NZFF

Cross the Ditch 8: Autumn 2013
Saturday 18th May 2013 1800 - Sunday 19th May 2013 1400 UTC
Sunday 19th May 2013 0600 - Monday 20th May 2013 0200 NZST
Sunday 19th May 2013 0400 - Monday 20th May 2013 0000 AEST


The temperatures are dropping south of the equator and as thousands of Aussies and Kiwis look to escape the autumnal weather, it's time once again to Cross the Ditch!

• Check out the official Cross the Ditch website: http://crosstheditch.net
  
• Apply to provide ATC
  
• Book your Flights now!
  
• Check out the Virtual Airline Leaderboard
  
• Grab the recommended add-on scenery for each of the event airports

Featured for Cross the Ditch 8

• Fiji
  
  By popular request we're returning to Nadi, Fiji (NFFN) as part of this season's event. The South Pacific's largest island airport, Nadi features the added challenge of opposite direction operations.
  
  
• Brisbane
  
  Cross the Ditch is making Brisbane (YBBN) our Australian airport for the first time since CTD1! Serving the largest population centre in Australia's north-eastern state of Queensland, Brisbane Interational Airport is a major regional air hub. In the time since we were last in Brisbane, ORBX has released their stunning Brisbane scenery which adds a whole new level of realism to the airport and surrounding area in FSX.
  
  
• Auckland
  
  Our New Zealand airport for this cycle is perennial favourite Auckland (NZAA). No stranger to the Cross the Ditch schedule in the past, we've updated the Auckland Guide with more detailed information on ground movements to help simplify taxiing between the terminals and the runway.

What's it all about?

For twenty 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 all range from two-and-a-half to three-and-a-half hours flight time.

Throughout the event, the Oceania region's two divisions - VATNZ and VATPAC - will be providing full ATC coverage, in the Southern Hemisphere's premiere oceanic event.

This is a great opportunity to experience Oceanic flying without the need to commit to an eight-hour flight!

If you're new to Oceanic Flying, our reporting tool makes taking part a breeze.




Event Times

This twenty hour event is timed to allow pilots from all over the world join the fun:

• UTC: Saturday 18th May 2013 18:00 - Sunday 19th May 2013 14:00
• AEST: Sunday 19th May 2013 04:00 - Monday 20th May 2013 00:00
• NZST: Sunday 19th May 2013 06:00 - Monday 20th May 2013 02:00

Routes

This season's event is following a three-airport structure, with an airport in Australia, one in New Zealand, and one in the Pacific Islands - in this case, Fiji.

Each flight should take roughly three to four hours to complete, allowing pilots time to easily complete multiple sectors.

NOTE: despite the early start time, Brisbane will be available for arrivals and departures from 21:00 UTC/07:00 AEST. Nadi and Auckland will be available from the start of the event.

Similarly, at the end of the event, Nadi and Auckland will remain open for arrivals and departures until 12:00 UTC/00:00 NZST. Brisbane will be available until the end of the event.

The Arrival and Departure Slots available on the Flight Booking page will ensure that there is ATC coverage throughout your flight.


The Routes for Cross the Ditch 8 - Autumn 2013 are:

• Nadi (NFFN) to Auckland (NZAA)
• Auckland (NZAA) to Brisbane (YBBN)
• Brisbane (YBBN) to Auckland (NZAA)
• Auckland (NZAA) to Nadi (NFFN)

Calling all Pilots and Controllers

Flight plans are available from the Flight Plans section.

Book your flights now from the Flight Bookings page. Bookings made on this site help us plan for the event, and will also show up in vroute.

Controllers wanting to get in on the action can also apply now at the event's ATC Applications page.

Now with my plane in Busan, I'll have to time this correctly to land in Auckland during Cross the Ditch...my head will hurt figuring out what time to leave South Korea.

raddragon wrote:

QUOTE (raddragon @ May 14 2013,6:19 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Now with my plane in Busan, I'll have to time this correctly to land in Auckland during Cross the Ditch...my head will hurt figuring out what time to leave South Korea.

You should do a combo and fly to brissy or nadi first
I'm planning to get two legs in, domestic duties permitting

deeknow wrote:

QUOTE (deeknow @ May 14 2013,6:43 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You should do a combo and fly to brissy or nadi first
I'm planning to get two legs in, domestic duties permitting

In prep for Cross the Ditch, just landed in Solomon Islands ready for a trip across to Nadi.

http://nzff.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=...p;#entry8330354

Hey Rad, what time GMT are you planning to leave Nadi for Auckland? I'll try and join you.

Not sure what time - I'll let you know. Does anyone know where to get some better Nadi scenery?

Check out the Nadi update by Ray Smith. Filename nffn_ade_rs_fsx.zip at Flightsim.com

deeknow wrote:

QUOTE (deeknow @ May 18 2013,6:23 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Check out the Nadi update by Ray Smith. Filename nffn_ade_rs_fsx.zip at Flightsim.com

I think I'll depart Nadi from 8pm GMT. I'm repositioning to NWWW tonight from Honiara. It means a 650nm trip to Nadi tomorrow.

Good fun in the Cross the Ditch event today, not sure who else managed a leg, I could only squeeze one in with whanau duties and what not (oh for the old days
Anyway, here's some pics of me doing an AirNZ leg from Brissy to Auckland. Excellent controller coverage from the VATPAC and VATNZ lads, and a very healthy pilot turnout...

Boarding in Brisbane...


VATSIM traffic (showing pilots and ATC operator boundaries)


Had the rising moon for company for a bit, mid Tasman...


And finally some terra firma we can recognise, manukau harbour, on the BASIV6A arrival for RWY23L...

