Sunday, May 18, 2008

May 18/19th: Coastal Range Eruption

Seattle, Oakland and Los Angeles ARTCCs are pleased to announce a collaborative event, featuring 2 airports each. Seattle will be featuring KSEA and KMFR, Oakland will be featuring KSFO and KSJC while KLAX will feature KLAX and KSBA. Full staffing will be provided from Sunday night 18th May 5pm-9pm PDT (Monday 19th May 0000z-0400z).

Charts can be obtained via the VATUSA website

Monday, May 12, 2008

May 15th: Finland - ATC training and Nordic Fly-In

Traffic is needed for ATC-training in Finland (position EFES CTR) on Thursday May 15th 1700-1900Z. EFES ACC will cover both the Northern and the Southern Finland. We request both IFR and VFR flights. Remember also our Nordic Fly-In, starting at 1600UTC! Welcome!

File FPL: http://vacc.fi/services/filefpl/
Charts: http://vacc.fi/downloads/charts/
Sceneries: http://vacc.fi/downloads/sceneries/

May 17th: Three Times Berlin 2008

Real Operations event in the Berlin area: three airports EDDB, EDDI and EDDT are fully staffed and provide service for your real scheduled flights from and to Berlin. Controllers will be staffing 13 positions from Delivery to Director. Choose your flight on www.fir-berlin.de and join us in the busy airspace of Berlin. Charts, procedures and scenery recommendations can be found on the event homepage

Monday, May 05, 2008

May 11th: Atlanta LIVE

Atlanta LIVE means real flights, real schedules, real delays!! Be prepared to be amazed at the sight of record-breaking traffic and ATC online. Join us as we prove why Atlanta-Hartsfield Jackson Intl Airport is one of the busiest in the world. Please visit www.vztlartcc.org for sign-ups

May 10th: Frankfurt RealOps 2008: May 10th

On 10th of May, 2008 it gets as real as it gets in Frankfurt again. For 6 hours with up to 20 controllers and more than 400 bookable flights VACC-SAG simulates Frankfurt's real-world traffic on a busy Saturday afternoon. Pilots are invited to visit the newly designed RealOps 2008 eventpage and enjoy the great introduction trailer to put get in the mood! Booking is open: http://realops.toolforge.de/ All participants are requested to read the procedures provided on the website very carefully.

May 10th: ZNY Nor'easter '08

Get ready to get blown once more by the ZNY Nor'Easter. See how "Da Best" perform on a fully staff, fully loaded New York. May 10 2008 From 3-10pm ET(1900z-0200z), come fly in the craziest airspace you have ever seen and be ready for those fast-talking controllers! Bring your A Game, because it's gonna be a great time!

Airport information is available at www.nyartcc.org

Friday, May 02, 2008

May 3rd: VFR Flying Rally - Estonia

We are pleased to invite you to Flying Rally event to Tallinn on 3rd May. The event will be taking place at Tallinn airport, Estonia. Take your Cessna C172 to the skies and find the points marked on the ground. And all this in one evening.

We are sorry for the late invitation but we are really hoping to see you.

Please read the rules here (Word document in English), and then register in the Estvacc forums or by e-mail to karl.must [at] gmail.com. For scenery visit the Estvacc site.

May 3rd: Fiesta Mexicana

VATMEX is proud to announce the great annual Fly-in "Fiesta Mexicana 2008". This event will take place on May 2nd starting at 2000 lcl until 2400 lcl time (May 3rd 0100 – 0500Z). Destination will be MMMX – Mexico City Intl and there will be full ATC staffing all over the country during the event. Come and enjoy an unparalleled flight, great professionalism and realism. Join us to live the maximum expression of virtual flight.

All the information can be found under the special event section at: www.vatmex.com

Sunday, April 27, 2008

May 4th: Libreville Heavy Duty

On Sunday May 4th VATDRC hosts the Libreville Heavy Duty event and the best controllers in Central Africa will be online to make it happen. We intend to create a seriously busy day at this gateway to Central Africa on its single runway. Libreville (FOOL) will be fully staffed for the very first time on VATSIM from 1700 to 2200Z and ATC will also be provided at Brazzaville(FCBB) and Kinshasa(FZAA), so we recommend these routes to make the best of the event.

Further information at http://simmiles.com/VRC/event.php

Apr 30th: FIR Wien Weekly Wednesday X-Large

FIR Wien welcomes the month of May. We extend our weekly online day by one hour and will fully staff Vienna (LOWW), Innsbruck (LOWI) and of course as many center stations between those airports as possible. The ATC positions will be staffed from 1700z until 2100z.

Links for all recommended charts and sceneries: LOWW : LOWI

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Apr 19th: Lakeland Express VFR Event

Enjoy an all VFR event in Lakeland (KLAL) on Saturday, April 19th from 2300Z-0200Z. This event is for pilots to enjoy flying VFR with high concentration of other VFR traffic. This event is made to represent the real-world Fun and Sun event also held in Lakeland. If you are planning on attending it is critical that you retrieve the procedures and watch the video in the link posted below, as there will be peculiar procedures due to the high concentration of VFR traffic.

Procedures and Video: http://ruminski.com/lall.htm

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Apr 11th: World Flight Proving Event

On April 11th 2008 at 1900Z, several of the WORLD FLIGHT fixed based simulators will embark on a three day shakedown exercise, The group will depart EIDW (Dublin) for KBOS (Boston) and the arrival time is scheduled for April 12th at 0200Z. From there the group will travel through 11 US cities as well as Canada and the Caribbean. The purpose of this weekend flight is to allow the WORLD FLIGHT teams and accompanying pilots to dust off the cobwebs and have a weekend of fun flying and mateship. New systems have been added to some of the fixed base simulators and they are keen to test them online.

For details of the route and times, go to http://www.wfusa2007.org/FFPE.php. If you can fly along with us, you will be more than welcome. ATC has been arranged for most of the legs and they would appreciate having some traffic to manage.

Apr 12th: Road to Alexandria

In a new City Hopping Event, The Egyptian vACC and the Hellenic vACCs are proud to present "Road To Alexandria".

Pick Your favorite aircraft, file a flight plan- whether IFR or VFR -
Start at Either city and experience the following succession of hill, sea and sand as well as thousands of years of culture.

For More Information ,Charts, Routes and Sceneries :
VATEG Website
Hellenic VACC Website

Apr 12th: Helsinki Spring Heat 2008

VACC Finland and Finnish Virtual Pilots Association (SVIL) organizes a
realistic and professional fly-in event for Helsinki-Vantaa Airport on
Saturday 12th of April 2008. The event begins at 1700UTC and continues
until 2200UTC.

Helsinki-Spring Heat is part of the NoDelay events that are annually
organized together with VACC Finland and SVIL (Finnish Virtual Pilots
Association) during their winter and summer meetings.

The High-Quality And Professional Event Features:
- Famous Finnish Professional air traffic service
- A centralized ATC-unit from SVIL winter meeting at Oulu
- High traffic volumes to ensure the realistic and high-intensity event
- Experience independent parallel approaches

Further information on the Event website

Apr 12th: ZLA Certifiable Saturday

Los Angeles ARTCC is pleased to announce the first event specifically designed to support the ZLA Pilot Cert Program, from 10am-2pm PDT (1700-2100z).

This is a great opportunity for pilots who have considered joining the program to dive in and receive full ATC support while they pursue their first few ratings. Pilots who have already started the program can use this opportunity to knock out several ratings in a row.

Already finished all the ratings? How about re-flying them in a more sparsely equipped airplane? Try it in an aircraft with dual VOR, but no GPS or DME! Or, feel free to simply fly around Southern California and enjoy the ATC as you watching large volumes of GA traffic in the pattern, transitioning LAX, or shooting approaches.

Featured airports (either by TWR or overlying APP) include:

LAX, LAS (Class B)
SNA, ONT, BUR (Class C)
CRQ (Class D)

Details of the event are available HERE

If anyone has any questions about this event, please feel free to post them in the vatsim.net forum thread.

Apr 12th: Almaty & Tashkent - Traffic overload

Almaty and Tashkent invite pilots to join a big fly-in. It will be Traffic Overload in two capitals: Almaty (Kazakhstan) and Tashkent (Uzbekistan).
The beauty of the lands, the highest of mountains wait YOU!
April 12th, 1500-1900Z.

Almaty: Scenery : Charts

Tashkent: Scenery : Charts

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Apr 5th: Hannover Messe Fly-In

HANNOVER MESSE 2008 " Efficiency Redefined" --- Now with new FREEWARE Scenery --- April 5th 16-21 utc

Established in 1947, HANNOVER MESSE today ranks as the leading international showplace for industrial technologies, materials and product ideas. Whether you're interested in the latest trends in automation, technologies for maximizing energy efficiency and security or state-of-the-art automotive solutions , a trip to Hannover always pays dividends.

