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Archive => EuroHarmony VA => Old Forum => EuroHarmony Main Forum => Topic started by: EHM-2097 Andrei on January 01, 2008, 10:03:26 am
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I have started the world tour a few weeks ago.
As I am writing this I have flown 7 legs, and already feel like I have a lot of ideas, route and sightseeing suggestions, to share. This is my reason to start writing this series – partly to help others fly the tour, partly to explain what one misses by not flying it (and therefore tempting some undecided pilots).
OK, my other reason is to get some extra motivation in order to actually complete the tour :)
Warning 1: This is by no means THE way to fly the world tour, just one way among many others. Though I intend to set my "rules" and "modus operandi" (see below) and stick to these for as long as possible, feel free to follow my advices for one leg while totally ignoring these for the next one.
Just fly the way you like as long as it goes within the tour rules.
Warning 2: People flying the tour may expect - and get - various types of excitement from this endeavor. For me, the interest stays in VFR orientation and sightseeing (more than challenging landings, for instance).
While reading this, if you feel we don't share the same kind of interest in the tour, then this series is probably not for you.
Warning 3: At this time I will start writing about my "current" leg flown, but I intend to come back and "document" the first tour legs too. Just have a little patience…
VFR tactics
While flying this tour I try to fly 100% VFR, which is: no navaids, no peek at the GPS, and, most important, no looking at the internal FS map to check the actual aircraft position. For some legs this is easy, for others it will get tougher, but it could (should?) be feasible, I already did it one year ago while reenacting the 1924 London – Melbourne race route.
This method requires good maps, and while lots of printed maps exist, I warmly recommend GoogleEarth. Basically, it's possible to choose landmarks on GoogleEarth and actually follow these as waypoints in FS, even with the default terrain mesh (and it only gets better in regions one has finer terrain mesh for).
As a general tactics, these landmarks should be big terrain features. Shorelines are generally good, isolated mountains are too; rivers are trickier because FS does not differentiate very well large rivers from smaller ones. There may be exceptions but, as a general rule, railroads are closer to reality than roads.
And of course, the best landmarks one can find in FS are airports, especially those with particular layouts.
If you like this approach, I recommend avoiding too nasty weather because in thick fog or clouds it gets too easy to miss important landmarks and get lost. "Clear skies" is a little unrealistic but "Fair weather" looks like a… fair choice (take my word for it, this gives just enough clouds to make visual orientation a challenge without making it impossible).
Aircraft
Throughout this tour, I intend to use two types: the Fokker 70 for legs ending on runways with at least PAPI lights, and the Beechcraft 1900D for the more challenging landings.
This matches my present landing skills, so be sure to choose the aircraft according to your own skills - not mine.
To make things easier, some legs are within the range of a Cessna 172; to make these tougher, I have seen some people even used the Boeing 747.
(to be continued soon)
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This is the most northerly leg of the tour. Because of this, the first thing to consider is the flight date. If it's summer, no problem, but if you fly it in the winter like I did, take time to consider the very short daylight time and plan your flight to arrive within this interval.
Navigation to Broughton Island is relatively easy (even in polar half-darkness) but landing there is another thing. The runway is very short and the island has mostly rough terrain. Darkness (even partial) adds a lot to the landing difficulty, so ensure you have all the daylight you can get on arrival.
The route I suggest is a straight flight from BGSF across Davis Strait to Baffin Island, followed by visual shoreline orientation to Broughton Island.
The most suitable (magnetic) bearing for the first part is 310, which leads approximately to Cape Dyer. This is not only the shortest crossing of the Davis Strait, but the cape itself is easy to recognize. Note the wide fjord just south of the cape; with the three islands (a larger one and two smaller ones) at its end, this feature is easy to spot from above.
Once you have Cape Dyer positively identified, follow the coast to the northeast. Durban Island, Padloping Island and even the smaller islands are easy to recognize. Broughton Island itself is easy to spot from the distance (by the way, according to Wikipedia the place is no longer named like that, the official name since 1999 is Qikiktarjuaq).
Now that the island is in sight, it's time to plan the approach. No matter the runway direction you plan to use, approach is partially "blind" because the runway is on the remote side of the island, behind a steep mountainside.
In my first landing attempt I crashed with the Fokker after an "almost good" (but a little too long) landing; failing to brake completely before the eastern runway end, the aircraft rolled into rough terrain and felt down a steep slope.
After my second – and successful, with the Beech this time – landing attempt, also in a westerly direction, I noticed that terrain is smoother east of the runway than west of it. Thus I strongly suggest the approach from the west, which gives a better chance of safe landing even in case you roll past the runway end (of course, it still depends on the speed you have while doing so…)
This is when daylight comes handy, because darkness makes very difficult to assess terrain elevation and roughness around the runway.
(to be continued soon)
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From CYVM mostly shrouded in darkness at this time of the year, this leg leads straight south – towards daylight. Starting at dawn gives a good timing to arrive in daylight (which already lasts longer at CYKG).
However, don't just head south because this leg gives the opportunity to explore a very impressive looking region of the Baffin Island. In fact, it looks so impressive in FS (default scenery) that I can only guess how impressive it should be in real life!
For the first part of this leg, my suggested route is along the Weasel River until Pangnirtung airfield (CYXP). To benefit from the landscape, make sure you fly below 5000 ft (that is, as much below as you can and want).
From CYVM, follow the strait between Broughton Island and the mainland to the south. After passing over a few smaller islands, you get to a kind of fjord "crossroad"; follow the fjord that starts southwards then bends eastwards.
The fjord is continued with the Weasel River, within a very deep valley. On both side of this valley mountains are very impressive. The most well known are Mount Asgard and Mount Thor, the latter being famous for having the highest vertical drop on earth. In fact, most of its western side is overhanging at 105 degrees average, but this is a feature that cannot be rendered in FS (or so I suspect).
After passing Mount Thor, there is a saddle with a steep slope on its southern side. Follow this slope and shortly another fjord is in side. Be sure you locate CYXP on its left bank.
After CYXP the terrain changes dramatically (flat with LOTS of small and larger lakes) and features are much heavier to recognize, so it's a good idea to climb higher in order to see the "big picture".
There is no 100% sure VFR route over this terrain; as a direction, try to leave Imigen Island and Drum Islands on your right, then keep that heading until you spot a large triangular lake (could not get its name) then the southern shore of the Baffin Island.
Once you get to the shore, terrain features become easier to recognize. Follow the shore to the southeast to the Big Island (a well deserved name, it's easy to spot). Once there, cross the Hudson Strait to the southwest.
