As you may or may not know, this year's Iditarod shall "ceremonially" start in Anchorage as always but will then be moved up to Fairbanks for the official race start. Here's where you can track the event in real time.

Ceremonial Start on Saturday morning (03/04/17).

Official Race Start on Monday morning (03/06/17).

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This topic will ensure that you have the upfront information required to begin getting yourself set up to fly with EPOCH in the Iditarod, The Greatest Race on Earth.

We will discuss in specific threads within the processes that will be employed, how you can participate and at what level, and where to go for the things you will need to fully enjoy this uX-Pa Adventure.

Yes, it is open to one and all! If you wish to participate in the Forum chats, Pilot Reports and/or formal recognition of your flying achievements, then you will need to become a member of this site, uX-Pa, which isn't so hard, as it is at no cost to you and merely requires a moment to go to the top NavBar and "Sign Up".

We hope you enjoy your time with us, EPOCH PIlots, new bush fliers to our rolls and those of you who fly with us quietly (as in we don't know who you are except for the large number in our stats )

Reporting & PIREPS

First of all, there is no absolute need to report on any flight within the Iditaord Adventure. If you are not a registered EPOCH Alaska Air pilot, then any Pireps you post will be for everyone's enjoyment and edification.

Dispatches:

These are the heart of the EPOCH Alaska Air Iditarod experience. The Dispatchers will be monitoring the real world Iditarod race closely and be standing by ready to offer our virtual flight services (in much the same way that the real world Iditarod Air Force does), which will be communicated to you, the pilot, in the form of a Dispatch.

Here is a sample Dispatch, to give you an idea of what to expect.

NOTE: Times are stated in Alaskan Standard Time (Local - AKST) which is 9 hours earlier than Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) also known as UTC or Zulu time. For instance, 12 noon, or 1200 hrs. in Alaska is actually 2100 hours, or 9 pm. in GMT.

Dispatch Number: 17

Date/Time Stamp: March 12, 2017 - 0930

Expires on: March 17, 2017 - 1400

Mission:

Kristy Berington has had a total failure of her GPS unit about 3 miles out of Shaktoolik, according to a report by a race official.

Load a replacement handheld GPS unit that is available at Unalakleet and deliver it to Shak, while Kristy takes a rest stop. Be quick.

Your aircraft is currently in Fairbanks and has 3.5 hours of fuel aboard.

Expiry Date/Time:

This feature May or May Not be available this year, but will be advertised if it can be accomodated.

You must fly the mission and post your Pilot Report before the expiry date to qualify as valid.

The determination of your success in finishing before the expiry will be set as the date/time stamp on your Pilot Report post in the appropriate thread, as seen at the bottom of each post. The appropriate offset for time will be applied by the Dispatcher (for instance, gofigure must subtract 4 hours from your post time as he is in EST Time Zone).

Pilot Reports generated from these Dispatches that go past the Expiry are still very much welcome of course

When will the 2017 Iditarod start? (And answers to 14 other race questions)

https://www.adn.com/outdoors-adventure/iditarod/2017/02/27/when-will-the-2017-iditarod-start-and-answers-to-14-other-race-questions/

Be sure to read the answer to question 13. Any new race rules this year?