Cheat Sheet -------------------------- online version: SFO GND Cheat Sheet OAK GND Cheat Sheet -------------------------- online version: OAK GND Cheat Sheet SJC GND Cheat Sheet -------------------------- online version: SJC GND Cheat Sheet RNO GND Cheat Sheet -------------------------- online version: RNO GND Cheat Sheet all Cheat Sheets are available for download on the Training Download Site here

Saturday February 13th
GND Cheat Sheets

with the addition of RNO I finished the fourth and for now last GND Cheat Sheet. Online and downloadable versions are available via the links below.

SFO GND Cheat Sheet
--------------------------
online version: SFO GND Cheat Sheet

OAK GND Cheat Sheet
--------------------------
online version: OAK GND Cheat Sheet

SJC GND Cheat Sheet
--------------------------
online version: SJC GND Cheat Sheet

RNO GND Cheat Sheet
--------------------------
online version: RNO GND Cheat Sheet

all Cheat Sheets are available for download on the Training Download Site here

Friday February 12th
ZOA's New VA Liaison
I'm happy to announce that ZOA has selected Michael Mund-Hoym as our new VA Liaison. I look forward to seeing the relationships Michael helps us build with the VAs that frequent our airspace. Congratz Michael!

Saturday February 6th
Bob Miller passes SFO DEL/GND PV!
Congratulations to Bob Miller on passing his DEL/GND PV! Thanks to the instructors and mentors helping out.

Friday January 29th
ZOA claims Free Agent OAK_GND_Cheat_Sheet

ZOA secures services of OAK_GND_Cheat_Sheet!

After months of negotiations, ZOA is proud to announce the signing of highly sought after free agent OAK_GND_Cheat_Sheet. ZOA was not the front runner in the pursuit of securing his services, but at the end ZOA was able to convince OAK_GND_Cheat_Sheet to choose them over other ARTCC's such as ZLA, ZSE or ZAK.

While both sides agreed to not disclose any terms of the deal, a multi- year contract is more than likely. With that move, OAK_GND_Cheat_Sheet joins a high caliber roster at his position that includes established players SJC_GND_Cheat_Sheet and SFO_GND_Cheat_Sheet. OAK_GND_Cheat_Sheet will most likely share time in training camp with both, but adding OAK_GND_Cheat_Sheet to their backfield, will make ZOA to one of the front runners for the upcoming season.

OAK_GND_Cheat_Sheet was not available for an immediate phone call, but his agent released the following statement: "It will be a tough competition, but I am looking forward to compete with the other guys on the team and I am confident that I can find my place in the starting rotation. ZOA certainly wasn't my first choice in the beginning, but as the talks carried on, it became clear to me that ZOA is the place for me to go. The final decision came after I heard of the announcement that Adam Hulse was appointed the new coordinator. While I haven't worked with couch Hulse before, it will be interesting to see, how he will try to implement my strengths into getting ZOA back to the top. Though training camp hasn't started yet, I am already looking for a permanent place to stay so I can start my workout and be ready when I am needed to be."

ZOA has added a detailed player profile to their roster. You can view it here or download a desktop version at this location.

OAK GND Cheat Sheet
--------------------------
online version: OAK GND Cheat Sheet

download: OAK_GND_Cheat_Sheet

::FR
ZOA Facilites Engineer

Thursday January 28th
Chris Virgilio passes NCT combined PV!
Congratulations to Chris Virgilio on passing his NCT combined PV under the supervision of David Carman. We look forward to seeing Chris train on Oakland Center and also hear him on LiveATC once done with ATC training in Oklahoma City!

Sunday January 24th
ZOA Now Hiring Events Coordinator
ZOA is now hiring for the positions of Events Coordinator. Full details on the positions and how to apply can be found HERE.

Sunday January 24th
Charan Kumar takes SFO TWR PV Exam this Saturday
Charan Kumar will be taking his PV Exam for SFO TWR this Saturday Jan 30 during the Saturday Scramble event, scheduled for 1500-1900 PST. Any willing pilots are encouraged to come out and give Charan some traffic, and maybe even a couple of VFR operations!

Saturday January 23rd
SJC GND Cheat Sheet

ZOA would like to welcome it's newest member - SJC_GND Cheat Sheet

He told me that he is very excited to be here and he is looking forward to be working with all of you in the near future. Since he is new to ZOA he would like to ask all of you to bear with him for a bit till he gets acquainted to his new home and if there is anything you can see that he is doing wrong or that is incorrect, please let the Facilities Engineer know and we will set him straight. So without further a due, have fun with our newest member and make good use of him.

