Evan Reiter

Lots of fun! The DC-3 was actually much more enjoyable to fly than I thought it would be. For a default FSX aircraft, it feels like Microsoft did quite a good job of modelling the plan while keeping it simple enough for someone who doesn't know the first thing about flying a taildragger to use.

Looks like fun! Unfortunately I'll be out of town that evening so I won't be able to attend in person. (By the way: We also (currently) have a Regional Circuit scheduled from 8-11pm ET that evening.)

There is no ATC during these types of flights (purpose is more social than operational...so it's a bit different than what you might see on our server on a regular basis). TeamSpeak is used for the chit-chat between pilots.

I presume the hosts (msFlights.net) decided on the type of aircraft. I think it'll be fun...and obviously nobody will be well-versed in flying it so it'll be really fun! Ultimately, these events end up being more about the conversations than the flying. And don't worry, nobody's going to judge! Incidentally, it's a little funny and totally coincidental that I just talked about this aircraft during a presentation at Flight SimCon. For those who were there and/or have seen it -- I promise this is a total coincidence and was NOT planned! By the way, the flight plan was just posted:

Boston Virtual ATC is pleased to be participating once again in the Cross-Community Flight (CCF), this time hosted by msFlights.net. As you may remember, BVA hosted the last CCF in which the record for attendance in a multiplayer server was broken! We look forward to seeing our members out in full force once again to represent our community well. As always, Cross Community Flights are not so much about the flight itself, but about the opportunity to come together with fellow aviation simulation enthusiasts who use FSX multiplayer to discuss topics like add-ons, simulation platforms, and different FSX communities. To facilitate conversation, this is a pilot-only event (ATC will not be provided at any of the controlled airports). Please connect to the msFlights.net TeamSpeak server by 3pm ET this Saturday to participate! Date: Saturday, June 21 Time: 3pm ET (begin connecting at 2pm ET) TeamSpeak Server (no password): msflights.ts.nfoservers.com FSX Server (no password): 23.255.207.47 (fly default Douglas DC-3) For more information, please visit the FSX Beyond GameSpy forums: http://www.fsxbeyondgamespy.com/forums/ ... p?f=4&t=68. I look forward to joining you in the msFlights.net TeamSpeak server on Saturday! Photo Credit: FSX Beyond GameSpy user 'Düsselwings' - http://www.fsxbeyondgamespy.com/forums/ ... p=182#p182

Our FSX server ISP has maintenance scheduled between 1-6am ET on June 4. The maintenance window is scheduled to resolve "some minor issues recently discovered on some core infrastructure". The ISP does NOT expect any outages for our services but has advised us to be aware of the possibility of a short interruption. The maintenance is not related to the recent intermittent connectivity issues that have been experienced. Our team will be online to restore the server as quickly as possible if there are any interruptions.

Just ordered 2. We're at 23 now. :-) Incredible! Thank you (and the many other donors) for contributing to the campaign.

Server connectivity appears to have stabilized. Throughout this brief period of intermittent connectivity, most pilots were able to remain connected to FSX. However, most members were disconnected multiple times from both FlightDesk and the Member TeamSpeak. In consultation with our ISP, it appears the issue was "between" the end users affected and the server, meaning that the connectivity problem is entirely outside of the control of BVA or our ISPs. Think of the internet as a series of pipes, starting at your house and ending at the server. Both ends of the pipe -- your internet connection and the FSX server -- remained online. However, there was an issue somewhere in the middle of the pipe known as "the internet" that created the intermittent connectivity with our server. While unfortunate, this type of issue is unlikely to be malicious and more likely to be an isolated technical issue. The FSX server itself, including all of our applications, was online and functioning at normal capacity throughout the evening. We apologize for the inconvenience that may have been caused to members using our server this evening. We are glad that FSX itself was affected minimally, pilots and controllers were generally able to continue to perform their duties, and the connectivity is now stable.

We are currently experiencing intermittent connectivity issues with our FSX server. Our ISP has been engaged to help resolve the issue, and updates will be posted here and on our Facebook page.

This evening, our FSX server was temporarily affected by some of the weather affecting the northeast. As a result, connectivity was affected for some members for a brief 5-10 minute period. The FSX server remains online and connectivity now appears stable. Some members were disconnected from the server mid-flight as a result of the outages. We apologize for the inconvenience that was caused by this situation outside of our control.

We normally wouldn't post an update on the forums about a password change but because the new password also affects the recently-released Member TeamSpeak server, we wanted to draw attention to it. This morning, the password needed to connect to FSX was changed on its usual schedule. As always, the new password may be found on the Server Information page of the website. As the password for the Member TeamSpeak server reflects the FSX server, users of the Member TeamSpeak will need to use the new password to login there as well (or, if you have BVA's Member TeamSpeak bookmarked, please update the password in your bookmark).

The FSX server is stable and our ISP's scheduled maintenance period has ended. We'll continue to monitor the server to ensure it remains accessible to members.

Our FSX server is temporarily inaccessible to some members due to scheduled maintenance. We expect this to be resolved within the next few minutes.

Follow-up maintenance related to the same item is expected to occur between 11pm - 11:59pm ET tonight (April 18). Once again, no downtime is expected. However, there is the potential the server may be offline for a brief period. As always, we will post about any outages on our forums and social media pages.