The southern side of Hudson Strait is also easy to follow. Aim for the Wivanhoe and Wales island group, follow the fjord behind these and CYKG will appear in sight on its eastern bank.
The runway is not much longer than at CYVM (and it's made of gravel as well), but it's situated in high and flat terrain so the approach is way easier to handle. Welcome to mainland Canada!
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This leg is about following the shoreline while "cutting corners" to shorten the path.
From CYKG, if departing on runway 33 just follow the runway heading, otherwise make a 180 turn after takeoff. Though this is not really dangerous with a decent climb rate, pay attention to the high terrain across the fjord just west of the airport.
The southern coast of Hudson Strait has distinct features (especially fjords) that are easy to recognize for orientation.
Near one of these fjord is the Salluit airport (CYZG), easy to spot too.
From Salluit you may continue along the shoreline, but I suggest a handy shortcut. Follow the general fjord direction and, soon enough, the Hudson Bay shores will appear in sight.
These shores, however, are not so good for orientation as most features are difficult to match with the map. With one notable exception, the Smith Island that extends from the coast almost perpendicular to it. Thus, be sure to reach the Hudson Bay shore north oh Smith Islands, follow these southwards until you spot the island and you will now your position for sure.
If 100% sure is still not enough, on the shore near the island you can spot the Akulivik airport (CYKO).
Further south of Smith Island, orientation becomes difficult again so it is hard to predict where the destination airport is. However, if you fly low enough (below any clouds, that is) and reasonably close to the shoreline, you will have the airport in sight soon enough.
The approach itself is easier (then in the previous legs) because of two bonuses: a slightly longer runway and PAPI lights if you can use runway 19.
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This legs starts – again – along the shoreline of Hudson Bay, but later things become a little spicy with some island hopping in order to teach CYSK without too much of a detour.
I don't recommend flying this leg at too high altitude (except if you get "clear sky" weather) because some of the islands to spot are really tiny. Also, the distance to fly is rather short (around 250 nm along the suggested route).
From CYPX, follow the shoreline to the southwest, until it bends dramatically to the southeast. I recommend flying parallel to the shoreline before reaching this bend, because it's the best bearing to keep afterwards. (OK, if you missed it, I can reveal this optimum bearing, it's 235).
At this point, when heading deeply into Hudson Bay I was a little nervous because at first there was absolutely no feature ahead to aim at, just water and more water.
Eventually, some tiny islands become visible in the vicinity, it's the Marcopeet Islands. The exact number of islands that appear in FS does not match the maps on GoogleEarth but I suggest looking for one distinct feature that is recognizable in both places, that is two twin islands close to each other. When you have these in sight, just be sure to fly towards them or close enough.
While flying over these twin islands, the next landmark should already be in sight further south: the Sleeper Islands. However, don't expect to recognize any island shape et this time, you must get much closer to be able to do so.
After reaching Sleeper Islands, the islands to fly over are much closer to each other so there is no risk of missing the destination. However, I suggest a particular end to this leg route, which has proved very handy for the visual approach into CYSK.
The southern (and smaller) Sleeper Islands form a line that extends southwards. Follow this line until you get the next group of islands in sight.
Locate and follow the Laddie Island (a long and narrow island clearly visible, "heading" slightly to the left). When reaching the southern end of Laddie Island, you should have in sight a very distinctive feature of this archipelago, a "circle" of islands just north of the destination airport (more precisely, the airport is located on the island that makes the southern part of this circle).
If the wind direction allows it, just fly over this circle clockwise and this will align you all right for finals.
The runway is short again, but this is no surprise in these remote islands…
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Time to use the Fokker again. Not because it's actually wise to take off with a jet on the short gravel runway at CYSK, but it should not be left to rust.
Although this leg follows again the shores of Hudson Bay and – especially - James Bay, these shores provide little features for orientation so the most important is to spot and properly identify the large rivers that flow into James Bay. Most rivers are not easy to spot in FS, but this time it's different because the ones we need form long estuaries that are really easy to spot.
You may have noticed the specific (to say the least) shape of the archipelago where CYSK is located. After take-off, the best course is southwards along the long "ribs" of these islands. Hint: the faster you climb, the sooner you can get the big picture of the archipelago to set the right direction.
As soon as you reach the southern tip of the archipelago, the mainland should be visible ahead. The target to aim at is the cape between Hudson Bay and James Bay. To help, just in front of this cape is the Long Island (which appears to be even longer as you fly perpendicular to it).
Once the mainland well in sight, follow the eastern shore of James Bay paying attention to river estuaries, which are the landmarks to follow in this part of the flight.
The first river to look for is La Grande River (yes, I am aware this sounds outrageous in both English and French). For a positive identification, Chisasibi airport (CSU2) is located on the southern bank of the river and parallel to it.
Next is Wemindji airport (CYNC), difficult to look for because it is not associated to any terrain feature, but if you fly close enough to the shoreline you should spot it all right.
The second estuary belongs to Eastmain River, with the airport (CZEM) equally on its southern bank but perpendicular to it.
Further south, James Bay is continued with an inlet formed by James River and its tributaries. No need do fly around this inlet, just cross it as its remote bank should be clearly visible.
After reaching the western shore of this inlet, it is time to start descending (especially if you fly above the clouds as I did). The idea is to emerge below any clouds early enough to get a good sight of the airport.
There is a noticeable change in the terrain here: for the first time since Greenland, FS displays some patches of human settlements (except for airports of course).
River estuaries are important again, but caution: the first one you cross, at the south end of James Bay, is NOT the one we are looking for (I spent some time around myself looking for the airport twat is not there).
The airport is located along the northern bank of Moose River (that is the first large river, with an estuary, you cross on the western shore of James Bay). This rough direction allows from a straight in approach from the bay, but if you need some extra margin (for errors, that is) it is better to use the reciprocal runway from the south. Some trees at the northern end of the runway (though not very close to it) make the difference…
And, most important, the runway has PAPI lights; easy one (unless you try it with the 747, of course).
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I am back after a scheduled break due to the Lisbon-Dakar event. After the sand of Sahara, back to the snow of Canada!
This leg is an easy one to fly as far as orientation is concerned; it is mostly about flying along the southern shore of the Hudson Bay. The shore itself is clearly in sight as you take off, so finding it is easy.
Expect an uneventful flight out of James Bay. There are a few airports en-route, like Ft. Albany (CYFA), Kashechewan (CZKE) and Attawapiskat (CYAT), which would come handy for solving orientation problems – if there was any.