I put an online version (there might be slight loading times!) and a zip file to download to your local machine. Which one to use it at your discretion, both have the exact same functionality.

Look forward for the OAK GND Cheat Sheet to be joining us shortly as well, I already received the paper work, getting him approved will be merely a matter of time.

Enjoy!

SJC GND Cheat Sheet
--------------------------
online version: SJC GND Cheat Sheet

download: SJC_GND_Cheat_Sheet

::FR
ZOA Facilites Engineer

Saturday January 23rd
Steffen Franz passes NCT combined PV!
Congratulations to Steffen Franz on passing his NCT combined PV under the supervision of David Carman. Thanks also to the training staff who helped him along the way. We look forward to seeing Steffen on Oakland Center soon!

Saturday January 23rd
..
..

Saturday January 23rd
Steffen Franz Passes NorCal APP PV!
ZOA is proud to report that Steffen Franz passed his NorCal Approach exam today and he's now certified to work NorCal Combined solo! Great job Steffen! Next is Oakland Center!

Wednesday January 13th
ZLC's Sundance Festival Fly In
ZOA would like to support our neighbors to the East for their Sundance Film Festical Fly In Event on Saturday January 23rd. testing for now!!

Wednesday January 13th
ZLC's Sundance Festival Fly In

ZOA would like to support our neighbors to the East for their Sundance Film Festical Fly In Event on Saturday January 23rd.

more info in the Events Forum Link text testing for now!!

Wednesday January 13th
James Jones passes DEL/GND PV!
Congratulations to James Jones on passing his DEL/GND PV! The certification was well diserved. Thanks to all the instructors and mentors helping him out, those being PB, CI, OD, FR and MM.

Sunday January 3rd
ZOA Now Hiring Training Administrator
ZOA is now accepting applications for the position of Training Administrator. For a full job description and application information read here:

Position And Application Information

Sunday January 3rd
Chuck Barlow Passed CTR PV!
Congratulations to Chuck Barlow for passing his center PV this afternoon (1/3/10). His session was superb and the rating was well deserved. Good job!

Saturday January 2nd
Craig Zarmer Passes SFO TWR PV!
Congratulations to Craig Zarmer who completed his PV exam for SFO TWR! Craig has put in lots of effort to get here, and now he is looking forward to starting approach training soon. Special thanks also goes to Steffen (FR), who has been the mentor who really brought Craig along most of the way through TWR training. Great job!

Tuesday December 22nd
Jesse Eslava Passes DEL/GND PV!
Congratulations to Jesse Eslava for passing his DEL/GND PV! Jesse has done a great job progressing through his S1 training at ZOA. Kudos also to the training staff who worked with Jesse, including MM, OD, FR, DC, and CI.

Wednesday December 2nd
Jay McFerdy Passes DEL/GND PV!
Congratulations to Jay McFerdy for passing his DEL/GND PV! We look forward to Jay manning the scopes on ground in the future, and to his tower training.

Saturday November 28th
Group Training Exercise 12/12/09 11AM - 1PM
Sign Ups for the Group Training Exercise are now officially open.

Please see the forum post
Group Training Exercise

or the sign up page
Group Training Sign Ups

for more details

Saturday November 14th
San Jose Overloaded 2pm - 6pm PST, 11/21/09

San Jose Overloaded

Main - Pilots - Controllers

Tuesday November 10th
SFO GND Cheat Sheet
I received a few request for a tool that would help new or current controllers to learn, understand and fine tune the various Ops and Departures at SFO. Well, long last, here it is.

I tried to put as much information as possible while keeping it as simple as I can. I hope this will help all of you guys to get better. There will be no more excuse for a incorrect issued fpl from now on ;)

I put an online version (there might be slight loading times!) and a zip file to download to your local machine. Which one to use it at your discretion, both have the exact same functionality.

I tried to test everything before I published it but if there is a bug in there, please feel free to contact me and I will fix it.

I intend to expand this tool to most if not all of our Charlie airports, but it is somewhat time consuming to make this, so bear with me for now. It is still encouraged to control the Charlies nevertheless!

Hope you guys make good use of this.

SFO GND Cheat Sheet
--------------------------
online version: SFO GND Cheat Sheet

download: SFO GND Cheat Sheet

::FR
ZOA Facilites Engineer

Tuesday November 10th
Michael Mund-Hoym - ZOA's Newest Mentor
Join me on the forum in welcoming another new mentor, Michael Mund-Hoym, to our training team! With his experience as a real world pilot and ground instructor I look forward to his contributions to our training program! Welcome!