Join our "HANNOVER MESSE FLY IN" with your aircraft. No matter if you are flying a big one or a small business jet or even a prop. Take you passengers into EDDV and test the efficiency of the EDDV ATC Crew and the new freeware scenery on Saturday night, including interesting simultaneous approaches during high traffic loads

For all Pilots not flying the German Airports scenery, we would recommend the new FREEWARE Scenery created by Alexander Schoen.
Further information on the event homepage

Apr 5th: London Gatwick Real Operations

After a series of successful bi-annual real operation events, it's time for another one! We now move out of 2007 and into the early spring of 2008.

We had over 300 booked flights and over 450 movements during our previous real operation events. Pilots said it was the busiest airspace they had ever flown in, but they have seen nothing yet! With over 300 available flights to book, to/from London Gatwick, this real operations event will top all of our previous events!

We have long haul flights to short haul flights, biz jets to airliners, major legacy carriers to low cost carriers. We have the lot! This event is always extremely popular, book your flight(s) now to avoid disappointment, and we will see you on Saturday 5th April!

Key facts for this real operations event :
1) A highly realistic simulation of Air Traffic Control.
2) More than 10 active control positions directly involved with the event.
3) Over 300 IFR flights departing and arriving at the worlds busiest single runway airport in the world, London Gatwick.

Find out more at the Gatwick Real Ops Homepage

Apr 5th: African Supreme Operations 2008

On Saturday April 5th between 1800-2359Z all of the vACCs in Africa will be online giving full coverage of the entire African continent. The featured destinations with staffing will include, Casablanca (GMMN), Algiers (DAAG), Cairo (HECA), Douala (FKKD), Brazzaville (FCBB), Kinshasa (FZAA), Cape Town (FACT) and Johannesburg (FAJS). Both the North, Central and South Control Centers will be open to provide full en route ATC coverage including FSS. So you can try flying between any two regions and vACCs and get full ATC coverage all of the way in Africa. This event is guaranteed to be Supreme!

For charts, routes and sceneries see the links in the VATSIM events forum

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Mar 29th: Runway to Hell, Act II

Saturday, March 29, 2008, 1600-2200 UTC
Prague Ruzyne (LKPR), Czech Republic

Czech VACC invites you again the high density fly-in to Prague.The event will offer 6 hours non stop full air traffic control with 9 ATC positions, advanced flight booking system with more than 250 flights and a single runway landing, takeoff and ground operations. VACC CZ will welcome all pilots around the world to join the Runway to Hell Act. II Event.

We invite you again to explore how the real pilots feel themselves:
- when they hear late landing clearance,
- when they must vacate as soon as it gets,
- when they are number six on approach,
- when they are cleared for immediate take off,
- when they have no chance to make a mistake!

Come and share the extreme atmosphere with us. We will make our best for you to feel like in the middle of the rush traffic day at real Prague Ruzyne airport! Download the charts, free sceneries, landing tutorial and book your flight today at www.vacc-cz.org

Mar 28th: Cairo-Hurghada City Hopping Event

VATEG proudly presents its First Cairo- Hurghada City Hopping Event that will take place on 28th March 2008. Starting at 1600z for at least 3 hours there will be continuous high quality ATC Services within the 2 airports in addition to the Cairo Control covering all other airports within Egyptian Airspace.

Pilots are asked to fly between the airports in a short hop that won't take more than 1 hour or flying in or out of Cairo or Hurghada to any of the international destinations.

Scenery, Charts and Routes are available at : VATEG website

Monday, March 24, 2008

Mar 28th: Friday Nite Fly-In

The Dutch VACC organises a new edition of it's famous Friday Nite Fly-in on Friday the 28th of March. From 18:00 till 23:00 UTC, we will simulate all real traffic movements to and from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. And you, as a pilot, can be a part of that! The Dutch VACC takes care of full ATC staffing while pilots can reserve 1 or more flights in our reservation system. You are encouraged to book your flights in the system, and if you do, you will receive a briefing including the real world flightplan(s) of your selected flight(s) approximately 1 week before the event. So what are you waiting for? Book your flights and join one of the most realistic events of the year! Click Read More for more information about this event.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Mar 23rd: ZLA/ZVR Western Marathon

The Vancouver FIR have come together with Los Angeles ARTCC in a joint event on March 23rd, 2008 from 2000z - 0000z (12-4pm Local) In this event, ZLA will send a couple hundred birds out from LAX to fly to Vancouver, then ZVR will send another hundred to LAX midway through the event. All pilots are welcome, please commence your flight whenever you like, however the high traffic will be in ZLA from 2000z - 2100z, and ZVR from 2130z - 0000z. You don't want to miss this event! ATC all the way, from IFR clearance, to flight plan closure. Depending on you pilots, this will be the busiest Western North American event since Calscream! Seattle and Oakland are also going to provide some center controllers.

Charts and information available from czvr.ca and www.laartcc.org

Friday, March 14, 2008

Mar 16th: VATPAC Panic Stations

This event will take place on Sunday, 16th March from 0830Z to 1130Z. It has been a regular event within the VATPAC region and is designed to get pilots and ATC online together for maximum interaction. The pilot who successfully completes a full stop landing the closest to 1030Z, but after that time, at the designated Airport is the Winner. Winners to date have usually flown greater than 400Nm to arrive at the event location.ATC services are provided and aim to co-ordinate the arrivals as safely and ordered as possible. There should not be any shortage of ATC coverage in this area of Australia.

Brisbane International Airport (YBBN) is the location for this event.
A special website for the event containing information on procedures, charts, and more can be found here.

Mar 22nd: Cross the Pond 2008

Cross The Pond (CTP) is a bi-annual VATSIM event. It involves a large number of aircraft flying between the UK and North America.

This year the Westbound event is taking place on Saturday 22nd March 2008. There are departures planned from three airports in the UK, with arrivals into three US airports and one Canadian airport:

Departures: EGLL (London Heathrow), EGCC (Manchester), EGPF (Glasgow)

Arrivals: CYUL (Montreal), KEWR (Newark), KIAD (Washington Dulles), KBOS (Boston)

You can expect full ATC coverage for the duration of your flight, which can be booked via the Event Website. It is important that you read the "Pilot's Briefing" on the website before proceeding to book your flight as this explains the procedures that are being implemented for this event.

Sunday, March 09, 2008

Mar 16th: Budapest Overload

VACC Hungary presents its largest annual Fly-in: Budapest Overload 2008! The event will take place on Saturday, 15th March 2008, starting at 0600 UTC, finishing at 2300 UTC. Yes, no mistake: VACCHUN controllers will provide full ATC services online for 17+ hours, and pilots can enjoy full ATC over Hungary and at Budapest-Ferihegy International Airport (LHBP). Use the dedicated webpage of Budapest Overload 2008 for booking your flights and obtaining all useful information about the event, including charts and sceneries: www.vacchun.hu/overload2008/index.php

VACC Hungary hopes to welcome lot of pilots again, as we always did during the previous Budapest Overload events. So take your chance because Budapest Overload happens only once a year!

Mar 16th: St Patrick's Day event

VATeir is pleased to announce the long awaited and widely anticipated St. Patrick's Day Event 2008. The event will take place on Sunday, 16th March from 1700Z to 2300Z. As one of the longest-running events on VATSIM, you can expect the most professional ATC service VATeir has to offer in what is expected to be the biggest and busiest St. Patrick's Day Event ever.

Pilots can expect full ATC in Dublin(EIDW), Cork(EICK), and Shannon(EINN), as well as enroute ATC from Shannon Control. And for those of you worried about bad framerates in heavy traffic, several smaller regional airports will also be fully manned, so there really is something for everyone in this event! VATeir will also be liasing with our European neighbours to provide you with enroute ATC across Europe and the Atlantic as you travel to/from the Emerald Isle!

A special website for the event containing information on procedures, charts, scenery and more can be found HERE.

Mar 15th: Marseille Overload

VATFRANCE is organizing its first overload party at Marseille - LFML on 15th March from 1900z till late at night. The French vACC team welcomes you to their first Overload. The purpose of this event couldn't be more simple: fly to or from Marseille airport. Expect Marseille to be fully staffed, from Delivery services up to Enroute CTR

You will find the event website HERE

Our ATC are waiting to have too much traffic; come and discover one of the most popular ‘Cote d’azur’ cities! The following airports have offered to be partner airports, so you can expect them to be staffed as well !
EPWA , DAAG , LSGG , EDDS , LHBP

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Mar 2nd: VFR Sundays Cyprus

Starting from next Sunday 2nd March 08, from 1500-1700z Air Traffic Services will be provided at Paphos (LCPH) in Cyprus by CvACC ATC every second Sunday. So all of you budding glider pilots and general aviation pilots bring your wings over to Cyprus and enjoy some quality gliding and flying and circuit training in sunny Cyprus. Group cross country flights to Larnaca (LCLK) and Kingsfield airbase (CX00) will be planned once a month. Motor gliders are preferred due to the fact that ordinary gliders need another aircraft to tug them and get them flying. For more information or queries about the event visit our forum

Mar 2nd:Prince George Regional Rumble

Tired of the same old Major airport events? Fly regional!