The only orientation trap is that the destination airport of Peawanuck is not quite close to the shore, so overflying the shore is the sure recipe for missing the airport.
Instead, once out of James Bay into Hudson Bay (the shoreline bend is clearly visible), you should look for the Winisk River. This is easy because it's simply the first wide river you cross flowing into Hudson Bay.
Once you spot the river, follow it upstream. At first it does not look likely to reach any settlement, but after a while the airport will appear in sight. Note the runway position, perpendicular to the river (thus to your approach direction) and expect a base turn as approach route.
The runway itself is gravel, 3500ft. Not very easy but not too difficult too, a lot of clear terrain on both runway ends due to the river proximity.
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Since the tour reached mainland Canada, most of the navigation was kind of "follow the shoreline". From now on, be prepared for something VERY different. For the next four legs, the route is to be found over a maze of flatland and lakes, which can be very treacherous as waypoint features.
This has some consequences on both the (suggested) route itself and the way to follow it.
First, in order to take what advantage we can from terrain features, the route is WAY longer than the straight line between the departure and destination airports. So be sure to take plenty of fuel (though refueling en-route is technically possible). It is also useful to have a fuel reserve for the unpleasant situation of getting lost and having to backtrack to the last known correct waypoint.
Then, I flew myself while checking continually the terrain on Google Earth. Although in the route description I try to be as specific as possible, items like "a forked lake" or "a river perpendicular to your heading" are far easier to understand if you check them before on a map (it could be Google Earth too, or, if you are VERY patient, even the FS in-game map).
One last thing to say, my route description is based on the default FS9 terrain and scenery.
And now, let's fly the tour!
Encouraged by PAPI lights at the destination, I flew this leg with the Fokker. Landing was indeed not a problem but take-off was difficult on the 3500ft runway at Peawanuk, so think twice before selecting the 747!
Peawanuk is located near the Winisk River; the first part of the leg just follows the river upstream (southwards). While doing so, be sure to climb high (I suggest over FL100 at least), because the higher you cruise the further you can spot water bodies.
Follow the river up to the point it disappears (that is, FS no longer recognizes it as a "large river"). Note a round lake, larger than the surrounding ones, on your right as you head south along the river; this lake is the point to return to if you miss the next waypoint.
Further south, you enter in a region with lots of smaller lakes. Note however that while most of these lakes are narrow and north-south oriented, these are aligned in a row with east-west orientation. As soon as you recognize this pattern, follow it westwards. While doing so, you may notice below the airport of Kasabonika (CYAQ - an useful bonus, not an essential waypoint though).
Further west, a larger lake appears ahead. (As you certainly knew or noticed by now, FS renders remote small water bodies as a single large one, so be sure you get close enough to a lake before recognizing it as "large").
The large lake ahead is Big Trout Lake. For failsafe identification, fly along its northern bank while looking for two airports: Angling Lake (CKB6 - slightly northeast of Big Trout Lake), then – and especially – Big Trout Lake airport (CYTL), situated on an island within the lake itself.
From Big Trout Lake, continue westwards, again over numerous smaller lakes. Through these lakes, at some point the thin but continuous line of a river (flowing roughly from southwest to the northeast) will appear in sight. Continue towards this river; with a little luck, you will reach it close to Bearskin Lake airport (CNE3 - on the western bank), but don't waste fuel looking for it, as it's not an essential waypoint.
Instead, follow the river upstream (southwest). While doing so, note a large lake on the right; when abeam this lake, the airport of Muskrat Dam (CZMD) should be in sight near the western bank of the river.
Further upstream, the river widens and becomes the Sandy Lake. Follow the northern shore of the lake up to the airport of the same name (CZSJ).
Northwest of the airport, a series of smaller lakes form a river; in some places, it really looks more like a river than a lake. Follow that river northwest.
At some point, the river bends to the east. Do not follow the river but continue northwest. At first, there are no landmarks to note, only sparse small lakes, but after a while a (really) large lake appears in sight ahead, it is the Island Lake – this leg's destination.
To find the airport, as you approach the lake, note a spot where a series of narrow parallel islands almost "bridge" the lake. The farthest island of this "bridge" is the one with the airport.
A nasty surprise while approaching the island (and descending, by this time), is that unlike its neighbors this island is not gently flat near the water, but the airport is suspended over high cliffs. This is not a major problem, however this made me a little nervous on finals so I preferred to be a little high over the runway than punch the Fokker's nose into that cliff.
Here we are at Island Lake airport. Not the time to cheer though, because the next leg is just as challenging for orientation!
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Do you read "#13 for luck"? Nice try, in fact it is the trickiest leg for orientation (so far). Err… what I mean is that I "managed" to get lost by the end of this leg, and escaped the shame of FS map peeking only with lots of patience - and fuel.
Aircraft is easy to pick, as the destination runway is short and narrow (yes, that kind of dirty brown line drawn on the snow). Besides, it is necessary to look down a lot to spot and keep landmarks in sight, so the Concorde is kind of out of the question. (To put it more bluntly, I strongly suggest the B1900 or similar).
One may notice that the map (that is, GoogleEarth again) shows a road passing close to our departure airport. Well, don't look for it from above; you will not see any of it. Instead, most of this leg orientation is based – again – on recognizing and following significant bodies of water.
One problem is that the terrain is a maze of (mostly) long and thin lakes, which are easy to follow "along" but provide little help to navigate "across". To take benefit from the "along" direction, as much as possible, this leg route is far from a straight line so DO NOT estimate fuel by measuring the grand circle distance to cover. Lots more will be required.
So… after takeoff head north. As soon as the northern shores of the Island Lake are left behind, a series of communicating lakes should appear, forming a line running in a southwest – northeast direction. Head towards these lakes and follow the "line" to the northwest.
Between two of these lakes, where water is reduced to a narrow river, is the Gods Lake Narrows airport (CYGO). Follow the western shores of the next lake in the "line", up to a bay running to the northwest. From that bay, follow this northwestern course.
This flight path leads over a first long and narrow lake (check you fly perpendicular to it), and then a longer one with an airport near it. This one is Knee Lake (CJT3).
Fly along Knee Lake to the southwest, then west (as it bends). After reaching the lake western extremity, fly northwest and soon Oxford House airport (CYOH) should appear in sight between another big lake and a smaller one. Positive identification of this spot is easy (no other airports for many tenths of miles around) but very important, because the next part of the leg lacks "safe" landmarks so any error here will surely be amplified afterwards.
As you fly over Oxford House, two parallel (long and narrow - again) lakes should be visible to the northwest. Aim for their western extremities and keep this heading after passing the two lakes too.