Saturday November 7th
Daniel Oordt - ZOA's Newest Mentor!
Please join me on the forum in welcoming Daniel Oordt to the mentor team. I, along with Paul and Chuck are glad to have him on board and look forward to the contributions he can make as a mentor!

Sunday November 1st
San Jose Overloaded 2pm - 6pm PST, 11/21/09

San Jose Overloaded

Main - Pilots - Controllers

Saturday October 24th
Looking for Mentors!
The vZOA staff is currently looking for mentors who are interested in working in this organization to give back to students and share their passion for aviation!!

The ideal candidate is someone who is easy going, patient, and loves helping others learn.

If you are interested see the forum for more information.

Monday October 19th
ZOA's New (old) Training Administrator
Please join me in offering congratz to David Carman, ZOA's new TA! David has served ZOA in the past in this capacity, and we appreciate his desire to take the job on again. I'd also like to thank the other people who applied. We had excellent candidates for the job which made the decision very tough.

While David has served ZOA in the past as TA and ATM, it's not going to be "business as usual" as we'll be working together to take ZOA in new, exciting directions. We're already discussing new ideas for the immediate future.

Thursday October 15th
SFO Active Runway Selection
there seems to be some confusion as of how to select the correct Ops at SFO. I made a Ops Flow Chart for SFO, please feel free to use the tool at your own discretion to select the correct OPS at SFO.

SFO Ops Flow Chart

::FR
ZOA Facilities Engineer

Sunday October 11th
West Coast Saturday Scramble 2pm - 8pm, 10/17/09

Thursday October 8th
Fright Night Ops: Fright Night 5pm - 9pm, PDT 10/30/09

Friday Night Ops: Fright Night

Main - Pilots - Controllers

Sunday October 4th
Daniel Oordt Center PV (10/9/09) 5pm - 9pm PDT
Come give him some hardcore traffic and he takes his last PV!

Friday October 2nd
ZOA Now Hiring Webmaster
ZOA is now accepting applications for the position of Webmaster. For a full job description and application information read here:

Position And Application Information

Thursday October 1st
San Jose Overloaded 2pm - 6pm PST, 11/21/09

San Jose Overloaded

Main - Pilots - Controllers

Monday September 28th
ZOA Now Hiring Training Administrator
ZOA is now accepting applications for the position of Training Administrator. For a full job description and application information read here:

Position And Application Information

Wednesday September 16th
ZOA is hiring for 2 positions!
ZOA is now hiring for the positions of Facilities Engineer & VA Liaison. More information and application instructions can be found here:

Application Information

Saturday September 12th
Hello from the new ATM!
I'm Paul Biderman and I'm proud to have been selected as the new Air Traffic Manager for ZOA ARTCC. I look forward to leading ZOA into the future and guiding it down new, exciting paths.

To read more about me, check out my introduction letter that I posted on the ZOA forum: Welcome from the new ATM

If you see me online, stop by and say hello. I look forward to serving the ZOA crew and helping everyone enjoy this hobby.

Sunday August 23rd
ZOA has a new Instructor
Lucas has been promoted to an instructor. His dedication and service to ZOA has been invaluable and this promotion is well deserved.

Tuesday August 18th
Resignation
I have submitted my resignation as ATM of vZOA effective Aug 20th at 0000 CDT.

I have many reasons for stepping down from the position, but primarily it is due to the amount of time I am able and willing to commit this coming semester at school, and the feeling that VATSIM is becoming a job.

I have had a great time as the ATM here, if it was only for a short time. I've had a blast work with the staff here, but more so the controllers. I've enjoyed watching people progress through the ranks, learn new skills, and find enjoyment out of knowing they are doing it right! I found watching new programs be implemented, updates of some procedures, and tweaks to others very interesting, and I hope they are and will continue to be successful. Mostly, though, I've been amazed at the amount of time, effort and thought everyone here has put in to making ZOA the best it can be. It is truly amazing, thank you all, staff and controllers.

Although I am stepping down as the ATM, I still plan on sticking around as a controller, and instructor if they'll have me!

I'm not 100% sure how it will work after I leave, I imagine Tom Seeley will be temporarily filling in as ATM while a replacement is selected, and in that time the rest of the staff will continue to perform their duties as they have been.

It has been a true pleasure guys, I wish the new leadership, whoever it may be, all the best, and I look forward to watching ZOA prosper in the future.

Sincerely,

David

Monday August 17th
OD Passed Norcal Combined PV
Daniel Oordt passed his Norcal Combined PV during the SWA event on sunday. There was quite a bit of traffic and he handled it well.

