VATUSA in partnership with VATPAC invites you to Friday Night Ops: Downunder! Join us as we light up the skies between Sydney, Adelaide & Brisbane on Friday the 4th of August (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 within the famous 'J-Curve'. Fly anywhere between Sydney, Adelaide and Brisbane from 2300z on the 4th to 0300z on the 5th (1000-1400 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.

[PILOT] "Sydny Delivery, Qantas 436 with PDC readback."
[SY_DEL] "Qantas 436 g'day Sydney Delivery, go ahead with PDC readback"
[PILOT] "Qantas 436 is cleared to Brisbane, OLSEM1 departure, runway 16R, squawk 4457; bay D3"
[SY_DEL] "Qantas 436" or "Qantas 436 contact ground 121.7 for push"

If you do not receive a PDC, you can request airways clearance on VHF with the Delivery controller. However, you are required to readback the entire clearance by voice.

[PILOT] "Brisbane Delivery, Qantas 535"
[BN_DEL] "Qantas 535 g'day Brisbane Delivery, go ahead"
[PILOT] "Qantas 535 request clearance"
[BN_DEL] "Qantas 535, cleared to Sydney via SANEG flight planned route. SANEG 1 departure runway 01R. Climb via SID 6000(ft). Squawk 4457 departures 133.45"
[PILOT]  "Cleared to Sydney via SANEG flight planned route. SANEG 1 departure runway 01R. Climb via SID 6000(ft). Squawk 4457 departures 133.45, bay 18 Qantas 535."
[BN_DEL] "Qantas 535, when ready for push contact ground 121.7"
 

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

YBBN – YSSY: 
DCT SANEG H91 IGDAM H652 BOREE DCT

YBBN – YPAD: 
DCT SANEG Q4 PAVBI Q16 MIA Q4 WOONA Q60 KAKLU H309 AD DCT

YPAD – YBBN:   
DCT UPROT Y27 IGIPA Y46 EMTID Y27 BN DCT

YPAD – YSSY:
DCT AD H247 CULIN Y59 TESAT DCT

YSSY – YBBN:   
DCT TESAT H252 OLSEM Y193 BANDA H252 BN 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' (https://vatpac.org/membership-hub/tools) function to find current valid routings.

Aerodrome and Departure/Approach charts are available for free within Australia which can be found at https://vatpac.org/membership-hub/tools/charts

Recommended Scenery:
YBBN - Brisbane Airport:
Payware - ORBX (P3D v4.5+)
Payware - ORBX (MSFS)
Payware - ORBX (X-Plane 11)
Freeware - Ray Smith (P3D/FSX)
Freeware - CDG (X-Plane)

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

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

Get ready for a thrilling night of flying as we bring the popular Friday Night Ops North of the border! FN O'Canada will take place on Friday, January 24th, 2025, and will feature a fun-filled evening of flying in and out of Toronto CYYZ and Montréal CYUL.
Join fellow pilots and aviation enthusiasts from across Canada, America and beyond for an unforgettable night of flight simulation. Expect challenging approaches, exciting departures, and plenty of opportunities to test your skills and learn from others. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out, FN O'Canada is the perfect event for anyone who loves flight simulation and wants to experience our controllers’ renowned Canadian hospitality.

Booking for the 2024 Edition of 24 Hours of VATSIM is now live at booking.vatsim.net! 

Please remember that a slot is required to ensure minimal delay for your flight! So grab yours before they're all gone!

Simply visit the website, select the leg you wish to fly, and find an available slot that suits your preferred time. If you wish, you may even book multiple legs! Just make sure to calculate your timings so that you can make it in time for your second slot after completing the first!

Posted on behalf of the VATSUR Events Manager:

VATSUR is teaming up with VATUSA to announce the second edition of the VATSUR FNO. This time we will fly in Caracas (SVMI), Bogotá (SKBO), Rionegro (SKRG), Guayaquil (SEGU), Quito (SEQM) and Lima (SPJC) on October 4th, 2024. From 23:00z to 03:00z, our air traffic controllers will be online ready for you to experience the joy of flying in South America!

South America is thrilled to once again host one of VATUSA's renowned Friday Night Operations! Come and enjoy a night flight in the north of our continent! You will be able to depart and arrive at any of the airports that we will set up for this event, with high quality air traffic controllers all around. Don't miss it!

Hello VATSIM aviators!

One of our own, Ed - better known by his Twitch username LowVoltageTech has flown west - he was only 47.  Ed was a devoted father of two little boys, lifelong public servant (both in the Air Force and EMS), and an avid simmer. He enjoyed flying everything from helicopters to the brand-new 777 from PMDG. His presence in our small community will be sorely missed.

We would like to extend an invitation to all VATSIM aviators - help us honor our friend and fellow community member. We will be holding a fly-in event at Long Island Islip Airport this Sunday, August 25th from 12-4pm. You can fly what you'd like (Ed enjoyed the Challenger by Hotstart and various helicopters the most) and meet us there! We would ask that prospective pilots choose an aircraft that's size-appropriate for KISP (Read: Please no heavies or Concord). Two members of our community will be streaming the event from the pilot's perspective: https://www.twitch.tv/ground_point_niner and https://www.twitch.tv/bwflightsimulation

We are doing what we can to help Ed's two young boys by promoting a GoFundMe that was set up to assist them. https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-noahcoltons-future-in-memory-of-ed-david. We are certainly going to miss hearing their voices in the background while Ed was simming with us. We hope you will join us on Sunday and, if you should find it within your means to donate, thank you for doing so.

Ed was a pillar in our community. He was always up on the latest news, tech, and participated in as many events as he could. We made many fond memories with him at FlightSimExpo.

Smooth skies and tailwinds, Ed. Until we meet again.

Join VATUSA in partnership with The Virtual USA Flying Club and The Pilot Club for General Aviation Appreciation Day on November 17th, 2024! From coast to coast, north to south, you'll find multiple Class D and C airports staffed in every ARTCC from 2100-0200z. Hop back into your favorite light twin, taildragger, or trusty Skyhawk and take to the skies this Sunday!

A full list of the 60+ airports staffed can be found at https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1n2Ty4UjnoJvC8yPZmnNbusoJgzs6YHsHbPKIGGEsbkg/edit?usp=sharing

Streamers participating include:
https://youtube.com/@tpc_media
https://twitch.tv/tabletopandroid
https://www.twitch.tv/stw222
https://www.twitch.tv/hawkeye9455
https://www.twitch.tv/andrewfriablelogic51
https://www.twitch.tv/boozysheep
https://www.twitch.tv/jetpilotcinnamon
https://www.twitch.tv/melvinleroy
https://www.twitch.tv/n8033fox

We are thrilled to announce a special event in partnership with PMDG to celebrate the release of their newest add-on: the PMDG 777-300ER. Hosted by Arabian vACC and ZSE ARTCC, this event promises an unforgettable experience for the wide-body enthusiasts!

Sunday, June 30, 2024 - 11:00z to Monday, July 01, 2024 - 04:00z

Join us for special ATC coverage at Dubai International (OMDB) and Paine Field (KPAE). This is your chance to take your brand-new PMDG Boeing 777 for a flight in a controlled environment, showcasing your skills and experiencing the realism of PMDG's latest release.

Get ready for an amazing day of flying with VATSIM and PMDG!