CXA001

Often referred to as the sixth Great Lake, Georgian Bay features more than 30,000 islands and 2,000 kilometers of shoreline. Georgian Bay's beauty is serene. Windswept pines, majestic towering cliffs, endless beaches and clear blue water all create a one of a kind destination. Parry Sound, the largest natural harbour on Georgian Bay, was named by Captain Henry Bayfield after Sir William Edward Parry, the Arctic explorer. Bayfield surveyed the 30,000 islands in the early 19th Century. This is a staging point for trips not only to your cottage nearby, but also for countless exploration possibilities of the beautiful French River and Muskoka areas. The Parry Sound Area Municipal Airport (PSAMA) is located in Seguin Township in the District of Parry Sound. The PSAMA's runway is 4,000' with a 290' by 320' apron and medium-intensity airfield lighting. The airport has a float plane base located on the 4,000' long Robert's Lake connected to the airport via a private access road. The PSAMA is a popular re-fueling destination for Air Ambulance, Hydro One Helicopters, Ontario Provincial Police, and Search & Rescue. Canadian Xpress would like to invite all pilots & virtual airlines to join us on Saturday, December 17th at 10h00est (15h00z) and 21h00est (Sunday 02h00z) for our December 2016 fly-in we will fly from Bar Harbor Airport (KBHB) and head west across Boston ARTCC, Montreal and Toronto FIRs and fly a challenging approach into Parry Sound Municipal Airport (CNK4). This is an open invitation to all pilots no matter what your flying experience to attend this Canadian Xpress event that will be flown on the VATSIM network. One lucky Canadian Xpress pilot will win: • Any Real Flight Shop Product (Maximum $50.00 USD) from: http://www.realflightshop.com/en-us/ More information regarding this event including operational details, charts, optional add-on scenery and Canadian Xpress Model Sets can be viewed by visiting www.CanadianXpress.ca or by directly downloading our Fly-In document here. See you all on Saturday the 17th!

This month we are trying something new for our challenges where we will follow a real world flight in real-time and see if we can do better. It’s totally up to the pilot to choose a route and aircraft (as long as you’re rated for it). The real world ops title says it all. Pick a real world flight and fly it online at the same time the real flight is making the same flight in the real world. This however means there is no time offsetting allowed. So if you choose to fly during daylight hours, you will have to pick a fight that is flying somewhere in the world at the same time. The easiest way to pick a fight is to visit http://flightaware.com and select a flight. You can browse flights by airport, aircraft type or real world airline. Join Canadian Xpress today in order to participate as there are some great prizes to be won including: Any Aerosoft Download Product from: http://www.aerosoft.com/ The December 2016 Challenge is open to all Canadian Xpress pilots from December 3rd until December 30th, 2016 so join Canadian Xpress today by visiting http://CanadianXpress.ca . *Canadian Xpress accepts 50% of your VATSIM, IVAO or other Virtual airline hours with no limits.

With one of the most dangerous approaches in the United States, Eagle County Regional Airport serves the world-famous ski resorts of the Eagle-Vail area in Colorado. The Airport is largely seasonal, with the greatest number of scheduled flights operating during the winter months. During the ski season, Eagle County Regional Airport is the second busiest airport in Colorado after the Denver International Airport. Eagle serves as a great alternative to Denver for skiers in the Eagle Valley because of its close proximity to the major international ski resorts of Vail, Beaver Creek, Copper Mountain, Keystone and Breckenridge. Due to the abundance of flights into Eagle County Regional Airport and the ability to accept larger aircraft than Aspen, a number of passengers fly into Eagle County Regional Airport rather than attempting to fly into Aspen. Operations into the airport during the summer months have proven to be increasingly popular with tourists, with United Express offering service year-round and with American Airlines serving the Airport during summer months from June through September. Eagle County Regional Airport is also extremely popular with private aircraft operators and has one of the top rated fixed-base operators in the country, the Vail Valley Jet Center. Due to the wide variety of private and commercial aircraft, CNN rated Eagle County Regional Airport as one of the world's top places to spot aircraft. Canadian Xpress would like to invite all pilots & virtual airlines to join us on Saturday, November 19th at 10h00est (15h00z) and 21h00est (Sunday 02h00z) for our November 2016 fly-in where we depart from Winnipeg Intl (CYWG) and head south towards Denver and fly a challenging approach into Eagle County Regional airport (KEGE). This is an open invitation to all pilots no matter what your flying experience to attend this Canadian Xpress event that will be flown on the VATSIM network. One lucky Canadian Xpress pilot will win: • Any Real Flight Shop Product (Maximum $50.00 USD) from: http://www.realflightshop.com/en-us/ More information regarding this event including operational details, charts, optional add-on scenery and Canadian Xpress Model Sets can be viewed by visiting www.CanadianXpress.ca or by directly downloading our Fly-In document here. See you all on Saturday the 19th!

