Airports: YSSY/YMML/YPAD
Date/Time: Friday, April 3, 5pm PT - 9pm PT
Date/Time (zulu): Saturday, April 4, 0000z - 0400z

VATUSA in partnership with VATPAC invites you to Friday Night Ops: Downunder! Join us as we light up the skies between Sydney, Adelaide & Melbourne on Friday the 4th of April (Saturday morning Downunder).

Event Details:
Friday Night Ops is a weekly event run by VATUSA; normally visiting places all around the United States. This time around, Friday Night Ops are coming to the land down under. Fly anywhere between Sydney, Adelaide and Melbourne from 0000z to 0400z (1100-1500 ADST).

Flight Planning:
In Australia, flight plans are filed in the ICAO format. SIDs & STARs are not included in the filed flight plan. This will be provided by ATC on contact with clearance delivery (for departures) and with the Centre controller prior to top of descent.

Pre-Departure Clearances (PDCs) are used in Australia. Pilots are required to readback PDCs to the delivery controller. However, when reading back the PDC you do not need to read back everything. Just the SQUAWK, DEPARTURE PROCEDURE, RUNWAY and BAY.

The following video outlines the procedures when flying in Australian Airspace:
https://youtu.be/tzoIAAGp7Rc

VATPAC recommends the following routes between Melbourne, Adelaide and Sydney:

YMML – YSSY: 
DCT DOSEL Y59 RIVET DCT

YMML – YPAD:
DCT PEDNI H345 DRINA DCT

YPAD – YMML:   
DCT BENDO Y12 ARBEY DCT

YPAD – YSSY:
DCT AD H247 CULIN Y59 TESAT DCT

YSSY – YMML:  
DCT WOL H65 LEECE Q29 BOOIN DCT

YSSY – YPAD:
DCT KADOM H44 MAXEM Q60 KAKLU H309 AD DCT

Pilots are still welcome to fly other routes, however you must make sure your flight plan is compliant with Flight Planning Requirements. You can use our Pilot Assist Tools 'Route Finder' function to find current valid routings.

Aerodrome and Departure/Approach charts are available for free within Australia which can be found here.

Recommended Scenery:
YMML - Melbourne Airport:
Payware – Orbx (MSFS)
Freeware – Flightsim.to (MSFS)
Payware – Orbx (FSX/P3D)
Freeware – Flyaway (FSX/P3D)
Freeware - Gateway (XPlane)

YSSY - Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport:
Payware - FlyTampa v2 (FSX/P3D)
Payware – FlyTampa (MSFS)
Payware - FlyTampa (X-Plane)
Freeware - AVSIM (FSX/P3D)
Freeware - Gateway (X-Plane 11/12)

YPAD - Adelaide:
Payware - Impulse Simulations (MSFS)
Payware - MK Studios (MSFS)
Payware – AUSCENE 2 (P3D/FSX)
Freeware - Gateway (X-Plane)

Escape to the islands for Caribbean FNO, a VATUSA Friday Night Ops event hosted by VATCAR 🌴✈️

Join us for a night of island flying across TJSJ (San Juan), TNCM (Princess Juliana), and TBPB (Barbados). Whether you’re flying short hops, long-haul arrivals, or just cruising between beautiful Caribbean destinations, expect busy skies and full coverage throughout the event.

Date/Time (local time): February 27, 8pm AST - February 28, 12am AST
Date/Time (ET): February 27, 7pm ET - 11pm ET
Date/Time (zulu): February 27, 2359z - February 28, 0400z

Banner credit to the VATUSA Social Media Team

Airports: SMF,SJC,HWD,LVK,MOD,SCK
Date/Time: February 7, 4-8pm PT
Date/Time (zulu): February 7, 2359z - February 8th, 0400z

Calling all the pilots. With Super Bowl 2026 taking place at Levi's Stadium this year, ZOA presents Hail Mary in the Bay! Let this be an enjoyable way to spend your time before the big game the next day. We'll see you on the scopes, cheering on your favorite team.

Booking Info This event is a slotted event with slots bookable from 1/17/2026 at https://superbowl2026.oakartcc.org/. These will be based on arrival times into the event airports of SMF, SJC, HWD, LVK, MOD, SCK.

Reminder This event falls under COC B12 "During events and periods of high traffic, a pilot may be issued traffic management initiatives (e.g., ground stops, Expect Departure Clearance Time (EDCT), Calculated Takeoff Time (CTOT), etc.). When such an initiative is in effect, a pilot is obligated to abide by the initiative. A pilot shall not circumvent these initiatives."  Controllers are authorized to delay or ground stop traffic that is not part of the event, especially when volumes exceed capacity. This includes aircraft not holding an official event slot or not adhering to pre-arranged flow procedures.

Airports: HWD, OAK
Date/Time: November 9, 4-7pm PT
Date/Time (zulu): November 10, 0000z - 0300z

Come out and Fly! Explore the less busy airports of Norcal Hayward and Oakland on the east side of the bay.

Airports: BIL - BOI
Date/Time: August 28, 2025, 3pm-7pm PT
Date/Time (zulu): August 28, 2025 2200z - August 29, 2025, 0200z

New to VATSIM? Not sure how to handle ATC? No problem - this event is for you!

First Wings is all about giving new pilots the confidence to fly online with full ATC support. Whether it’s your very first flight or you just want more practice with controllers, this is the perfect chance to learn in a low-pressure, beginner-friendly environment. ATC will be there to guide you through every step - clearance, taxi, departure, en-route, approach, and landing.

This edition takes off on Thursday the 28th of August, starting at 2200 UTC. You’ll be flying from Billings-Logan International Airport - KBIL to Boise Airport - KBOI. The route is designed to be easy to follow, so you can focus on enjoying the experience and getting comfortable with ATC.

To ensure a smooth experience for both pilots and controllers, slot booking is mandatory. Make sure to reserve your departure time here in advance so you can participate.

If you've been waiting for the perfect moment to start flying on VATSIM, this is it!

Pack your charts and bring your island vibes — ZSU is lighting up the Caribbean skies for a Friday Night Ops like no other! Join us as San Juan (SJU), St. Thomas (STT), and St. Croix (STX) go fully staffed to handle the tropical rush. Whether you're hopping between islands, arriving from the mainland, or pushing south into the deep Caribbean, our controllers are ready to bring the heat.

Expect stunning approaches, tight coordination, and island hospitality from pushback to shutdown. Fly in, fly out, or island-hop — just don’t miss this Caribbean Crossroads!



Date/Time (zulu): July 11, 2025 2300z - July 12, 2025 0300z
Airports: SJU,STT,STX

ARTCCs: ZBW,ZNY,ZDC,ZJX
Date/Time: August 31, 2025, 4pm-8pm ET
Date/Time (zulu): August 31, 2025, 2000z - September 1, 2025, 0000z

Join VATUSA in partnership with The Virtual USA Flying Club and The Pilot Club for General Aviation Appreciation Day on August 31, 2025! All across the east coast, you'll find multiple Class D and C airports staffed in ZJX, ZDC, ZNY, and ZBW, from 2000-2359z. Head to the hangar to break out your trusty Skyhawk, light twin, or other go-to GA aircraft, and we'll see you in the skies and at the airports!

Featured Fields
ZJX: MYR, SAV, CHS
ZDC: HEF, CHO, LWB
ZNY: ILG, PNE, TTN
ZBW: BDL, PVD, PWM

VATSIM - https://vatsim.net/
VATUSA - https://www.vatusa.net/
The Pilot Club - https://www.thepilotclub.org/
Virtual USA Flying Club - www.virtualusaflyingclub.org