International Event: Tales of the Precious and Beautiful Islands

Foreword

A very destructive earthquake of magnitude 9.0 occurred in the Tohoku region of Japan on 11th March 2011. This was followed by tsunamis estimated to be over 10 metres high that swept many kilometres inland, and radiation leakage from a nuclear power plant damaged by the earthquake. At least 10,000 deaths have been confirmed, with many thousands more missing.

We halted our activities on VATSIM, including training and regular events, while Japan dealt with the immediate aftermath of the disaster: from sheltering and food for those in the Tohoku region who were lucky enough to survive, to the electricity shortage spanning a wide area (including Tokyo) caused by damage to numerous power plants.

Having only been weeks since the earthquake and tsunami, there is still a long way to go on the road to recovery. However, we are ready to move on from the disaster, and will resume our activities on VATSIM. For our events, this will be our first after the disaster. We thank everyone around the world for their support, and we hope you enjoy this event!

Event details

This year, we are having our shuttle event between Taipei in Taiwan, and Naha on Okinawa Island again. See from the skies the "Precious Island" (bao dao in Chinese) that is Taiwan, and the "Beautiful Island" (churashima in Okinawan) that is Okinawa!

Date: 16th April 2011 (Saturday)
Time: 12:00–16:00 UTC (21:00–01:00 in Japan)
Airports: ROAH Naha (Okinawa), RCTP Taiwan Taoyuan Intl (Taipei)

Recommended routes

The recommended routes between Taoyuan and Naha airports are as follows:

ROAH to RCTP:
- TEBEK DCT JIEFA DCT ELIZA DCT MYC R595 GRACE
  - SID: NAHA SOUTHWEST FOUR departure, TEBEK transition
  - STAR: GRACE ONE ALFA RNAV arrival [GR1A] for RWY 05/06; GRACE ONE BRAVO RNAV arrival [GR1B] for RWY 23/24
- TORII V91 MYC R595 GRACE (only for RWY 36 departures)
  - SID: CHURA TWO departure, TORII transition
  - STAR: GRACE ONE ALFA RNAV arrival [GR1A] for RWY 05/06; GRACE ONE BRAVO RNAV arrival [GR1B] for RWY 23/24
RCTP to ROAH:
- GRACE R595 MYC V91 NHC
  - SID: NEPAS ONE GOLF RNAV departure [NP1G] for RWY 05/06; OCTAN ONE GOLF RNAV departure [OT1G] for RWY 23/24
  - STAR: RYOSA arrival for RWY 18; TEBEK arrival for RWY 36

Notes

Naha Airport

Standard instrument departures and arrivals differ greatly depending on the runway in use. Please make sure you are using the correct ones!
For departures from Naha, there is an altitude restriction of 1,000 feet immediately after departure on both SIDs. Continue climb only when instructed. In Japan, published level restrictions are automatically cancelled if an instruction to climb to a higher level is given ("JAL4301, climb and maintain FL200"). Aircraft will be told to "comply with restrictions" if they need to be observed during a climb ("JAL4301, climb and maintain FL200, comply with restrictions").
For arrivals to Naha, if no STAR is issued before MYC (Miyakojima VORTAC) or RYOSA, continue towards NHC (Naha VORTAC) and expect radar vectors. Do not fly a STAR without clearance!
RWY 18 has only a VOR and an RNAV instrument approach. Both have numerous mandatory crossing altitudes during the approach—check the charts carefully!
RWY 36 has an ILS, but is very slightly offset (by less than one degree).
The initial climb after a missed approach is 1,000 feet.
The passenger terminals are on the northeastern side of the airport, east of the runway.
Transition altitude is 14,000 ft; transition level is FL140.
Speed restriction: maximum 250 knots at or below 10,000 ft within approach control area. Maximum 200 knots (jets) or 160 kts (props) at or below 3000 ft within control zone.
QNH settings are given in inches of mercury (phraseology example: QNH 2992).

Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport

Expect an initial altitude of 5,000 feet for departure.
When RWY 05 or RWY 06 is used for arrival, aircraft on the GR1A RNAV arrival may be instructed to join the respective ILS approaches before JAMMY, from either MARCH or FETUS on the STAR. All these points are IAFs for the ILS approaches; please consult the instrument approach charts for more information.
All ILS approaches to Taoyuan airport include speed controls, generally 180 to 200 knots when 15 miles to touchdown, and 150 to 160 knots when 5 miles to touchdown (RWY 05/06) or over FAF (RWY 23/24).
Both runways are used for both departures and arrivals (not segregated).
Transition altitude is 11,000 ft; transition level is FL130.
Speed restriction: maximum 250 knots below 10,000 ft. Cancellation of this speed restriction does not cancel approach speed restrictions.
QNH settings are in hectopascals.

Charts

Charts for Japan are available at https://aisjapan.mlit.go.jp. Free registration is required.
Charts for Taiwan are available at http://eaip.caa.gov.tw.