We have all seen the countless YouTube videos of the crazy crosswind landings at Birmingham Airport. Well it’s your turn to try your hand at it. Birmingham Airport (EGBB) formerly Birmingham International Airport is located 5.5 nautical miles (10.2 km; 6.3 mi) east southeast of Birmingham city centre, at Bickenhill in Solihull, England. It has a CAA Public Use Aerodrome Licence (Number P451) that allows flights for the public transport of passengers or for flying instruction. Passenger throughput in 2015 was over 10.1 million, making Birmingham the seventh busiest airport in the UK. The airport offers both domestic flights within the UK, and international flights to destinations in Europe, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, North America and the Caribbean. Birmingham Airport is an operating base for Flybe, Monarch, Ryanair, Thomas Cook Airlines, and Thomson Airways. From March 2017 the airport will be a base for Jet2.com. Strangely enough the airport is 48% owned by the Ontario (Canada) Teacher’s Pension Plan. This month, the challenge is to pick your favorite Canadian Xpress jet aircraft and depart from Dusseldorf (EDDL) Germany’s 3rd largest airport that can handle aircraft as large as the Airbus A380 and fly to Birmingham Airport (EGBB). Lower ranked pilots may fly the Canadian Xpress Airbus A320-211 or Boeing 737-900 that is available to all pilots regardless of rank but only for this challenge. Join Canadian Xpress today in order to participate as there are some great prizes to be won including: Any Aerosoft Download Product from: http://www.aerosoft.com/ The November 2016 Challenge is open to all Canadian Xpress pilots from November 2nd until November 29th, 2016 so join Canadian Xpress today by visiting http://CanadianXpress.ca . *Canadian Xpress accepts 50% of your VATSIM, IVAO or other Virtual airline hours with no limits.

Samos Airport is named after Aristarchos of Samos, an ancient astronomer and mathematician, and lies within 5 km from the nearby town of Pythagorio. The airport features a single short runway serving both arrivals and departures. The airports surroundings leave little room for error or mistake on the behalf of the pilots – with nearby mountains and sea at the end of the short runway. Samos is the island airport with the most notorious landing approaches in Greece. It involves pure stick and rudder demanding hand-type of flying in between mountains. There are often strong Meltemi winds blowing from the north during the summer months which further contribute to the difficulty of the landing. There is only one terminal within the airport. There are five boarding gates, none of which have jet-bridges. Passenger facilities are split across two floors and include a duty-free shop and a small café. Canadian Xpress would like to invite all pilots & virtual airlines to join us on Saturday, October 15th at 10h00edt (14h00z) and 21h00edt (Sunday 01h00z) for our October 2016 fly-in where we depart from Geneva (LSGG) and head southeast through Italy and the Adriatic Sea, along the Balkans coastline to the Greece islands and into Samos Airport (LGSM). This is an open invitation to all pilots no matter what your flying experience to attend this Canadian Xpress sponsored event that will be flown on the VATSIM network. More information regarding this event including operational details, charts, optional add-on scenery and Canadian Xpress Model Sets can be viewed by visiting www.CanadianXpress.ca or by directly downloading our Fly-In document here. See you all on Saturday the 15th!

