December \'05 event - have yourself an EHM xmas

[EHM-0654 Murray]

It's almost the end of the year, and as we prepare to wind down for the festivities, EuroHarmony offers our pilots the opportunity to take part in not one, but two events!

First off, the VACCHU ATC team on the VATSIM network has invited us to participate in their event on Saturday 17th December. The VACCHU event is running from 1100Z to 2300Z, giving lots of scope for pilots wishing to log a few extra hours on VATSIM, but the sanctioned event is a fly-in to Budapest-Ferihegy (LHBP) to arrive at 2200Z (+/- 30 minutes). Pick a departure airport as close or as far away as you want, just try to arrive at 2200Z. You are guaranteed good ATC throughout Europe and lots of traffic. NOTE: Unfortunately, due to prior commitments the online flying coordinator is unable to participate in this event. Participants are kindly requested to take plenty of FS/ServInfo screenshots.

Then for those that prefer to fly on IVAO (and so that the OFC can guarantee a few screenshots for the post-event page), a simple and much lower key fly-out from Budapest-Ferihegy (LHBP) at 1800Z (+/- 30 mins) on the 19th December to coincide with the IVAO-HU online day event. In much the same vein as the VATSIM event, pilots are invited to make their own choice for destination; go as far as you want - a simple VFR flight inside the LHBB FIR or a trans-continent marathon, you decide. ATC and traffic levels are unlikely to be as high as for the VATSIM event, but we won't let that spoil our final event for 2005.

[EHM-0654 Murray]

Daft question, but did anyone actually take part in the VATSIM event?

I managed to have a look in SI at 20:30(ish) and couldn't see any EHM pilots online.

[EHM-0654 Murray]

And that's the IVAO half of the dual event done with - thanks to everyone that took part...

ME!

Still, not a complete loss (Ben as my hub captain will see when he reads the PIREP) as I got to fly the 738 on a nice long run and discover (and fix) a few problems in my set up that have crept in while I've been almost exclusively flying VFR in SEPs. ATC was good for a Monday, TWR at LHBP, only had three or four FIRs without CTR, and EGLL_APP was kind enough to wait for me to arrive - even gave me the old dog-leg vector from LAM VOR to 27R.

Got two piccies that I'll put of the ever so brief post-event page (which will be up tommorrow if I get 20 mins to spare at work...)

[EHM-1343 Jonathan]

oh my God, I completely forgot about it Murray...
I am soo sorry...but having said that, i did have visitors until about 21:20 hehehe.

Please accept my appologies murray..will be at the next one

[EHM-1617 Iain]

I um... well was unavailable on those days.

Murray, you will find that you get the dog-leg vector more and more now. Reason:

We cheat! That is, everyone with this sectorfile and who knows how to overlay the vector paths can choose them to be displayed in a big orange line!

I'll try and be there for the next fly-in, in the PMDG, if by that time I have figured out the FMC and bought the 8/900 upgrade

[EHM-0654 Murray]

Iain, if that's the sector file I think it is, it was "written" by Ian Botham and "debugged" by me for the old EGLL_APP (that could, at their own choosing, look after all the London airport, EGLL/EGLC/EGSS and EGKK (although why not Luton as well...)

Anyway, the FMC on the 737 is easy (says I with Bill Bulfer's "B737NG FMC User's Guide"... Start with the INIT REF page and work through the pre-flight process with LSK6R... No time to go into details now though...

[EHM-1617 Iain]

Well it's the EGTT sector... all UK airspace and airports, most SIDS and STARS, many ground layouts etc. Advantage, 1 sector for all UK controlling,. Disadvantage, relatively big filesize!