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Perhaps it’s because everyone has settled into the fall routine of school and work and is already sick of it, perhaps the weather is getting uglier and the days getting shorter, or maybe it’s just that Cross The Pond is held this time each year…but for whatever reason, October always seems to be a busy month for traffic and events. 2016 was no exception!

We kicked off the month with 60 Hours of ATC, an event we’ve held for the first time on the VATSIM network. For most ARTCCs, 60 hours of straight coverage would be a challenge. Controllers would have to spend long hours on position just to keep things covered, and there would likely be a gap somewhere. For us, it wasn’t even tough: the longest shift was only 5 hours, and that was during an overnight. All in all, 10 Center controllers were involved in splitting up the weekend. Alongside that, we had near-continuous coverage of Boston Approach and local controllers at Boston too. With a non-stop traffic flow and several very busy moments, the event is definitely one we’ll be doing again!

It came as no surprise that, with 60 hours of straight coverage, we were going to win the Iron Mic. It was a bit surprising that we also won the award for the most hours controlled on Center for Week 39 (September 26 – October 2, the week before 60 Hours). Then again, back-to-back Iron Mic wins are proving to be nothing new for us.

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Thursday, November 3, 8-11pm ET
 
Monday, November 7, 7:25am
 
Tuesday, November 15, 8-11pm ET

To see all of our upcoming events, please visit the Events Calendar. 
This month, we feature Syracuse (KSYR), a Class C airport in upstate New York.
 
KSYR is one of the busier airports in upstate New York. Built in 1927, it initially served as an airmail handling point. Later becoming a later base for the Army Air Corps, Syracuse now serves as a joint civilian-military airport. SYR is served by major carriers, including United, JetBlue, American, and Delta.
 
Syracuse has two long runways and is capable of handling most large aircraft. It's also a popular destionation within the Boston ARTCC due to its flexibility; whether you'd like to fly into KSYR in a regional jet for Delta or you'd like a low approach in a Piper Tomahawk, you can't go wrong with Syracuse.
 
 
World Flight
By: Camden Bruno, Air Traffic Manager

WorldFlight is a virtual round the world flight that raises money for selected charities around the world. There will be a number of fixed based simulators participating in the event. This year, WorldFlight will be celebrating its 16th year of operations.  WorldFlight will start in Sydney (YSSY) on 06 November and will finish 6 days later on 12 November.

BVA is proud to have a role to play in the event, with traffic passing through our airspace on a leg between Toronto Pearson (CYYZ) and New York’s LaGuardia Airport (KLGA) on November 7. We’ll be providing Center coverage when the flight passes through our airspace. We also welcome pilots from our community to participate in the event (you don’t have to be part of the WorldFlight group). Just spawn up in Toronto for a 7:25am departure, and be ready for a conga line of aircraft into KLGA.

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BVA's Chief Poet is also our Newest PPL!
By: Camden Bruno, Air Traffic Manager

BVA has long celebrated our role in helping student pilots from around the world achieve their tickets. We keep a rolling thread on the forums where we encourage members to share their accomplishments with the community. Normally, the news doesn’t make the Informer. However, when the news involves the volunteer who has been putting together the Informer all year, it seems fitting to include the accomplishment here.

The Administration Team would like to congratulate Logan Informer Team Member, Center Controller, and Chief Poet Alec Liberman (or “LN”, as he’s known to most of our controllers) on passing his PPL checkride earlier this month, the day after his 17th birthday.  

A few of the other recent accomplishments include Brandon Bergna’s PPL this summer, Joshua Marshall earning his instrument rating, Nathan Brothers becoming a CFI, Chris Olmstead on passing his commercial checkride, and Justin Weinberg on also passing his PPL the day he turned 17.

While we know BVA has a role to play in helping our members achieve their licenses, finishing the training and passing the checkride requires commitment and dedication that extends well beyond our community. Congratulations to the few named above, and to everyone else whose aviation dreams have been touched by their time here at BVA.

 
Returning from Inactivity
By: Evan Reiter, Training Administrator

I’ve recently seen a number of emails from BVA pilots who are returning from inactivity and looking to get back into the swing of things. Perhaps that has something to do with Clif’s notes about October, or maybe it’s just that we’ve had a busy month. Either way, we’re sure excited to see some of the names we recognize from months (or years!) ago back in the fold.

If it’s been more than a year since the last time you flew with us, you’ll notice things have definitely changed! Today, BVA is (to our knowledge) the only integrated pilot and air traffic control community on VATSIM. We provide air traffic control within the Boston ARTCC on VATSIM. In addition, we have an active community of pilots who work with the controllers to create one of the most realistic air traffic control environments available online.
 
Cape Air Virtual's Pilot of the Month is:
 
Mark L (KAP339)
 
for flying 28 flights into and out of BDL. The next Pilot of the Month will be also based on the amount of landings at the Airport of the Month.
BVA's ATC Instructors have recognized:
 
Noah Marcoux (MX), S1
 
as Air Traffic Controller of the month for his outstanding dedication and service.
   
 
 
Class Bravo Airspace
Last month's question was: 
 
Which of the following is true regarding flight operations in Class B airspace?
 
A) Flight under visual flight rules (VFR) is not authorized unless the pilot in command is instrument rated.
B) The pilot must receive an explicit clearance from the appropriate control facility before entering the airspace.
C) Solo student pilot operations are not authorized.
 
The correct answer is: (B) the pilot must receive an explicit clearance from the appropriate control facility before entering the airspace. Answer (A) is incorrect because SVFR can be authorized within some Class B airspace, although it is rare. Answer (C) is partially-incorrect: solo student pilots are allowed to fly within Class B airspace, but only if they have a signoff from an instructor. Answer (B) is correct; unlike Class C and D airspaces, where you just need to establish two-way radio communications, entry into Class B airspace requires an explicit clearance, which is defined by the controller stating your callsign and "cleared into the [Boston] Class Bravo airspace". More information can be found in 14 CFR 91.131.

Challenge Question: What are the currenct requirements for a pilot to act as pilot-in-command of an aircraft that is carrying passengers at night?

The answer to the challenge question will be included in next month's Pilot Tip. 
 
Each month, we run a contest on our forums to determine who has the best flight simulator screenshot. This month, Noel Bennett has won with his shot of a de Havilland Beaver over the Tappan Zee bridge!
 
 
 
 
You can always find current and archived editions of the Logan Informer on our forums.
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