Anyone who holds a pilot’s licence in the real world know what it means to stay current. It doesn’t really take much, a medical every few years and required amount of flight time which requires that you to fly an hour at least once a month. So this month, we are keeping current on our flight hours. In order to do that, all the restrictions are coming off. You pick the airport, you pick the route, and you even get to pick the aircraft as long as that aircraft is a single engine piston powered prop. This month, the challenge is to pick your favorite airport and single piston aircraft and head out on an hour or so VFR flight. You can just go on a sightseeing trip and return to where you started or head somewhere else for what’s known as a $100 hamburger. Only other rule is, this can’t be a leg from any of our tours or VFR/Bush events. Has to be a standalone VFR flight, and remember feel free to bring traffic to some local ATC, because we all know how they love VFR traffic. Join Canadian Xpress today in order to participate as there are some great prizes to be won including: Any Aerosoft Download Product from: http://www.aerosoft.com/ The October 2016 Challenge is open to all Canadian Xpress pilots from October 2nd until October 29th, 2016 so join Canadian Xpress today by visiting http://CanadianXpress.ca . *Canadian Xpress accepts 50% of your VATSIM, IVAO or other Virtual airline hours with no limits.

On Saturday, September 24th, 2016, Canadian Xpress reached a milestone as we have officially logged over 100,000 flights. The 100,000 flight was logged by Dave Weese (CXA007) at approximately 03h00z. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our pilots for their support in helping make us one of the most active Canadian virtual airlines. Your participation in our events, challenges and contests is what has made Canadian Xpress® the continued success that it is. For the latest Canadian Xpress Virtual Airline flight statistics, please visit our home page located at http://CanadianXpress.ca. *Canadian Xpress accepts 50% of your VATSIM, IVAO or other Virtual airline hours with no limits.

Nuuk is the capital and largest city of Greenland. It is the seat of government and the country's largest cultural and economic center. The major cities closest to the capital are Iqaluit and St. John's in Canada and Reykjavík in Iceland. Nuuk contains almost a quarter of Greenland's population, and also has the tallest building in Greenland. Nuuk is the seat of government for the Sermersooq municipality. In January 2016, it had a population of 17,316, making it one of the smallest capital cities in the world by population. The airport was constructed to serve the largest town in Greenland, yet due to space constraints at the location in a mountainous area and problems with the weather, it is unable to service large airliners or flights reaching Denmark or other countries. In connection with events are chartered aircraft or VIP flights unable to reach Nuuk. A change to a small local aircraft (normally at Kangerlussuaq) is always needed. A large expansion of the airport is not an acceptable option also due to the approach over the urbanized area of the outlying districts of Nuuk, although the issue continues to be a subject of internal debate in Greenland. Canadian Xpress would like to invite all pilots & virtual airlines to join us on Saturday, September 17th at 10h00edt (14h00z) and 21h00edt (Sunday 01h00z) for our September 2016 fly-in where we depart from Iqaluit Airport (CYFB) and head east into Greenland territory and fly a challenging approach into Nuuk airport (BGGH). This is an open invitation to all pilots no matter what your flying experience to attend this Canadian Xpress sponsored event that will be flown on the VATSIM network. More information regarding this event including operational details, charts, optional add-on scenery and Canadian Xpress Model Sets can be viewed by visiting www.CanadianXpress.ca or by directly downloading our Fly-In document here. See you all on Saturday the 17th!

Every day, hundreds of oil rig workers climb aboard a helicopter and head in to the open sea for 14-21 days at a time, to operate offshore platforms in order to continue to supply the worlds need for oil. This month we follow some of those routes in to the Gulf of Mexico. Your mission is to depart Lakefront Airport (KNEW) and fly to south of the LEV VOR to 50 DME (making the one-way flight about 100 miles) and pick an oil rig to land on and return back to Lakefront with any Canadian Xpress payware or freeware helicopter that is available to all pilots regardless of rank, but only for the challenge. Join Canadian Xpress today in order to participate as there are some great prizes to be won including: Any Aerosoft Download Product from: http://www.aerosoft.com/ The September 2016 Challenge is open to all Canadian Xpress pilots from September 2nd until September 29th, 2016 so join Canadian Xpress today by visiting http://CanadianXpress.ca . *Canadian Xpress accepts 50% of your VATSIM, IVAO or other Virtual airline hours with no limits.