Vancouver FIR will be hosting an event originating at Prince George Regional airport (CYXS) on Sunday, March 2, 2008. Call Prince George GND on 121.90 at 1:00 PM local time (2100Z) for your IFR clearance or VFR taxi instructions. We suggest a 320 nm flight to Vancouver (CYVR) - a possible IFR route is YWL T201 ELIDI KEINN7. The KEINN7 arrival chart is available at www.czvr.ca

Mar 1st: Royal Hanseatic Shuttle

We would like to invite all pilots to fly the Royal Hanseatic Shuttle Event on Saturday night. London Heathrow, one of the busiest airports in the world and Hamburg Fuhlsbuettel, with a relativly small, crowded airspace and crossing runways, will be fully staffed tonight, to offer excellent service for pilots from all over the world.

Expect high quality ATC with a lot of frequency changes from 17:00 - 23:00 UTC. Additional frequencies will be opened to handle the high
amount of traffic we expect. From 1900 - 2300 utc EDDH TWR/GND/DEL will be staffed out of one room for best coordination and lot´s of fun... So don´t worry if you hear voices in the background. Be well prepared, have your charts studied and enjoy a lot of traffic around you.

Further information on the eventpage: www.edww.de/event/events.htm

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Feb 23rd Mountain Mania

A normal ILS is boring? You want something more enthralling? In this case be with us when it’s going to be hot between the mountains!

MOUNTAIN MANIA is calling!

Innsbruck (LOWI) and Sion (LSGS) give you what you want. Very high mountains on both sides and an abnormal ILS. Dive in and bring your passengers safe to the ground. Short flights between both airports guarantee a lot of fun!

When? Saturday, 23rd February between 1800 and 2200Z (1900-2300lcl)
Routes: LOWI-LSGS : LSGS-LOWI
Sceneries: LOWI : LSGS

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Mar 7-8th: ZAU Angels Event

The unpredictability of life could put any of us in a position of need. Accidents can happen at any moment that leave you or loved ones without the resources to receive medical attention or make it back home. What would anyone do in this situation?

Imagine if a group of volunteer pilots were available to fly you anywhere in the country to receive top of the line medical care. Imagine if these volunteer pilots could take you on one last trip to see your family on the other coast. Angel Flight Central does all this and more. These pilots, out of the goodness of their hearts, selflessly give up their time and resources to fly children and others all across the country so that they can receive the best in medical treatment and have a chance at a fulfilling life. But, they can not do it alone.

The Chicago ARTCC is sponsoring a 24 hour Control-a-thon to celebrate life and help Angel Flight with their mission. We welcome all pilots to fly in between 1900 Central Time on March 7th and 1900 Central Time on March 8th (0z-0z). You have the opportunity to help a child receive the care they need and instill the love of aviation in the leaders of tomorrow.

We kindly ask for any help you are willing to give us for this cause. Angel Flight Central will be collecting donations via their secure website found here. Donors are kindly asked to select ARTCC in the “introduced to Angel Flight by” column. Please help change the life of a child in need. Together, we as a group of aviation enthusiasts can instill the love of aviation for a child who honestly needs our help. The bottom line: Angel Flight Central saves lives, and by donating, so can you

Feb 23rd: Runway to Holland

"KLM1773, runway 24, cleared for an immediate take-off, traffic is on 5 miles final." Yes, you are right! The famous one-runway operations night is coming to Schiphol! Only one runway will be in use, so the arrivals will be on the same runway as the departures, no matter if the weather requires it. Do you think you can supply the maximum load of traffic our controllers can handle, and let them work as hard as they can? Then join us in this event! This is your chance to test if we are as good as we say we are ;-). The more traffic the better.

The event will be held on Saturday, the 23rd of February, from 18:00 to 22:00 UTC. Charts and information are to be found on the Events page. We looking forward to seeing you on Saturday!

Feb 23-24th: Singapore Airshow 2008 Fly-In

Millions around the world are expected to converge on Singapore for SA2008, cementing Singapore's spot as an aviation hub.

Thus, Singapore vACC invites you to participate in Singapore Airshow 2008: Fly-in, held between 1100Z and 1500Z on Saturday 23rd and Sunday 24th February 2008.

Come down to WSSS, all traffic welcome!
More details can be found at http://radexon.com/sa2008/

Sunday, February 10, 2008

Feb 16th: Porto Unreal Ops

The Porto unit of Portugal vACC invites all pilots to participate in its Unreal Ops event, on February 16th 2008 from 1200Z to 2400Z.

Fly from Porto to all national and international airports. Pilots who wish to participate can see the complete flight schedule and make their reservations at www.portugal-vacc.org/unrealops/index.html

All flights are made up of 2 legs, which should be fully flown by the pilot, using the indicated aircraft. “Slots” and pre-defined gates will be used. A team of ATCOs will provide ATC throughout the event.

The fact that the event is an Unreal Ops event means that the schedule used was specifically created for the event and has no connection to the real schedule. With your participation we can make this event “Even better than the real thing!”

Thursday, February 07, 2008

Feb 9th: In loving memory of Scott Brown

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of Scott Brown. Scott Brown was a friend and mentor to many; especially in his senior management role with Eastern Virtual Airlines. Scott’s devotion to virtual flying was unequaled. His passion for flight simulation touched many hearts and forged many friendships both in his chosen VA and the flight simulation population in general. His friendship and encouragement will be sorely missed. Scott served in the United States Air Force for 20 years and was a real-world pilot.
Blue Skies, Scott…

To honor the life of Scott Brown, there will be an online memorial flight to his real world home airport in Winchester, VA. (KOKV). The scheduled memorial flight will be Saturday, February 9 from Atlanta to Winchester, VA. The time is set for wheels up at 9:00pm EST (2100z). Washington and Atlanta ARTCC will be online to offer their ATC services. Numerous VA’s will be attending this special online flight. Come join us and help celebrate the life of Scott Brown.

Information about flying in US airspace can be found via the VATUSA website

Monday, February 04, 2008

Feb 10th: Göteborg Overload 2008

VACCSCA warmly invites you to join a special Overload Event at the second largest airport in Sweden. Göteborg-Landvetter (ESGG) will be fully staffed including ground, tower, final, approach east and west as well as center to provide the best possible service!

There is one runway at Landvetter and especially during this time of the year the conditions could be challenging with strong winds, heavy snow and possibly limited visibility, since the airport is located at the westcoast of Sweden. Come and enjoy practicing Your skills as pilot!

Why not fly a real life domestic, international or cargo flight for Scandinavian, Lufthansa or KLM? Take a flight from one of the more common destinations like Copenhagen, Arlanda or Gardemoen or a more special City Airline flight to/from for example Tallin, Birmingham or Luleå?

More information is available at the VACCSCA Event website

Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Feb 5th: Venezia Carnival Fly-In (LIPZ)

Shrove Tuesday on VATSIM! Let's celebrate the world famous carnival on Tuesday 5th February between 1930 and 2230 UTC at VENEZIA-Tessera Airport (LIPZ)

Last year the Carnival Event was the most successful event in Italy with the highest traffic amount ever. So don’t miss it when we try to develop it to the maximum this year. Expect full ATC from Ground to Center and and full coverage of the upper airspace of the Italian peninsula from “top to toe“.

More details on the VATSIM forum

Feb 2nd: Superbowl Fly-In

It's time to make your plans for the mass migration to Phoenix, Arizona for the 2008 Super Bowl Fly-In, presented by the VATUSA Albuquerque ARTCC (ZAB). The New England Patriots battle the New York Giants for the ultimate football title.

The fly-in will take place on the day before the big game to make sure you have all day to savor the end of the season. Fly from Boston or New York to cheer on your Super Bowl pick, or depart the city of your favorite NFL team that you WISH was in the big game. Arrive at Phoenix Sky Harbor Int'l Airport (KPHX) on Saturday, February 2, 2008 between 1800 MST (0100Z) to 2200 MST (0500Z) for maximum ATC coverage.

Before you fire up your jet or turn over that prop though, check out the official 2008 Super Bowl Fly-In Pilot Briefing Guide in the VATSIM Pilot Forum or download a PDF version directly. We hope to see you there!

Feb 2nd: Secondary Airports Challenge EDDV-EDDE-EDDN-LOWL

As we all know, pilots and controllers like airports with a lot of traffic. But isn´t it boring always flying into the big hubs to see some other aircraft out of the window....???

That´s why we decided to offer the Secondary Airports Challenge 2008 on February 2nd

Hannover (EDDV) - Erfurt (EDDE) - Nürnberg (EDDN) - Linz (LOWL)
17:00 - 22:00 UTC

Enjoy the German or English ATC in different dialects (Austrian, Bavarian, east&north German) All airports offer nice (freeware) sceneries for the FS9. Here´s your challenge... Visit all 4 airports in the 5 hours event time and make it a real challenge for the controllers to handle high amounts of traffic on small airports.

