In Memoriam

A great many people, from all walks of life, from all over the world, and in all stages of their life have dedicated hours of their time and talents to developing the Virtual New York ARTCC into the community that it is today. We owe a debt of gratitude to all who have come before, teaching and guiding each generation of students and contributing to the family that we are today.

We fondly remember all of our members who have passed, and we would like to invite you to remember their legacy here.

Ira Robinson (IR)

1953 - 2024

ZNY, VATUSA, and the VATSIM community as a whole, mourns the loss of our long time friend and colleague, Ira Robinson. Ira began his virtual ATC career in 2010 while homebound and on leave from work due to a medical issue. He was interested in aviation and after discovering VATSIM decided his newly claimed free time could be filled by learning a new and challenging hobby. Not a stranger to hobbies, Ira was very active as a member of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA), an international non-profit volunteer educational organization that is devoted to the research and re-creation of pre-seventeenth century skills, arts, combat, culture, and employing knowledge of history to enrich the lives of participants through events, demonstrations, and other educational presentations and activities. Sir Jean le Batarde, as he was named within the SCA community, would dress in complete combat gear and engage in various activities including sword fighting. Ira also loved cars, specifically his 1989 Thunderbird Super Coupe. A winner of several awards, Ira was proud to display his car at various car shows and racing events. Paramount to all his hobbies, Ira was a tremendous family man who was a devoted and loving husband, father, and grandfather, and leaves behind his wife Gail and daughters Amy and Andrea.

Ira’s impact on the VATSIM community was heavily influenced by his familiar and parental persona. Expertly balancing the line between being strict and compassionate, Ira successfully managed the many varieties of age groups and experiences on the network. While it may have often been disguised underneath a typical “New York'' attitude, Ira exuded empathy, concern, tolerance, and understanding. While Air Traffic Manager (ATM) at ZNY, Ira consistently found a way to balance the expectations of members who believed in pushing the limits of realism with those who enjoyed the more game-like atmosphere. It was during his tenure as ATM that ZNY perhaps made the most significant adjustments towards what the facility is like today. In addition, a decent number of ZNY members went on to pursue careers in aviation, including air traffic control. Though Ira moved on to division and network level administrative positions, he remained a prominent member of the ZNY community and maintained currency as a controller. Ira’s impact will last many lifetimes and we are all extremely fortunate to have shared a space in time with such a tremendously caring and fantastic individual.