The Panama Canal is a 48-mile ship canal in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a key conduit for international maritime trade. There are locks at each end to lift ships up to Gatun Lake, an artificial lake created to reduce the amount of excavation work required for the canal, 85 feet above sea level. It takes 6 to 8 hours to pass through the Panama Canal. One of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken, the Panama Canal shortcut greatly reduced the time for ships to travel between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, enabling them to avoid the lengthy, hazardous Cape Horn route around the southernmost tip of South America via the Drake Passage or Strait of Magellan. Canadian Xpress would like to invite all pilots & virtual airlines to join us on Saturday, August 20th at 10h00edt (14h00z) and 21h00edt (Sunday 01h00z) for our August 2016 fly-in where we depart La Aurora International (MGGT) in Guatemala City and fly along Central America to Panama City - Tocumen International MPTO). This is an open invitation to all pilots no matter what your flying experience to attend this Canadian Xpress sponsored event that will be flown on the VATSIM network. More information regarding this event including operational details, charts, optional add-on scenery and Canadian Xpress Model Sets can be viewed by visiting www.CanadianXpress.ca or by directly downloading our Fly-In document here. See you all on Saturday the 20th!

Over the last year and a half we have tour some of the some of the most Dangerous Approaches in the world. This month we return to regular challenges and make a Daily Grind run from Toronto (CYYZ) to Atlanta (KATL). With more than 10 daily non-stop flights out of Toronto, Atlanta is one of the top 5 destinations out of Toronto Pearson. Your mission is to depart from Toronto (CYYZ) and head to Atlanta (KATL) with any Canadian Xpress freeware or payware aircraft that you have the rank to fly with the exception of helicopter and the Concorde. Join Canadian Xpress today in order to participate as there are some great prizes to be won including: Any Aerosoft Download Product from: http://www.aerosoft.com/ The August 2016 Challenge is open to all Canadian Xpress pilots from August 4th until August 29th, 2016 so join Canadian Xpress today by visiting http://CanadianXpress.ca . *Canadian Xpress accepts 50% of your VATSIM, IVAO or other Virtual airline hours with no limits.

Much appreciated.

Can you confirm if the flight time format for sending PIREPS is hh:mm? In other words in the XML file <flightime>hh:mm</flighttime> Regards,

Located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Burj Khalifa is the tallest artificial structure in the world, standing at 2,722 feet, almost 1,000 feet higher than the CN Tower. Burj Dubai holds many world records, most notably the building with the most floors (163), highest occupied floor (1,923 feet), highest outdoor observation deck (124th floor at 1,483 feet) and obviously, highest elevator installation. Canadian Xpress would like to invite all pilots & virtual airlines to join us on Saturday, July 23rd at 10h00edt (14h00z) and 21h00edt (Sunday 01h00z) for our July 2016 fly-in where we will visit this amazing feat of engineering by departing from Heydar Aliyev International (UBBB) in Baku, Azerbaijan and fly to Dubai International (OMDB). This is an open invitation to all pilots no matter what your flying experience to attend this Canadian Xpress sponsored event that will be flown on the VATSIM network. More information regarding this event including operational details, charts, optional add-on scenery and Canadian Xpress Model Sets can be viewed by visiting www.CanadianXpress.ca or by directly downloading our Fly-In document here. See you all on Saturday the 23rd!

This month, we are heading to Tenzing–Hillary Airport (VNLK), also known as Lukla Airport, is a small airport in the town of Lukla, in Khumbu, Solukhumbu District, Province No. 1, in eastern Nepal. The History Channel name it the most dangerous airport in the world in 2010. Your mission is to depart from Tribhuvan-Kathmandu Intl (VNKT) and head to Lukla (VNLK) with the Canadian Xpress freeware or payware DeHavilland Dash 6-Q300, Pilatus PC-12 or Bell 205 Huey. Join Canadian Xpress today in order to participate as there are some great prizes to be won including: Any Aerosoft Download Product from: http://www.aerosoft.com/ The July 2016 Challenge is open to all Canadian Xpress pilots from July 2nd until July 29th, 2016 so join Canadian Xpress today by visiting http://CanadianXpress.ca . *Canadian Xpress accepts 50% of your VATSIM, IVAO or other Virtual airline hours with no limits.