Saturday August 15th
SWA OAK Fly In Aug 16, 5pm - 7pm PDT

Saturday August 15th
KRNO NOTAM
RNO 08/091 RNO RWY 16L/34R CLSD 0500-1500 DLY WEF 0908170500-0908201500

Saturday August 15th
KSFO NOTAM
- SFO 04/053 SFO TWY C CNTRLN LGTS BTN TWY P/RWY 28R/10L OTS
- SFO 04/089 SFO NAV RWY 28R ILS CAT 2/3 NA
- SFO 07/138 SFO RWY 19L ALS OTS TIL 0910312359

Saturday August 15th
KOAK NOTAM
OAK 08/184 OAK RWY 11/29 CLSD WEF 0908170830-0908171300

Saturday August 15th
KFAT NOTAM
- FAT 08/013 FAT RWY 11R/29L CLSD TIL 0909160430
- FAT 08/014 FAT RWY 11L/29R CLSD WEF 0908171300-0908190430

Monday July 27th
OD goes for NORCAL PV Friday (July 31st) at 1800 PDT
Everyone this is a big one. In conjunction with ZSE's FNO this friday Daniel Oordt will be going for his NORCAL COMBINED PV. We will start at 1800 PDT so bring lots of planes. We don't really need anything crazy, just traffic. If anyone is able to hop on CTR and tower that would be great.

Sunday July 19th
MT Returns as a ZOA Mentor
Matt Tedesco has returned as a mentor for ZOA. Matt is allowed to mentor on delivery/ ground and tower.

Monday July 13th
Important: New GRP
VATSIM is in the beginning stages of implenting the new GRP that will take effect for VATUSA August, 1st 2009. All controllers should look at the FORUM POST for more information.

Thursday July 9th
MOA Gabbs and Austin Active
Virtual United States Navy (VUSN) will be conducting operations out of NAS Fallon(KNFL) and will be using both the GABBS and AUSTIN MOA’s starting 08JUL through 18JUL between the hours of 2200 – 0300z. All pilots are instructed to request that the MOA be active while online. All procedures will be adhered to as per our current ZOA LOA.

Wednesday July 8th
ZOA's Newest Mentor
Everyone welcome Ed Callan as our newest mentor. Ed is a retired controller from ZOA and ZDV so he brings a lot of experience. He is able to mentor on ground/delivery and tower. Thanks for volunteering Ed.

Saturday June 6th
LAX Real Time 6/20/09 1700z - 2300z

June 20th, 2009, 1700z - 2300z (10:00am - 4:00pm PDT)

More Information: http://www.vavirginamerica.net/index_laxrt.html

Wednesday May 13th
Website and Teamspeak Server
The box that runs the web server and teamspeak server is undergoing some upgrades and maybe be down for periods of time over the next few days. Please excuse this downtime, the upgrades are necessary and afterward everything should be running smoothly!

Thursday April 30th
Light Up America - May 30th

Light Up America

Main - Pilots - Controllers

Thursday April 30th
Saturday Scramble - May 16th

Saturday Scramble

Main - Pilots - Controllers

Monday April 13th
FDX Food and Wine

Main - Pilots - Controllers

Monday April 13th
New Webmaster!
Everyone please congratulate our new webmaster Steffen Franz!

After a lengthy application period, I receive several qualified applications. After reviewing them all I believe that Steffen will be the best fit not only in fulfilling his job as webmaster, but also as serving as a full member of the FAB.

I look forward to working with Steffen to continue improving the website and driving to make ZOA the best place it can be!

Congratulations!!

Monday April 6th
Congratulations!
ZOA would like to officially congratulate Lucas Dziesinski for passing his Center Performance Verification! We can't wait to see you on the scopes!

-ZOA Training Department

Thursday April 2nd
New Deputy Air Traffic Manager
Please join me in congratulating our new Deputy Air Traffic Manager, Chuck Barlow!!

Thank you all for applying, there was a pleasantly large pool of applicants. It was not an easy decision but after reviewing the responsibilities of the DATM, and the qualifications of the candidates it was clear that Chuck was the man for the job.

Chuck, you have many great ideas and a powerful vision about where you want ZOA to go. Additionally, you follow through and work hard to make that vision a reality. You are also a very stable person, in this sometimes unstable community. Although you are already on the FAB, I am very excited to have you taking on this new role, and I feel completely confident in your abilities to fulfill the role above and beyond what is expected. I look forward to working with you in this new role!

Congratulations!

Monday March 30th
ZLA FNO

Please visit the events section for more details!

