Image: Screenshot of the Month winner Francesco D.

Boston Virtual ARTCC's Community Newsletter · March 1, 2025

Last Call: Complete the Member Satisfaction Survey

By: Camden Bruno

BVA is currently conducting our 2025 Member Satisfaction Survey. Done once every two years, the survey helps us identify trends in the community and establish the direction of our organization. 

We are asking all members to take 10-15 minutes to complete the survey here. 

The survey will close on March 5, 2025, so please complete it now.

Cross the Pond: April 2025

By: Evan Reiter

The Westbound edition of Cross the Pond will take place toward the end of April. Expect to see voting for participating airfields in the coming weeks. 

Cross the Pond is the network’s largest and longest-running event. Departing from some of the biggest airports in Europe and Africa, pilots will enjoy full ATC coverage across the Atlantic Ocean until they arrive in the Americas hours later.

To fly across the Atlantic during Cross the Pond, booking a slot is required. No slot is required to fly into or out of Boston and our other airports during event hours. More information about slot booking and event procedures will be published as the event approaches.

By: Cameron Peterson

As always, our events team is working to create exciting and unique guaranteed periods of ATC coverage for our members to enjoy. 

On Saturday, March 8, it's time to hit the ice and play the best game you can name! We’ll have staffing at KORD, KDTW, CYYZ, CYUL, KJFK, and KBOS from 7:30 – 11:00pm. 

Take your shift on a line with the greats of the era like Gordie HHOWE, Stan MKITA, Johhny BUCYK, Bobby HULLZ, and Tim HORTN, and try to SKORR a SLLAP SHHOT past Jacque PLNTE, all while avoiding a trip to the PNLTE BBOXX!

The Original Six ARTCCs have all opened their biggest arenas for the show: who will you back in the FYTTE to be STNLE CCUPP CHMPN???

On Wednesday, March 26 from 6:00 – 9:00pm, we light up Albany International Airport (KALB) for practice approaches, arrivals from afar, or traffic pattern operations. With a single focus-airport, this is the perfect opportunity to experience being sequenced at a busier airport with both IFR and VFR arrivals. 

By: Sean Doyle

Well my hands are sore and I have carpal tunnel... not from flying F-35s for a ZKC OTS at Kansas City last week or formation flying the 145 with Dudley in an F35 down the Charles River Basin to get some screenshots for the website, nor handflying in the 4 person formation flight of Medflight EC45's that graced some unsuspecting (but well-trained) Boston Tower controllers the other night. No, my Writer's Block as I craft this article is because after months of tireless work by a huge number of volunteers, the General SOP, the website, and all of the rules, guidelines, direction, hopes and dreams of the newly minted BVA Special Operations group is complete enough for launch day.

Come celebrate with the newly minted BVA Special Operations (we're calling it Spec Ops or BVASO) at our launch event today from 1pm to 4pm and fly around some of the A90 and Y90 satellite fields. Thanks to many of our controllers, we'll have coverage at Boston (but more so the Hospital helipads), our new Medflight Base at Bedford, and some military operations conducted out of Westover Air Force Base (CEF). We'll be performing a number of operations today like MEDEVAC/HEMS patient transports, Massachusetts State Police helicopters will be rehearsing Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) and our Military pilots will be conducting things such as aerial refueling, low-level MOA flying, or maybe even intercepting pilots who aren't paying attention...

If you were already a current member of the now former BVA Military and you have not already signed up through the new website, you can do so at any time and our Command Staff will process your application immediately. Make sure to download the ACARS client (SmartCARS) and start tracking your flights in the new system. If you're a prospective candidate and have never been active, we encourage you to apply through the site but please have patience as we deal with an influx of applications that will take some considerable time to process. Just as a reminder if you are thinking of applying, BVASO requires candidates to submit an extensive application and all prospective members must go through an interview process -- because of that, expect it will take multiple weeks or even a couple months to move every launch day applicant through the system. We'll do this in order of application including anyone who has been waiting for us to get back to them during the rebuild.

I would be remiss if I didn't close this informer article with a massive thank you to the team that has been working on this behind the scenes. Chris Raabe and Patrick Curtin for working on standing up the Military unit in its new form, Devin Payne and Jon Halverson for prepping and planning our launch day event, and Andrew Miller for his guidance as we set policy on our new training program. I want to, however, give two MASSIVE shout outs to Benjamin Dudley who has built the entire civilian operation essentially on his own while I made the GSOP, and Szymon Puzdrowski for his efforts on standing up a robust and complex website while balancing a crazy work schedule. Both have put insane hours into helping me get this rolling, and I'm grateful (and hope you are too!) for their efforts.

That's all for now, looking forward to a beautiful day of flying in ZBW (this weather is PERFECT) and looking forward to growing our member base in the coming weeks!

Oh, did I bury the lead? New website: specops.bvartcc.com :)

Cape Air Virtual is the official virtual airline of Boston Virtual ARTCC. It is based on the real-world Cape Air serving passengers in New England and beyond. CAV also offers pilots an expanded schedule of virtual routes plus a business-class division called Cape Air Executive.

By Aaron Louison, Cape Air Virtual Events Coordinator

At the beginning of 2025, Cape Air Virtual organized a survey to gauge member sentiment surrounding group flights and events. The resulting feedback was a resounding interest in CAV events and group flights, with suggestions around timing and coordination with events organized by BVA and VATUSA.

As a result, CAV plans to organize group flights for its members in conjunction primarily with BVA events and other interesting events on the VATUSA calendar with the goal of having approximately two group flights per month. Since these group flights will occur alongside broader events, they will happen at varying times and days of the week, aiding in members' diverse schedules. For those interested in community, members will engage in a voice chat on CAV Discord for a pre-flight briefing and hang-out during flight.

In short, whenever BVA is planning an event, expect a CAV group flight. Separately, you may see group flights planned around interesting regions and routes across the VATUSA calendar to maintain a pace of 2 events per month.

On February 25, a group of CAV pilots flying KAP and KAE participated in BVA's regional circuit, flying between Syracuse and Boston. Coming up on March 8, CAV will organize a group flight arrival at CYUL during HOCKE Night at VATUSA.

CAV event information can be found on CAV's website and on the BVA forums.

Pilot Tip of the Month

Hold Short!

When receiving taxi instructions, you’ll frequently be told to “hold short of” an intersecting taxiway or runway. “Hold short of” instructions can be given to allow traffic to land or depart on a crossing runway, or for sequencing you with other taxiing traffic—and either way, they are extremely important. 

When instructed to “hold short of”, you must stop before entering any part of the intersecting surface. In the case of a runway, this means to stop prior to the marked location. In some cases, taxiway intersections may have markings denoting the point to stop at; if not, make your best estimate of where the intersecting taxiway starts and leave plenty of room for an aircraft to cross in front of you. 

During a recent event, some pilots misinterpreted instructions like “hold short of C” as “hold short on C” and incorrectly entered taxiways, cutting off other traffic. You will never be told to “hold short on”, so if you hear “hold short”, stop before reaching the point mentioned in the instruction. 

Image source: https://holdshort.net/?t=c&h=b

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