The organisation of our division is based on geographical sectors known as FIRs, inspired by Flight Information Regions, which make up the airspace of metropolitan France. Each FIR is responsible for promoting and managing a number of airports and associated ATC positions for both controllers and pilots.

Metropolitan France is divided into five FIRs:

• Bordeaux (LFBB)
• Reims (LFEE)
• Paris (LFFF)
• Marseille (LFMM)
• Brest (LFRR).

In addition to these FIRs, the France Division is also responsible for the French overseas territories:

• French Antilles, French Guiana and Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean
• Réunion, Mayotte and the Scattered Islands in the Indian Ocean
• French Polynesia
• New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna
  

Activities within each FIR are organised by the FIR Chiefs (CH/ACH/CHA1), who are responsible for promoting and developing activity within their FIR.

In particular, FIR Chiefs are responsible for: 

• welcoming new members and directing them to the appropriate departments according to their needs in order to guide them through their first steps on IVAO
• regularly promoting activity at the various airports within the FIR through both controlling and flying
• providing a more personalised and local link between members and the staff, particularly through the various communication channels such as the forum, Facebook page and Discord
• regularly organising FIR events in collaboration with the Events Department and actively participating in the creation of division-level events
• developing and maintaining ATC support tools, including Aurora sector files, MANEX and information sheets, in collaboration with the AO Department 

FIR Chiefs may also appoint Animators, which is not a staff position, for a specific airport, SIV or region to assist them with the animation and promotion of the FIR. Where an FIR does not have FIR Chiefs, or within overseas territories, Animators may be appointed by the FR-HQ and placed under its responsibility. In all cases, the recruitment and activities of Animators are governed by the following Animator Charter.

Animator Charter

Role and missions of an Animator

The primary role of an Animator is to promote and develop activity within the airport, SIV or region assigned to them. This mission may notably involve regular ATC controlling, assisting with the organisation of FIR events or participating in other occasional events.

The Animator also acts as a privileged link between members and the FIR Chiefs. They welcome new members and assist them with their first steps. More generally, they provide assistance to members who wish to receive guidance during their introduction to IVAO and throughout their progression on the network.

As part of their missions, the Animator may also participate, in collaboration with the FIR Chiefs, in updating documentation relating to the airports within the FIR, including MANEX and information sheets. This task is not mandatory and the Animator is therefore under no obligation to participate in it.

Animators are part of the FIR team and contribute to its activities in collaboration with the FIR Chiefs, namely the CH, ACH and CHA1 where applicable. During recruitment, the FIR Chiefs submit one or more candidates to the FR-HQ. The FR-HQ will approve or reject the proposal. The FIR Chiefs, or the Division Directors for overseas territories, are responsible for the actions of the Animators within their FIR.

The Animator function is available within the five FIRs of metropolitan France, namely Bordeaux LFBB, Reims LFEE, Paris LFFF, Marseille LFMM and Brest LFRR, as well as within the French overseas territories. Animators within overseas territories are placed under the responsibility of the FR-HQ.

Animators do not have assistants. Therefore, there may only be one Animator for each airport, SIV or region.

Status and applicable rules

It is important to remember that an Animator is not a member of the IVAO staff. Consequently, they may not act in such a capacity to resolve problems, nor may they be designated as the person responsible for a particular project. If any difficulties, even minor ones, arise while welcoming or assisting a member, the Animator must promptly inform the FIR Chiefs or the FR-HQ, depending on the seriousness of the situation.

Open Animator positions may be advertised by the FIR Chiefs or by the Division management. The name and email address of current Animators are displayed on the corresponding FIR page of the IVAO France website.

No Animator is authorised to use a callsign such as LFXX-CH, LFXX-CHIEF, LFXX-DIR, LFXX-OPS, LFXX-ANIM, or any other callsign that could be interpreted as representing an IVAO staff position. When an Animator needs to connect as part of their duties, it is customary to use the callsign LFXX_YY_OBS, where YY represents the Animator's initials, in accordance with the R&R, paragraph 5.1.5.

This rule also applies outside Aurora, particularly on forums and Discord channels, in emails and on social media. A signature such as “LFXX Animator” remains permitted.

The France Division does not authorise the use of communication channels other than those provided by IVAO for activities related to the animation of an airport, SIV or region. This includes, in particular, personal Discord servers, private forums and dedicated Facebook pages.

Requirements to become an Animator and retention of the position

To become an Animator, a member must be at least 15 years old and hold at least the AS3 rating. Any exceptions may only be granted by the Division management.

Following their appointment, Animators are strongly encouraged to take the ADC exam within the following months. Obtaining this rating allows them to further diversify the activities carried out within their airport, SIV or region.

Specific recruitment requirements for each FIR may be published on the corresponding page of the IVAO France website. Available Animator positions are also listed on the “Staff Recruitment” page of the Division website.

For any questions regarding recruitment, members are invited to contact the relevant FIR Chiefs directly by email, namely the CH, ACH or CHA1. For FIRs without a CH, particularly within overseas territories, requests should be addressed to the Division management.

Every Animator must control regularly and actively participate in the life of their FIR, particularly by assisting event organisers. When an event concerns their home FIR, they should, whenever possible, be present or ensure that someone can replace them. They must also contribute, within the scope of their missions, to the preparation and successful running of the event.

Becoming inactive, defined as a period of more than three months without connecting as either a pilot or controller, results in the loss of the Animator position. The same applies in the event of a breach of the IVAO R&R.

A shorter period of inactivity may also result in the loss of the position, at the discretion of the FIR or Division management.