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This weeks flight 4th August 2021 commences a five leg flight around regional New Zealand in the North Island.
Leg 1 commences at Kaitaia (NZKT) with destination Kaipara Flats (NZKF) with T&G opportunities as per flight details below.
Flights suggested and prepared by Peter Smith YMA489
Scenery Suggested: There is a plethora of scenery available for both X-Plane 11 and MSFS2020 so choice of any addons is left to pilot discretion.
Aircraft Suggested: Any capable 120/150 kias
Comms: Unicom 122.80 unless instructed by ATC
Flight Details: LINK
Weather: Real time weather, fair weather if conditions are not suitable.
Flight Plan:(NZ Leg 1)< Just click on this link for Flight Plan for .fms and .pln formats

Simulation Date/Time: Current date set to daylight.
Weather: Real World / Fair weather if real world is unsuitable for VFR operations.
If not using live weather, please be mindful of others who are using live weather and will be taking off and landing into the wind.
Distance: 132 nm
Est Flight Time: approx 75 mins
Aircraft: Any "low and slow" aircraft capable of 100-110 kias.
Altitude: Remain in class G airspace after leaving Cairns CTR. See waypoint notes below.
Flight plan
File as: YBCS YKS BUCP WAT PTD YWGA YCBY YBMD EDOR YCKN
GPS flight plan is available for FSX/P3D .pln, MFS2020 .pln, X-Plane .fms and Little Navmap.
Navigation: Pilots are encouraged to navigate visually. For those less familiar the accompanying GPS flight plan is the recommended method of navigation.
Communications
Australia uses CTAF (Common Traffic Advisory Frequency) for radio comms at uncontrolled airfields. During an event, Pilots are requested to broadcast intentions on the published CTAF. Pilots should also be aware that it is a VATSIM CoC (Code of Conduct) requirement that all pilots at uncontrolled airfields should monitor UNICOM on 122.800. Pilots should ensure that at least one of their radios (COM 2 being the most likely) is tuned to receive UNICOM transmissions in addition to transmitting and receiving on the published CTAF.
Pilots also should read this post regarding the implications of using VATSIM UNICOM for CTAF. It provides some insight into potential pitfalls for the unwary when monitoring 122.80 in a CTAF environment.
 
Scenery
Due to the plethora of simulation platforms now being used, scenery is left to the discretion of each pilot. Updated X-Plane 11 scenery is available here.
 
Flight details
CAIRNS [YBCS] Takeoff
elev: 10
rwy: 15/33 asphalt
TWR: 124.9
VOR/DME: CS 113.0
NDB: CS 364
If there is no ATC, use UNICOM 122.8. There is no CTAF for Cairns.

Tune DME to Cairns VOR/DME.
  YORKEY'S KNOB [YKS] overfly not above 1500 ft - visual along the coast
  BUCHAN POINT [BUCP] overfly not above 1000 ft or as directed by ATC - visual along the coast

After 12 DME CS, aircraft may climb to not above 2500 ft
  WANGETTI [WAT] overfly not above 2500 ft - visual along the coast

After 22 DME CS, aircraft may climb to not above 4500 ft
  PORT DOUGLAS [PTD] overfly not above 4500 ft - visual along the coast
  COOYA BEACH overfly not above 4500 ft - visual along the coast
  WONGA BEACH [YWHA] T&G - visual along the coast
elev: 22
rwy: 03/21 grass
CTAF: 121.2

After 36 DME CS, aircraft may climb to not above 6500 ft
  CAPE KIMBERLY overfly not above 6500 ft - visual along the coast
  DAINTREE [YCBY] T&G - visual along the coast (Airfield may be called Cow Bay in some simulator databases.)
elev: 41
rwy: 02/20 grass
CTAF: 121.2
  CAPE TRIBULATION overfly not above 6500 ft - visual along the coast

After 50 DME CS, aircraft may climb to not above 8500 ft
  BLOOMFIELD FALLS overfly not above 8500 ft - visual along the coast and Bloomfield River
  BLOOMFIELD RIVER [YBMD] T&G - visual along the Bloomfield Track
elev: 10
rwy: 12/30 asphalt [RWY 30 not available for takeoff/T&G due terrain]
CTAF: 126.7
  ENDEAVOUR REEF [EDOR] overfly not above 8500 ft - in GPS flight plan, otherwise visual along the coast to Obree Point