Further ahead, a large river should appear in sight and, along it and most important, a power line (on its eastern bank). From the distance the power line may look much like a road, but from close distance (and reasonable altitude) the electricity poles are quite visible.
The next waypoint is a spot along this river where the power line is very close. Because of the long time flown without a safe waypoint, you may reach the river north OR south of this point; take the time to look for it, the next airport waypoint is still far ahead!
From this point, looking to the northwest, a long (east to west) and narrow lake is clearly visible. Follow this lake westwards, keeping an eye to its northern shore. Near the far (western) end of the lake, the Thicket Portage airport (CZLQ) will appear in sight. This is the first (and thus most welcome) safely recognizable waypoint since Oxford House. And this leg is still far from over!
Before reaching the airport, a railroad running southwest to northeast becomes visible. Follow this road to the northeast (even it looks like a going back eastwards) and be sure not to miss a junction, from which another railroad heads northwest. Follow this railroad – and take a breath, this is the easiest part of this leg.
After a while, more signs of human activity appear, that is several power lines. Eventually the railroad leads into Thompson, most important waypoint. Not only the airport (CYTH) is easier recognizable (by having two runways), but also the city itself is visible in the scenery. This is in fact the first settlement on this route since we left Hudson Bay. (It is useful to note that depending on the season, the city is more or less visible because in the distance the texture looks very much like snowy tundra, but it' s there and worth looking for it).
There is one more step to this leg, but another difficult one. From Thompson airport, follow a railroad (plus a power line) to the west. It may look like just another piece of cake but after a while, both the railroad and the power line head southwest. DO NOT follow these; instead keep a westerly course.
In theory, what follows could like simple: to the west, there is a series of lakes along a river running south to north. Our destination is situated on the eastern shore of one of these lakes. In fact, these lakes have a very faintly delimitation from the dry land, it is a landscape similar to the one we flew over since two legs, but somehow reverted: more water than land. This makes it very risky to head towards a water body seen in the distance.
After leaving the railroad, the key is to recognize (or is it guess?) when you have reached these lakes, then follow these to the north while keeping a good eye to the eastern side (it is a "side" more than a shore) of this water maze.
While trying to do so I got lost and had to make huge detours, looking for the destination airport in the wrong places. In fact, I almost ran out of fuel and was preparing to return to Thompson for refueling when I finally got it right.
Should you have the same problem, the key is to keep some landmarks in sight in order to be able to return (to Thompson) instead of running out of fuel in the middle of nowhere.
However, you will have a huge advantage on me, which I am about to give away now… there is one terrain feature that is hard to miss and leads all right to destination. The map shows a road or railroad running straight into the South Indian Lake airport. Well, in the FS9 scenery it' s not quite like that but the road EXISTS! It runs on the western side of the lakes we try to follow, but at some point it splits in two and its eastern branch crosses the river by a CLEARLY VISIBLE BRIDGE.
Make sure you spot this bridge, there is no other one over great distances from here. It is true that the road leads nowhere after crossing the river, but it gives the approximate direction of the destination airport. In fact, this should appear in sight, north of the bridge, shortly after you fly over this one.
(When I eventually found the airport, I realized that I have seen the bridge very early in my attempts and at some point I should have had the airport in sight, but did not look in the right direction because I failed to match the bridge to the map properly).
Well, at this point you are almost done. Only one more "formality" left, to put the aircraft down onto the short and narrow runway. It' s feasible all right, but personally after a flight so eventful due to orientation difficulties, I felt like I deserved an ILS! Some other leg probably…
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Not a lot of variety in this leg, the landscape is quite the same as the last two legs: flatlands and lakes. Destination airport at Wollaston Lake has a gravel runway so the B1900 remains a good choice to fly this leg.
For orientation, note (by looking on the map) that the South Indian Lake has, on its southern side, two “arms”. The eastern one is the one we followed to arrive here. The western one is the one to follow for this leg.
After taking off, fly towards the southwestern corner of the lake. It is not easy to tell where this lake ends and the next one start, but in this case between the two lakes is the Leaf Rapids airport (CYLR). Near the airport, note and follow a road to the north.
another, smaller, “arm” of the South Indian Lake then turns to the west. Just follow it and eventually it leads to Lynn Lake (CYYL). This is a two-runway airport and there is a visible settlement too, with a crossroad and also a railroad running from the south.
After Lynn Lake, follow the road that heads northwest. While doing so make sure you cut corners while the road itself has to turn around several lakes. Eventually the road leads to a large lake, where it ends abruptly. In reality, there is a settlement here, Kinoosao, which is not rendered in the FS9 scenery.
From Kinoosao you should follow the administrative border between Manitoba and Saskatchewan, but unfortunately they forgot to carve it into the landscape. So fly over the large lake instead, to the north.
As you get close to the lake northern shores, Brochet airport (CYBT) appears in sight close to the lake northeastern end. Make sure you identify this airport, because the next part of the leg is based again on less precise route directions.
Fly west, look for the “next big lake” but wait until this lake becomes clearly visible, otherwise it is easy to mistake it. This is Wollaston Lake, and the destination airport is situated on its southeastern shore.
Caution, there are many more airstrips nearby so do not just rush into the first runway you see! That s about all but expect more of the same landscape for the next leg!
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Although this leg begins over the same "flatlands plus lakes" landscape as the last three did, its second half lets develop good hope that this may finally be over.
The destination airport too is rather friendly: a concrete runway with PAPI lights. Thus approach could be conducted with a jet, but takeoff from a short gravel runway is another thing. Personally I choose to make this the maiden voyage for the brand new EuroBusiness PC-12.
When airborne, cross the Wollaston Lake to the west and look for the airports on its western side (Collins Bay – KYKC and Hidden Bay – CKL4). There is also a road visible on the western shore of the lake but this is of no interest for our route.
Instead, locate (again) the "next big lake" west of Wollaston Lake and aim for its northern tip. Before reaching this Lake the Points North Landing airport (CYNL, a.k.a. "Points Nowhere" for the connoisseurs).
The map shows a nice road going our way but there is none to be seen in the scenery, so after Point North here we are looking for lakes again. The next one to spot is further to the west, a large, roughly round lake with less (if any) islands inside, unlike most of the lakes we crossed in the last legs.
Fly to the northern tip of this lake, then head straight north.
After a while, further north, another large lake appears, having two distinct "parts": a southern one, long and narrow (again!) and a northern one, which is much wider. As soon as you have these features identified, head to the middle of the lake (that is, where the two "parts" join).
