Cross the Ditch 15
Summer 2018
Breakfast in Tahiti, Supper in Australia, and all the South Pacific in between...
VATNZ and VATPAC are proud to present the 15th Cross the Ditch!
Featured for Cross the Ditch 15
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Fifteenth Event Itinerary
We're celebrating the fifteenth running of Cross the Ditch by expanding our focus to the entire South Pacific. Over the course of the event pilots will work their way from French Polynesia in the east to Australia in the west, combining fan favourite airports with two new Pacific Island destinations.
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New Airport: Tahiti, French Polynesia
Responsibility for French Polynesian airspace transferred from VATPAC to VATNZ earlier this year, and Cross the Ditch is excited to be adding Tahiti (NTAA) to the list of Cross the Ditch destinations!
The easternmost significant population centre in the South Pacific, and famed for its lush tropical islands, on-the-water bungalows, and deserted atolls, Tahiti is the perfect place for your first sector of the day.
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New Airport: Apia, Samoa
Apia is a the main airport in Samoa, located roughly two-thirds of the way from Tahiti to Fiji. At 13° south of the equator, it is the northernmost airport in Cross the Ditch history.
Scenic sectors in and out of Apia, and a recent Orbx scenery make NSFA a fantastic addition to the Cross the Ditch portfolio.
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Longer Range Flight Options
By popular demand we are adding a pair of longer flight options to this season's event schedule. While most of the event's sectors are around 3-4 hours in length, these two take roughly five hours or more, allowing pilots to enjoy a longer oceanic flight experience:
- Wave 1A: Tahiti (NTAA) to Nadi (NFFN) - this sector is approximately 5 hours in length, including an overflight of the small island nation of Niue.
- Wave 2B: Apia (NSFA) to Wellington (NZWN) - this sector is approximately 4.75 hours, and (weather permitting!) includes spectacular views of Tonga, the Kermadec Islands, volcanic White Island, Lake Taupo, and the mountains of New Zealand's Volcanic Plateau.
Because not everybody has five-plus hours to spare, both of these longer sectors have a shorter alternative sector available during the same Wave:
- Wave 1B: Tahiti (NTAA) to Apia (NSFA) - this sector is only 3.5 hours.
- Wave 2A: Nadi (NFFN) to Wellington (NZWN) - this sector is appromixately 3.75 hours.
What's it all about?
For twenty hours this December, the skies of the South Pacific will be filled with aircraft all on a mission to Cross the Ditch.
To celebrate the 15th running of the event, this year's Cross the Ditch will stretch from one side of the South Pacific to the other, involving seven different airports in six different countries. The flight routes all range from two-and-a-half up to five hours flight time, so there is something for everyone.
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 twenty hour event is timed to allow pilots from all over the world to join the fun:
- UTC: Saturday 1st December 2018 17:00 - Sunday 2nd December 2018 13:00
- AEDT: Sunday 2nd December 2018 04:00 - Monday 3rd December 2018 00:00
- NZDT: Sunday 2nd December 2018 06:00 - Monday 3rd December 2018 02:00
Waves
This season's event is organised in waves. Each airport will typically have a three-to-four 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 - 5hrs 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.
NOTE: in order to ensure that you have ATC coverage throughout your flight, you MUST fly the wave route that is active at the time of your departure.
The individual routes are designed to ensure as much opposing traffic enroute as possible.
Most flights pass from one Oceania division to the other, and the result is six mini-flyins over the course of twenty hours!
The Waves for Cross the Ditch 15 - Summer 2018 are:
| Wave | Flight | Departure Window | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UTC | AEDT | NZDT | ||
| 1A | Tahiti, French Polynesia (NTAA) to Nadi, Fiji (NFFN) (5hr flight) |
1700-1800 | 0400-0500 | 0600-0700 |
| 1B | Tahiti, French Polynesia (NTAA) to Apia, Samoa (NSFA) (3.5hr flight) |
1700-1900 | 0400-0600 | 0600-0800 |
| 2A | Nadi, Fiji (NFFN) to Wellington, New Zealand (NZWN) |
2030-2300 | 0730-1000 | 0930-1200 |
| 2B | Apia, Samoa (NSFA) to Wellington, New Zealand (NZWN) |
1900-2230 | 0600-0930 | 0800-1130 |
| 3 | Wellington, New Zealand (NZWN) to Noumea, New Caledonia (NWWW) |
2300-0330 | 1000-1430 | 1200-1630 |
| 4 | Noumea, New Caledonia (NWWW) to Auckland, New Zealand (NZAA) |
0300-0700 | 1400-1800 | 1600-2000 |
| 5 | Auckland, New Zealand (NZAA) to Brisbane (YBBN) |
0530-0930 | 1630-2030 | 1830-2230 |
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.