Dean , your radar map screens look dang intriguing ... mind you lotta nothing going on between points .

Ian Warren wrote:

QUOTE (Ian Warren @ May 19 2013,6:35 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Dean , your radar map screens look dang intriguing ... mind you lotta nothing going on between points .

Does look like a big spread, but you have fairly continuous radio chatter even out in the Tasman as there's only one, or two max ATC positions covering the oceanic sectors. Every aircraft is required to give a position report about every half hour or so.

I was able to get in a couple of trips - screens to come tomorrow in my world trip screen thread. Went from NWWW - NFFN - NZAA.

Flew the RNP-AR X-Ray arrival into NZAA.

deeknow wrote:

QUOTE (deeknow @ May 19 2013,8:16 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Does look like a big spread, but you have fairly continuous radio chatter even out in the Tasman as there's only one, or two max ATC positions covering the oceanic sectors. Every aircraft is required to give a position report about every half hour or so.

Yeah but the VATSIM boys don't appreciate the .. "im about the .. well umm just past the coast" .... schwsssssss , 20 minutes .. about here schwsssssss

Ian Warren wrote:

QUOTE (Ian Warren @ May 19 2013,10:49 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yeah but the VATSIM boys don't appreciate the .. "im about the .. well umm just past the coast" .... schwsssssss , 20 minutes .. about here schwsssssss

LOL ... true

As a regular, daily Multiplayer (FS 2004+FS Nav) GA Pilot, I am often temped to join in these flights, but after my usual daily short trips exploring the beautiful Southern California, and surrounding countryside, in my little Cessna 150 Aerobat, sometimes with the assistance of Flight Following, the thought of travelling, (very slowly), over zillions of miles of nothing but blue water down below, and blue sky up above, with the occasional Sea Gull in attendance, leaves me, I fear, somewhat un-enthralled!.... ...
I would miss spotting the occasional bit of interesting scenery below to chat about with fellow Pilots, en-route....
...which is what I normally do, during my flights...to the delight/annoyance of my fellow Pilots... .... !

I suspect the NZ Flights would be in the domain of Commercial Passenger Jet Airliners, under the strict control of ATC at all times?

This would be different from our usual; Flight Sim; "Short tours of very interesting places"!.... ...!

Paul...FS 2004+FS Nav+Plan-G v2.0.5..and a GA Piston Prop!.... ...!

Paul , i do have the FS9 Lanc .. would have been worth getting it installed on our last MP mission and run a FS9/FSX MP .. frankly .... who the hell is FRANK ... the FS9 AH Lanc is much better to our recent FSX FCS .. sim s jobbie but it did the job ..

Ian Warren wrote:

QUOTE (Ian Warren @ May 19 2013,12:57 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Paul , i do have the FS9 Lanc .. would have been worth getting it installed on our last MP mission and run a FS9/FSX MP .. frankly .... who the hell is FRANK ... the FS9 AH Lanc is much better to our recent FSX FCS .. sim s jobbie but it did the job ..

Hello Ian... ....

Until recently, a few of us used to fly with the NZ, "INSpire" Server [203.114.130.15], for our FS 2004 and FSX, New Zealand flights, but for some reason it appears to have disappeared from the "FS Host" list of Multiplayer Servers, for some time now, (although the Address is still available)!

In Simviation, we have our own dedicated Multiplayer Server: "fs.netfrag.org", [178.63.253.134] as well as a number of other FS Host Servers we occasionally choose, and I am always curious to know which Server the NZ Pilots use as their preferred/default Multiplayer Server for FS 2002, FS 2004, and FSX Sessions?

Apart from myself and SeanTK, I never come across any other NZ Pilots on-line, in FS Host Multiplayer Sessions!

Maybe Multiplayer is not as popular as it used to be, years ago?

Paul... ...!

Fozzer wrote:

QUOTE (Fozzer @ May 20 2013,6:20 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hello Ian... ....
Apart from myself and SeanTK, I never come across any other NZ Pilots on-line, in FS Host Multiplayer Sessions!

Maybe Multiplayer is not as popular as it used to be, years ago?

Paul... ...!

Hi Paul , one period here i was running a MP three times average a week , found the plan flights seem to be the hardest to with not only for the planner but also for the ones who are going to turn up , many sat there waiting simply no showed or go the other way were real life gets in the way or that damn thing called the time zone .

Ian Warren wrote:

QUOTE (Ian Warren @ May 19 2013,11:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi Paul , one period here i was running a MP three times average a week , found the plan flights seem to be the hardest to with not only for the planner but also for the ones who are going to turn up , many sat there waiting simply no showed or go the other way were real life gets in the way or that damn thing called the time zone .

Its such a bloody shame!...

I can remember, back in the old 2-hour, dial up Internet days,.... .... lots of enthusiastic FS 2002 and FS 2004 Pilots used to turn up for Multiplayer air-shows, fly-ins, and tours, every weekend...and sometimes during the week!.... ....!

Then, when FSX turned up, with its tricky "Gamespy" connection complications, no-one seemed to bother with Multiplayer again. The old-time Simmers disappeared, and the New FSX'ers didn't bother...
...too busy trying to get their FSX to work!... ...!

Even in the daily "FS Host Spy" list, on-line Pilots are in very short supply nowadays!

Makes me wonder to what purpose most Simmers now put the Flight Sim to?....static screen shots only?... ...!

Paul....FS 2004...Solo and Multiplayer... ....!

One thing with the old FS2004 was its ability to run MPs on my three home PCs during a muiltplay , I then did this in FSX for the first ever NZFF airshow handling comm's , tower backup and myself grouped with the Harvard team .. FSX worked this way till the service packs come in , course the rest is history .