It is depart Auckland/Wellington 0030Z 0:30 not 0300ZRegardsRussell Jourdain (NZL007/ZK-RHJ)

Thanks Russell Guess that will teach me to try assimilate information when I'm tired :-doh

Im in!(pending any real world commitment changes between now and next friday.)

"(pending any real world commitment changes between now and next friday.)"You need to be proactive....cancel any pending or potential commitments in advance....send a memo to your family and freinds, tell them you will be on a mission from the PIC Gods and can not be disturbed.She who must be obeyed has already signed off on the memo I sent her yesterday...Rob.;-)

lol, thats classic.Is anyone having trouble picking up simsource.net?It wont pull up for me. Or if someone can send me the information that was on that site to me via e-mail thatd be great so I can print the stuff out that is needed.Merci

Glad your aboard Josh!The simsource.net site seems to be working just fine. Try using this direct link to the announcement page if you are still having trouble.http://www.simsource.net/EventViewend.asp?...iew&eventNum=36

Hi Michael !So far, I have been a little bit scared by all what I have to learn to get a first experience of Vatsim flying.But today, the temptation to join has never been that high for me !! to a point where I am decided now to work it out.I guess I will find all the tools and tutorials that I need on VATSIM.netIn the meantime, is there a way to partially attend this Event (with a capital E!) as a simple observer, just to get an idea on how it works and how difficult it coud be for me to get up to speed ?Bien amicalementMichelKSEA

Here are some Air New Zealand flights that my friend at Jeppesen did for me. Unfortunately, the winds are only valid for the next 12 hours, but the NAV data might be interesting to some of you!ANZ50 AUCKLAND-NADI,FIJI-LOS ANGELEShttp://people.bu.edu/pgeddes/NZAANFFN.txthttp://people.bu.edu/pgeddes/NFFNKLAX.txtANZ54 AUCKLAND-RARATONGA-PAPEETE,TAHITI-LOS ANGELEShttp://people.bu.edu/pgeddes/NZAANCRG.txthttp://people.bu.edu/pgeddes/NCRGNTAA.txthttp://people.bu.edu/pgeddes/NTAAKLAX.txtThese are NOT part of the event, but may be useful alternatives for some.The routings to LAX were flex tracks computed by Jeppesen, and may or may not be appropriate giving the winds next Friday. Enjoy!Sincerely,Phil Geddes

Hi Michel,PMFJI and I am sure Mike Bevington will have a different take on this :-) so you will have a choice of who's advice to take :-)I try to provide training for new pilots in the UK VA I fly for and this is the advice I give them.Down load the SB & RW software and read the tutorials so you get comfortable with using both SB & RW.Don't forget to join VATSIM and get your pilot ID and password, otherwise you ain't going anywhere :-)Before your first flight make sure you can pilot the aircraft you intend to use.Remember there is NO pause button on VATSIM.It looks as if you are from the Seattle area, so have a look on their VATSIM web site and see if they offer pilot training and join the program.To learn the ATC 'chatter' find an airport that has ATC and some traffic (ServerInfo can tell you this), start FS and position yourself at that airport, the default Cessna will do.Park somewhere out of the way, say on the grass or the GA ramp, but NOT on a runway or taxiway.Start Multiplayer in FS and start SquawkBox and log onto VATSIM.Right click in the SB window and in the pop-up menu select 'squawk standby'.From the same menu select 'File flight plan' and in the flight plan window enter the 4 letter code for the airport you are at for both departure and destination airports.Select your aircraft from the drop-down list.Enter '0' (zero) for flight level.In the remarks box enter something like 'Trainee pilot. No flight', this alerts the controller that you are not flying and he can ignore you.Once all that is done open the pop-up menu again and select the ATC directory and double click on one of the ATC positions in the list.That should automatically switch SB to their channel and start RW and tune that into the channel also.Now sit back and listen to the chatter to get a feel of what's said.You can change controllers as often as you like to appreciate what's said at GND, TWR, DEL, etc.As for this event AFAIK the only way to 'observe' is on the ground at an airport as outlined above so:-Go to Wellington, Auckland, or Sydney round about the times Mike has indicated in the schedule and you will be able to watch the group come in and take off and listen to ATC 'chatter'.For your first flight I would suggest using any VATSIM pilot training on offer in your area or finding a quiet airport that has ATC but not a lot of traffic and either doing 'circuits & bumps' or some local flying.This way you are not out of your depth, the controller(s) will have time to help you and you gain more confidence.If you do get stuck there are enough people here, or in the FS General forum, or on the vatsim newsgroups to help you.There is a VATSIM forum here but it seems a rather quiet forum.HTH and best of luck with your first flight on VATSIM.One last point, once you have done your first couple of flights forget any social life because you will be hooked :-lol

If you are accomplished at handling your aircraft, understand how to fly to and from a VOR (intersections even better), know what SIDS and STARS are and how to fly them, and can understand and be understood speaking english, it does not take that long to pick up the remaining skills required to fly on VATSIM. Learning to use the Squawkbox client software is a biggie! And, there are a number of basic things to remember:Never log in and pop up on a runwayLearn how, and always file a valid flight planDo not move, let alone take off, without ATC clearance and instructions, request clearance from lowest level ATC (ie start with ground controller)Never accept a clearance you are not able to flyAcknowledge ATC instructions (read backs)Obey ATC unless you cant for safety reasons and then advise "unable"Communicate clearly and conciselyWhen told to contact tower, approach, or center, DO ITDO NOT try and learn the process at busy places, but do listen in on Roger Wilco at busy places for an extended period to get the flow of how it is done. When you are ready to try a flight, fly from and to somewhere there is very light traffic. Use Servinfo to find the busy and light areas that are currently being controlled.I could go on but those are some of the very basic rules that I see people break and it detracts from everyone else's enjoyment. I am sure the guys around here (ACA856 comes to mind) would be glad to expand on the list above.There are many of us on the network every day that are glad to lend a helping hand to new VATSIM members. Dont be afraid to ask for help. Most of the controllers dont bite.Having said all of that, a busy on line event, like I hope this one turns out to be, is not the place to

Hi Vulcan,Thks a lot for all those info.Yes I live in SEA and yes I gathered some material to start working as per your recommandations.Un grand merci!Bien amicalementMichelKSEA

Excellent response Vulcan and I could not agree with your outline more!

Hi Michael,Thks for your help and don't worry about the links for Servinfo or Roger Wilco that I found with no pb. Now, I gonna READ, I swear it !!Bien amicalementMichelKSEA

I am in..See you over the OceanBillhttp://www.charityflight.com/images/bvcavitar.jpg

Count me in, perfect timing as my dispatcher will be out of town that weekend so I didn't have to submit a chit:-lol See ya'all in New Zealand.