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Messages - Kristofer Pierson

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Events / ZMP's Northern Migration XX
« on: September 20, 2024, 02:33:58 PM »


SAVE THE DATE!

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Events / [12/22/2024 2359z - 0400z] Last Minute Shopping
« on: September 08, 2024, 04:48:32 PM »
Minneapolis Center's annual event for pilots who need to make that last minute run to the malls to find the perfect gift for someone. Details/banner closer to event date. Featured airports MSP and FCM.

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Events / [08/28/2024 2300-0300z] Fair Weather Flying
« on: July 24, 2024, 12:48:04 AM »

The Minnesota State Fair -- which sees over 2 million visitors across ten days -- is well underway! Come fly in to Minneapolis-St.Paul Int'l (MSP), St. Paul Downtown Airport (STP) and hitch a ride up to the fair. Pronto pups, cheese curds, Sweet Martha's Cookies, and hundreds of other foods (most of them on a stick) await hungry attendees, as do hundreds of exhibitors, displays, concerts, events, and of course the Mighty Midway full of rides and games.

Come check out the "Great Minnesota Get Together" and find your inner youbetcha! Minnesota Nice ATC staffing will guide you along the way.

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Events / [06/07/2024 2300-0300z] - Empire Builder FNO
« on: May 15, 2024, 10:30:31 PM »


Join Minneapolis, Salt Lake City, and Seattle ARTCCs as we celebrate the airspace that follows the route of the incomparable Empire Builder! We will be staffing up enroute centers as well as several airports that coincide with stations along the picturesque route. From the Land of 10,000 Lakes, through the prairies, across the Rockies, and into the Pacific Northwest, nearly half the geographic area of the lower 48 will have ATC staffing during this multi-region FNO.

All aboard!!

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Maybe it's just a difference in perspective, but I don't think it's reasonable to expect pilots on Vatsim to perform to the same standards as actual instrument rated pilots.

However, the exact opposite is expected for controllers.

Your comment of "It's a game. Games are supposed to be fun" is only mostly true. Games have rules. When people don't follow the rules of the game, the game is not fun...it's unfair. The rules on VATSIM are very clear (CoC) and are intended to keep realism at a high level. For pilots, the key rules we are talking about here are in B8:

Code: [Select]
B8(a) A pilot must be familiar and proficient with the operation of their aircraft prior to connecting to the VATSIM network and shall comply with all agreed (read-back) air traffic control clearances or instructions. Where unable to do so, such as where operational safety is compromised (e.g. TCAS conflict resolution), air traffic control must be notified without delay.
B8(b) A pilot is expected to undergo reasonable preparation for their intended flight and potential diversions. This includes basic familiarization with arrival/departure airports, departure/arrival procedures and their planned route. This includes familiarization with airspace structure to prevent infringement of controlled or restricted airspace.
B8(c) A pilot shall be expected to promptly comply with basic air traffic control instructions that are applicable to their flight rules. These include:
(1) Holding position on the ground at an airport
(2) Flying a speed, heading, altitude or flight level
(3) Approach to land, either visually or flying an accepted instrument approach procedure
(4) When IFR, fly a cleared route by use of navigation aids / waypoints and fly to unplanned navigational aids / waypoints when instructed
(5) When IFR, fly a holding pattern

The expectations are clear. The rules are clear. The "FUN" level for controllers and pilots alike is tied directly to everyone following these rules in the VATSIM CoC.

Does it take practice? Yep. Is this stuff generally hard and complex to someone who doesn't train IRL for either a Pilot Cert and Instrument Rating and/or an ATC specialist job? Yep! But with the VAST resources (free and available online), along with time and patience, the skills are learnable -- both in the virtual flight deck and behind the virtual scopes.

And, I respectfully submit to you that taking the time to do it right and to play by the rules instead of just hacking through it, is VASTLY more rewarding!

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Events / [2/01/2024 2359z - 0400z] Winter Carnival
« on: December 29, 2023, 04:34:16 PM »

Typically the coldest part of winter for the MSP area, vZMP has traditionally hosted "Operation Deep Freeze" to revel in the deep cold. Since El Nino has seemingly disrupted that (and among other reasons) our plans have slightly changed.

Join us in celebrating the St. Paul Winter Carnival, the 138-year legend of King Boreas struggle to keep winter fun going despite Vulcanus Rex's fight to keep warm weather around as long as he can!

Enjoy full staffing featuring MSP and STP, as well as ZMP's friendly, professional air traffic control services.

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Events / [05/05/2024 2300z-0300z] B.Y.O.B. - Bring Your Own Bizjet
« on: December 14, 2023, 01:10:45 AM »

The Oracle of Omaha invites you to invest in one of VATUSA prized annual events -- Bring Your Own Bizjet! From all over the world, the uber wealthy converge on unassuming and (sorta) humble Omaha, Nebraska to shake hands and define the willpower of the titans of the marketplace!

