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Leg #56 SAWH - YSRN

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EHM-2097 Andrei:
This leg raises only a few navigation problems, especially in its very beginning and its very end. Most of it follows Colorado River; unfortunately it does not reach as far the Grand Canyon, but there are some interesting segments along the valley. So, if "airborne canyoning" is your thing, make sure you don't use the 747 on this leg.

Personally I used the PC12 (again) because of the dirt runway at the destination, while anything slower would be just too slow on the initial part of the leg, which is to be flown really high (remember my C172 mistake from the previous leg?).

If possible, take off from runway 21, otherwise make an initial 180 turn back over the airport, because it's part of the orientation clues. Locate and follow a road running south past the airport, while climbing at 10500ft.

Note a power line on the right, because this is NOT where we are heading. The road splits and the right-hand variant follows the power line up across the mountainside; from this point, follow the left-hand variant towards the far end of the valley.

Note another road junction, near the end of a power line (it is not the same we left earlier). Follow the road on the left, along the power line. Although the terrain does not make it obvious, we are now out of the North Platte River, following another river downstream.

The road is easier to follow than the river itself. A lake appears ahead, but before reaching the lake we reach Mc Elroy airport (20V). The airport is located behind a mountain peak so it will only get visible as you get abeam it.

At McElroy, the valley seem to continue right ahead but in fact it turns right following a narrow and intricate canyon. Make sure you do turn right at the proper location, and then follow the valley downstream at your best. The terrain makes it rather difficult, in some spots it is difficult to tell the "upstream" from the "downstream", but you should use the available clues:[*]The general orientation of the main valley to the southwest;
[*]The overall look of the terrain (look further than just the next valley bend)
[*]The vegetation and more generally the texture, in my case it was natural to guess that snowy terrain is "up" while grassy terrain is "down" (but this depends on the season of course).
[*]One particular detail may help, at some point the river flows past a bunch of red rocks that look very differently from the remaining of the terrain nearby.[/list]While doing so, we reach Eagle Regional airport (KEGE), normally you should see it on your left but, if you miss the main valley as I did, you may reach it from the east and fly over it. In all cases, being located in relatively large grassy and flat terrain within the mountains, it should be easy to spot so if in doubt just fly towards it.

The valley (we talk about Colorado River by now) continues to the west, much easier to follow as well as the highway and railroad running along it. After crossing another valley portion sided by red rocks, the terrain becomes lower so it's possible to descend to 7500ft.

At some point note a tributary flowing from the south, and Glenwood Springs airport (KGWS) within that valley.
Further east, the valley becomes wider as we reach Garfield Regional airport (KRIL). It is now possible to descend to 6500ft.

Next we reach Grand Junction, a relatively large city with an airport (KGJT) having two runways in a "V", then the smaller town of Fruita.

The valley bends left, near the smaller Mack Mesa airport (C07). It is time now to leave the highway and follow the river into the canyonlands. In the beginning, the railway remains close to the river (unlike the highway), and then it leaves the river too. Fortunately, shortly afterwards the river becomes wider (and thus rendered in FS as a water body) so it is very easy to spot and follow.

Note the town of Moab high above the river on its left bank, then the Tangri-La airport (UT68) right down along the river. You may descend to 5500ft, BUT only if you are in for a rather intense canyon low flying party. The river becomes narrow, and so does the valley, so make sure you don't "miss" any turn. Navigation is not an issue though: although there are a few secondary valleys in the area, only one has a river inside and this one you should follow.

After this narrow segment, the river becomes wider again as it flows into Powell Lake. From this point, there is little to note about the landscape. Bullfrog Basin airport (V07) is clearly visible on the right bank of the river (and quite busy with AI GA traffic as I flew past it). From the same spot, Cal Black Memorial airport (U96) is less visible on the opposite bank as it is a little further from the river.

A tall mountain becomes clearer and clearer visible ahead; it is Navajo Mountain where the destination of this leg is located. If you are cruising at 5500ft at this point, do not forget this is below the airport elevation.

There are several possible approaches; the one I preferred is around Navajo Mountain. Continue along Powell Lake. When reaching the southern arm of the lake, continue downstream to the southwest and climb to 7000ft. As soon as current altitude allows, turn left aside Navajo Mountain western side. Turn around the mountain east then northeast, up to the large plateau located east of the summit. At this point, be on the lookout because the runway should appear in sight shortly (close to the mountainside, not the far end of the plateau).

EHM-2097 Andrei:
The first part of this leg consists of a (guided) tour of the plateaus that make up the landscape in this part of Arizona, while the second half is a peaceful ride along highway, railroad and such.

When choosing an aircraft, the only limit is the dirt runway at the departure. I used the PC12, which has become my new "default aircraft" for the tour.