This is Black Lake. Caution, the map shows a large Island close to the middle of the lake, but do not look for this feature, as it does not exist in the scenery. Instead, look for a river flowing from this lake to the northwest.
Follow this river and shortly you will see the Stony Rapids airport (CYSF). If you did so, congratulations: although there are still many miles to fly in this leg, at this point all orientation problems are over.
Follow the river (which, by the way, is named "Fond du Lac") further west. The large Athabasca Lake appears ahead (that is, downstream). Just before reaching the lake, the Fond du Lac airport (CZFD) appears.
There are more airports on the lakeshores but these help little for orientation. One way or the other, the destination is situated near the far corner of the lake so I suggest flying right over the lake to cut corners.
As you get close to the western tip of Lake Athabasca, note an island that is approximately cross-shaped. This is the best point to start the descent and approach, because Fort Chipewyan airport (CYPY) will appear shortly after on the north shore of the lake. Turn right to join a long base leg and put the aircraft down.
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Yellowknife airport awaits us with a nice concrete runway and ILS, it is time to bring on the jets! Although I promised to use the Fokker 70 exclusively for this kind of legs, this time I tried the new Challenger 850.
This leg is easy to navigate; there are only two pitfalls to avoid.
The first difficulty lies just northwest of the airport. The Slave River, which drains the Athabasca Lake, receives a tributary – the Athabasca River. Coming from CYPY, it is important to read this terrain feature correctly and follow Slave River to the north, not Athabasca River to the south.
This pitfall is easy to avoid, by just taking enough altitude by the time you reach this point in order to have a good sight of the surroundings. If necessary, climb in a loop after takeoff in order to do so.
Further north, following the river downstream is piece of cake. Halfway to Great Slave Lake, there is the Fort Smith airport (CYSM). This is good to break the flight monotony but not actually necessary as a waypoint.
When the (Great Slave) lake appears in sight, aim for the point where the river flows into it. Southeast of this point lies Fort Resolution (CYFR), which you should clearly see as you fly by.
Here is the second and last possibility to miss the way during this leg. Note that the lake has three arms, to the west, east and north. Prom the point where the Slave River flows into the lake, you should get "into" the northern arm of the lake, but close to its eastern shore.
Depending on the weather settings, this may be impossible to plan before actually reaching the lake. In this case, just be on the lookout for the far shores, as soon as you see these you should guess where the northern arm of the lake is.
The destination airport is situated next to a bay in the eastern shore of the northern arm. In order to comply with the 100% visual navigation, it would be nice to spot and identify the airport first, and only then tune any radio navigation aids, including the ILS receiver.
I must admit that I "cheated inadvertently", because the ILS frequency happened to be the same I had used earlier that day, so I just saw the needles doing their job before tuning anything.
One interesting aspect to note is that, by each leg flown, by this point we have traveled back north. We are here at the same latitude as CYKG, that is the first stop on mainland Canada. Thus the daylight may have become an issue again, especially in the winter.
However, this is about to change. Starting with the next leg, we will be again flying south, never to return at this latitude.
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Bored of flying over flat land? Good news! With this leg, the terrain is about to change. Dramatically. Here begins a two-leg crossing of the Canadian Rockies, all the way to Alaska.
Nice concrete and PSPI equipped runways at both ends of the leg make it ideal for a jet. However, if you like (like I do) to fly low into the mountains, a propeller aircraft is more realistic. Personally I used the brand new Eurobusiness PC12.
Remember that Yellowknife is located next to the northern arm of the Great Slave Lake. After takeoff, the first objective is to get out this northern arm, then follow the lake to the end of the lake, where the Mackenzie River flows westwards.
From here, following the Mackenzie River is quite straightforward. The first visible landmark is Ft. Providence airport (CYJP), close to the lake. At this point a false river arm splits to the left, but only to join the main river downstream. You may follow any of the two.
The flight along the river should continue uneventfully. On the left bank there is a small airport at Jean Marie River (CET9).
The next important waypoint to locate is Ft. Simpson, where the Mackenzie receives Liard River as a tributary. Liard River is visible from the distance. At closer distance, you should be able to spot the two airports in the area: Fort Simpson Island (CET4) to the west, along Mackenzie River, and Fort Simpson (CYFS) to the south, along the Liard River.
From here, our route follows Liard River to the south (upstream). In the beginning, this is simple and straightforward. Besides, as we advance southwards, the mountains become visible to the west. The river gets closer and closer to these.
At some point, as we get really close to the mountains, the river receives a tributary flowing straight out from the mountains. There is also an airport here, Nahannie Butte (CBD6). It is important to identify this point in order to avoid following that tributary, instead you must follow Liard River further south.
Orientation becomes a little easier as a road appears on the eastern bank of the rivers and follows it too. Flying over the river and the road, we get soon to Ft Liard airport (CYJF). Note that further south, the River has a very large bend (and receives another tributary, from the south, quite in the middle of it). Depending on the height you are flying, it may be possible to spot on your right the next bend of the river and use the "shortcut" directly to it.
From this point on, we fly over the mountains (or into the mountains, depending on the height). After a while, a road appears on the southern bank and follows the river upstream. This road is important in order to find the "main" valley, v\because there are less road intersections than secondary valleys.
A road bridge marks the spot where the city of Liard is located, but this does not appear in FS. Neither does the airport shown on the map, but the bridge by itself makes for a good landmark.
Follow the river and road upstream (there is a power line too, going in the good direction). A couple of river bends can be cut if you fly high enough to see the river in the distance, but keep in mind you should get where the road goes.
The leg destination, Watson Lake airport, is located slightly north of the main river, next to a lake (which is, of course, Watson Lake). Be sure to look for these on your right, especially because at this point the valley becomes larger and flatter.
The approach itself is not a demanding one; the proximity of the lake provides plenty of room to maneuver at low height.
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What goes up should get back down. After climbing into the Rockies from the east, now it's time to get down on the other side - that is Alaska. However, this only happens after some more climbing.
Normally the departure and destination airports are not very demanding ones, but personally I experience a heavy terrain and scenery anomaly at PAOH: the terrain is not flattened enough for the airport so the runway is half floating a few feet above the land surface, half sunk into the nearby hill. This makes the landing so challenging that I decided to "cheat" by flying the Cessna 172 for this leg.
After takeoff, fly towards the main river (southwest) to find the road and power line we followed in the preceding leg. A bridge located where the road crosses the river eases this task. After some time, the road unfortunately disappears but the power line is good enough to follow along the river.
