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Events / [07/18/2026] Live From Cleveland

« Last post by Jonathan Baggett on Today at 01:21:55 PM »

Join Cleveland ARTCC as we bring KCLE – Cleveland Hopkins International Airport to life during our first-annual Live Event! Whether you're flying a quick hop around the Midwest or planning a full flight into or out of Cleveland, you can expect friendly controllers, busy frequencies, and a lively atmosphere. Load up your favorite aircraft, file a flight plan to KCLE, and join us as the Cleveland ARTCC brings the skies over Northeast Ohio to life.

Events / [04/03/2026] FNO Downunder

« Last post by Dan Michael Bonaga on March 14, 2026, 02:10:44 PM »

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)

Events / [04/14/2026] Tuesday Nights in New York: Tri-State Traffic

« Last post by Daniel Sirota on March 13, 2026, 09:07:07 AM »

Join the New York ARTCC for our monthly featured field series! Throughout the year, you’ll be able to enjoy our ATC services and bring the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple to our busy satellite airports like Teterboro, Westchester, Islip, and more.

Practice your approaches, fly a scheduled airliner, or start a cross-country journey - it can all be done right here on Tuesday Nights in New York!

This month, join us at the border for a little tri-state action! We'll be opening up the Philadelphia TRACON for the surrounding minor fields, including Northeast Philadelphia (PNE), Wilmington (ILG), and Trenton (TTN). Too tired to do some international border hopping? Cross state lines instead!

Date & Time: Tuesday, April 14 | 7pm - 10pm Eastern | 2300z - 0200z

Events / [05/19/2026] Tuesday Nights in New York: It's Pronounced "Lawn Guyland"

« Last post by Daniel Sirota on March 12, 2026, 12:32:39 PM »

Banner to be posted in due time.

Join the New York ARTCC for our monthly featured field series! Throughout the year, you’ll be able to enjoy our ATC services and bring the hustle and bustle of the Big Apple to our busy satellite airports like Teterboro, Westchester, Islip, and more.

Practice your approaches, fly a scheduled airliner, or start a cross-country journey - it can all be done right here on Tuesday Nights in New York!

This month, we're firing up the grill for the upcoming Memorial Day Weekend, on an island like no other...an island LONGER than any other...Long Island! Or, should I say, Lawn Guyland? That's right, we're excited to kickoff the summer season here in New York, and we look forward to welcoming you to Long Island (ISP)!

Date & Time: Tuesday, May 19th | 7pm - 10pm Eastern | 2300z - 0200z

Events / [06/30/2026-07/01/2026] 30 Hours of JFK

« Last post by Daniel Sirota on March 11, 2026, 01:38:48 PM »

Banner to be posted in due time.

The event was so nice, we’re doing it twice! You showed Newark Airport so much love last year during 30 Hours of EWR (over 1,600 operations to be exact!), that the New York ARTCC is excited to present 30 Hours of JFK.

From the arrival pushes to the transatlantic rushes, and everything in between, John F. Kennedy International Airport (KJFK) will be open and staffed for 30 full hours. This is your best chance to simulate realism - and maybe even outpace real-life airport operations! That said, we expect high demand for this event, so in turn, you should expect delays during portions of the event.

Whether you’re flying a long-haul from across the pond, hopping up and down the coast, or just taking your favorite aircraft for a spin around the Bravo, this is your chance to fly into and out of JFK on your own schedule. No rush. No windows to catch. Just 30 hours of uninterrupted service at one of the country’s busiest and most iconic airports.

Date & Time: Tuesday, June 30, 2026 at 12pm to Wednesday, July 1, 2026 at 6pm Eastern (30/1600z to 01/2200z)

Events / [03/31/2026] Load The Pattern

« Last post by Jonathan Baggett on March 10, 2026, 07:54:54 AM »

Join the Cleveland ARTCC as we staff-up the JST and LBE Class Deltas for a night nearly guaranteed to spark some of the chaos which is only found on VATSIM. Let's load up the pattern and start a party in the Johnstown TRACON.

Study up on the traffic pattern, be ready to make some 360-degree turns, and join in on the fun!

Events / [4/12/2026] HCF Pineapple Jam!

