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Mark your calendars, stock up on munchies, and tell the family to head out of town for the weekend: October 13-15, 2017 will be the biggest weekend of events in BVA's history!

It all starts at 11am ET on Friday, October 13 when we launch 60 Hours of ATC, 60 straight hours of Boston Center coverage. Any time you wish to fly in ZBW, day or night, you will find coverage online.

At 7pm ET, we host VATUSA's Friday Night Operations event. There will be a full staff of controllers online at Boston Logan International (KBOS), and staffing at other local airports. The event runs until 11pm ET, but ZBW will remain online overnight and for the rest of the weekend.

Then, we kick off Saturday morning early! At 6am, the first departures for Cross the Pond Eastbound 2017 will be connecting to the network. Cross the Pond takes place twice a year (westbound in March, eastbound in October) and is one of the busiest and most sought after events in the VATSIM calendar. It is a mass crossing of the North Atlantic with full ATC offered the whole way, with heavy traffic levels guaranteed for your whole flight. As a departure airport, KBOS will be fully-staffed, and there will be multiple Approach and Center controllers online across ZBW. Whether you're flying across the Atlantic for the event or are just looking for a great chance to fly in a lit up airspace, join us all day on Saturday, October 14.

Looking for information on flying this event? Check out our Oceanic Procedures Ground School, hosted by Air Traffic Manager Camden Bruno.

60 Hours of ATC continues throughout the day on October 15, and ends at 11:00pm on Sunday, wrapping up what is likely the busiest event weekend our community has ever participated in!

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Wednesday, October 4, 8-11pm ET
 
60 Hours of ATC
Friday, October 13, 11am - Sunday, October 15, 11pm ET
 
Friday, October 13, 7-11pm ET
 
Cross the Pond Eastbound 2017
Saturday, October 14
 
Regional Circuit: KBED and KACK
Wednesday, October 25, 8pm-11pm ET

To see all of our upcoming events, please visit the Events Calendar. 
 
 
 
Introduction to X-Plane
By: Evan Reiter, Training Administrator

Ever been interested in getting started with X-Plane but weren’t sure where to start? Or maybe you have already done a few flights, but are looking for the next steps to improve the simulator. BVA Webmaster Szymon Puzdrowski has put together an excellent overview of X-Plane, including information about the simulator, setting up to fly on the network, and add-ons and plugins to consider.

If you have been looking at X-Plane, check out his post on our forums. Or, if you’re already an expert, feel free to contribute your experiences.

Read full article > 
 
The Cape Air Virtual Pilot of the Month for July/August is 
 
Dave M (KAP483)
 
October's Pilot of the Month will be based on the most arrivals and departures from Boston (KBOS).
BVA's ATC Instructors have recognized:
 
Jonathan Halverson (HS), Class B Ground (off-peak)
 
as Air Traffic Controller of the month for his outstanding dedication and service.
 
 
Flight in Icing
Last month's question was: 
 
You have just taken off from the Nantucket Airport and are climbing through 1500' when you encounter icing conditions. You have your autopilot engaged in heading and vertical speed modes. What is the proper course of action?
 
(A) Disengage the autopilot, as autopilots are not certified for flight in icing conditions
(B) Disengage the vertical speed mode, but leave the heading mode engaged
(C) Leave the autopilot as-is
 
Answer: (b) disengage the vertical speed mode, but leave the heading mode engaged. Autopilots are reliable pieces of equipment, and they can follow headings very accurately. However, in icing conditions, use of the autopilot can mask the effects of icing. For example, tailplace icing can occur, altering the airflow around and thus changing the pitch of the elevator/stabilator. In an attempt to maintain a set vertical speed, the autopilot may keep pitching the plane up, reducing airspeed in the process. This may lead to a departure stall, which should be avoided at all costs! In all cases, follow AFM or POH guidance and potential limitations on the use of an autopilot in icing  conditions.

Challenge Question: 
What is a squat switch? Where is it usually located, what does it do, and what does it prevent?
 
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. Camden Bruno won September's contest!
 
 
You can always find current and archived editions of the Logan Informer on our forums.
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