Our FSX server ISP is conducting scheduled maintenance on our FSX server between 12-1am ET on Saturday, April 12. The maintenance is not expected to result in any downtime but there is the potential the server may be offline for a brief period. Pilots planning to fly during the this time should plan to be disconnected if the server is temporarily unavailable. We apologize for any inconvenience that may occur and look forward to the improved reliability expected after the maintenance is complete.

Our Member TeamSpeak is now available across the community. All members should have access to the new server using the credentials listed on the Server Information page. Please let us know if you experience any issues accessing or using the new server. Over the next few weeks, information about how to connect to the server will be added to our Getting Started Guide. The new server is a supplementary means of connecting with members on a social level. The server is be available on an optional basis, with no requirement to use TeamSpeak to communicate with ATC (FSX-based radio communication will continue to be the mechanism for communicating with ATC and other pilots for operational purposes).

Please note that the FSX server password has changed (again), with the new password effective as of March 31. The password has changed a few times recently due to an ongoing disciplinary/administrative matter. The current server password can always be found by logging in to the Server Info page.

Congratulations to each of the following members who passed today's Challenge: Cameron32 ewb1972 Gbruton gochase85 Greg9154 jonathan kk1582 MHM49 Mstrstu The weather cooperated nicely with us today, presenting an added layer of difficulty. We used real-world weather, which was consistently low VMC (around a 2,000' ceiling with some light snow) throughout the afternoon. It also presented a nice 5-15 knot tailwind for aircraft landing on Runway 12. Thanks to everyone who participated in the event. I hope everyone who flew this afternoon enjoyed the opportunity to try something new and picked up a useful technique that could be applied to future flights.

We're happy to announce that the rotating banner on our homepage is online again, as is the Airport Updates page. If anything on the website looks strange, please use the "F5" key to refresh the page. If you are still seeing anything that looks out of the ordinary, please let us know so that we can investigate. Thanks again for your patience during this important website update.

Last night, Jay ('JKLovelace') achieved his Center Solo Rating, one step away from the highest level of ATC certification that can be obtained on our network. This rating shows that Jay has the experience and ability needed to provide top-tier ATC to the community. Jay is one of BVA's veteran controllers. After joining the community in December 2007, Jay quickly become involved in our ATC program and has been part of ATC here for about as long as I have (and possibly even longer). In fact, our training records -- which go back to 2009 -- don't even capture Jay's Ground or Tower training, as the first training he has logged was his Class B Approach Solo Rating on August 5, 2010. We're proud to add Jay to the staff of Center controllers and look forward to expanding our coverage of the ZBW and ZNY airspaces over the next few months. Meanwhile, we are continuing to train new controllers from Class C Ground all the way up to Center, and look forward to adding 1-2 more Center controllers over the remainder of the year.

Website maintenance is now complete and the site should be stable. Again, you may need to refresh some pages to ensure they are being displayed properly. Over the next few days, the rotating homepage banner should be back online. We're also planning to finish re-building the Airport Updates page over the next few days.

While some website maintenance is still ongoing, we're happy to report that the majority of the maintenance is complete and that the website should be functioning normally. If you are missing menu pages or see anything else unusual, please click "F5" to refresh your browser as this should correct the issue. There are three outstanding items we are continuing to follow up on: 1. Airport Updates and a few other downloads are unavailable until Monday. 2. New users will be unable to apply for membership for the next few hours. We expect this to be resolved by 3am ET on Sunday. 3. The rotating banner on the homepage that shows upcoming events is currently disabled. We'll be re-enabling it once the website is stable. If you do notice anything else that seems to be out of place on the website, please let us know by posting on this thread or sending us an email. We appreciate your continued support throughout the maintenance period and look forward to returning the website to its normal stability by the end of the day tomorrow.

Scheduled website maintenance is planned to take place beginning Friday, March 21 through Sunday, March 23. The FSX server, which also hosts FlightDesk and Live ATIS, will continue to function normally. During the maintenance period, the website will be highly unstable, with intermittent periods of partial functionality. During periods of intermittent functionality, dynamic aspects of the website like the Pilot Timetable, events pages, and our ATC exams will likely not function as intended. Due to potential instability, we recommend BVA members refrain from using the website during the maintenance period, if possible. A message will be posted here when the maintenance has been completed and the website is stable. The maintenance is planned in order to upgrade the ‘back end’ of our website. We do not expect end users to see any immediate changes to the website’s functionality once maintenance has been completed. We appreciate the inconvenience this maintenance will cause and are scheduling it during an off-peak period (weekend during which there are no events scheduled) to limit the impact of the outage. Please let us know if you have any questions.

Just posted details for our next Challenge: an IFR Procedures Challenge at KBZN. As with our last IFR Procedures Challenge, ATC will be providing feedback on each segment of the flight. Is there any interest in taking that a step further and having ATC assign a rating (say, 1 to 10) based on adherence to procedure? Scores could be tallied up across the three segments by ATC and transmitted to the pilot at the end of the event. Not a requirement - just curious if it would be something people are interested in. Obviously the focus should continue to be on learning and practice. Those who aren't able or comfortable with flying each of the segments would not receive a score.

Sorry I wasn't on here to answer this any earlier. How did the weather turn out for your flight? Looked like you were airborne for a little while.