« Last post by Jim Thompson on March 09, 2026, 01:27:16 AM »

PINEAPPLE JAM is a Hawaiian island-hopping cargo challenge hosted by the Honolulu Control Facility (HCF). Grab your favorite prop or turboprop — from a Cessna Caravan to a King Air 350, a classic DC-3 to a mighty C-130 — and haul cargo between the islands of Hawaii with full ATC coverage across HCF. Over 25 aircraft types to choose from (see below). Fly short VFR hops into strips like Dillingham and Kalaupapa, or take on longer inter-island runs between Honolulu, Maui, Kona, Hilo, and Lihue. Whether you're hand-flying a Twin Otter through the mountain passes or cruising a King Air above the clouds, there's a route and an aircraft for every pilot.

What makes PINEAPPLE JAM different? Turn Cards. Before each leg, draw a random card that changes how you fly — full fuel departure, no GPS, a mandatory go-around, a blown tire on the taxiway, or maybe a Shaka Bonus for double bragging rights. Some cards test your skills, some reroute your plans, and some are pure aloha. Join us Sunday, April 12th from 1700z to 2000z and see how many islands you can hit before the pineapples spoil.

(opening April 6th)

Here are some of the 24 total game cards available!

Official Event Aircraft Types

BN-2 Islander (Piston) — 150kt
C-47D Skytrain (DC-3) — 160kt
DHC-4 Caribou — 160kt
BN-2T Islander (Turbine) — 170kt
DHC-6 Twin Otter — 170kt
Piper Comanche 250 — 170kt
Short SC.7 Skyvan — 175kt
Bonanza G36 — 175kt
Cessna 208 Caravan — 180kt
Kodiak 100 — 180kt
Curtiss C-46 Commando — 180kt
Beechcraft Model 18 — 190kt

Shorts SD330/SD360 — 190kt
Beechcraft Baron G58 — 200kt
Black Square Piston Duke — 200kt
Cessna 408 SkyCourier — 200kt
King Air C90 GTX — 230kt
A2A Aerostar 600 — 250kt
King Air 200 — 250kt
Black Square Turbine Duke — 270kt
MU-2 — 270kt
C-130 Hercules — 290kt
King Air 350 — 300kt
TBM 930/850 — 330kt

Events / 24 Hours of vZDC

« Last post by Carson Berget on March 08, 2026, 10:28:22 AM »

For one full day the Virtual Washington ARTCC will keep the lights on. Washington Center and Potomac TRACON will be staffed the entire time so, whether you’re transiting the Atlantic routes, shooting the River Visual to 19, or running the shuttle up to BWI, you’ll never leave coverage. No gaps, no hand-offs to unicom—just continuous, professional service from the beaches of the Delmarva to the ridges of the Shenandoah.

Stay for one leg or the entire rotation; the stream of traffic will be steady and the controllers will be caffeinated. Join us and log a day’s worth of flight time in the most complex airspace on the east coast.

Events / The Dulles Night Shift

« Last post by Carson Berget on March 08, 2026, 10:27:39 AM »

Work the night shift on April 12th, 2026, when "The Dulles Night Shift" takes over Washington Dulles International (KIAD) from 2200z to 0200z! This event captures the energy of a bustling Sunday night at the DC area's premier global gateway, where international widebodies mix with domestic narrowbodies and everything in between.

Whether you're arriving on a long-haul crossing, departing for a coast-to-coast red-eye, or flying a short regional hop, enjoy the rare opportunity to experience KIAD fully staffed during a dynamic evening of operations. From massive freighters to regional jets, all are welcome at this iconic hub. So clock in, grab your charts, and join the community for a night where the traffic never sleeps at Dulles.

Events / [4/22/2026] Midwest TRACON Tour: Fort Wayne

« Last post by Kevin Huang on March 08, 2026, 05:32:39 AM »

The Chicago ARTCC proudly presents the Midwest TRACON Tour, an new series of events that highlights the lesser loved facilities across ZAU. Tired of flying into O'Hare and Midway over and over again? Join us for a lovely evening in Fort Wayne, Indiana!

The second largest city in Indiana, Fort Wayne is the cultural and economic hub of northeast Indiana! Fort Wayne International Airport has service to Atlanta, Chicago, Charlotte, Dallas/Fort Worth, Detroit, Minneapolis, Orlando, Phoenix, and Las Vegas. Almost a million passengers traveled through KFWA in 2025!

All general aviation, IFR, and VFR operations and all skill levels are welcome. Surrounding facilities such as JVL, UES, and MSN will have ATC coverage as staffing permits.

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