Thursday March 26th
New Training Administrator!!
Everyone please join me in congratulating vZOA's new Training Administrator Greg Marcoux!

There were several very qualified candidates, and I thank you all for applying, so it was a very difficult decision, but in the end I feel Greg's qualifications and experience are the best fit for ZOA moving forward.

I know both Greg and I have a lot of ideas for the training department here at ZOA, and I expect a lot of cool new things to be happening in the future!

Again, welcome Greg, it is a pleasure to have you back on the FAB, and I believe I can speak for the rest of the FAB when I say we look forward to working with you!

Monday March 23rd
Gambling In Reno

Please visit the events section for more details!

Tuesday March 10th
SFO / OAK REAL TIME BOOKING

Below are the links for booking flights!

SFO Departures Table
SFO Arrivals Table
OAK Departures Table
OAK Arrivals Table

Saturday March 7th
Daylight Savings Time

Daylight Savings Time starts tonight! Don't forget to set your clocks forward an hour before you go to sleep tonight, so you don't show up an hour late to all of your activities tomorrow!

After the time change, ZOA's airspace will all be GMT -7.
Image from blog.rv.net

Wednesday March 4th
Congratulations!
ZOA would like to officially congratulate Michael Mund-Hoym for passing his SFO Delivery/Ground Performance Verification! We can't wait to see you on the scopes!

-ZOA Training Department

Monday March 2nd
American Pacific Group VATSIM Sunday

View the events page for more details!

Thursday February 19th
Resignation
Hey Guys,

It is with my sincere regret that I am choosing to step back and reevaluate my position at ZOA. Effective tonight at midnight I am resigning, and Brian Franklin (DATM) will assume ATM until someone else is chosen. I have spent alot of times discussing different aspects of aviation with you all, but when it comes down to it, I'm not as intrigued as I once was.

Going to Riddle and having classes that are basically sweatbox sessions for an hour at a time, basically make VATSIM seem like a 'chore' to me. That, and I'm afraid I don't have any time to do it. Between working three jobs and trying to pay bills, all while attending Embry Riddle full time for Aeronautics (Minor in ATC, Weather, Homeland Security) its tough.

There is no one that influenced me with doing this, if anything, I've stayed this long because certain people _wanted_ me to go. But, I applaud all of you for what you do and what you will continue to do. And hey, maybe I'll be back as an administrator someday, or maybe I'll be working with VATSIM for research during my PHD and Masters degrees.

Officially, it's been 2 years, 5 months and 17 days, and a complete blast.

You will always fight the tide of people coming and going, and getting burnt out with what they are doing. This is inevitable. You always will have the students who want to learn everything and read nothing, this is inevitable. Finally, you will have the students who want to learn everything and do, becoming the next instructor or staff member in only months. I hope for you all that you have the latter.

But if you all ever need any advice, drop me a line, tflanary@gmail.com . I'm a CTI student, and have a wealth of information. I also have 4 more years left in school( Yay PhD. and Masters!), so I might be back, you never know.

Blue Skies,

Thomas Flanary // Fmr. ZOA ATM
CID 835147.

Monday February 16th
Congratulations!
ZOA would like to officially congratulate Lucas Dziesinski for passing his Nor Cal Combined Approach Performance Verification! We can't wait to see you on the scopes!

-ZOA Training Department

Sunday February 15th
American Pacific Group VATSIM Sunday

Sunday, February 22nd, 2009, 1:30pm - 3:00pm PST. More information available on the events website.

- ZOA Events Department

Tuesday February 10th
SFO / OAK REAL TIME

View the events page for more details!

Thursday January 22nd
Congratulations Dylan!
The Training staff would like to Congratulate Dylan Whitmore on successfully obtaining his GND/DEL Certification!!!

Thursday January 15th
Silicon Valley
An event sponsored by Delta Virtual and Air France Virtual has now been posted on the events page!

Friday January 9th
New Events Page
Check out the New Events pages, located on the menu drop-down lists.

Thursday January 8th
Welcome Brian Fuller as the New ZOA Webmaster
Please join me in welcoming Brian Fuller as the new ZOA webmaster. Brian comes to us with a wide experience of coding PHP and MYSQL.

Welcome Aboard Brian.

Wednesday January 7th
Congratulations!
ZOA would like to officially congratulate Steffen Franz for passing his San Francisco Tower Performance Verification! We can't wait to see you on the scopes!

-ZOA Training Department

Wednesday January 7th
ZMA Friday Night Ops Departures!
Check the brand new Events page for more details!

Wednesday December 31st
Saturday Scramble 1/3

Saturday Scramble time!