Further information like charts, frequencies, routes can be fond on the event page : http://www.edww.de/event/events.htm

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Jan 26th: WEF-FlyIn Zurich

VIP's, Politicians and Economy-Tycoons... all of them meet at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on 26th January. That is the reason for many rarely seen aircraft at Zurich Airport.

As every year the SwissFIR invites you to fly to and from Zurich for to this event. Fly your passengers to Zurich and then collect the next for another arrival. You can do that as many times you want between 1800 and 2200Z. The transport from Zurich to Davos is organized ;)

LInks:
FreeZ - Project Freeware Scenery Zurich
Routes from Zurich
Routes to Zurich

Jan 26th: NoDelay 2008 - winter fly-in

VACC Finland and Finnish Virtual Pilots Association (SVIL) are arranging NoDelay 2008 –winter event on 26th of January 2008 16-23UTC. NoDelay events are annually held together with SVIL's meetings during winter and summertime. NoDelay 2008 –winter is held at the same time as SVIL's Simulator weekend (25-27.1) at Tampere area.

ATC service is provided from Tampere meeting and experienced controllers will open Helsinki-Vantaa airport, Tampere ACC and Rovaniemi ACC. The event site at Tampere has a traditional Air Traffic Control room which is also built on annual meetings. Welcome to the friendly virtual skies of VATSIM network.

Further information at http://vacc.fi/nodelay2008winter/

Jan 26th: Rocky Mountain Rumble 2008

The Denver ARTCC's annual event "Rocky Mountain Rumble" is back. This time the members of the ARTCC will gather together in Denver, Colorado, to control side by side and provide the best air traffic control services on VATSIM!

What does this mean to you, the pilot? You can expect 10 full hours of quality ATC service, realistic approaches and departures to and from Denver International, Aspen and Colorado Springs. Leaders of the aviation community, both real world and virtual, have come together to support vZDV and promote the event. We have excellent prizes donated by well known names. Jeppesen have donated two SIMCharts, HiFI Sim and Megascenery have each given one product, and PMDG has donated one download of their MD-11 when it is released.

Look forward to a very busy January evening in the heart of winter, with the possibility of a CAT III ILS approach. We will do our best to accommodate any special requests you might have. So come and join us for an amazing 10 hours of non-stop realism and fun in the Denver ARTCC. After flying in (or out) you will proudly be able to say that you survived the Rocky Mountain Rumble!

For further information go to http://denartcc.org/

Jan 26th: Sao Paulo - Guarulhos RealOps Event

VATSIM Brazil is proud to present the Sao Paulo Guarulhos Real Operation Event, on January 26th! A list of real world flight has been compiled and pilots are welcome to book any flight on the list! Use the same callsign, the same aircraft, the same gate and the same departure time as in the real world. The event will take place from 17:00 to 00:00 local time (1900Z to 0200Z).

Are you ready for the challenge of operating flights in a small time-slot from the busiest airport in South America? Choose from more than 220 flights to and from Guarulhos!

In order to participate you need to book a flight from the two booking pages(Arrival or departure). You can book a single flight or multiple flights and go back and forth like real pilots do. In order to book, visit the event website: www.vatsim.com.br/sbbs/realops

Charts are available at http://charts.vatsim.com.br
A quick guide for foreign pilots: http://info.vatsim.com.br/

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

Jan 20th: LOT Real Operations

LOT Virtual Airlines, SimNetAir Worldwide Services and Polish VACC are pleased to invite all pilots for the first time in history of virtual flying to participate in the fly-in called LOT Real Operations!

It will take place on Sunday, January 20th 2008 and starting with the first operation of LOT timetable until 2300 UTC. We encourage everyone to participate that day in joint flying according to scheduled take-off times, landing and flight numbers. We don't impose any type of planes but encourage to fly airplanes that LOT has in its fleet and which meet given segment.

We also encourage everyone to take advantage of flight reservation system. We wish all pilots and controllers good weather, lack of delays, quick take-offs, smooth landings but excellent fun in first place.

Flight booking and more information:
www.simnetair.com/realops/ and http://www.pl-vacc.org

Jan 18th: 2008 Kickoff Triangle

A warm welcome to all pilots visiting the participating airports during our 2008 Kick-Off Triangle event, which will be held at Friday, 18th January. Enjoy flying in the western part of Central Europe. Flying distances from 130 - 190 NM will allow you to visit all 3 airports during the 4 hours event time. Expect excellent and professional ATC and crowded skies with pilots from all over the world - Parallel approaches are likely. Be well prepared and do not forget to have your charts ready!

Further information including charts, IFR-routes and frequencies are provided on the event page

Tuesday, January 08, 2008

Jan 11th: The return of Caribbean Nights

Every Friday Night between 0000z-0300z join us for "Caribbean Nights". Each week one of our 7 FIR's will host this event, we will feature airport(s) throughout VATCAR. The Caribbean is a challenging but fun area to fly. Precision approaches, non-precision approaches, short fields, terrain challenges - we have it all. Whether you like long or short flights, the Caribbean is situated in easy reach of the US, Mexico and South America. Come enjoy the beauty as you hop from Island to Island and discover the hidden treasures of the Caribbean. This Friday we are hosting San Juan FIR!

For more information about this event see our events page

Jan 9th: Bern14 Full House

Exactly two years ago, VACC-SAG's "Airport of the Week" took place in
Berne-Belp. It was busy - on the last day of the event there were not less than 39 aircraft arriving or departing. One year ago, the number was almost doubled -> 75 flights!

Because of these positive experiences, we decided to launch BERN14. The 14 is a play of words, on one hand there is runway 14 in Bern and on the other hand the online day took please every 14th day. Unfortunately, during this time, Berne didn't become widely accepted, either by Pilots or Controllers. And as Swiss FIR doesn't have too many controllers, we decided to stop the online day in Berne. However, before we let the event "die", BERN14 will come to you as a special!

The last BERN14 takes place almost one and two years after the biggest successes and is named BERN14 FULLHOUSE. The "Fullhouse" is a request to you pilots to come so that we can break our record of 75 flights :) Make sure you are familiar with holding procedures!

Links:
LSZB Freeware Scenery from Andreas Hegi
Charts and airport information

Flightplans:
From LSZB
To LSZB

What: BERN 14 - FULLHOUSE
Where: Bern-Belp - LSZB
Date: Wednesday, 09.01.2008
Start: 1900 UTC / 2000 loc
End: 2200 UTC / 2300 loc

Saturday, January 05, 2008

Jan 5th: Welcome 2008 FLY IN Hamburg [EDDH]

Let´s celebrate the beginning of 2008 with one of the first FLY IN of the new year in the VACC-SAG area. Hopefully all controllers and pilots have clear vision again after the new years parties.....

Expect excellent professional ATC and crowded airways with pilots from all over the world - Be well prepared and do not forget to have your charts ready! Further information including charts, IFR-routes and frequencies are provided on the eventpage.

Sunday, December 30, 2007

Jan 6th: Michigan Ski Trials

Come join us for the 2nd annual Michigan Ski Trials in the scenic Upper Peninsula next Sunday, January 6th at 2000z Aircraft will be provided with specific locations of antennas located around the UP that correlate with current aeronautical charts. Aircraft will depart their designated airport, fly around the given obstacles, and land at their designated arrival airport in the fastest time possible. It makes for a great navigational challenge!

Visit http://ski.minniecenter.org/ for more information and signup! See you there!

Jan 1st: ILS-less challenge

Date : 1 Jan 2008
Time : 1200z - 1500z
Airport : VHHX (IGS 13) / VMMC (LLZ 16)
To meet and greet the year of 2008, Hong Kong VACC will present an international fly-in event. Macau International Airport (VMMC) and Kai Tak International Airport (VHHX) will be fully staffed. And as you can see in the title no ILS approaches are expected. You will recall the most famous and dangerous approach - IGS, when you are heading to Kai Tak.

You can also try out the Macau Runway 16 by LLZ approach with a deep left turn on short final. Before establishing on the localizer, metric altitudes will be provided because you will fly over Zhuhai - China Mainland airspace. Let's try out your skills and have fun with the IGS 13 and LLZ 16 approach.

Related Charts : http://hk.vatsea.net/charts.php
Event Page : http://hk.vatsea.net/events

Jan 5th: First VATSIM/MITRE cooperative event

VATSIM has recently announced a potential partnership with MITRE a not-for-profit consulting firm that deals with airspace issues for many countries around the world. MITRE sees the potential in working with VATSIM to leverage our many strengths, primarily our ability to stand up a significant number of skilled pilots to participate in their airspace research experiments.

To explore this potential partnership, VATSIM and MITRE will be hosting a fly-in event within the Chicago ARTCC on Saturday, January 5th, 2008. This first event is a test for MITRE to learn how VATSIM events work, and for VATSIM to explore ways to deliver the results MITRE needs, by providing pilots that are comfortable flying a provided route and can handle their aircraft skillfully while accurately following ATC instructions.

