Cross the Ditch 5: Spring 2011
It's spring once again in the Southern Hemisphere, and that means two things: changeable weather and Cross the Ditch!
In association with VATSIM's Tenth Anniversary celebrations, VATNZ and VATPAC are proud to present:
Cross the Ditch 5 - Spring 2011.
New for Cross the Ditch 5
- Wave Event
This event is structured in waves - each airport has a two hour departure window before the action moves on to the next. This is designed to concentrate traffic and maximise the multiplayer online experience. - New Airports
This spring Cross the Ditch debuts three new airports: Gold Coast (YBCG) and Hobart (YMHB) in Australia, and Hamilton (NZHN) in New Zealand. These smaller airports come with their own unique challenges and are an exciting addition to the Cross the Ditch mix.
What's it all about?
For sixteen hours this December, the skies over the Tasman Sea between Australia and New Zealand will be filled with aircraft all on a mission to Cross the Ditch.
An example of that typical down-under understatement, this "ditch" is over 1100nm wide. The flight routes all range from two and a half to three hours flight time.
Throughout the event, the Oceania region's two divisions will be providing full gate-to-gate ATC coverage, in the Southern Hemisphere's premiere oceanic event.
This is a great opportunity to experience Oceanic flying without the need to commit to an eight-hour flight! If you're new to Oceanic Flying, our reporting tool makes taking part a breeze.
Event Times
This sixteen hour event is timed to allow pilots from all over the world join the fun:
- UTC: Saturday 10th December 2011 19:00 - Sunday 11th December 2011 11:00
- AEDT: Sunday 11th December 2011 06:00 - Sunday 11th December 2011 22:00
- NZDT: Sunday 11th December 2011 08:00 - Monday 12th December 2011 00:00
Waves
This season's event is organised in waves. Each airport will have a two hour departure window, during which time flights will be able to leave for the next destination. As the window closes, the departure window will open at the next destination.
Given each of the flights is 2.5 - 3hrs in length, the previous wave's flights will be arriving at the same airport as the next wave departs, maximising the amount of traffic at each airport.
The individual routes are designed to ensure as much opposing traffic enroute as possible.
Each flight passes from one Oceania division to the other, and the result is eight mini-flyins over the course of sixteen hours!
The Waves for Cross the Ditch 5 - Spring 2011 are:
| Wave | Flight | UTC | AEDT | NZDT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christchurch (NZCH) to Melbourne (YMML) | 1900-2100 | 0600-0800 | 0800-1000 |
| 2 | Melbourne (YMML) to Auckland (NZAA) | 2100-2300 | 0800-1000 | 1000-1200 |
| 3 | Auckland (NZAA) to Gold Coast (YBCG) | 2300-0100 | 1000-1200 | 1200-1400 |
| 4 | Gold Coast (YBCG) to Hamilton (NZHN) | 0100-0300 | 1200-1400 | 1400-1600 |
| 5 | Hamilton (NZHN) to Sydney (YSSY) | 0300-0500 | 1400-1600 | 1600-1800 |
| 6 | Sydney (YSSY) to Wellington (NZWN) | 0500-0700 | 1600-1800 | 1800-2000 |
| 7 | Wellington (NZWN) to Hobart (YMHB) | 0700-0900 | 1800-2000 | 2000-2200 |
Calling all Pilots and Controllers
Flight plans are available from the Flight Plans section.
Book your flights now from the Flight Bookings page. Bookings made on this site help us plan for the event, and will also show up in vroute.
Controllers wanting to get in on the action can also apply now at the event's ATC Applications page.
