VATNZ Major Event - Saturday 29th May 2010

[nickj]

Following on from the huge success of last year's event, VATNZ and VATPAC are excited to announce Cross the Ditch - Autumn 2010.


For sixteen hours this May, the skies over the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand will be filled with aircraft all on a mission to Cross the Ditch.

An example of that typical down-under understatement, this "ditch" is over 1100nm wide. The flight routes - each between a pair of cities on opposite sides of the Tasman - range from two and a half to four hours flight time, making this event the perfect opportunity to experience oceanic flight.

Throughout the event, the Oceania region's two divisions will providing full gate-to-gate ATC coverage, making this the Southern Hemisphere's premiere oceanic event.



New City - Queenstown
New Zealand's tourism capital and autumn playground, Queenstown makes its Cross the Ditch debut. Surrounded by mountains so stunning they are literally named Remarkable, Queenstown is home to some of the most challenging approaches in the region. (That's the airport in the banner image!)

Because of the confined airspace and restricted apron area at the airport, a slot system has been instituted for all flights in and out. If you're up for the challenge of this southern gem, you must book your flight ahead of time to secure a slot.



New Routes
The cities for Cross the Ditch - Autumn 2010 are:

• Australia: Melbourne (YMML) and Sydney (YSSY)
• New Zealand: Christchurch (NZCH) and Queenstown (NZQN)

The event will consist of eight routes, from each city to either of the cities in the other country.



Event Times
The event runs for sixteen hours, to allow pilots from all over the world to find a time to join the fun:

• UTC: Friday 28th May 2010 20:00 - Saturday 29th May 2010 12:00
• AEST: Saturday 29th May 2010 06:00 - Saturday 29th May 2010 22:00
• NZST: Saturday 29th May 2010 08:00 - Sunday 30th May 2010 00:00

For more information, flight plans, airport information, charts, ATC & Flight bookings and more, check out the event website: http://avigation.net/events/crosstheditch


ATC Applications and Flight Bookings are open now!

[nickj]

This coming weekend:

Discover the spectacular beauty of these lands down under, and experience the fun of oceanic flight (without the twelve hour flight time!)





Only five days to go. The long-range weather forecast is showing perfect conditions for flying!

Flight Briefings will be mailed to pilots who have booked their flights later this week.
ATC Rosters will be mailed to controllers in the next few days.


It is not too late to join in the fun, and book your flight by visiting the Flight Booking site today.


Uncertain how to make an Oceanic Position Report? Check out the Oceanic Report Tool to make reporting as easy as filling in a form.

[gojozoom]

I will be there, creating some VFR noise for the controllers in my Piper Cherokee Probably will perform some nasty restricted-airspace-low-level-airport-passing .....Oh c'mon, you know I wouldn't...don't you?

[LMerraine]

QUOTE (gojozoom @ May 25 2010, 12:14 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I will be there, creating some VFR noise for the controllers in my Piper Cherokee Probably will perform some nasty restricted-airspace-low-level-airport-passing .....Oh c'mon, you know I wouldn't...don't you?

I'll be looking for you, will buzz you closely, that way the jet wake should take care of that

[gojozoom]

How offensive... ..I might fly the mighty Spitfire instead of a rusty Piper.....

[LMerraine]

QUOTE (gojozoom @ May 26 2010, 05:37 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

How offensive... ..I might fly the mighty Spitfire instead of a rusty Piper.....

May just have to avoid you then