Further details and a link to the sign-up page are on the dedciated vatsim.net forum

Please note that because this is a research situation, pilots whose flight begins to hamper the experiment may be disconnected by an event Supervisor at very short notice. This will have no disciplinary implications unless the pilot was seriously out of line. We are concerned only about creating a worthwhile test environment for these VATSIM/MITRE cooperative events. All are welcome to fly, just realize that we will be requiring that pilots fly their routes accurately and respond to ATC instructions quickly.

Come and help us show MITRE what VATSIM can do!

Tuesday, December 25, 2007

Dec 29th: Amsterdam checkout

These are the last days of the year... Christmas and the year 2008 are coming... However, at Amsterdam Schiphol, there is business as usual. And to say goodbye to 2007 the Dutch VACC is organizing the Amsterdam Check-out. Saturday the 29th of December Amsterdam Schiphol will be fully staffed from 1800 - 2200 UTC. Please have a look at the Events Page for more information. We hope you'll join us in the last event of the Dutch VACC in 2007, and we hope to see you in Amsterdam soon.

The Dutch VACC wishes you a merry Christmas, and a happy new year!

Season's greetings



Wherever in the world you are, and whichever festival you celebrate, VATSIM wishes all our members, and members of the whole flight sim community "Happy Holidays" and a happy and prosperous new year.

Friday, December 21, 2007

Dec 27th: Sunny beaches in winter

Egypt VACC is delighted to invite you to its 2nd annual winter
event "Sunny Beaches in Winter" where we staff our two most exotic
winter destinations. Sharm El-Sheikh and Hurghada international
airports will be fully staffed during the event as people from around
the world come to spend their winter holidays on our warm and sunny
beaches in Winter on Thursday, 27th December 2007 1600-2000Z. In
addition, we may staff one more exotic winter destination, Marsa Allam

As we expect a lot of traffic for this event, please take the time to
to download the charts since you should expect to fly holding patterns around the published holding points.

HEGN - Hurghada Airport
HESH - Sharm El-Sheikh Airport
HEMA - Marsa Allam Airport

If you have any questions contact Egypt VACC Director, Ali Abou-Zeid (ACCEG1) via the Egypt vACC website

Dec 23rd: Christmas in central Europe and the Balkans

This is the very first time that vACC organisations in Central-Europe and the Balkans join to celebrate Christmas: they will go online together on Sunday, 23 December 2007, and provide a fantastic opportunity for pilots to fly there under full ATC coverage.

Yes, it is a real Christmas present from them to you, so you can expect controllers in Austria, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Croatia, Poland, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey and Hungary - yes they will be all online together to cover a large area in Vatsim.

Here is the chance to fly between those countries and enjoy the crowded skies over Central-Europe and the Balkans.

Date: Sunday, 23 December 2007
Time: 1600-2100Z
Information and charts: here

We are all different, but we all belong together. Celebrate the holidays and the end of the year on Vatsim together with us!

Dec 22nd: Merry Christmas event - Vaccsca

Christmas eve is soon approaching, so what can be better than to get in better Christmas mood by joining in on our special event? Together with all countries in Vaccsca, on December 22nd we are arranging an event that includes many regional airports in Scandinavia.

Copenhagen will be the hub for this event, and the regional airports in Denmark, and in all countries around will not be more than a hour of flight from Copenhagen. You will then have time to enjoy your landing at small regional airports, and then fly back to land at Copenhagen again with your small aircraft together with all the other heavy traffic around Copenhagen.

Date: 22nd December 2007
Time: 1800-2200z
Where: Copenhagen(EKCH) and other regional airports in Norway, Sweden and Denmark

Further information: www.vaccsca.org/event/

Monday, December 17, 2007

Dec 22nd: VATSUR - first Mega Event

On December 22nd VATSUR will be holding an event in the South American skies. Our eight vACCs (Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Uruguay, Perú, Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela) will be fully staffed starting at 1800Z.

We wish to be visited by pilots from all over the world and have a great
time!

See www.vatsur.org for links to the individual countries' websites and charts.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

Dec 15th: Christkindlesmarkt Fly-In

Every year, one of Germany's largest and oldest Christmas Markets opens its stalls for visitors from all over the world. And as every year, by Christmas Eve, more than two million visitors from all over the world will have sampled the delights of the Christmas Market.

That's the reason for a lot of charter, business- & general aviation traffic to EDDN with people having the munchies for Brodwerschd (fried sausage) and Lebkoung (gingerbread). Airport and controllers are prepared for all kind of aircraft types, including the non-fixed wing variety.

What: Christkindlesmarkt Fly-In
Where: Nuremberg - EDDN
When: Dec 15th 1800-2200z

For charts and more visit the VATSIM Fly-ins forum

Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Dec 15-16th: Fly & See Santa 2007

The annual FLY & SEE SANTA event is on 15th and 16th of December. Heavy traffic is expected in Rovaniemi (EFRO), Ivalo (EFIV) and Kittila (EFKT) airports. We hope to see you all in the skies of Northern Finland! The most popular X-mas event in VATSIM skies.

Day 1: Saturday December 15th 2007, 1800 - 0000 UTC
Mainly for arriving traffic

Day 2: Sunday December 16th 2006, 1600 - 2000 UTC
Mainly for departing traffic

For further information see the event website

VA's taking part include Thomsonfly Virtual, British Airways Virtual, KLM Virtual Airline, First Choice Virtual, Aegean Seagull Virtual Airline System, Eurowings Virtual

Dec 15-16th: J500 Traffic Jam Event - CYWG (Winnipeg)

The J500 event is courtesy of the CZWG FIR, in cooperation with the CZYZ FIR. The event is going to start at 2100Z on December 15th, and will go all night. ATC will fully staffed at both CYWG (Winnipeg) and CYYZ (Toronto). All pilots are welcome to enjoy flights from both airports, to and from. The routes from each airport are listed below in bold. The J500 airway is going to be very busy "ACA123, traffic is at your 12 o'clock, 15 miles, 1000 feet below, a Boeing 737, at FL320". Most of all - Have FUN!

Where: CYWG and CYYZ (Joint Event)
When: December 15th, 2007 from 2100Z - 0200Z
Why: Huge amounts of traffic on the J500 airway!
What: Pilots have the option of either flying from CYWG-CYYZ or CYYZ-
CYWG or BOTH!

Please see the forum events notice for the recommended routes and contact for further information

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Dec 1st: Central Triangle Event

Let´s enjoy beginning of the holiday season 2007-2008 and join the Central Europe Triangle Event. The controllers of Praha (LKPR), Berlin/Schoenefeld (EDDB) and Hannover (EDDV) are planning to make this evening a special experience for you.

Bad weather, strong winds, holdings and special procedures.... all might happen this time of the year in central Europe. Expect excellent professional ATC and crowded airways with pilots from all over the world. Parallel approaches are likely - be well prepared and do
not forget to have your charts ready!

Flying distances from 140 - 220 NM will allow you to visit all 3 airports during the 5 hours event time from 17-22 utc.

Further information on the event homepage

Dec 1st: Central Africa Republic Day Real World Ops

On December 1st is the Republic Day of the Central African Republic. To celebrate VATDRC will be fully staffing the Bangui M'Poko International Airport (FEFF) for the first time for the Real World OPS all the way from Ground to Center for a full 4 hours from 1800-2200z! Don't miss this special once a year opportunity to experience this airport at it's peak of realism.

Located in the heart of Africa with a single ILS, 4 parking aprons and taxiways that don't go to the ends of the runway, this will surely keep everyone on the edge. Brazzaville Center's ATC Coverage will also include Brazzaville (FCBB), Kinshasa (FZAA), Douala (FKKD), Yaounde (FKYS) and Point Noire (FCPPP), so you can surely complete a couple of flights with full ATC from start to finish. For real world charts, flight bookings and scenery at selected airports please visit our web site at www.vatdrc.com

Dec 1st: VatFrance 1st anniversary

Here we are, already one year! A beautiful evolution, and still a load of work ahead of us. A website to help and inform you effectively; a lot of active ATC , Wednesday evenings with a regular coverage; more and more pilots coming back into the skies of our beautiful France.

To celebrate this first anniversary, simply write the shape of the number 1 in French airspace: 2 airports of departure and of arrival: Bordeaux and Marseille, with a compulsory touch-and-go on Paris CDG. If you don't want to touch & go, you can land at LFPG and take off a few minutes later.

Type of plane: according to your fantasy, but please avoid C172 or Concorde !
Flight level, speed : according to ATC's instructions. Expect an even flight level from LFBD to LFPG or from LFML to LFPG, then an odd flight level from LFPG to LFML or from LFPG to LFBD.