Endeavour Reef is where James Cook's Endeavour ran aground in 1770.
  OBREE POINT overfly not above 8500 ft - visual along the coast
  FORSBERG POINT overfly not above 8500 ft - visual along the coast
  ARCHER POINT LIGHTHOUSE - overfly not above 8500 ft - visual along the coast
  GRAVE POINT overfly not above 8500 ft - visual along the coast
  COOKTOWN LIGHTHOUSE overfly not above 8500 ft - visual along the coast
  COOKTOWN [YCKN] Land - visual along the Endeavour River
elev: 26
rwy: 11/29 asphalt
CTAF: 126.7 Charts

August brings us back to Perth, and to the WA region of Gascoyne for FIFO Friday! Here you'll find a bit of everything, from fishing, to mining, and even tourism as the region is home to the iconic pink lake at Hutt Lagoon, as well as the idyllic Kalbarri National Park.  With an area extending from Gerladton to Exmouth, there's definitely no shortage of stunning scenery in Gascoyne!
Join us between 0700z and 1000z (5pm-8pm AEST : 3pm-6pm AWST) on August 6th to experience the Gascoyne region for yourself. We aim to have a fully staffed Perth TMA (YPPH), as well as enroute coverage for the entire region. Regardless of aircraft type, we welcome you to the Gascoyne region of Western Australia this August!
 
Routes: 
The below map highlights some of the most popular routes which can be flown in this region: 

Other important airports in the region include: Plutonic (YPLU), Jundee (YJUN), and Dalgaranga Mine (YDGA)
With ATC covering the entire region, pilots are free to fly in whichever direction and between whichever airports they choose. For the more popular airport pairs, we recommend the following routings:
YPPH - YGEL:
PH Y15 AVNEX H16 GEL
YPPH - YSHK:
PH Q17 ONGAR W14 GEL 
YPPH - YCAR:
PH Q17 ONGAR W14 CAR
YPPH - YPLM:
PH Y15 AVNEX H16 LM
YPPH - YMEK: 
PH Z19 WIRAL V17 MEK
YPPH - YWLU:
PH Z19 NORIC Z61 WLU
YPPH - YMNE:
PH Y31 MANIG Y18 SUGAB
YPPH - YLST:
PH Y31 MANIG Y18 LST
YPPH - YLEO:
PH Z19 RAVON Z87 ROSMO Z23 KATCM Z83 YOKRA Y69 LEO
 
Special Procedures:
Gascoyne is home to a whole array of magnificent regional airfields for you to explore. Being too small for full control services, OCTA services will be provided by enroute controllers to assist you. Below is a guide to help you with these servies:
Departure:
Taxi Call:
The taxi call informs ATC of your intentions and that you are taxiing at your respective airfield. In response, centre will provide you with a traffic statement and a squawk code. 
Example:
SKP71: "Brisbane Centre, IFR Dash 8, SKYTRANS 71 taxies runway 14 at Pormpuraaw for Cairns"
BN-ARA_CTR: "SKYTRANS78, no reported IFR traffic, squawk 4782"
SKP71: "Squawk 4782, SKYTRANS 71"
Departure Call:
Once you have departed, the departure call allows ATC to identify you and to provide you with your airways clearance to your destination. 
Example:
SKP71: "Centre, SKYTRANS 71 departure"
BN-ARA_CTR: "SKYTRANS 71, centre"
SKP71: "SKYTRANS 71 departed Pormpuraaw at time 49, tracking direct MASHA, passing 4500 for FL190, estimating MASHA at time :02"
BN-ARA_CTR: "SKYTRANS 71, cleared to Cairns via MASHA flight planned route, climb FL190"
SKP71: "Cleared to Cairns via MASHA flight planned route, climbing to FL190, SKYTRANS 71"
Arrival:
Descent:
As you approach your destination, the centre controller will advise you that you are cleared to leave controlled airspace on your descent. They will provide you with a clearance, traffic statement, and the local QNH. 
Example:
BN-ARA_CTR: SKYRANS 53, leave control area descending, no reported IFR traffic, area QNH 1015"
Termination of SARWATCH: 
Once you have arrived at your destination, inform centre that you have landed and expect them to respond with a termination of your SARWATCH. 
Example:
SKP53: "Centre, SKYTRANS 53 landed Aurukun, time 38; cancel SARWATCH"
BN-ARA_CTR: "SKYTRANS 53, Aurukun SARWATCH terminated, time 38"
Communication with Other Aircraft:
When you are not in communication with the overlying enroute controller, you must announce you intentions on UNICOM (122.800), as well as monitoring and using the local CTAF frequency for traffic in the vicinity. 
For more information, see here:
https://vatpac.org/help/tutorials/ctaf-unicom-and-vhf2-monitoring/ 
 