The Scramble will be taking place Saturday January 3rd 2009 at San Francisco Intl. Airport from 2300z - 0300z (3pm - 7pm). It is our job begin the New Year with Saturday Scramble and provide high quality air traffic services so lets get out there! If you haven't already please sign up for a position.

Thursday December 25th
Merry Christmas
Good Afternoon,

First let me start off by wishing everybody a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year.

I apologize for the website being down over the past week, as I was out of the country and couldn't fix it.

Just as a reminder, there is a Saturday Scramble January 3rd. Please attend.

Thanks and see you on the boards!

Tom Flanary

Saturday October 18th
TEST NEWS POSTING
This news post is a test of a new news posting system, please disregard it.

Tuesday October 7th
Sunday Earlybird Special Event

Weekly Pilot Orientation Courses continues this Sunday, October 12th, 2008 @ KSMF. Join in the fun, starting at 10am PDT and prepare yourself for the fast paced world of Virtual Air Traffic! Click here for more info.

Thursday September 18th
Instructors Needed!

The Oakland ARTCC is currently looking for qualified individuals to add to its staff of instructors! ZOA is a challenging and exciting airspace to learn, and teach and offers many procedures featured no where else on VATSIM. In addition to teaching some of the most challenging airspace and procedures on the network, you will also be a part of one of the best, most well respected training departments around.

To apply individuals should hold at least a C3 rating, have a minimum of 3 months experience as a mentor, previous instructor experience is desired, be able to speak and write english fluently and effectively, and have excellent communication skills. Also, real world aviation experience (pilots license, student in a CTI or commercial aviation program, etc.) is a huge plus.

Please send all applications to training (at) oakartcc.com. Included should be a history of your teaching experience (on or off vatsim), other qualifications you feel apply, what you think you would bring to our training department, and anything else you want to include.

Wednesday September 17th
Friday Night Ops

The Oakland ARTCC is pleased to announce Friday Night Ops at San Francisco! The event will take place between 0000Z - 0400Z, September 26th. San Francisco will be fully staffed along with two center, three approach controllers, and other local towers. Please be sure to review charts and procedures before attending the event as traffic levels will be high. We hope to see many pilots attend, don't miss a fun night!

Tuesday August 19th
DVA Fly-Out KSJC August 25th 1700-1900PDT
Delta Virtual Airlines is pleased to announce a new Online Event on VATSIM, "Flight 331." Departure will be from San Jose CA (SJC) to Seattle/Tacoma WA (SEA). The event is scheduled between 08/25/2008 00:00 GMT and 08/25/2008 02:00 GMT. Refer to the Online Events Calendar at http://www.deltava.org/eventcalendar.do for schedule updates. Signups close at 08/24/2008 23:00 GMT.

Tuesday July 22nd
New Mentor
I'd like you all to join me in congratulating Lucas Dziesinski on being selected to join our mentoring staff! He is now available to conduct training session on ground and delivery. I am glad to be able to add him to our prestigious team and I know he will bring new insight and skills to the team. His addition will also go a long way in allowing us to keep up with the growing demand presenting by our increasing number of students, without sacrificing quality. Again, congratulations Lucas, and I look forward to seeing you help bring up our next generations of controllers.

Wednesday June 18th
ZOA Host FNO June 27th

Lucas Dziesinski created this image.

Saturday April 26th
Coastal Range Eruption

This image was created by Gerry Hattendorf from ZLA.

Tuesday April 8th
ZOA Solicits Event Ideas
Whether you are a pilot or a controller, ZOA would be more than happy to hear from you should you have any original or tried-and-true ideas for inter- or intra-ARTCC events. Please email our Events Director at events@oakartcc.com.

Thursday April 3rd
ZOA Staff Changes
ZOA is happy to announce the following staff changes!

David Carman is the new TA!
Greg Marcoux is the new EC!
Greg Marcoux is now a staff instructor!
Matthew Hull is now a staff instructor!

Thursday December 13th
New Runway Operations Tool
The FAB at ZOA has released yet another online tool to help make flying in ZOA as realistic as possible to our pilots. The new runway information tool allows pilots to looks up what runways are in use at KSFO at any given time when no controllers online. However, if there is a controller online, it is his responsibility to determine the runways in use, so the page will inform you to contact the controller for current runways in use.