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Events / [07/20/2024 2300-0300z] ZMP's Northern Migration XIX
« on: October 10, 2023, 07:27:23 PM »


The annual return of Minneapolis Center's live ATC event. Controllers from around the country will gather in Minneapolis to provide high quality air traffic control services to the VATSIM network. With the closure of runways 12L/30L and 4/22 for reconstruction, there will be some strategic handling of traffic and the possibility of non-standard runway configurations. Trust us, it will be fun! "It's a rebuilding year"!

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Events / [12/24/2023 2359z - 0400z] Last Minute Shopping
« on: September 22, 2023, 10:49:23 PM »

ZMP knows you waited until the last minute. Don't worry, we won't tell!

Lucky for you, the world famous Mall of America is right across the street from the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport!

ZMP will be providing full ATC service to KMSP as well as to Flying Cloud Airport (KFCM) in Eden Prairie, MN, home of the Eden Prairie Shopping Center.

More than enough time for you to fly in, hit the malls, and fly out...before anyone else knows how long you waited!

More details at https://minniecenter.org/events/275

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Fact: The Minnesota State Fair is the biggest and best in the country. Folks from the Lone Star State beg to differ, however. The reason why is that the Texas State Fair runs *longer* (nearly a month). However, the "Great Minnesota Get Together" breaks attendance records in just 10 days. This year the MN State Fair runs from Aug 24th-Sept 4. The TX State Fair runs Sept 29-Oct 22.

Fly into MSP or DFW. Or both! Let us know what you think. Don't forget to grab a Pronto Pup, Cheese Curds, or anything you can eat on a stick while you are at it!

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ZMP's 18th Annual Northern Migration. VATSIM controllers from across the country convene in the Twin Cities for a weekend of live VATSIM controlling with our key staffing occurring Saturday night featuring MSP.

Covering all of Minnesota, and most of Wisconsin, the Dakotas, parts of Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Michigan, Minneapolis Center is geographically the largest ARTCC in the USA. Our major focus airport for this event is Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport (MSP), but we we also provide top-down coverage and some local TRACON coverage for destinations such as OMA, DSM, GRB, DLH, FAR, GFK, MOT, BIS, GRB, as well as several VFR towers.

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Events / [28 April 2023 2300-0300z] Adopted Red-Tail Hubs FNO
« on: March 28, 2023, 11:14:38 AM »

SLC, MSP, and DTW used to be home, headquarters, and major hubs for other airlines with "red tail" liveries. Over the years, Widget Airlines, through mergers and acquisitions, has taken over these hubs. But are they really "hubs"? Are they "focus cities"? Have they been strictly relegated to "flyover country" status?

Well, the Cleveland, Minneapolis, and Salt Lake City ARTCCs would like to convince you they are indeed hub cities and more than capable of handling the traffic loads associated with such a title. Fly to, from, or between them and enjoy top-notch ATC, and perhaps catch a glimpse of some legacy carrier liveries that will remind you of days of Redtail Glory!

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ZMP's annual tribute to the Berkshire Hathaway Annual Meeting in OMA is being joined this year by our friends at The Pilot Club (TPC) for their Fly-In Thursday event! Bizjets galore and some decent airline traffic converge on OMA for this amazing event.

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Events / [03/15/2023 2300-0300z] Minneflowta
« on: January 06, 2023, 02:25:27 PM »


Every year, Minnesotans flow to the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul (STP) for the Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournament. A long held tradition is the brilliant hockey hair style of the athletes -- the traditional mullet, the af-flows, peroxides, and more salad than a Ruby Tuesday salad bar. When the puck drops, the locks flow. The locals like to call it, "Minneflowta".

Help us celebrate by flying into and between Minnesota's other terminal radar facilities: Duluth, MN (DLH) and Rochester, MN (RST), as well as into MSP and STP. Come join the FLOW!

(PS... Still don't know what this "flow" is all about? Check it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TBW9qm_wCiw)

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Events / [02/04/2022 2300z-0400z] Operation Deep Freeze
« on: October 13, 2022, 08:50:06 PM »


It's science... the coldest part of winter in Minneapolis is from mid-January to mid-February. But also a busy time for travelers headed to and from MSP -- those escaping the cold, as well as those embracing it!

Minneapolis Center's LIVE winter event is a highlight for our in-person staffers to our online extended facility as well as for pilots across the network. Enjoy full staffing and realistic winter operations at KMSP. If inclement winter weather is in the forecast, expect delays for deicing, snow removal, and missed approaches - hope you brought enough fuel!

As always in anticipation of a large event, we ask that pilots ensure that they have up-to-date scenery for KMSP, including runway 17/35. ZMP heartily recommends FlightBeam Studios’ excellent KMSP-HD scenery for FSX and P3D, and freeware options for FSX/FS2004 and X-Plane are also available from your add-on library of choice.

We’ll keep the fire warm and look forward to seeing everyone at MSP!

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