ATTENTION: departure all 2 minutes. Book your departure slot on VatFrance's pilots booking system. Obviously, you will not be taking off at 1900Z from Bordeaux or Marseille all at the same time ... At Paris, it's going to be rather hot, so please anticipate a waits and carry some extra fuel just in case of traffic jams (We are in Paris !)

So, it's simple, VatFrance expects you in a number as large as possible !

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Nov 24th: Radiocheck Moscow Fly-in

VATRUS welcomes you to their event that will take place in Moscow – capital of Russia. All three main airports will be fully staffed from 1400 till 2100 UTC. 7 hours of non-stop ATC in Moscow airspace. About 12 Controllers will provide ATC over Moscow. Controllers of St. Petersburg and Rostov will be helping us on the sides.

You can fly to or from:
Sheremetyevo (UUEE), built specially for Olympic Games 1980 and now one of the most advanced airports of Russia. The majority of flights are operated by Aeroflot and Sky Team Alliance members.

Domodedovo (UUDD), one of the oldest airfields in Russia, currently undergoing massive reconstruction. It serves many international airlines.

Vnukovo (UUWW) – a rapidly developing airport, from where the Presidential fleet operates. The airport serves international delegations and private business-jets, coupled with domestic and international commercial flights.

More information about Moscow FIR, charts and scenery is available here

Nov 24th: Frankfurt Overload 2007

Experience a traffic OVERLOAD at Frankfurt (EDDF), one of the busiest and largest international hubs. Are you ready for the challenge? Are you able to manage a flight from or to one of the busiest European and international airports?

Frankfurt OVERLOAD simulates on the 24th of November from 17:00z until
23:00z, 6 hours of real traffic. On that day more than 20 top controllers await you in Frankfurt with a great ATC service in co-operation with all the surrounding centres in order to get as close as possible to real traffic levels. You will be able to experience the exciting feeling of departing or arriving at an airport full of movement!

For charts and more visit: www.edff-fir.de/overload/

Monday, November 19, 2007

Nov 25th: VATeir Open FIR event

VATeir is pleased to announce the Open FIR Event which will take place on Sunday 25th November between 1800Z and 2300Z. With over 5 airports manned by up to 15 controllers, VATeir is set to go out of 2007 with a bang! Whether its flying domestic, continental or transatlantic, theres something for everyone.

VATeir will be providing ATC coverage for Dublin(EIDW), Shannon(EINN), Cork(EICK), and several regional airports, as well as coverage on Shannon Control. Anyone choosing to fly transatlantic from/to Ireland will be greeted by the sight of full Atlantic coverage as our friends in VATCAN and VATUK will also be providing coverage on Gander and Shanwick for the event.

For full information on scenery, charts and procedures for this event pilots should visit the special Open FIR Event website at: . www.vateir.com/openfir

Nov 27th: Friday Nite Fly-In (Real Ops!)

The Dutch VACC organizes a new edition of it's famous Friday Nite Fly-in on Friday the 23rd of November. From 18:00 till 23:00 UTC, we will simulate all real traffic movements to and from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol. And you, as a pilot, can be a part of that! The Dutch VACC takes care of full ATC staffing while pilots can reserve 1 or more flights in our reservation system. You are encouraged to book your flights in the system, and if you do, you will receive a briefing including the real world flightplan(s) of your selected flight(s) well before the event. So what are you waiting for? Book your flights and join one of the most realistic events of the year!

Monday, November 12, 2007

Nov 17-18 Swiss Flightsim Weekend

As every year in November the Flightsim-Weekend takes place in Hergiswil, Switzerland. At this place many flightsimmers meet each other from the whole world.

We from the SwissFIR will represent VATSIM at this two days and give you a two day full staffing of Zurich-Airport (LSZH)
Saturday: 0900UTC-1700UTC
Sunday: 0900UTC-1500UTC

So fly what you can because on your third turnaround we will still be there! We will be glad to see you in virtual Zurich this two days!

Flightroutes FROM Zurich
Flightroutes TO Zurich
The great freeware scenery for Zurich
Airport charts of Zurich

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Nov 4th: Discovering Northern Germany

The ATC-Staff of the Bremen FIR is proud to present our 1st "Discover
Northern Germany" Event:
BREMEN - HANNOVER - HAMBURG - BRAUNSCHWEIG - LUEBECK - WESTERLAND

We are staffing as many positions as possible at our major and minor
airports 17:00-21:00 UTC (18.00-23:00 loc) with our experienced ATC staff.

IFR and of course VFR pilots are welcome. We would like to encourage all pilots to visit also our smaller airports. Try out your skills in advanced planning and preparation for short haul flights. Flying distances from only 50miles to 200 miles. Expect a lot of frequency changes and almost no level flights... So be well prepared. For further information, routes, charts and so on check our event page

Nov 3-4th: VATSAF Birthday Bash

Ladies and Gentleman, you are all invited to come and celebrate TWO WHOLE YEARS since the inception of the South African division of Vatsim: VATSAF!

To celebrate, we're going to be throwing a huge, trademark VATSAF party lasting a whole weekend, with full ATC coverage online. We are going to be manning as many positions as possible: the main airports of Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban as well as the smaller, more rural airports without ILS systems like Bloemfontein, so if you're up for a challenge, why not come and braai with us down in the summer hemisphere?

Control will be online from 1000z-2200z on Saturday 3rd November, and reopening at the same time on Sunday 4th. Those of you who have participated in events such as Rush Hour Johannesburg and more recently the Cape of Good Hope Flyin will not be disappointed by the high standards set by our controllers on those days, and can expect a professional, friendly, and very South African service.

Charts available at www.vatsaf.net

Nov 3rd: Central African Overload

VATDRC will be hosting the Central African Overload on November 3rd between 1600-2200Z. During these times Brazzaville's Maya Maya International and Kinshasa's N'Djili International airports will both be fully staffed at one time for the very first time. This is the most complex airspace in Africa due to the fact that the airports are only 15 miles apart and the runways go in opposite directions making it challenging for both controllers and pilots.

Being that the event will be on for 6 full hours non-stop this can give everyone an opportunity to make multiple flights and experience both airports. Charts and real world flight bookings are available on our web site at www.vatdrc.com

We recommend the following routes that will have ATC coverage to and from Kinshasa and Brazzaville:
FEFF Bangui - ETE 1:40 FKKD Douala - ETE 1:40
FOOL Libreville - ETE 1:00 FGSL Malabo - ETE 1:40
FCPP Pointe Noire - ETE 0:50 FZIC Kisangani - ETE 1:40
FZQA Lubumbashi - ETE 2:15 FZEA Mbandanka - ETE 1:00
FZOA Kindu - ETE 1:30 FZWA Mbuyi-Maya - ETE 1:30

Nov 3-4th: 24h Berlin

The Berlin FIR presents you with a special event, starting on Saturday, 3. November 1200 UTC and ending after 24 hours of non-stop controlling. 10 controllers will meet in one room, creating a virtual ACC and will provide service for all Berlin airports. Pilots are invited to fly from and to Berlin Tegel, Berlin Tempelhof and Berlin Schönefeld. Since all airports are staffed from DEL to CTR, there are plenty of opportunities to plan interesting flights this weekend.

The 10 controllers will work like in a real Area Control Center: creating flightstrips, preplanning of traffic, coordination calls with adjacent sectors by the Coordination controller, short shifts after working heavy traffic and much more. Don't miss the opportunity to discover a new edge of realism on VATSIM on the first weekend in November. All information about flying to and from Berlin, charts, scenery recommendation and procedures can be found on the event homepage: http://berlin24.tr-media.org/

Friday, October 26, 2007

Oct 28th: Larnaca Fly-in

On the 28th of October the staff and members of the Cypriot Area Control Center invite all pilots to take part in a long awaited fly- in to Larnaca International Airport. (LCLK).

Larnaca Airport can handle aircraft as heavy as the 747-300 and also attracts general aviation traffic. So bring your wings over to sunny Cyprus and enjoy 12 whole hours of top quality ATC for both en-route traffic and departures and arrivals from Larnaca.
An event not to be missed!

For more information email Jason Georgiades at jasoncontrol (at) gmail.com Charts are available at www.avsim.com/hangar/flight/cvartcc/

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Oct 27th: BrisVegas Real Ops

This month virtual pilots are invited to Australia's east coast, where
VATPAC is hosting the BrisVegas Real Ops event. The aim is to replicate the real operations at the Brisbane and Gold Coast airports from 0000 - 0600 UTC. You are able to choose from over 170 scheduled flights, ranging from short domestic hops to longer international flights.

Where: Brisbane (YBBN) and Gold Coast (YBCG), Australia
When: 27th October 2007, 0000 - 0600 UTC

For flight schedules, bookings and pilot information go to realops.freehostia.com All flights are provided with a complete briefing including preferred route and charts

Oct 27th: Power of Middle East

The Middle East Division, Turkish Virtual Aisrpace Center (TRVACC) , and DARDANELAIRVA would like to invite all pilots to fly to Turkey on Oct 27th, arriving at Izmir LTBJ between 1800Z and 2000Z (Turkey GMT+3). We believe it is a wonderful opportunity to show our strength and abilities. Come and give us a chance to show you our hospitality.