ATC:
FIFO Fridays are rostered events and applications can be filed via the events website: https://events.vatpac.org/
Only standard positions are rostered during FIFO Fridays, with non-standard positions only becoming available according to traffic levels, and only with the approval of a Senior Staff Member or C3 Controller. As such, the following positions will be rostered during this event:
Identifier: Radio Callsign: Frequency: PH_DEL Perth Delivery 118.550 PH_GND Perth Ground  121.700 PH_TWR Perth Tower 127.400 PH_APP Perth Approach 123.600  
ML-ORE_CTR         Melbourne Centre 127.000 ML-ESP_CTR     Melbourne Centre 123.950  
Scenery:
YPPH – Perth, WA
Payware – MFSG (P3D / FSX)
Freeware – AVSIM (P3D / FSX)
Payware - Axonos (X-Plane)
Freeware – OpenSceneryX (X-Plane)
YSHK - Shark Bay, WA
Freeware - Frank Salter (P3D / FSX)
YCAR - Carnarvon, WA
Freeware - Uwe Schweitzer (P3D / FSX)
Freeware - Regional Designs (X-Plane)
YWLU - Wiluna, WA
Freeware - OZx (P3D / FSX)
Freeware - Marten Weber (P3D / FSX)
YGEL - Geraldton, WA
Freeware - Nightflyer256 (X-Plane)
Miscellaneous
Paywayre - ORBX Australia V2
Payware - ORBX Global

Simulation Date/Time: Current date set to daylight.
Weather: Real World / Fair weather if real world is unsuitable for VFR operations.
If not using live weather, please be mindful of others who are using live weather and will be taking off and landing into the wind.
Distance: 185 nm
Est Flight Time: approx 75 mins
Aircraft: Beechcraft Baron or similar aircraft capable of 150-160 kias.
Altitude: Remain in class G airspace until Cairns CTR. See waypoint notes below.
Flight plan
File as: YCKN YHEL YLND YPAL YMDW YBYN YYAK YMBA YATN GOV ASUTR YBCS
GPS flight plan is available for FSX/P3D .pln, MFS2020 .pln, X-Plane .fms and Little Navmap.
Navigation: Pilots are encouraged to navigate visually. For those less familiar the accompanying GPS flight plan is the recommended method of navigation.
Communications
Australia uses CTAF (Common Traffic Advisory Frequency) for radio comms at uncontrolled airfields. During an event, Pilots are requested to broadcast intentions on the published CTAF. Pilots should also be aware that it is a VATSIM CoC (Code of Conduct) requirement that all pilots at uncontrolled airfields should monitor UNICOM on 122.800. Pilots should ensure that at least one of their radios (COM 2 being the most likely) is tuned to receive UNICOM transmissions in addition to transmitting and receiving on the published CTAF.
Pilots also should read this post regarding the implications of using VATSIM UNICOM for CTAF. It provides some insight into potential pitfalls for the unwary when monitoring 122.80 in a CTAF environment.
 
Scenery
Due to the plethora of simulation platforms now being used, scenery is left to the discretion of each pilot. Updated X-Plane 11 scenery is available here.
 
Flight details
COOKTOWN [YCKN] Takeoff
elev: 26
rwy: 11/29 asphalt
CTAF: 126.7
  HELENVALE [YHEL] T&G - visual along the Mulligan Highway not above 8500 ft
elev: 460
rwy: 10/28 grass
CTAF: 126.7
  LAKELAND DOWNS [YLND] T&G - visual along the Mulligan Highway not above 8500 ft
elev: 460
rwy: 16/34 dirt
CTAF: 121.2
  PALMER RIVER [YPAL] T&G - visual along the Mulligan Highway not above 8500 ft
elev: 1383
rwy: 10/28 dirt
CTAF: 121.2
  MAITLAND DOWNS [YMDW] T&G - visual along the Mulligan Highway not above 8500 ft
elev: 1994
rwy: 11/29 dirt
CTAF: 121.2

Tune DME to Cairns VOR/DME (CS 113.0)

