VATUSA's Alburquerque ARTCC, at which I'm a controller, will be hosting tomorrow night's western region flyin featuring my home city of Tucson, Arizona. (KTUS) A bunch of us controllers for VZAB have been working for the past two weeks to make this a really cool event and we're going to have every controller position in the area fully staffed plus a list of real world preffered routing to and from KTUS to just about every major city in the US availiable on the ZAB webpage. We also made brand new Pro Controller sectors with MVA's for the TUS area so that we know exactly where the mountains are... ;)It'd be really cool see some PIC'ers fly on over. We hardly ever get traffic at KTUS normally (it all goes to KPHX) and it'd be really cool to see a bunch of heavies come in on Fri night in addition to the expected SWA 737's etc...The event begins at 0100Z and will continue as long as we have planes to control!Thanks!Ryan

I've just uploaded the complete FMC files package for KTUS to the http://www.seaartcc.org/767pic/weps/weps.php archive. Be sure to look at the readme for info on the new approach trasition method we've been using.

I will be there. Looking forward to it. Hmmm KABQ-KTUS then KTUS-KABQ then maybe back to KTUS, sounds like a full evening ahead. Maybe even KTUS-KLAS for the nightcap if I can stay up that long, yea sure - it's Friday Night!Thanks for the invite Ryan...

Update... xnay on the preferred route page probably. I'm gonna go try to come up with some on my own, but I won't be able to get the real ones I thought I would...See you there Mike! I'll be working tower or departure depending on the volume of trafic... [;)]Ryan

Will definitly try to be there. BIG fan of the western regionals (ok, so I'm a controller at ZLA and live in SOCAL, so I might lean towards the west coast ) Should be lots of fun! (Will also try to open up San Diego Approach)Ryan-Flightpro08Taxiwaysigns.com

And start your trip out there from DENVER as all the controllers drive PICs Richard GreenVATUSA4Events and VA Director

I made my own preferred routes list with some help from our own fellow PIC'er Ian Elchitz for the Socal stuff. ;) It will be up there on the VZAB site www.vzab.org at some point tomorrow before the event starts.Richard - do you have a for sure real world DEN to TUS route??The one I came up with wasKDEN.PIKES2.ALS.J102.BOLIC..TUS..KTUS - I think that's pretty close to what the real flights do.filpfg provided me with the opposite direction:KTUS..SJN.J13.ABQ.ALS.LARKS3.KDENAnyone else who wants a flightplan to TUS for tomorrow, ask here and I'll add it to the page.

I'll try to be there tonight.There is supposed to be thunderstorms in my area tonight, so I am at the mercy of mother nature.Of course, a good lightning zap would be just the excuse I'd need to replace this aging computer! :)I'll be logged in as DAL1068 and might do either a run from KATL or KDEN.Hope to see y'all (that's a Southern term meaning "all of you") :-lol up in the virtual skies tonight!Regards,Steve Dra

KDEN-PIKES2.ALS-J13-ABQ-SSO--KTUSBLUE SKIESRichard GreenVATUSA4Events and VA Director

Thanks guys!!Preferred Routes page is here: (will probably be updated again today to fix some things)http://www.vzab.org/events/tucsonmay3.htm

Tabs,As always I will try and support the Western Regional Fly in. I've got dinner guests until around 2200 Pacific - but after that I may try KLAX KTUS KABQ (ABQ has a great DME ARC leading into the ILS 3 approach ).Hopefully I won't be recruited to plug in somewhere at ZLA (they should have more than enough bodies).I suggest any othe VATSIM people out there try flying in Albuquerque center - they are a fast growing center led by a small group of talented controllers - the newer people seem to be logging on more and more - this is a fun airspace to fly in!See you there,Ian Elchitz

Mike,Do you have some estimated times and flight plans for your planned flights? I might like to tag along tonight, at least for a leg or two.Lee Hetherington (KBOS)

Thanks for the props Ian!!Just FYI, our assistant chief Doug Hart will be handling ABQ_W_CTR tonight - he's a current real world Phoenix TRACON approach/dep controller - how's that for "as real as it gets"??!!

Ya - I have flown in Doug's sky before (on vatsim).You can tell within 5 seconds that he is real world - it's the way he says "Radar Contact" .Ian.

Currently 20 inbound arrivals to KTUS!!!Check this out:Our own AAL327 Mike Bevington is on the descent in from Denver, and with a little "coordination" from me, TUS_V_APP tells him "Good evening sir, Tucson Approach, please be advise that the field is closed to all 767's, we're gonna have to turn you back around to Denver."AAL327 takes it seriously and then proceedes to go nuts when he finds out it was a joke!!! I'm STILL cracking up here!! God, I wish I'd had this recording!!!!