Runway Information Tool

Friday November 2nd
New Event Notification List!
ZOA is proud to release our new event notification list for pilots! If you love flying in ZOA events but never know when they are this is perfect for you. Fill out the form linked below and you will receive e-mail notifications approximately a week before every major event!

http://www.oakartcc.com/pilotemail.php

Friday September 28th
Air Traffic Corridor Signups Open
The Event Signups are open to sign up go here: http://oakartcc.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2683

Thursday September 27th
Air Traffic Corridor
Controllers: ZOA Hosts the Air Traffic Corridor featuring San Francisco Int. and
Oakland - Metropolitan Airport. The event is a FOUR (4) hour long event on Friday
October 5th, 2007 there will be 2 two hour long shifts. Sign Ups will be posted
tomorrow, Friday September 28, 2007. If you think you have what it takes to handle 40+ Aircraft an hour than sign up.

Click here for the Air Traffic Corridor Events Page

Sunday September 2nd
ZOA Staff Changes
Richard Walls is the new TA
Brian Franklin is a new Instructor
David Carman is a new instructor
Greg Marcoux added to the Mentor Team
Adam Hulse returning as a Mentor

Tuesday June 5th
June New Controllers
Please welcome the following new controllers to ZOA

Kent Orthner
Florian Schupp
Steven Mehlhoff
Keith LaFaver
John Mazzoni

Monday May 7th
May New Controllers
Please welcome the following new controllers to ZOA

William Pau
Charles Ridenor
Kyle Rosenquist
Phillip Stevens
Brent Seus
Matthew Tedesco
Rod Christensen
Luis Cortez

Welcome!

Sunday April 15th
Pilot Feedback Form Available
Now available from the Feedback link on our home page; a quick and easy way to let us know your thoughts on our controllers.

Sunday April 8th
April New Controllers
Please welcome the following controllers to ZOA

Rich Lee - Returning to ZOA
Mark Allen - Academy Graduate
Kevin Kelm - Transfer from ZSE
Greg Marcoux - Academy Graduate

Monday February 26th
Controller Promotions
Brian Franklin - C1 Norcal Combined
Darren Latta - San Francisco Tower
Congrats!

Sunday February 25th
February New Controllers
Please welcome the following new controllers to ZOA!
Chuck Barlow - VATUSA Academy
Aaron Wilson - VATUSA Academy
William Lewis - Returning
Justin Ingersoll - Transfer
Joey Vargo - Returning
Michael Meschi - VATUSA Academy

Friday January 5th
MF, VG, Teamspeak Back up!
Mike Fries passed his C3 and Center OTS tonight, making him the newest C3 in ZOA! Congrats! Victor Gomez passed his BAY TWR OTS and is now a student at Reno Approach! Toby Bucsescu and Lance Hutchinson are both up next for BAY TWR and SFO APP respectively. Wish them luck!

Wednesday December 6th
ZOA is hiring Instructors!
Oakland Center is looking for new instructors! Come enjoy the snow-capped Sierra Nevada mountains to the San Francisco Bay Area, Oakland has some of the most diverse and complex airspace in the country. Inside our ARTCC, we have 3 major airports, 2 class Charlies and 1 class Bravo all within 10 miles of each other. With 5 underlying Class Deltas just in this area. As if this doesn't make it tough enough, the weather can change from Severe Clear to Fogged in and Rainy within only a few hours. Turning the inbounds from Published Visual Approaches to Cat III ILS.

Oakland has everything from San Francisco, Sacramento, Fresno, to Reno, and distinguished terrain features that you don't see in many places. We are looking for active instructors that are willing to dedicate their time to improve the quality and flow of our student controllers. You will be helped by a team of mentors, and a very supportive training system that is one of the most technologically advanced in VATUSA. Our students go through a series of written tests and instruction through our own teamspeak, before they start controlling traffic.

If you're interested, send a brief resume with your reasons on why you wish to be an instructor in Oakland to: Tom Flanary, Oakland's Air Traffic Manager, atm @ oakartcc.com (No spaces). Anyone who hold a Controller Grade of C3 (Sr. Controller) or higher may apply. Applicants must show a strong desire to learn and a strong command of ATC. Applicants will be put through an interview process with the ATM and Training Administrator.

For more information, or to apply, email Tom Flanary at atm@oakartcc.com

Thursday November 30th
New Controller
Please congratulate David Carman on passing his Norcal and C1 OTS last night! Matthew Hull is also Oakland's next C1, being promoted tonight as well!

There was a slight error with Matt's account a few months ago, and he should of been promoted, when he wasn't.

Friday October 13th
Friday Night Ops - Fresno/Reno
Thanks to all the pilots and controllers who came out to support VATUSA's Friday Night Ops at Fresno and Reno. Look for more exciting ZOA events in the future!