After takeoff, turn southwest and climb to 8500ft. Note and follow a road running in that direction, close to the airfield. The road does not climb or descend dramatically as we are now on top of one plateau.

Follow this road until crossing a power line, and then follow the power line to the east. Note the Shonto airfield (53AZ) below. As we follow the power line, it heads towards a valley across the plateau eastern edge (Black Mesa, in fact). Fly east down this valley, along with the power line and a road.

After crossing the Black Mesa, be sure to look back because it looks impressive seen from the east. Continue along the power line to Kayenta airport (0V7).

After Kayenta, a new mountain range appears ahead. It consists of a smaller northern section (Carrizo Mountains) and a longer southern section (Chuska Mountains). As soon as the two become distinguishable, aim for the pass in between (leaving the road and power line on your left).

After passing the saddle, turn right and proceed along and east of the Chuska range. There is a plentiful of roads in the area but none really helps as most run across the mountains not along these.

When reaching the southern end of Chuska range (note a red and white antenna on top of the southernmost peak), turn right again around it.

If the visibility is good, a town should be visible by now to the south, it is Gallup; fly towards it. In poor visibility, continue around the Chuska range until reaching a power line; follow this power line southwest to Window Rock airport (KRQE), and then a railway southeast to Gallup.

As soon as Gallup town and airport (KGUP) are clearly in sight, this leg becomes easy. Follow the highway and railway heading east. This is again a desert crossing with not so many landmarks to look for.

Near a small lake, the highway turns right and heads to Grants – Milan airport (KGNT). There is also an airfield at Cubero (NM74).

Further east, after passing near a small lake, the highway and railroad split. The railroad is better to follow, being the shorter option. Follow the railroad to the southeast, heading towards the Rio Grande valley. The river itself is not clearly visible, but the terrain alongside it clearly shows both vegetation and human settlements.

The railway we are following reaches the valley between the airports of Mid Valley (E98) to the north and Alexander (E80) to the south. Follow the Rio Grande to the south while descending to 6500ft, as the destination is near by now.

The river becomes wider so it appears as a series of lakes. As soon as you reach the second such lake (while flying west of it), Socorro airport should appear is sight.

EHM-2097 Andrei:
This leg starts easily, along a clearly visible highway, but the end portion is rather fuzzy. Not only we get out of the US area covered by the VFR charts from http://www.skyvector.com, but also the area close to the border does not match (as of the FS standard scenery) these charts.

After Socorro, climb to 6500ft and ahead south along the Rio Grande valley, plus highway and railroad. The valley is again clearly visible as a green band of vegetation within a surrounding mostly desert terrain.

Soon a lake is visible ahead, it is Elephant Butte Reservoir. On the right shore of the lake is the airport of Truth or Consequences (KTCS), while the city of the same name is located a little further downstream. Next lake along the route is Caballo Reservoir.

When the Hatch airport (E05) appears in sight, the river turns left and so does the highway. At this point leave the valley to the southwest along a railroad and a secondary road, soon joined by a power line too.

After a while, the town and airport of Deming (KDMN) appear in sight. After Deming follow the highway to the west (along a railroad too). Caution, within the city the highway changes into a simple road, be sure to find the proper highway end at the city edge.

Again the desert crossing provides little landmarks. The highway turns northwest into Lordsburg (KLSB), where it turns southwest again, then turns northwest once more near the Arizona - New Mexico state border (which of course is of little use for navigation).

Note the town of Bowie along the highway (but no airport though), then the highway turns left towards the town of Wilcox and Cochise County airport (P33) nearby. Further southwest, the highway crosses a range of hills and then we get to Benson: the town, the municipal airport (E95) and a smaller airfield (31AZ).

After Benson, orientation becomes tricky. Note the mountain southwest of the city (Apache Peak). Turn south but keep EAST of Apache Peak. After passing the mountain, Sierra Vista city and airport (KFHU) should appear in sight further south. The airport has a very distinct layout, with three runways in a triangle, so be sure you get a positive identification on it (it is the last unmistakable waypoint).

Over Sierra Vista, head southeast a long a very shallow valley, trying to locate the river inside, and then follow the river to the south. If you are lucky enough, you may spot Evelyn Field (AZ26) near the river, easy to recognize by its two grass runways in a "X". Evelyn is also close to the USA - Mexico border.

Continue south along the river, and soon some lakes will appear. The first ones you should leave on your right, being of no interest, but then another lake will appear near a city. This is Cananea, the leg destination.

Approach is of course visual on the dirt runways, but at least the airport layout provides a multitude of choices so a straight in approach is guaranteed no matter where you come from.

EHM-2097 Andrei:
This leg crosses the mountains of northern Mexico, which looks like an intricate labyrinth of shallow valleys. Landmarks are far from each other, it is not a route that could be checked and confirmed every mile.