Not above 6500 ft within 50 DME CS
Not above 4500 ft within 36 DME CS
  BROOKLYN [YBYN] T&G - visual along the Mulligan Highway
elev: 1168
rwy: 13/31 dirt
CTAF: 122.8
  YALKULKA [YYAK] T&G - visual along the Mulligan Highway
elev: 1270
rwy: 18/36 asphalt
CTAF: 122.8
  MAREEBA GOLF COURSE overfly not above 4500 ft - visual along the Mulligan Highway
  MAREEBA [YMBA] T&G - visual along the Mulligan Highway
elev: 1564
rwy: 10/28 asphalt
CTAF: 126.7
  ATHERTON [YATN] T&G - visual along the Kennedy Highway
elev: 1564
rwy: 15/33 grass
CTAF: 126.7
  GORDONVALE [GOV] overfly not above 2500 ft - visual along the Gillies Highway
*** Inbound reporting point ***
Contact Cairns TWR if active.
If there is no ATC, broadcast intentions on UNICOM 122.8. There is no CTAF for Cairns.
  GREENHILL overfly not above 1500 ft - H-038° D-3.9 nm
If ATC is active, do not proceed until given circuit instructions.
  TIMBERTOP overfly not above 1500 ft or as directed by ATC - visual along Yarabah Road
  ABEAM SUGAR TERMINAL [ASUTR] not above 1500 ft - visual towards Cairns Harbour or as directed by ATC
  CAIRNS [YBCS] Land - as directed by ATC
elev: 10
rwy: 15/33 asphalt
TWR: 124.9
VOR/DME: CS 113.0
NDB: CS 364 Charts

By far our most popular of all the weekly events, on any given Monday you'll find the famous "J-Curve" between Melbourne and Sydney well serviced by both pilots and ATC.
Not to be confused with out Spilled Milk Run Monday events held on the last Monday of every month, pilots can expect ATC services as you fly between Melbourne and Sydney, or any destination in between (Canberra, Albury etc).
Traffic Levels usually begin to pick up around 0800z and peak between 0900-1030z. 
 
Routes:
We recommend the following routes between Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney.
YMML-YSSY: ML DOSEL Y59 RIVET TESAT
YMML-YSCB: ML DOSEL Y59 ARRAN POLLI CB
YSSY-YMML: TESAT WOL H65 RAZZI Q29 ML
YSSY-YSCB: TESAT WOL H65 RAZZI CB
YSCB-YMML: CB TANTA Q29 LIZZI ML
YSCB-YSSY:  CB TANTA W423 CULIN Y59 RIVET TESAT
 
 
Controllers:
Controllers who wish to reserve a position to control during this event are encouraged to apply via https://events.vatpac.org/. After the controller roster is released on Saturday evening, no controllers will be added to the roster. Positions that do not have a nominated controller (i.e. no controller assigned on the position) will remain free for all controllers available on the day to control.
*Non-Standard positions* will be available for opening depending on traffic levels. They may only be opened once all of the rostered positions are filled. Please see a member of the Board of Directors, or a C3 rated controller to be granted permission to open a non-standard position. Please review the controller NOTAM here for detailed information about which Non-Standard Positions are automatically authorized.
Login Identifier:
Radio Callsign:
Frequency:
SY_DEL
Sydney Delivery
133.800
SY_GND
Sydney Ground
126.500
SY_TWR
Sydney Tower
120.500
SY_APP
Sydney Approach
124.400
SY-D_APP*
Sydney Director
126.100
SY_DEP*
Sydney Departures
123.000
      ML_DEL
Melbourne Delivery
127.200
ML_GND
Melbourne Ground
121.700
ML_TWR
Melbourne Tower
120.500
ML_APP
Melbourne Approach
132.000
ML_DEP*
Melbourne Departures
118.900
      CB_GND
Canberra Ground
121.700
CB_TWR
Canberra Tower
118.700
CB_APP
Canberra Approach
124.500
      ML-WOL_CTR
Melbourne Centre
125.000
ML-SNO_CTR
Melbourne Centre
124.000
ML-ELW_CTR*
Melbourne Centre
123.750
 
Scenery:
YMML - Melbourne International Airport:
Payware - ORBX (FSX/P3D)
Freeware - AVSIM (FSX/P3D)
Freeware - ISDG (xPlane)
YSCB - Canberra Airport:
Payware - ORBX (FSX/P3D)
Freeware - FlyAwaySimulations (FSX/P3D)
Freeware - tdg (xPlane)
YSSY - Sydney International Airport:
Payware - FlyTampa v2 (FSX/P3D)
Freeware - AVSIM (FSX/P3D)
Freeware - ISDG (xPlane)