Cross the Ditch 26
Auckland Waves
June brings winter to the Southern Hemisphere, and everyone wants to get away.
Aucklanders are drawn to the excitement of the capital cities on Australia's eastern seaboard.
Australians in turn descend upon Auckland enroute to the North Island's ski fields, and to sample the unique culture and natural beauty of New Zealand's largest city.
On VATSIM this June, it's all happening in Auckland, with Cross the Ditch 26: Auckland Waves.
Featured for Cross the Ditch 26
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Airport Focus: Auckland, New Zealand
Following on from the record-breaking success of Sydney Waves last year, Cross the Ditch is excited to present another City Waves event for 2024.
This event puts Auckland, New Zealand front and centre. Auckland is the largest city in New Zealand, and Auckland International (NZAA/AKL) serves as a major hub with extensive connections to destinations throughout New Zealand, Australia, the Pacific, and beyond.
Cross the Ditch 26 will connect Auckland (NZAA) to Australia's three largest cities: spending the morning in Brisbane (YBBN), the afternoon in Melbourne (YMML), and the evening in fan-favourite Sydney (YSSY).
The Wave Schedule will allow enterprising pilots to complete at least four sectors over the course of the day. Whether you fly only one wave or make a day of it, Cross the Ditch 26 will show you why Auckland is such a vital part of the region's aviation activities.
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CTD26 is sponsored by Orbx
Cross the Ditch is excited to announce that we have partnered with Orbx as the proud sponsor of CTD26.
The event will be hosted by Blugames on the Volanta YouTube channel and the Volanta Twitch channel on Sunday, 16 June. He will be streaming the event with exciting giveaways!
Here's what you can win:
- YBBN: Brisbane
- YSSY: Sydney
- YMML: Melbourne
- Volanta Premium 1 month
What's it all about?
For eighteen hours this June, 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 15th June 2024 18:00 - Sunday 16th June 2024 12:00
- AEST: Sunday 16th June 2024 04:00 - Sunday 16th June 2024 22:00
- NZST: Sunday 16th June 2024 06:00 - Monday 17th June 2024 00:00
Waves
This season's event is organised in waves. Each airport will have a two-and-a-half-to-four-and-a-half 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 3.5 - 4hrs 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 26: Auckland Waves are:
| Wave | Flight | Departure Window | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UTC | AEST | NZST | ||
| 1 | Auckland, New Zealand (NZAA) to Brisbane, Australia (YBBN) |
1800-2030 | 0400-0630 | 0600-0830 |
| 2 | Brisbane, Australia (YBBN) to Auckland, New Zealand (NZAA) |
2030-0030 | 0630-1030 | 0830-1230 |
| 3 | Auckland, New Zealand (NZAA) to Melbourne, Australia (YMML) |
2330-0400 | 0930-1400 | 1130-1600 |
| 4 | Melbourne, Australia (YMML) to Auckland, New Zealand (NZAA) |
0330-0730 | 1330-1730 | 1530-1930 |
| 5 | Auckland, New Zealand (NZAA) to Sydney, Australia (YSSY) |
0530-0830 | 1530-1830 | 1730-2030 |
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.