Please make flight bookings here

Useful links:
LTBJ Izmir charts scenery
Alternates:
LTAI Antalya charts and scenery
LTFE Bodrum charts and scenery

Oct 27th: Toronto Real Ops

CZYZ FIR is proud to announce "Toronto Real World Ops Event". The event will be taking place all around the CZYZ FIR and neighboring regions. This event will push controllers and pilots to the limit, combining parallel IFR approached and VFR flights in the terminal area. With 80 flights available to be booked and several other ways to take part, this should be a great event. All controller positions will be fully booked for the entire event, including split approach and towers. Check out www.tbsf.ca for event information.

Date:October 27th, 2007
Time:18:00-00:00Z (14:00-20:00 Eastern)

Oct 27th: Amsterdam-Frankfurt Connection

The Dutch VACC and the EDFF FIR would like to welcome all pilots visiting the Amsterdam - Frankfurt connection. Pilots can fly between the biggest airports of Germany and The Netherlands: Frankfurt and Amsterdam. Be well prepared and have your charts ready, these are the more complicated airports of Europe!

The event will be held on Saturday the 27th of October, between 1700 and 2100 UTC. Pilots can expect fully staffed and professional ATC.

For more info, charts and scenery, go to www.dutchvacc. and
www.edff-fir.de We hope to see you Saturday at Frankfurt and Amsterdam!

Nov 11th: Advance Notice: VARA - test your airline

Polish VACC has announced the date of the next edition of Virtual Airlines Reliability Award (VARA) event. It will take place on November 11th, 1400-2300 UTC, in Poland and some other Eastern and Central Europe countries (confirmed are: Austria, Czech Republic, Lithuania and Switzerland). The registration of airlines has already started and will be completed on November 4th.

VARA is an event organized by Polish VACC especially for Virtual Airlines(also unofficial ones). Their task is to create an realistic timetable for the afternoon and evening of NOV 11 for selected airports in Poland and someother countries in Central and Eastern Europe. Than they should fly scheduled flights avoiding delays and cancellations. An automatic script will measure all delays and check for other errors. The average of scores of individual flights is called THE RELIABILITY INDEX. Based on the RI, an airline can be honored by the VARA or the VARA GOLD Award. It is a title and a graphic symbol, which could be used on the webpage and in other documents as a sign of extreme reliability.

To learn more and to register your airline visit the VARA web page on www.pl-vacc.org/vara Do not leave the registration to the last minute, as creating a good timetable requires some time.

Monday, October 08, 2007

Oct 13th: Cape of Good Hope Fly-In

As spring begins in South Africa, VATSAF invite all pilots to come and fly in the "Mother City" of South Africa: Cape Town. Starting at 18:00z, we will have full ATC right up to Area control with other airports like Johannesburg and Durban open too. Following the great success of the Rush Hour Johannesburg event, why not come visit us again?

Cape Town is the third biggest city in South Africa, as well as the capital of the Western Cape region. Overlooked by the world-famous Table Mountain which is visible from all sides on approach to FACT, Cape Town was founded in 1652 by the Dutch settler Jan van Riebeeck. Now it boasts one of the most multi-cultural societies of the world, with three prominent languages: Afrikaans, English and Xhosa. Luckily for you, we'll deal with you in English, unless you ask nicely!

Cape Town International airport is also the second busiest airport in South Africa, and one of three international airports, serving destinations in South America, the Middle East, Europe, South-East Asia, and neighbouring African countries, not forgetting hundreds of domestic South African flights operating several times a day!

So, spoilt for choice really, why don't you come pay us a visit? Kom kuier! Masityelele!

Further information at www.vatsaf.net

Friday, October 05, 2007

Oct 7th: EDLL Quadcore

The Dusseldorf FIR invites you to join the biggest Realops Event Vatsim ever saw.
4 Airports are included in this Realops Event:
EDDL - Dusseldorf Intl. Airport
EDDK - Cologne Bonn Airport
EDDG - Munster Osnabruck Airport
EDLP - Paderborn Airport

Date: 07th October 2007
Time: 1600-2100Z
Be a part of this Event and book your flights here

Oct 6th: Eternally to Come and Go

Hong Kong to Taipei is a famous airline passenger route starting from 1945, which links up Asia's world city and the capital of Taiwan. Nowadays, there are 90 flights from 8 different airlines operating on this route every day. All of them are jet airliners and most of them are wide-bodied so as to carry more passengers and increase airlines' income.

For celebrating the National Day of Republic of China (Taiwan), Hong Kong VACC will hold an event with VATROC on 06 Oct evening. Hong Kong International (VHHH) , Macau International (VMMC) and Taipei Taoyuan International (RCTP) will be fully staffed. Come to experience this Golden Route and the excellent ATC Service.

Date : 6 October 2007 (Saturday)
Time : 1300z - 1700z (2100HKT - 0100HKT)
Service Airports : VHHH / VMMC / RCTP
For more information and charts : http://hk.vatsea.net/events/1010/

Oct 6th: Oktoberfest Fly-In

VACC SAG and the EDMM FIR invite you to the fifth Oktoberfest Fly-In on
Saturday October 6th. Visit Munich Airport (EDDM) and enjoy the traffic of visitors from all over the world and the friendly service of an ATC team meeting on site in Munich and looking forward to guiding you through the Bavarian skies.

Date : 06 Oct 2007 (Saturday)
Time : 1700z - 2100z
For charts, example flights and more: http://oktoberfest.vacc-sag.org/

WorldFlight 2007

With just over a month to go, one full motion, seven fixed based and one other desktop simulator will embark on a round the world journey on the VATSIM network raising money for their various charities.

On November 4th at 2300hrz zulu time, eight of the simulators will assemble at YSSY (Sydney Australia) and depart to the north for Darwin and then on up through Asia and Europe on a trip that will take seven days flying in real time with real world procedures and 24hr ATC services. The Canadian Charity Flight will operate at the AVSIM conference venue in Seattle on the weekend of November 10th and 11th

The simulators are based in Australia, United Kingdom, Scotland, Austria, Canada and the USA and represent B747-400, B767, B777, B737, A300 and A340 aircraft.
Charities that will benefit are Royal Flying Doctor Service, Orbis Flying Eye Hospital, Warwickshire and Northamptonshire Air Ambulance, Cancer Research Foundation UK, Cancer For Children St.Anna Kinderkrebsforschung, World Vision Canada and the Toronto Hospital For Children.

Links to the World Flight Group are;
World Flight Australia : http://www.worldflight.com.au
World Flight Australia-Team 737 : http://worldflightoz737.org/
UK World Flight : http://www.747simulator.co.uk/
Simfest UK : http://www.simfest.co.uk/
World Flight Scotland : http://www.airbusa300sim.co.uk/
World Flight USA : http://www.shamrock224.com/
World Flight Canada : http://www.worldflightcanada.com/
World Flight Austria : http://fly737.com/737.asp?id=85
Charity Flight Canada : http://www.charityflight.com/

Sunday, September 30, 2007

Oct 5th: Welcoming EuroScope: Cityhopping LKPR-LHBP

The members of the Hungarian VACC team are very proud of their controller, Mr. Gergely Csernak, for his efforts in developing the new radar client, EuroScope. On the occasion of this historic event Cityhopping Prague-Budapest will be jointly organized by Czech and Hungarian controllers, using the fantastic new features of EuroScope while directing the busy traffic on the skyways between two of the most beautiful capitals of Central-Europe.Come and celebrate with us by joining the one hour hop between LKPR and LHBP and back.

The event is on Friday, 5th October, from 1700Z till 2200Z.

Charts, sceneries and other info can be found at:
http://www.vacc-cz.org
hhttp://www.vacchun.hu

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Sep 30th: Golden Coast

To celebrate the National Day of People Republic of China, Hong Kong VACC will hold an event with Shanghai VACC on 30 Sep evening. Hong Kong International (VHHH) , Macau International (VMMC) and Xiamen Gaoqi (ZSAM) will be fully staffed. Come to try out the short haul flights and it only cost you 55 mins.

Date : 30 Sep 2007 (Sunday)
Time : 1200z - 1500z
Service Airports : VHHH / VMMC / ZSAM
For charts and more information : http://hk.vatsea.net/events/101/

Sep 29th: Agadir earthquake

An earthquake occured in Agadir and Morocco needs help for lots of victims. So, if you can help us carrying emergency and first aid materials , we'll appreciate it.

The earthquake has destroyed some vital parts of Agadir Al Massira (GMAD) and the ILS system is not yet available, so only visual approaches are possible. And as final part of runway 28 has been damaged, the useable part is reduced to 6600 feet. So only light and medium aircrafts can land in GMAD.

