Image: Screenshot of the Month winner Braden K.

Boston Virtual ARTCC's Community Newsletter · August 1, 2026

Boston Tea Party 2026: We're Live Until 6pm ET

By: Cameron Peterson

From 12-6pm ET today, we’re staffing airports throughout BVA’s airspace during the 27th Annual Boston Tea Party! Expect coverage at many of our most popular airports all afternoon.

Additionally, pilots are welcome to participate in our fun Tea Party Pilot Poker Run: fly as many legs as you can to collect poker hands with a chance to win great prizes from our flight simulation sponsors. It’s free to participate! Learn more about Tea Party Poker here.

We encourage all BVA Members to avoid the delays at KBOS by flying to some of the other airports that you’ll see staffed. Additionally, with this being an in-person event, please note that ATC coverage will end or be reduced promptly at 6pm ET, so plan your flights accordingly!

By: Evan Reiter

We're excited to share a brand new Wings Over New England (WINGS) program with the BVA community!

(For those who haven't participated before, WINGS is BVA's free pilot training program, designed to teach the safe operation of virtual aircraft within the online ATC environment that VATSIM provides. You can learn more about how to get involved here.)

Over the past several months, we've been working with airline pilots, CFIs, and experienced VATSIM pilots to review and update each flight in the program. In some cases, we made only editorial changes like adding headers, updating language, and fixing links. In other cases, we've moved content, introduced new concepts, and removed material so the program better reflects modern equipment navigation and techniques while removing dependencies on outdated approaches.

There's also an all-new IFR 17 that introduces some of the lesser-known airliner operations elements to the WINGS program, including maintenance test flights, CAT II/III approaches, sidestep procedures, and more.

You can learn more about the changes on this forum post. If you’re new to WINGS, we encourage you to check out the program and get started! It’s a great way to learn more about flying on the VATSIM network while you explore some of the most scenic and challenging airports the ZBW airspace has to offer. 

By: Evan Reiter

On July 27, the network introduced VATSIM Listen, a new way to tune in and listen to live ATC communications from across the network. This website allows anyone to listen to live ATC communications from anywhere on the VATSIM network, without requiring a simulator or connecting as a pilot.

VATSIM Listen is currently in its initial rollout, so access will be limited while the team monitors the service and its performance.

For now:

• You can listen for up to 15 minutes during each hour.
• The service supports a limited number of listeners at any one time.
• During busy periods, you may be unable to connect or may be disconnected due to demand. If that happens, simply try again a little later.

Listen here: listen.vatsim.net. 

Pilot Tip of the Month

Aircraft Performance

It's the peak of summer: great for spending time outdoors and enjoying the warm weather - but not so great for how your aircraft handles. Higher temperatures result in a lower air density, which in turn means fewer air molecules per unit volume. This results in less air going over the wings (or rotors) and less air being compressed into the engine. Pilots are impacted both on the ground and in the air.

Aircraft will experience worse performance when it's hot and humid. You'll likely notice longer takeoff and landing distances, higher fuel planning numbers, and more turbulence in the skies from the convective build-ups. Be sure to check aircraft performance calculations against runway distance available. Most flight planning software will give you a solid estimate of runway required for takeoff. If you find yourself needing to utilize a longer runway than what is assigned to you, advise air traffic control.

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