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  • Suhas J.

Interview with MrMrMan

Today we will be interviewing a long time community member, MrMrMan. Also known as Ethan, he spends his time in a number of different Infinite Flight related activities and holds several important roles, including DLVA Manager and IFATC Supervisor, to name a few. Read below to find out more about Ethan, as he discusses his time in DLVA, "Tea Time", IFATC Training, and more!


These questions were pre-written by Suhas to best encompass all of Ethan's answers and experiences. Enjoy and feel free to leave a comment!


 

Where does your IFC Username come from? Is there any meaning behind it?


An old email of mine got hacked, so I decided to make a new one using “MrMan” but that was, of course, taken, so I ended up with “Mr_MrMan.” When joining the IFC, I shortened it to MrMrMan. No hidden meaning, just thought it was funny.

 

Being the Manager of one of the community’s most prestigious VA’s, what does a day in the office look like?

I joined DLVA in Summer 2018 and have gradually worked my way up the ranks to where I am today! I started as a regular pilot, then became the Event Manager, then became the VA Manager. A usual day involves chatting in the DLVA Slack with our staff and pilots, having a good time, and answering questions when/where I can. On a daily basis, I help maintain the VA alongside my fellow Board of Directors. However, I do post the weekly Routes of the Week/FNF Routes as well as what DLVA has fondly coined “Tea Time” where I remove inactive members of the VA.

 

What advice do you have for someone interested in becoming more involved in the VA community?


Getting more involved in the VA community? Stay active and engaged! It does you no good to join a VA and never chat in it or very rarely fly for it. If you can somehow manage 10 VAs, doing that in each one, props to you, but if you’re not going to get involved in the VA Community, I find little point in it.

 

What has been your biggest obstacle as the Manager of a VA? And what was your most rewarding moment?


My personal obstacle has been time. I just feel like I don’t have enough time to put meaningful work towards improvement projects, but that’s something I hope to fix this year. My most rewarding moment was when we put out a pilot poll for what we could improve, and we got a bunch of responses like “Nothing; DLVA is the best VA there is!” or “DLVA is great the way it is!” It really showed that pilots love what we’re doing. (But that doesn’t mean we can’t improve things!) Besides that specific example, it’s just seeing things come together the way I want them to.

 

What is key for a successful VA?


Stick with it and get a good team around you! If you give up easily or have a weak team supporting you, your VA will have a hard time succeeding. As long as you and your team support your VA, and don’t give up on the VA, you[re bound to find at least a few pilots who want to stay around.

 

As a former IFATC Trainer and current IFATC Supervisor, what advice would you give to an aspiring IFATC Controller? How did you best educate your trainees?


For aspiring controllers, follow the steps that are outlined, and read everything at least twice or three times. People can think that IFATC is too hard for them, but with some practice, anyone can get it! It may sound silly, but I think my favorite part of IFATC is being able to get out of the cockpit and head into the tower to give the instructions instead of receive them.

As far as training goes, there’s a general outline for what trainees need to know, and my “curriculum” followed that, but I also liked to send trainees through situations I struggled with as a new controller as I think it is important for them to see where mistakes can be made. To best educate trainees, I asked a lot of questions, instead of giving the answer. Yogi Bhajan said “If you want to master something, teach it,” so that’s the “inspiration” there - if a trainee could give me any bit of info I asked for, like an altitude at a certain point or a transition altitude, I knew they had at least put some research into the airport before the session.

 

What were your best and worst IFATC sessions?


While I take some time to think of my best session, I’ll speak about my worst session - my first one! I was controlling tower and ground at MMMD, and it became a wreck pretty quickly. I even made this topic:


As far as my best session, I honestly don’t know. There’s not one session that really pops out as better than any other. I had a really fun session one time with Misha, Will A, Rocco, and I think Bobby when we split HND and were on a voice call as we controlled.

 

You mention in your profile that your grandfather sparked your aviation interest. Would you consider a military career? Do you plan on pursuing a career in the aviation industry in your future?


While I’ve ruled out the military for an array of reasons, I certainly see an aviation career in my future. As a student pilot who recently completed his first cross country flight, I love most everything to do with aviation and it’s something that I want to do for the rest of my life.

 

How did you discover Infinite Flight? Who is this “friend” in your profile you mention who got you involved?


I discovered IF after my friend @Ethan_Chloe123 did. He started flying in it, then told me and I got it, then I discovered the IFC and introduced it to him.

 

What are some of your hobbies outside of Infinite Flight? Do you have any siblings or pets?


Outside of IF, I of course love real world aviation and am a student pilot. Outside of aviation, I love music, and have been playing the alto sax for over 6 years now. I have no siblings (only child gang!) but I have 2 dogs, Nahla and Cooper.

 

How has the community influenced your Infinite Flight career? Has anyone inspired you or been a role model for you?


The community is what has formed my career. Without getting involved in DLVA and IFATC when I first started, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I really appreciate the help I’ve received from @mwe2187 and @MDoor in DLVA as they’ve both been great inspirations to me.

 

How has Infinite Flight changed or fueled your aviation career? What is the most valuable thing it has taught you?


I’d say that the community in IF is what has fueled my aviation career, besides my family and friends. Meeting real world pilots and being able to ask them literally any question I can think of has been incredibly helpful and proven to be great resource. Overall, I think it’s taught me that aviation isn’t all about flying - it’s about the community within, and I’ve learned that as long as you’re talking with the right people, it’s one of the nicest and most helpful communities around.

 

What is your favorite aircraft in real life and Infinite Flight? Do you have a favorite airport, route, or destination in Infinite Flight?


In real life, I love the A350-900 although I’ve never flown on it. Out of planes I’ve flown on, Lufthansa’s A340-600 is my favorite. In IF, I love the B757-200 - what a great rework! In IF, I frequent KATL, KDEN, and KCOS. I don’t really have a favorite route, but I always love visiting PARO (VQPR) when I get the chance.

 

Do you have any regrets in Infinite Flight? (Missed opportunities, rejected applications, etc.)


Honestly, no. I’m glad that my IF career has shaped up the way it has, as right now everything is super manageable and fun.

 

What do you consider to be your greatest achievement in the world of Infinite Flight?


Being the DLVA Manager is easily what I’m most proud of. If I had to give up all but one role, this is the role I would keep. It’s so rewarding to manage DLVA alongside a great team and slate of pilots. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

 

That concludes this interview. Stay tuned for more interviews coming to you soon, and a huge thanks again to Ethan for allowing this to happen and being super friendly the whole way through. Thanks for reading, folks!

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