Cross the Pond is back — and if you’re planning to fly VATSIM’s biggest event, understanding how North Atlantic operations work is essential.

In this episode, we break down how oceanic flying actually works in practice.

We’ll walk through the full Cross the Pond flow, including:

• Flight planning and why you must follow the assigned route
• How oceanic ATC differs from domestic control
• RCL (Request for Clearance) and what’s really going on behind it
• HF radio, SELCAL, and how communication works over the ocean
• ADS-C position reporting and why you’re mostly hands-off
• Common mistakes

If you’ve ever wondered how aircraft stay separated without radar, or you’re flying CTP this spring and want to feel properly prepared, this is your guide.

The focus, as always, is on thinking like a pilot — staying ahead of the aircraft, managing workload, and flying with discipline in a procedural environment.

When things start to feel rushed in the cockpit, it’s rarely because the situation is impossible — it’s because you’ve stopped staying ahead of it.

In this episode, we break down situational awareness into simple, practical terms — Plane, Path, People and Notice, Understand, Think Ahead — and show how real-world pilots use them to manage workload, anticipate problems, and stay in control.

At some point in every cockpit, someone presses the wrong button.

Professional flying isn’t about never making a mistake -- it’s about recognising mistakes are possible, coming up with ways to avoid them, and catching them before they become a problem.

In this episode we look at Threat and Error Management and how pilots design strategies to avoid threats, trap errors and mitigate the consequences.

Through real examples from the simulator, including a near wrong-runway line-up in fog at Amsterdam, we explore how small cross-checks, good habits and crew coordination help prevent incidents every day.