Finke (Apatula) to Alice Springs

Event Details

Simulation Date/Time : Current date set to daylight.

Weather : Real World / Fair weather if real world is unsuitable for VFR operations.

Distance : 116 nm

Est Flight Time : approx 75 mins

Aircraft : Single or twin engine aircraft such as Cessna 172, Britten-Norman Islander BN-2 or similar capable of 115 to 135 kias.

Communications

Australia uses CTAF (Common Traffic Advisory Frequency) for radio comms at uncontrolled airfields.

FSCopilot/FSInn

VATSIM pilots connecting to the network using FSCOPILOT/FSINN can install an additional file that provides the ability to tune the CTAF frequency and make voice announcements to other pilots on frequency. These files can be obtained via this link.

Swift

Swift is a recent VATSIM Pilot Client alternative now released to the public as a beta release candidate. This pilot client is a one fits all alternative and will work with FSX, P3D V3/V4 and XPlane in either 32 bit Windows or 64 bit Windows, Mac and Linux. This client, once installed and configured (not for the faint of heart - some guidance can be found in this video tutorial for those with X-Plane on Windows x64), also provides a capability for pilots to designate a private voice channel to allow communication with other pilots in the same voice channel. However, to do this requires a frequency over ride to be set allowing the client to ignore the set frequency instead providing text entry into a text box. Into this box the name of the voice room needs to be entered to enable voice communication. A voice room is typically in the form of "some.server.org/<Airport ICAO>". The server component is ALWAYS "rw1.vatpac.org". So this week's departure would use "rw1.vatpac.org/<Airport ICAO>".
For airports without an airport ICAO it is typical to use VATPAC VFR Virtual voice room acccessed using 131.25 in FSINN. The equivalent for SWIFT is "rw1.vatpac.org/virtualvfr".

Altitude : Remain outside Alice Springs Controlled Airspace until a clearance is obtained from any ACTIVE ATC

Flightplan

File as : YFNE YHSB YMYV DPW OOR EWI YBAS

GPS Flightplan is available for FSX/P3D and X-Plane FMS and also provided is the original Plan-G flightplan for those that find this useful all enclosed within a Zip archive.
Note - The FSX P3D flightplan does not support starting a plan at an unrecognised airport such as YFNE Finke. To work around this short coming the plan has intentionally be prepared to commence from distant YOOD Oodnadatta where the first waypoint is YFNE Finke. The first leg should be entirely ignored and the flight should commence at the first waypoint.

Navigation : Pilots familiar with the area can navigate visually, for those less familiar the accompanying GPS Flightplan is the recommended method of navigating the flight plan.

Recommended Scenery

• ORBX Australia
• ORBX Alice Springs [YBAS]
• ANTS AUSSIE AIRPORTS
• Bazz's Australian and PNG Scenery for X-Plane (Necessary for Finke the departure airport)
• OZX 3.5 AU Scenery

Note to FSX and P3D pilots

The Ozx scenery depicting YFNE Finke the departure airport is not in the simulation database and as such pilots will be unable to spawn themselves at the departure airport. For those that flew on Friday and remembered to save the situation can use this to place themselves at the airport. For those without a saved situation a work around is to spawn at any airport, load the accompanying FSX/P3D flightplan and accept being located at the departure airport. Doing this will place the plane at YOOD Oodnadatta. From that location, open the simulation map then drag the plane to the first waypoint in the depicted plan. Ensure to close the map by clicking okay. This should relocate the plane in the vicinity of the airport in the scenery. Use slew and an overhead view to place the aircraft at the departure airport.

Flight Details

* NOTE Frequency 131.25 - "rw1.vatpac.org/virtualvfr"

• FINKE [YFNE] Takeoff
  elev : 915
  rwy : 15/33 dirt
  CTAF : 126.70 (FSINN 131.25)

• HORSESHOE BEND AIRPORT [YHSB] Overfly - H-317° D-28.2 nm

• MARYVALE [YMYV] T&G - H-334° D-36.6 nm
  elev : 1266
  rwy : 12/30 dirt
  CTAF : 122.80 (FSINN 131.25)

• DEEP WELL [DPW] Overfly - H-353° D-17.5 nm
  X-Plane pilots may at their discretion undertake a Touch and Go at Deep Well [YDPW] airstrip located in close proximity to this visual reference point
  IF ATC is active Pilots should contact ATC advising their position at Deep Well and request clearance to continue inbound via VFR Route 5

• MOUNT OORAMINNA [OOR] Overfly - VICTOR 5 D-16.2 nm

• EWANINGA [EWI] Overfly - VICTOR 5 D-7.5 nm

• ALICE SPRINGS [YBAS] Land - VICTOR 5 D-10.7 nm
  elev : 1789
  rwy : 17/35 12/30 asphalt
  CTAF/TWR : 118.30
  VOR/DME : AS 115.90
  NDB : AS 335.0

WAN Chart

Alice Spring VTC