Another power line crosses "ours", but further west these follow the same direction and eventually join. Where the power lines join, there are also three lakes, forming an almost straight line, perpendicular to the river, on our right. The spot is important because here the power line leaves the main valley, and so do we. There is also a red-and-white antenna marking this spot.
As the valley gets narrower, the power line climbs on the nearby hills rather than follow it. Whether the more advisable tactics is to follow the power line or the valley itself depends on your height and (intended) speed. The best is to keep both of them in sight as you fly.
The valley gets wider again as we climb to the mountain saddle. At this point, the Pine Lake airport (CFY5) as well as the lake itself should be visible on your right.
After the saddle, the power line descends on the other side into another valley. Again, it is possible to follow the power line or the valley. Both lead southwest, then west. At some point, the valley heads south and the power line northwest. This is an important waypoint and, again, it is marked with a red-and-white antenna.
From this point, the most straightforward option is to follow the river to the south, and then west as it flows into Teslin Lake.
A second option implies a 50-mile detour, but provides 100% safe terrain recognition. Personally I had to choose the latter option as I experienced more heavy scenery problems: I "lost" all rivers while larger water bodies only display as huge squares (I think it would look like poor graphics even in FS98 or such).
T
his problem made Teslin Lake to look in FS very differently from the map. Due to the same problem, none of my further indication will refer to water bodies or shoreline shapes (because in my case all were just "square").
The detour follows the power line until the airport of Teslin (CYZW) gets in sight. From that point, it is possible to follow the lake southwards, even if it is poorly displayed in FS. At some point, which I could not identify due to the lack of actual rivers displayed, the detour meets the shorter route referred to earlier as "option one".
At this point, orientation gets tricky. The objective is to climb south of the lake, and then descend in a valley to the right following a river that eventually flows into the ocean.
One way to do this is follow the right shore of the lake and valley, looking at the peaks further right for the first valley that goes down instead of up towards these.
Another way is to follow the lake direction past its end (be it properly displayed or not), paying attention to another valley approximately half left of the lake one. As the two valleys split, there is a prominent peak in-between. Follow the lake valley up to this peak, and then turn right; shortly after, a saddle and the valley descending to the other side will be clearly in sight.
Any valley descending to the west is good to follow, as these valleys end up more or less at the same spot. Fly low into the valley to have fun, or higher for a better orientation.
Note that within this intricate labyrinth of valleys and high peaks, it is easy to mistake "up" and "down" directions and follow a wrong valley upstream instead of downstream.
Well, in fact it happened to me. This is not a dramatic event provided you notice it early enough to have room for a quick climb and U turn. In fact, after turning back, just do the same, which is follow the valley downstream, chances are you will not miss the correct valley again at the same spot. At least, I did not.
As the valley gets closer to the ocean, it also gets wider. Note that the exact spot where the river flows into the ocean is not easy to spot from a distance, because the islands further west have roughly the same aspect as the mainland. As you get there, however, it is impossible to miss it.
As you reach the ocean, follow the shoreline to the northwest until you get to Juneau. Both the town and the airport (PAJN) are clearly visible. Most chances are that you followed the Taku River down to the ocean, in which case Juneau is really close so be sure to have a good look to your right as you follow the shoreline.
From Juneau, proceed west to cross the Scull Island (roughly north-south oriented), then the southeastern tip of the following island. From here, turn left to cross the isolated Sister Islands and eventually head for the northern tip of the following island (as you look forward).
Head for the hill near this cape and the destination airport will be soon in sight. If you do not have any scenery trouble, proceed with the approach as you wish.
If, like me, you have this kind of problems, then only runway 5 is usable. With the airport in sight, join a downwind leg (left hand or right hand pattern, as you wish) and turn after the PAPI lights get red. Keep in mind that these lights are slightly above the ground surface; so be sure to descend a little below the suggested glide slope. And also pay attention to these trees next to the runway.
With these scenery problems, it is definitely the most difficult landing up to now. As one touches down, the runway gets no longer visible so it's difficult to check whether one is correctly aligned or not. I expected to see the "crash" message any time, which fortunately did not happen.
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I have to confess… I got lazy on this one, no more detailed route description. By the other hand, after many legs of subtle navigation while crossing all of Canada, this leg is almost too easy. Any route would just follow a path among easily recognizable islands.
In fact, for me most problems in this leg were due to scenery dysfunctions. I needed several attempts before successfully taking of "my half of runway at Hoonah". At least, I think it was successful as the runway was not visible from cockpit height.
And while airborne, I still had my (lack of) shoreline problem for about half of this leg. I suppose this one is caused by some add-on scenery I did not properly (un) install, because I already flew in this area some time ago and the terrain was OK.
If you have no scenery problem at PAKT, a jet is just fine for this leg. I had to use the PC12 again because anything faster had no chance to take off.
My route was east of Chichagof and Baranof islands, across Kuiu Island, then east of Prince of Wales Island. The only catch is to properly identify the slot between Gravina Island and the mainland, where Ketchikan is located, and descend accordingly (especially if you choose to fly high).
Well, this is easy but it won't last. In the following legs we have to cross the Rockies back so expect more difficult mountain legs.
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After a short sighting of the ocean, beginning with this leg it's back into the mainland and, especially, it's back into the Rockies again.
As it was Eurobusiness season when I flew it, and because there are long paved runways at both ends of the leg, I was tempted to fly it with the new A318 "Baby Bus". Now, the problem is that an A318 crawling along the bends of a canyon would be ridiculously unrealistic!
Thus I planned this leg as a "high VFR", more precisely flown at 12500ft (not FL125, remember it's America here!). There are advantages and disadvantages to such a high altitude. On the "plus" side, the visual range increases dramatically (but this advantage is reduced over very rugged terrain). On the "minus" side, small details are more difficult to spot (for instance, it's easy to mistake a railroad for a road and vice versa).
After departure, head south along the coast. Note on your right two large islands, Annette and Duke. Further south, there are no more islands close to the coastline, until the Dundas Islands.
As you pass near Dundas Islands, look closely at the coast, for Digby Island, where the Prince Rupert airport (CYPR) is located. The town is visible too, nearby on the mainland.
After Prince Rupert, follow the firs fjord to the east; in fact it is the lower course of the Skeena River. Follow the main valley and be sure to ignore the large tributary coming from the south.
Further upstream, the river has some bends in a narrow portion, then the valley becomes wider and the Terrace airport (CYXT) appears a little south of the river. The airport itself is easily recognizable, having three runways in a triangle shape.
This was the easy part of the leg. After Terrace, follow Skeena River upstream as it bends to the northeast. After a new bends, the valley heads east and the Woodcock airport (CBQ8) is visible on its northern bank.
