Cross the Ditch 25
Pacific Waves
As the year winds down and the Northern winter closes in, where would you rather be than the islands of the South Pacific!
Join us as we celebrate the twenty-fifth Cross the Ditch by exploring the charms of the island nations and territories of the South Pacific. Over the course of the event we'll cross the ocean from Tahiti in the east to Australia in the west.
On VATSIM this December, the Pacific's warm sands and blue skies are calling, in Cross the Ditch 25: Pacific Waves.
Featured for Cross the Ditch 25
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Region Focus: South Pacific
This event sees Cross the Ditch turn its attention to the many island nations and territories that are found in the South Pacific, and the unique airports that serve them.
Five waves will take pilots across the Pacific from Tahiti to Australia, with flights involving six different countries. Each airport and country is unique, providing plenty of challenge and fun for pilots and controllers alike.
The airports being visited for this event are:
- Tahiti, French Polynesia
- Pago Pago, American Samoa
- Nadi, Fiji
- Noumea, New Caledonia
- Christchurch, New Zealand
- Brisbane, Australia
The Wave Schedule will allow enterprising pilots to complete all five sectors over the course of the day. Whether you fly only one wave or make it through all five, Cross the Ditch 25 will show why the South Pacific is such a great place to fly.
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New Airport: Pago Pago, American Samoa
In Cross the Ditch 25 we visit Pago Pago in American Samoa for the first time.
The overseas territory of American Samoa was a busy refueling stop for commercial airliners in the pre-ETOPS era. It remains a regular transit point for the US military and for the aircraft supporting the US Antarctic Programme.
Nestled on the water's edge, Pago Pago International is a stunning destination, and we're excited to welcome it to the Cross the Ditch schedule.
What's it all about?
For eighteen 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 and a half hours flight time.
Throughout the event, Oceania's two divisions – VATNZ and VATPAC – 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 eighteen hour event is timed to allow pilots from all over the world to join the fun:
- UTC: Saturday 9th December 2023 17:00 - Sunday 10th December 2023 11:00
- AEDT: Sunday 10th December 2023 04:00 - Sunday 10th December 2023 22:00
- NZDT: Sunday 10th December 2023 06:00 - Monday 11th December 2023 00:00
Waves
This season's event is organised in waves. Each airport will have a three-and-a-half-to-five 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 - 3.5hrs 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.
Each flight passes 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 25: Pacific Waves are:
| Wave | Flight | Departure Window | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UTC | AEDT | NZDT | ||
| 1 | Tahiti, French Polynesia (NTAA) to Pago Pago, American Samoa (NSTU) |
1700-2030 | 0400-0730 | 0600-0930 |
| 2 | Pago Pago, American Samoa (NSTU) to Nadi, Fiji (NFFN) |
2030-0030 | 0730-1130 | 0930-1330 |
| 3 | Nadi, Fiji (NFFN) to Noumea, New Caledonia (NWWW) |
2230-0300 | 0930-1400 | 1130-1600 |
| 4 | Noumea, New Caledonia (NWWW) to Christchurch, New Zealand (NZCH) |
0030-0530 | 1130-1630 | 1330-1830 |
| 5 | Christchurch, New Zealand (NZCH) to Brisbane, Australia (YBBN) |
0400-0730 | 1500-1830 | 1700-2030 |
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.
