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October is shaping up to be a busy month! We’re hosting two of our biggest events of the year this month, alongside some of our regular Regional Circuit and Pack The Pattern community events.

It all starts next weekend as we hold 60 Hours of ATC for the first time on the VATSIM network! From 11:00am on Friday, October 7 until 11:00pm on Sunday, October 9, Boston Center (ZBW) will be staffed non-stop for 60 straight hours. Any time you wish to fly—day or night—there will be ATC coverage available. Fly local, head out to other ARTCCs, or fly in from afar: you’ll find ZBW covered throughout the event, and local coverage available at many of our favorite airports all weekend.

In addition to 60 Hours of ATC, we’ll be staffing up Boston and surrounding airports during Friday Night Operations (FNO) between 7-11pm ET on Friday, October 7. Then, to cap the weekend, we’re running a Regional Circuit event in Crossfire style between Boston (KBOS) and New York (KJFK) on Sunday, October 9 starting at 7pm ET. So mark some time off from life, get out your favorite aircraft, and fly all weekend long!

Lastly, while it’s not being held in October, FlightSimCon 2017 will be here before we know it! The dates for the 2017 conference was just announced: June 10-11, 2017. The event will once again be held at Bradley International Airport (BDL), this time at the Sheraton Hartford Hotel. More information about FlightSimCon will be available in the coming weeks but for now, please save the date and location. Just like 60 Hours and Cross The Pond, FlightSimCon is a weekend event you won’t want to miss!

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Friday Night Ops (FNO) and 60 Hours of ATC
Friday, October 7 at 11am ET to Monday, October 10 at 11:00pm ET
 
Tuesday, October 18, 8-11pm ET
 
Cross the Pond Eastbound
Saturday, October 22
 
Sunday, October 30, 8-11pm ET

To see all of our upcoming events, please visit the Events Calendar. 
This month, we feature Bradley (BDL), a Class C airport in Windsor Locks, Connecticut.
 
BDL is the busiest airport in Connecticut and the second-busiest in New England after BOS. It is served by virtually all US major carriers, including JetBlue, Delta, American, and Southwest. It is also the host airport for FlightSimCon 2017, the annual aviation and flight simulation conference we help host.
 
Bradley has two long runways and is capable of handling aircraft as large as the C-17 Globemaster III, and, in a pinch, even the A380! So, whether you'd like to visit in a Cherokee or fly in in the left seat of a heavy, you can't go wrong with Bradley. 
 
 
Feedback from Controllers
By: Evan Reiter, Training Administrator

In our recent Member Survey, some of our pilots requested a means to receive feedback from controllers on their performance. It was noted that pilots have a method of providing feedback to controllers and some members were interested in seeing a formal mechanism for controllers to provide feedback to pilots.

Currently, our community does not have a formal means for controllers to “rate” or comment on pilots in an unsolicited manner. For several reasons, there are no intentions to create such a system. However, pilots who wish to learn more about air traffic control or to get feedback about their flying are encouraged to seek that information in a few ways.

The first is our Pilot Ratings Program. By participating in the program, pilots are effectively asking controllers to monitor their flights and to review and provide feedback on pilot performance. Each flight has a set of standards to which they are held. Controllers will provide feedback on the basis of those standards for each flight. You’ll learn all about flying VFR and IFR within the virtual air traffic control system, and get a great tour of several ZBW airports along the way.

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BVA's ATC Training Staff Welcomes Chris Raabe
By: Camden Bruno, Air Traffic Manager

The air traffic control training staff at Boston Virtual ARTCC is delighted to welcome Chris Raabe (RB) as an ATC Mentor.

Chris joined BVA in 2007. Since then, he has been extremely dedicated and has served in several roles. Not only has Chris assisted with pilot training by volunteering his time as a Virtual FBO Coach, but he has also taken on the role of Commander of the BVA Military (MACE) group. In the real world, Chris has additional aviation experience as a private pilot and as a boom operator/instructor on both the KC-135 and KC-10 military aerial re-fueling aircraft.

Please join us in welcoming him to the team. We’re thrilled to have him aboard as he adds yet another instructional title to his resume.
 
Cape Air Virtual's Pilot of the Month is:
 
Gabriel A (KAP2862) 
 
for completing over 6 flights into and out of Boston. The next Pilot of the Month will be based on the amount of landings at the Airport of the Month.
BVA's ATC Instructors have recognized:
 
Nate Oines (NO), S2
 
as Air Traffic Controller of the month for his outstanding dedication and service.
   
 
 
Supplementary Oxygen
Last month's question was: 
 
Unless each occupant is provided with supplemental oxygen, what is the maximum cabin pressure at which a U.S.-registered civil aircraft may operate?
 
A) 12,500 feet MSL.
B) 14,000 feet MSL.
C) 15,000 feet MSL.
 
The correct answer is: (C) 15,000 feet MSL. According to 14 CFR 91.211, if the cabin altitude will be at or greater than 12,500 feet MSL for more than thirty minutes, then the flight crew, not the passengers, are required to have supplementary oxygen on. Likewise, if the cabin altitude will be above 14,000 feet MSL, flight crew are required to have supplementary oxygen on, regardless of time above said altitude. However, if the cabin altitude is above 15,000 feet MSL for any period of time, each occupant of the aircrat is requried to have supplemental oxygen available. While it is only required for flight crew, passengers are strongly encouraged to make use of it. More information can be found here.

Challenge Question: 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 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, we have a tie between Camden's C-130 low pass and Benjamin's Blue Angels flight above Manhattan!
 
 
 
You can always find current and archived editions of the Logan Informer on our forums.
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