After a straight portion oriented to the east, the valley bends again to the north, around a mountain ridge located right ahead and having a north to south orientation. It's time to leave the river and fly straight across this ridge.
As you clear that ridge, a long and thin lake appears right ahead in the distance. Fly towards it; it is Babine Lake, the longest natural lake in British Columbia. Follow the lake to the southeast.
Near its southern end, Babine Lake is bent to the east. Further east, lake Stuart is visible, almost parallel with Babine Lake but shorter and larger. Fly towards Stuart Lake, and then aim for its southeastern corner.
The river that drains the lake is clearly visible in the beginning. Another landmark nearby is Fort Saint James (CYJM). Follow the river, which is easy in the beginning, but becomes tricky further south, when the river is no longer displayed as a "water body" in FS9. Use the terrain to guess where the "main" valley is as the river flows to the east.
After a while, a large river flowing north to south appears in sight. When it does, fly towards it.
Prince George is located along this river. Depending on the exact spot where you reached the river, you may need to fly a little distance along it in order to locate the destination airport. Hint: the river has a large bend to the east just north of Prince George, so should you have this bend in sight, the airport is certainly further south.
The approach itself is easy, not much high ground nearby (for most runways).
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After the "high VFR" strategy used for the previous leg, I felt like I needed some "low VFR" again. No more jets, just the old trustful PC12 flying at 5500ft. I suspect that 4500ft could be enough too – free for you to try. Frankly, when planning a turboprop I was a little worried too by the approach at CYCG…
Also, this leg is very simple to navigate, but be aware that while most of it looks very much like the map, one portion looks like just anything else! I will detail this point at the right moment.
Remember the Fraser River valley bend to the east I mentioned in the preceding leg? Now it's "cut or follow" this bend, depending on how hurried you are. Then, follow the Fraser River southeast. Note that within the "bend", the river receives a tributary from the northeast; do not mistake it for the main stream.
Following the river is easy, there are no obvious landmarks but the valley is mostly straight and clearly visible ahead. There is a road going along the western bank and a railroad along the eastern bank. In this portion of the leg, the river bend themselves match very closely the shapes of their map counterparts.
There are also a few landmarks worth spotting. First, between the towns of Bend and Dome Creek, the railway crosses the river on a clearly visible bridge.
Further south is the town and airport of McBride (CAV4). Not only is any airport good for orientation, but also, if you have it displayed like I had, you will appreciate its position: on the bottom of a shallow hole situated under the bank of the river (it really looks like the river is just about to pour in and fill everything with water).
South of McBride, the river bends are smaller thus difficult to match on the map, but fortunately one does not need to. Eventually, the river visibly continues through what appears to be a secondary valley east of the "main" one we are following.
As you approach this final bend, Valemount airport (CAH4) appears in sight, and this is our next waypoint. HOWEVER, as you pass near the river bend, be sure to look east: from this angle, and even with default scenery, Mt Robson looks really huge (highest peak in the Canadian Rockies, by the way).
After Valemount, the valley seems to split (in fact, here is the mountain saddle). The road and railroad follow the right valley, while the end of a lake is visible along the left one. This is the reservoir Kinbasket Lake, a long and thin body of water; follow it south. We are now flying over the huge network of reservoir lakes along Columbia River and its tributaries.
The lake is easy to follow until we get close to the dam. As the lake becomes wider, pay attention to the three arms ahead. Follow the right arm, which leads to the dam (not visible in FS9) and further downstream Columbia River.
About the spot where Columbia River flows into Revelstoke Lake, and all the way along this lake, the scenery does not look like the map at all. Fortunately, during this leg the map recognition is not "business critical". Just don't panic and follow the river-or-lake to the south.
Note that one technical reason for this terrain feature mismatch is linked to roads, railroads and bridges. Whenever a railroad or road crosses a water body, FS9 displays a bridge over the crossing. This is reasonable enough for railroads, but roads often use ferries instead of bridges. As such is the case in many spots along Columbia River, this explains a large number of bridges that appear in FS9 while there is none in reality.
Eventually, Revelstoke airport (CYRV) will appear in sight on the eastern bank. (Well, in my case the airport appeared rather "carved" into the water). South of Revelstoke, as Columbia River flows into the Arrow Lakes, the terrain becomes to look like the map again.
The Nakusp airport (CAQ5), located along the lake eastern bank, is one of the very few usable landmarks.
South of Nakusp, after a few sharp bends, the river has a long bent to the east. As we follow it east, a tributary is visible from the northeast, and just south of it is the destination airport.
The approach at Castlegar is tricky. In all cases, runway 33 looks more manageable than 15, but there are several options.
The most straightforward option is to align with the runway in the distance and follow the PAPI lights all the way down. However, be warned that I did not test this! There are high hills just south of the airport and I am not sure that a standard 3 degrees glide slope is safe above these. A steeper approach (not using the PAPI) could do the trick, but I don't know how steep it has to be.
Another option is to use the standard (IFR-designed) procedure. There is a localizer one can follow from the north. It is not intended for runway 15, instead it looks more like a localizer to use for a circle to land on runway 33. However, on good weather the localizer is not of much help without a glide slope so I did not find this approach very attractive. I suspect that proper approach charts would shed all necessary light on how to use this localizer, but I did not have those charts.
Eventually, the option I took was to fly south over the next river bend, then descend towards the river and follow it to the north, at low altitude, until the runway appears in sight. This approach makes good use of the PAPI, but there is a catch: due to the hills south of the airport, the approach path cannot be aligned with the runway, a turn into (very) shorts finals is necessary to hit the runway properly.
One more thing… We reached Canada for the first time 15 legs ago, and here at Castlegar we only have some 20 miles of Canada left before leaving it for good. Some achievement, isn't it?
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This leg can be flown at low altitude as a nice mountain ride… and this is exactly what I suggest. I flew it with the PC12 – again. I started at 4500ft, but had to climb later to 6500ft (after Missoula).
Important logistics note: while Google Earth has a worldwide coverage which makes it suitable as map for this tour, while crossing the US I recommend using the online VFR charts available at www.skyvector.com.
The first puzzle is getting airborne at Castlegar. One option is runway 33 and gain altitude FAST, otherwise you will not be able to clear the "step" of the river (and don't ask me why there is one in the first place).
The other option, which I took myself, is to take off from runway 15, which is towards the big hill south of the airport, but turn right when airborne in order to follow the river valley downstream.
Be sure you spot Trail airport (CAD4) on the eastern bank of the river, because after it comes the most difficult point of this leg. We must leave Columbia River and follow its tributary, the Pend Oreille River, BUT this one does not look at all like a major river as it flows into Columbia River.
