[1SEP 2000-2200Z] VATSTAR's 900th Certification Celebration

[Amin Abrahem]

Join VATSTAR on September 1st at 2000z as we celebrate our 900th awarded VATSIM Pilot Rating (anticipated mid-August!) with a flight down the coast of Lake Erie! Bring your favorite GA plane and be ready for full ATC staffing at both Buffalo (KBUF) and Erie (KERI) airports courtesy of our training partners Cleveland ARTCC! Meet us in our member Discord server at or around 2000z (Discord invite info is available once registered at VATSTAR.com) and we'll hope to be starting to get airborne from KBUF by around 2020z or so. We look forward to our 900th Pilot Rating, and to flying with all of you in celebration!

[Andre Almeida]

Hello Amin!

 

Event has been added to VATSIM event calendar: https://www.vatsim.net/events/vatstars-900th-certification-celebration

[Robert Shearman Jr]

Our 900th Certification Celebration flight from KBUF to KERI and back to KBUF is just seven hours away! The event commences at 2000z (4pm EDT); meet in our Discord server then, and we'll start getting clearances and expect to begin departing between 2015-2020z.

 

The question is: IFR or VFR?

 

As of this writing (1300z / 9am EDT), the forecasts are as follows:

 

KBUF 011120Z 0112/0212 18005KT P6SM SCT035

FM011500 20010KT P6SM SCT040

FM012200 19008KT P6SM SCT250

FM020400 20008KT P6SM BKN040

 

KERI 011125Z 0112/0212 15012KT P6SM SCT250

FM011400 17012KT P6SM BKN250

FM012000 21008KT P6SM BKN100

PROB30 0122/0201 4SM TSRA BKN030CB

 

In laymans terms: at Buffalo, winds are expected to be around 10 knots out of heading 200, visibility six miles or better, scattered clouds at 4000 feet. At Erie, we should possibly expect winds from 210 at 8 knots, visibility six miles or better, and a broken cloud layer at 10,000 feet. Then back at Buffalo by 2200z we might be seeing cloud cover lift to scattered at 25,000.

 

If those forecasts hold up, we should be able to do this VFR right down the Lake Erie coast, which I think would be fun! I am always given a little pause by a scattered cloud layer, though -- to operate legally as VFR you have to be able to dodge them (stay 500 feet below, 1000 feet above, and one-third of a nautical mile laterally away from clouds at all times). Plus there's that line in the KERI forecast about a chance of a thunderstorm between 2200z and 0100z. To me that's iffy enough to make me think about filing IFR so I can just go right through the clouds if I want; the storms, I would probably want to steer clear of. It's up to you!

 

FILING IFR:

 

From Buffalo to Erie, I would file KBUF (BUF7) JHW V270 ERI KERI. It's only 108 miles so I wouldn't plan to cruise any higher than 8000. The Buffalo Seven is just a vectored departure that says to fly runway heading (or other heading as [Mod - Happy Thoughts]igned by ATC) until p[Mod - Happy Thoughts]ing 3000 feet, then expect vectors to your first VOR. Initial altitude is 10000 or filed cruise, whichever is lower. Jamestown VOR (JHW) is on 114.7. V270 is on the 266 outbound from JHW. Erie has a runway 6 and 24. With the probability being that we'll be landing west, in practice I would expect ATC to break us off of V270 at or before WABOR (DME 33) for vectors to final; if not, p[Mod - Happy Thoughts]ing WABOR I would be switching to Erie VOR (109.4) and navigating in on the 265 inbound (charted as 085 outbound) if using radio navigation. We should be in good enough weather for visual approaches, but, there's an ILS in either direction at KERI we should have tuned for reference / backup.

 

From Erie back to Buffalo, there are no SIDs out of KERI nor any STARs into KBUF, so I would file KERI ERI V270 JHW V115 BUF KBUF if you're /A (expecting radar vectors to join V270 rather than actually flying to Erie VOR after departure), or, KERI WABOR V270 JHW V115 BUF KBUF if you're /G (and expect radar vectors WABOR then on course). Again, JHW VOR is on 114.7 and we're inbound on 086 (charted 266) and outbound on 032. Cruise, recommended, would be 7000 or 9000. KBUF has a 5/23 and a 14/32, and I would think we're expecting 23 for arrival if the forecast holds true. Again, we should be in good enough weather for vectors to visual, but, tune the ILS to give you that backup reference if you're given 5, 23, or 32 for arrival.

 

FILING VFR:

 

If the weather holds up, I think it would be fun to file and fly this VFR and fly it right down the coast of Lake Erie! It will save us about 20nm and should be more more exciting as well.

 

From Buffalo to Erie, I'd file it KBUF to KERI with the route showing as "VFR SOUTHWESTBOUND" with a listed cruise of 8500 (with discretion to remain lower if cloud cover dictates). Call would be "Buffalo Delivery, {callsign} is a {type} with information {ATIS}, request VFR southwest-bound departure, flight following at 8500 to Erie." (or, "... negative flight following.") We're in Buffalo's Cl[Mod - Happy Thoughts] C until 10nm out from the airfield, then we're in Cl[Mod - Happy Thoughts] E and free to navigate as we please. There's a medium-sized Cl[Mod - Happy Thoughts] E airport, Dunkirk (KDKK), about halfway in between; it would be good to be above 2500 AGL (3200 MSL, there) at that point just to avoid any conflicts with its traffic pattern. KERI is a Cl[Mod - Happy Thoughts] D with a small TRSA extending out 10nm from the airport and up to 6,000 feet MSL. I would tune Erie VOR on 109.4 and, since it's 6nm southwest of the airport, I would be in touch with their Approach controller no later than 16 DME; to be courteous I would pad that by another 10 and initiate the call at around 26 DME. That would be "Erie Approach, {callsign} is a {type} with information {ATIS}, 26 miles northeast of Erie VOR at {altitude}, inbound for full-stop."

 

For the return trip I'd file it KERI to KBUF "VFR NORTHEASTBOUND" with cruise listed as 7500. Call to KERI (Ground, probably) would be the same as the above: "... {callsign} is a {type} with information {ATIS}, request VFR northeast-bound departure, flight following at 7500 to Buffalo." Again, once clear of KERI Departure's area (although radar services are optional once outside of the Cl[Mod - Happy Thoughts] D at 4nm out), I'd join the coastline, but tune BUF on 116.4 and contact Buffalo Approach no later than around 25 DME to establish two-way comms and enter the Cl[Mod - Happy Thoughts] C: "Buffalo Approach, {callsign} is a {type} with information {ATIS}, 25 miles southwest of Buffalo VOR at {altitude}, inbound for full-stop."

 

Either way, it should be a good time, and we hope to see you in our Discord server starting at 2000z!

[Robert Shearman Jr]

I just wanted to say a HUGE word of thanks to ZOB's outstanding Events and ATC staff for putting this together with us, and to all the great pilots who came out to have some fun and support us! It was a great time, and the controller staff did a super job. There's no better way to showcase visual navigation than to take a beautiful flight right down the Lake Erie coastline!

 

If you got any screenshots or video, please post them in the VATSTAR Discord! Invite link is on our website under Resources, once you're registered as a member.

 

We're already well on our way to Pilot Rating #1000 -- stay tuned! We're going to do something REALLY special for that one!