So it is best to fly it high; I flew it with the PC12 at 12500ft but you may get higher, especially with a jet. The constraint remains, however, that the aircraft should be capable of taking off from the dirt runways of the origin airport. I also suggest "clear weather" for this leg; otherwise you will require a significant amount of luck.

After takeoff, head south along a road over a very shallow valley. In the beginning, the river itself is not visible but after a while it (Sonora River) appears next to the road (difficult to spot, however, due to the blue-on-green texture).

Follow the river to the south until it turns east (towards loser ground and Hermosillo, which is "almost" visible on your right). At this point, turn left and head towards a lake you can see in the next valley. As you get closer, the lake appears to have three distinct arms; follow the eastern one.

From the eastern tip of the lake, head east. This is the least controllable portion of the leg so be sure you keep the lake in sight behind, in order to keep the chance of returning to it as well.

While heading east, note that you cross some mountain ranges having a north-south orientation, and then note some flat plateaus with towns and villages on top. The first one should appear on your left (the town being Madera), then a larger one should appear on your left with several settlements, the most visible being Pena Blanca and Gomez Farias.

Note that this larger plateau has a lake between these towns in reality, but none appears in FS.

After reaching this plateau (at this point the three-armed lake should be just barely visible behind), fly over the two towns then continue to the east. Note a range of hills, then another perpendicular valley having a lake on your left.

Follow this valley south, to a larger lake (Laguna de Bustillos). Two towns are visible in the same area, Conception on the lakeshore and Cuahuhtemoc a little further south.

Over the lake, turn east again and soon a large town will appear ahead, it is Chihuahua next to the leg destination. Proceed towards the city and descend to 6000ft for visual approach. The airport is located northeast of the city, and the runway direction allows a straight-in approach.

EHM-2097 Andrei:
Plenty of roads and railroads again to look for in this leg! Besides, as both departure and destination airports provide nice paved runways, it is OK to fly this one by jet (except for the fuel consumption, fortunately it's only virtual). As for me, I stick with the PC12.

After takeoff climb to 6500ft (which is high enough for the terrain, but your aircraft may require a higher level) and head south, aiming for the eastern tip of the city. In that area note a road going south and follow it.

Further south, the road turns east over a range of hills, then southeast past these. A railroad (coming from Chihuahua too, but via a more southerly route) joins the road.

As we fly over a small village (there is a crossroad there, but just proceed ahead) a larger town appears ahead. It is Delicias and soon the local airport (MM2P) appears too.

Over the airport, head south again along the road, the railroad and a river. The direction changes a few times between south and southeast. There are more crossroads in the area, but with an eye on the three lines (road, railroad, river) it is easy to locate the "main" direction.

The next large town is Ciudad Camargo. Once over the city, the airport (MM0D) appears in sight to the southeast. Follow the road at the left of the airport, which is later joined by the railroad then both turn south.

Further down the road, we reach the town of Jimenez (no airport here, sorry). There are several roads in and out the city, the one to follow heads southeast, and then left of a small but very distinct hill. Later a railroad joins this road again.

Then follows a long and presumably uneventful desert crossing, along the road and railroad. After a small lake we fly over the town (or village?) of Ceballos. Later a cone-shaped hill appears ahead and eventually we fly past its southern side.

After a new turn to the right along the road and railroad, the large town of Torreon appears ahead. When the airport (MMTC) becomes visible, fly towards it and then south of it, looking for a road and railroad heading east.

Along with the road and railroad, we fly over Matamoros. Afterwards the railroad is no longer visible. The road turns northeast towards the end of a mountain range, then around and north of this range.

Caution, in this area it is difficult to follow the RIGHT road, as there is a plentiful of variants, whose general directions are difficult to assess. Normally the road to follow is roughly in the valley centerline. At some time a lake appears in sight, fly towards it. After this lake, the road is easier to follow.

However, should you miss this road, there is an alternate safe route. Fly south towards the mountains, then along the mountainside looking for the town of Parras (it is the only settlement on the mountainside, so it is easy to spot). Near Parras you should be able to see an airport too, slightly to the north (MM1E). From the airport fly north, looking for the first road running to the east, then follow this route until you spot the above-mentioned lake.

From the lake, note a railroad running to the north, but follow the road southeast. The road heads towards a range of hills, then crosses this range near its southern end, and then turns east into the town of Saltillo. There is an airport nearby (MMIO) too.

Fly to the airport, and then continue northeast along a highway, into a deeply cut valley. On the far end of the valley a large city becomes visible, it is Monterrey and we are close to destination now.

While still flying inside a valley, an airport appears in sight to the east, it is La Encarnacion (MM0N). Head towards it and start descending, but look north for the actual destination airport. When you get the airport in sight, you should be well aligned for a straight in approach on runway 02. Or you may prefer to join downwind for runway 20, which has the advantage of PAPI lights.

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