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Boston Virtual ARTCC is proud to have continued the strong Boston Tea Party tradition this year! On August 12-13, our controllers met up at Daniel Webster College in Nashua, NH—near the site of the real-world Boston TRACON—to control this one-day ATC event live.
From 12-7pm ET on August 12, we had coverage for every single TRACON in ZBW, along with a full staff at Boston and three Center controllers. Together, more than 30 controllers took part in the event, which is typically the busiest we hold each year.
This year, we were pleased to see traffic in every corner of the ARTCC. Controllers commented on the fact that, while traffic at KBOS was steady throughout the event, we were happy to see traffic at KSYR, KALB, KBGR, KACK, KPVD, and some of the other less-frequented Class C and D airports in our airspace. It’s thanks to member traffic from people like you that the event was enjoyable for all of our controllers, regardless of where they were staffed.
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Thursday, September 8, 8:00pm to 11:00pm ET
Tuesday, September 20, 8:00pm to 11:00pm ET
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This month, we feature Manchester (KMHT), the largest airport in New Hampshire, and one of the largest in New England.
MHT is served by major carriers such as American, Delta, and Southwest, and is a hub for cargo airlines such as UPS and FedEx.
Whether you're looking for some touch and goes on a clear day or need a CAT IIIB landing during particularly dicey weather, Manchester has it all!
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Save The Date: 60 Hours of ATC, Cross The Pond
By Clif Whitten, Events Coordinator
On the heels of the biggest annual event BVA hosts each year, we’ve got two more big ones coming up. The events team would like to encourage all of our members to save the following dates.
From October 7-9, BVA hosts 60 Hours of ATC for the first time on the VATSIM network. Together, our team of Center controllers will be staffing Boston Center for 60 straight hours, beginning at 11am ET on Friday, October 7 until 11:00pm ET on Sunday, November 9. 60 Hours of ATC offers pilots from around the world the opportunity to fly in our airspace any time, day or night. Alongside ZBW, expect to see a large volume of local control at KBOS and the other surrounding airports. We’ll be running Friday Night Operations on October 7 as we launch into 60 Hours, so expect a busy start to a long weekend of ATC.
Then, on October 22, VATSIM hosts Cross The Pond Eastbound, the annual flight across the Atlantic Ocean from North America to Europe.
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A Welcome Back to Matt Spencer (SP)
By Camden Bruno, Air Traffic Manager
The air traffic control staff at Boston Virtual ARTCC is excited to welcome Matt Spencer (SP) back as an ATC Mentor. Matt’s availability has recently opened up, allowing him to fly and control more on the network. Since then, he has dedicated his time to reviewing the newest of BVA ATC standard operating procedures in order to not only be an outstanding controller, but a mentor as well.
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The ATC Timetable
By Evan Reiter, Training Administrator
On our recent member survey, a number of members commented that they would like to see a listing of planned ATC availability on non-event nights. Fortunately, such a thing already exists! Our ATC Timetable allows air traffic controllers to post up with their expected availability when they know they will be online. Most controllers add their names on the day of, although some will also post in advance. Some controllers who don’t have a fixed schedule will also drop in to provide ATC, even when nobody is listed on the timetable. On the same page, we also list of Airport of the Month (where you can expect to find local coverage and where we encourage pilots to explore while ATC is offline) and a Pilot Timetable, where members can post upcoming flights.
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Results from 2016 Member Satisfaction Survey
By Phillip Coyle, Community Manager
Every two years, BVA’s Administration conducts a community-wide survey to help gauge member satisfaction and identify areas of improvement. The 2016 survey ran between May 1 and June 1. We would like to thank the 159 people who responded to the survey and provided their feedback about our community.
Overall, the results indicate that members are extremely satisfied with the community, the professionalism and realism of air traffic controllers, and the many volunteers who contribute to the community’s administration. Furthermore, members are pleased with the way the community is managed and believe that BVA provides a strong social atmosphere for pilots and controllers alike. Detailed results from the survey follow this article.
Read full article >
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Cape Air Virtual's Pilot of the Month is:
Joshua B (KAP324)
for flying over 6 hours and 9 flights during the Tea party Event. The CAV Administration Team would like to thank every pilot that participated. Next month's POM will be the pilot with the most landings at Nantucket (KACK).
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BVA's ATC Instructors have recognized:
Matt Spencer (SP), C1
as Air Traffic Controller of the month for his outstanding dedication and service.
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Traffic Pointouts
Last month's question was:
When a controller issues radar traffic information in relation to the 12-hour clock, the controller references the aircraft's:
A) true course.
B) magnetic heading.
C) ground track.
The correct answer is: (C) ground track. Due to winds aloft, pilots are often forced to fly a heading that does not directly correlate with their route of flight. For example, if a pilot is flying east with strong winds blowing from the south, he may point his nose southeast to correct for the blowing wind. The pilot can figure out his true course and magnetic heading from the instruments in font of him; that's what they're there for! Unfortunately, controllers do not have a direct link to pilots' instruments. The controller sees a plane moving along a certain line on the radar screen, and that is the only knowledge the controller has of the plane's direction. Thus, the controller references the track the plane is flying over the ground, or (C) ground track.
Challenge Question: Unless each occupant is provided with supplemental oxygen, what is the maximum cabin pressure at which a US-registered civil aircraft may operate?
A) 12,500 feet MSL.
B) 14,000 feet MSL.
C) 15,000 feet MSL.
The answer to the challenge question will be included in next month's Pilot Tip.
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Each month, we run a contest on our forums to determine who has the best flight simulator screenshot. This month, Camden grabs the gold again with his shot of a Challenger 300 overflying Boston on the SSOXS4 departure!
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You can always find current and archived editions of the Logan Informer on our forums. |
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You are receiving this message because you are a registered member of Boston Virtual ARTCC. Boston Virtual ARTCC is an integrated community of pilots and air traffic controllers on the VATSIM network that you applied to join. All members receive emails from us approximately one to two times per month, which include major announcements and our community newsletter. Members signed up for Event Reminder emails will receive emails from BVA more frequently. To delete your BVA account and stop receiving communication from us, please visit the Account Management page.
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