Upon request, a facility Air Traffic Manager may grant a leave of absence status for a period of at least 4 months, which may be extended to no more than 8 months. The total time of leave of absence may not exceed 8 months in any 2-year period. Persons on LOA may cancel their LOA and return to active duty at any time.
Any ATM, who wishes to have someone remain as LOA for any other reason such as real-world consultancy etc, must be approved by VATCAR1 and VATCAR2. However, members who have been granted LOA and have been found to be logging hours on the network controlling or flying, are subject to their LOA being revoked and possible removal due to inactivity from their FIR.
Note – LOAs are only valid for VATCAR Home Controllers. Any Visiting Controllers unable to maintain “active” status will forfeit visiting rights and may reapply at a later date. We encourage visitors to communicate with the facility’s Air Traffic Manager to keep them informed of any such changes.