Cross the Ditch 4: Autumn 2011
Winter is on its way to the Southern Hemisphere, and it's time to escape to the islands! Now into its third year, VATNZ and VATPAC are excited to announce Cross the Ditch 4 - Autumn 2011.
New for Cross the Ditch 4
- Fiji
For the first time Cross the Ditch flies to the tropical paradise of Fiji. - Extended Hours
The event starts earlier to allow more of our friends from Europe and the UK to take part. - Virtual Airline support
Include your VA with your flight booking details to help move it up the VA Leaderboard: see which VAs are most adept at Crossing the Ditch!
What's it all about?
For eighteen hours this May, the skies over the Tasman Sea between Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji 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 - each between Auckland and either Sydney or Nadi (Fiji) - 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.
Event Times
This eighteen hour event is timed to allow pilots from all over the world join the fun:
- UTC: Saturday 28th May 2011 18:00 - Sunday 29th May 2011 12:00
- AEST: Sunday 29th May 2011 04:00 - Sunday 29th May 2011 22:00
- NZST: Sunday 29th May 2011 06:00 - Monday 30th May 2011 00:00
Note: Because of unfavourable timezone differences, ATC operations at Sydney will not commence until 22:00 UTC (08:00 AEST). Pilots wishing to fly prior to this are advised to select a flight between Auckland and Nadi (or vice-versa). Pilots flying Auckland to Sydney should plan to depart Auckland no earlier than 19:30 UTC (07:30 NZST).
City Pairs
The cities for Cross the Ditch 4 - Autumn 2011 are:
- Nadi (Fiji) and Auckland (New Zealand)
- Auckland (New Zealand) and Sydney (Australia)
The event consists of four routes, operating in both directions between the two city pairs. Each flight passes from one Oceania division to the other.
Auckland to Sydney and vice versa have adjacent one-way routes because of the real-world traffic volume. The Auckland/Fiji routes have opposing traffic at alternating flight levels.
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.