Sunday October 1st
New Mentor
Please welcome Brian Franklin (BF) to the Mentor team. Brian is one of the most active controllers at ZOA and his knowledge of real world VFR and IFR opearations and familiarity with the Bay Area will come in handy while teaching new students. Welcome Brian

Sunday September 17th
Tom Flanary New Oakland Air Traffic Manager
VATUSA Staff has selected Tom Flanary (TF) as the new Air Traffic Manager (ATM). Tom has many exciting plans for the Oakland ARTCC on VATSIM and believes that it will thrive and continue to grow under his guidance. Mike Fries will be returning to ZOA to take the position of Deputy Air Traffic Manager with the rest of the staff remaining the same - TA Inigo Markle-Allen, FE Eric Hebert, Webmaster Jim Thompson and Events Coordinator Rey Rey Lopez, undergoing 90 day evaluation.

Sunday August 27th
ZOA and ZLA Announce Nevada Gambler's Run!

Sunday, August 27 at 1100 PDT (1800Z) and ending at 1600 PDT (2300Z)

Come fly the arid skies of the great state of Nevada! ZOA and ZLA are teaming up to bring you the best ATC you'll find along J92. Turboprops and Business Jets are highly recommended!

Monday August 14th
Promotions Galore at ZOA!
Congratulations to the following three controllers on their new Certifications: Richard Anderson for Controller (C1), Chris Waldo for Senior Controller (C3), and Richard Walls for Oakland Center (OAK CTR).

Sunday August 6th
ZOA Forum Upgraded!
As of Sunday morning, August 6th, we have completed a transition from the old forum software to a brand new vBulletin 3.6 installation. All your user settings, posts and private messages should still be intact. Click here to login and check it out. Also be sure to update your forum bookmarks!

Saturday August 5th
Roster Changes and New Features
The ZOA Roster has been setup to include Class C and B Tower certifications, as well as color differentiation for SMT training. Also, a new controller activity log has been setup which tracks all positions worked and the duration of each session. The results can be found on individual user profiles and the Top 10 controllers based on hours and minute plugged-in can be found on the main Roster page.

Friday August 4th
Friday Night Spotlight - Thank You!
ZOA staff would like to thank TGIF for their always spectacular fly-in to KSFO tonight and VATUSA Friday Night Ops for their inaugural event featuring Reno and Sacramento International! Thanks to all pilots, VAs, neighboring ARTCCs and especially the ZOA and visiting controllers who held it all together. Look for more exciting ZOA events this Fall!

Sunday July 30th
New Beacon Allocation Plan
Updated 7/30/06 As per the VATUSA National Beacon Code Allocation Plan put into effect on 11 JULY 2006, please review the changes to SOP-004 Transponder Procedures.

What has basically changed is that we've got a specific allocation of Squawk Codes set aside for us and we've put these INTO the POF file. Both ASRC and VRC will automatically get your Squawk Range from the POF. There is no more Voluntary Beacon Allocation Plan. Just let the POF do all the work.

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY all ZOA Controllers shall use ZOA Position Operations File (POF) v3.2, available on the downloads page.

Monday July 24th
Tom Flanary appointed ZOA_DATM
Congratulations to Tom Flanary, upon his appointment to the post of ZOA Deputy Air Traffic Manager. Tom was chosen from a group of several who applied. All were worthy of the post. Good Luck Tom!

Tom replaces Jim Thompson, who remains with us as a Staff Instructor, our tireless Webmaster and valued member of the Facility Advisory Board.

Mark Dalforno will be handeling the duties of the Event Coordinator on an interim basis until a permanent replacement is selected.

Wednesday April 5th
New CTR and Norcal Sector Maps!
To coincide with recent SOP changes relating to NORCAL Approach airspace, ZOA has published new sector maps created by Eric Hebert.
Available from the Airports/Charts menu

Monday March 27th
Photos from NCT Tour and Dinner
Click here to view a few photos from our last group get together!

Monday March 13th
VATSIM Voice Policy Changes
As of Monday, March 13th, VATSIM controllers will no longer use the "_V_" callsign to designate voice capability. All ATC students are granted voice privileges upon initial training.

ZOA Pilots Online
Callsign	DEP	ARR
AAL408	KSFO	KMIA
JBU94	KOAK	KJFK
PSA214	KSJC	KMFR
SWA2	KOAK	KSAN
Last Updated: 15:45:04z

Name	Total Time
Biderman, Paul	9:36 hours
Zarmer, Craig	9:18 hours
Kumar, Charan	9:06 hours
Barlow, Chuck	7:52 hours
Reed, Nicholas	5:59 hours
Complete Stats Here

Schedule for Thu March 11th

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