The event will take place on September 29th from 16:00 to 20:00 UTC. Full ATC coverage (GMMM_CTR, GMAD_APP and GMAD_TWR) will be provided.

Charts and procedures for GMAD are available at http://www.vacc-morocco.org/GMAD/enGMAD.html

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Sep 30th: MEGA Fly In Colombia

VATSIM Colombian Division, Controllers Group and the general community invites you to enjoy a Day of full ATC in Colombia. All our main positions will be online (SKBO - SKRG - SKCL - SKBG - SKMD - SKPE) Pilots will be able to visit a multitude of Destinations that include Mountains, Valleys, Coast and Rivers.

Date: 30th September 2007
Time: 15:00Z until 02:00Z (10:00a.m - 9:00p.m Local Time)

Have fun, test your skills and improve them.
Event website with charts and further information: www.flycol.org/flyin/

Friday, September 21, 2007

Sep 22nd: ottawa real ops

On September 22nd, we will be simulating real-world operations at Ottawa MacDonnald-Cartier airport (CYOW). The event will take place from 14:00 to 20:00 Eastern Time (1800Z to 2400Z)

A list of real-world flights has been compiled and pilots are welcome to book any flight on the list to their leisure. Use the same callsign, the same aircraft,the same gate, and the same departure time as in the real-world list. Participation is easy, just go to the booking web page and select your flight. In order to increase the level of realism for this event, all ATCs will be set up in a virtual Air Traffic Control Center and a Virtual Tower. The event website is here

VATCAN welcomes all VATSIM pilots to our Canadian Capital!

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Sep 29th: OPORTO Real Operations

The Oporto (LPPR) ATC Unit of the Portugal Vacc is going to produce on 29th September 2007, a simulation of a full day of operations at the Francisco Sá Carneiro airport. The event will take place since 0600 until 2400 local time, and a full ATC team will provide ATC throughout the day and night in Tower, Approach and Center positions.

The purpose of this event is to simulate ATC services, and to fulfil all flights that are schedule for that day in real aviation. With the information from ANA, Aeroportos de Portugal, it was possible to create a flights schedule for that day.

Visit the event’s website here and book your flight!
All the necessary information and charts are available at
www.portugal-vacc.org

Sep 29th: Swiss VA meeting

Zurich.SwissFIR.News report Sept 29th, 2007.
See and be seen was the credo of this years VA-Meeting at Zurich-Airport. Never before were so many VAs seen at one Airport. All of them wanted to show that they are the biggest and the best. IFR or VFR-VA, all of them were there. The Controllers had hard to work and the airport was full as never before. Of course not only VA's were welcome. Individual pilots could book their own flights too.

Help us to make this report a reality. VA's out there - register and book your slots. Show you are the biggest VA with the best pilots. Meet other VA's in Zurich and make us controllers sweat! All VA's will be invited by e-mail. If your VA doesn't get an invite just register here. As written in the press-release above also Pilots who are not flying for a VA are warmly welcome.

The event will take place at 29th September from 1300Z until 0100Z. Zurich Airport will be fully staffed. Book your slot at http://www.swissfir.org/VA-Meeting where you will also find information about the airport, scenery, charts and more

From Sep 21st: VATeir Celtic Fridays

VATeir is pleased to announce a new weekly event, Celtic Fridays, which kicks off on Friday 21st September between 1800UTC and 2100UTC. Each and every Friday a set of airports will be fully manned with ATC, allowing pilots to fly all over the country, getting the full Irish experience.

For this week, Week 1, Dublin(EIDW) and Waterford(EIWF) will be hosting the event, both airports will have full ATC for a period of 3 hours starting at 1800UTC. For those who have never flown to Ireland before or experienced Irish ATC, this is the perfect opportunity to do so! Over the next few weeks, pilots will have plenty of choice in where to fly, be it from Cork to Donegal, or Dublin to Galway, theres something for everyone each week.

For further information and to check what airports will be hosting the event each week, go to www.vateir.com or simply check the VATSIM Events Page.

Sep 22nd: Nordic triangle

A warm welcome to all Pilots visiting the participating airports during our Nordic Triangle 2007 event.

Enjoy flying in the northern part of Central Europe. Flying distances from 180 - 340 NM will allow you to visit all 3 airports during the 6 hours event time. Expect excellent professional ATC and crowded skies with pilots from all over the world - Parallel approaches are likely - Be well prepared and do not forget to have your charts ready.

All controllers are looking forward to seeing you on Saturday

Charts, Sceneries & Routings can be found at:
http://www.edww.de/event/07_09_eddv/eventinfo.htm

Starting Sep 21st-28th: The Great Nile Rally

This virtual flying event will take you through 60 destinations and 5000 nm. With emphasis on general aviation you will have the opportunity to experience Mediterranean, Middle East and, of course, simply vast prospects of Africa. This very special route is directed along one of the worlds most famous rivers, the great Nile. History knows only a few places where a civilization was under such extraordinary influence of nature. Prepare to meet the Nile in all its length and glory in our search for the source of this river. We remind you that still today this journey in real life would pose an extreme challenge, and we hope that you our fellow flight simmers are up to the task.

Event website: http://tgnr.crovacc.org

Sep 16th: The Velvet Season

Summer moved on and a cold wind blows on the face, scattering the yellowing
leaves on a still green grass. The sky is lowering, vacations have been left somewhere in the past, the only reminder a vivid photo folder in your computer. But in the south of Russia the noble "velvet seasion" of September is coming. Peacefully and proudly the Don river flows on the Rostov plains. On the vast expanses of Kuban the stars glimmering in the middle of the warm evenings. Merrily the sea wave runs to the Black Sea beaches. In the south of Russia the summer is still going on and you can participate in that!!

On 22nd September 2007, at 13.00-18.00 UTC, the best of VATRUS
controllers will organise a full-staff ATC in the main airports of the
south: Rostov-on-Don (URRR), Sochi (URSS) and Krasnodar (URKK). Other airports within Rostov FIR and adjacent centers in Ukraine in Russia support us.

Official fly-in webpage - http://dobrolet.org/velvet/

Thursday, September 13, 2007

Sep 16th: Lake Michigan Circle Tour

ZAU and ZMP jointly present the first ever Lake Michigan Circle Tour!
Pilots will fly around Lake Michigan mimicking the popular tourist route traveled by millions of tourists each year.

Starting at Chicago's Midway airport (MDW), pilots will circle counterclockwise around the lake visiting South Bend (SBN), Grand Rapids (GRR), Traverse City (TVC), Sawyer (SAW), and Green Bay (GRB). From the bustling cities of Chicago and Grand Rapids to the Cherry Capital and farmlands of Wisconsin enjoy a taste of many different airspaces and scenery! Virtual Airlines are invited to fly to these cities directly from their hubs. Be a part of a great event with a variety of traffic!

The event is Sunday, September 16 from 1800-2100z. Further details on the event website

Sep 15th: Caribbean Nights weekly event

We hereby invite you to join us Every Saturday Night between 0000z-0300z for our new "Caribbean Nights". Each week one of our 6 FIRs will host this event, we will feature airport(s) throughout VATCAR. The Caribbean is a challenging but fun area to fly, precision approaches, non-precision approaches, short fields, terrain challenges; We have it all. Whether you like long or short flights, the Caribbean is situated in easy reach of the US, Mexico and South America. Come enjoy the beauty as you hop from Island to Island and discover the hidden treasures of the Caribbean.
For more information please visit http://www.vatcar.org

This week's host FIR is: Santo Domingo
Featured Airport: Las Americas Int’l. Airport [MDSD]

**Note: The event takes place every Saturday evening Local Caribbean Time. This means that it will already be Sunday the 16th in the early morning in countries further to the east such as European countries. Please apply the appropriate time adjustments so as not to miss this great new weekly event!

Monday, September 10, 2007

Sep 16th: The Gulf Triangle event

Emirates vACC are proud to announce "THE GULF TRIANGLE EVENT" which takes place in the Middle East on Sunday 16th September between 1200z and 1800z.

We have 3 sponsors for the event who are donating prizes of simulation software. The event is based on 3 airports Dubai, Bahrain and Shiraz. Ponts are awarded for each completed flight and the 3 pilots with the highest number of points will win the prizes. Please join us for some fun More info at www.emirates-vacc.org/Triangle.htm

Friday, August 31, 2007

Sep 8th:VATASIA Regional Event - Eastern Wind

VATSIM Asia with all its 5 member divisions would like to present to you our biggest ever event - Eastern Wind 2007. All 5 divisions plus a few other FIRs will open at the same time.

Starting from 1000Z till 1500Z 08 Sept, 2007, you can fly into most of the major airports of Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan with ATC service. There are also ATC coverage for Bangkok (Thailand), Ho Chi Minh (Vietnam), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Shanghai and Guangzhou (China). Come and visit Asia and enjoy some good oriental food.

Further information on www.sinvacc.info/events/ew2007/index.htm

Don't miss such a rare opportunity!