To identify this river among many others, note that it is the first valley to the east after Trail, and that there are roads along both banks of this river. I missed it at first and had to come back, the 180 degrees turn being not so obvious if one is flying too low.
If you picked the right valley, you will it bend to the right then a wider portion of the Pend Oreille River should appear in sight. Note that in the real world, this portion of the river is dammed at several points, and in FS the dams are rendered as bridges, this is why there are really many of these.
As we follow the river upstream, several airports can be seen:- Ione (S23);
- River Bend (9WA3), located indeed in a river bend;
- Priest River (1S6), as the valley is getting wider and turns northeast.
A few more turns ahead, the Pend Oreille Lake appears in sight. Follow its northern shore, over the airport of Sandpoint (KSZT) then aim for the large river (Clark Fork) that flows into the lake from the east. Near the end of the lake, there are several small airfields almost packed into each other: Delta Shores (ID78), Riverlake (ID75) and Tuka (ID32).
Further upstream, the river gets narrower, in FS it is rendered as a simple river with a few lakes along it. The valley is still easy to follow as it goes almost in a straight-line southeast. There are also railway, roads and power lines along it.
Several airfields are located within the valley: Frampton (MT97), Craik (29MT) and Pinehurst (OMT7). Further upstream, a paved runway airport appears in site, it's Thompson Falls (KTHM). After Thompson Falls, the valley gets narrow, then wide again as we fly over the Plains airport (S34, easy to identify as it has two runways).
Note the mountain peak southeast of Plains. The Clark Fork River, the one we are flying over, does not follow what appear to be the main valley but flows in a tight "S" around this peak. There is a road and railroad junction too, however the railroad is safer to follow along the "S" as the road is connected with some secondary roads too in this area.
For the "S" itself, turn right along the valley (having the railroad), and then be prepared to turn left as soon as the railway does. After completing the "S", we reach what looks like another valley (parallel to the one we left). Technically speaking, though, we are still in the Clark Fork valley, which continues to the east. From this point on, the road turns into a highway.
Follow the valley southeast. There is an airfield at Mineral County (9S4), and little else to see (other than the very nice landscape) until reaching Missoula. Look for the airport (KMSO), because it helps continuing this leg.
Terrain around Missoula is rather flat compared to the valley we have flown along, so finding the "exit" may be a little tricky. One hint is to fly over the airport, roughly along runway 11, then maintain this heading until reaching higher ground again. This should lead you close enough to identify the right valley (it's Clark Fork again, by the way), which has railroad and a highway along.
The entrance to the valley is very narrow, but a few turns later it gets wider. There are airfields to spot at Rock Creek (0MT0) and Drummond (KDRU). At Drummond there is a secondary valley coming from the south, with road, railroad and power line, be sure you do not follow this one. In fact, if you get too close to the airport, you are probably already in the wrong valley.
The next junction is equally important to spot. At some point, the valley becomes flatter and bends to the south, towards Deer Lodge (38S) ALONG with the highway and railroad. From this point, find and follow a secondary valley to the east, having a road and a railroad.
Start climbing now because at this valley ends with 6000+ feet passes. The valley is not always clearly visible, so be sure you follow the railway (no junctions, no doubts).
After reaching the Wood airfield (1MT3), there are two options to get out of this valley: along the road (which just turned into a highway) over Macdonald Pass, or along the railroad over Mullan Pass. I suggest the latter, as this pass is 400ft lower.
As soon as you reach the pass, start descending because the destination airport is really close (you should have it in sight soon) and some 2500ft below. If you manage to loose altitude fast enough, you may do a direct approach; otherwise plan your sightseeing (and height loosing) circuit accordingly.
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This is another leg that provides nice views of the Rocky Mountains. I was tempted to plan it by seeking the most spectacular valleys (or even canyons) to fly through. This is a nice flying challenge, however I found out that while following a narrow valley and trying to manage properly its bends and turns, it is just TOO easy to miss terrain clues and landmarks and finally get lost.
Thus the proposed route is a compromise between flying really close to mountains and using clear landmarks.
I flew this leg with the PC12 and I find it a good choice. Start with an initial climb to 7500ft and head east. As soon as you are high enough, the Canyon Ferry Lake (along Missouri River) should appear in sight. Follow the lake to its southern end, where the Townsend airport (5M7) is located.
After Townsend, follow Missouri river (along with a road and a railroad too) further south. Near Three Forks (9S5) we reach a highway running east to west.
Follow this highway to the west, away from the Missouri River along one of its tributaries (Jefferson River). The river crosses a narrow pass (at this point the highway meets the railroad again). After this pass, as you get to the Jefco Skypark airfield (MT41) turn south to follow the valley (plus a road and a railroad).
The landscape looks like the valley leads out of the mountains, but in reality it's quite the opposite, at this point we are following the valley upstream. Shortly after we reach Twin Bridges airport (7S1).
At Twin Bridges the road and railroad turn east to follow a secondary valley. Follow the main valley to Dillon airport (KDLN). A little south of Dillon, we reach a railroad running from the northwest to the southwest. Follow this railroad to the southwest, and soon it becomes visible it heads towards a lake (Clark Canyon Reservoir).
As we reach the lake, the road we have been following (along the railroad) turns into a highway. After the lake, keep following the highway and railroad south along Red Rock River. After Dell airport (4U9), the highway and railroad leave the valley to follow first a southern secondary valley, then head straight south to Monida Pass.
Be careful as you cross Monida Pass, the (theoretical) maximum altitude in the pass is only a few hundreds of feet below our cruise altitude, so be sure to avoid high ground in this area. Note also that the above-mentioned "highway" turns into a simple road in some areas, then again into a highway.
After Monida Pass the landscape changes completely, instead of mountains and green valleys everything is now flat and desert.
Follow the highway and railroad south, as these run first near Dubois airport (U41), then some lakes (the larger one being named Mud Lake, don't ask why). Eventually the city and airport of Idaho Falls (KIDA) appear in sight. There are several airports in the area: the main one has two runways and is located roughly within the city.
Before reaching the airport, turn east trying to spot a thin and long lake within a canyon. When you spot it, fly towards it but do not enter the canyon, instead the valley to follow is the next one (to the north). Follow this valley (Snake River), along with a road.
Fly over the small airfield of Huskey (ID72) then the Palisades Reservoir. As you cross the lake, look for the Alpine airport (46U) near its southern end. Note a small lake arm just south of the airport. After the airport, the valley that ends in this lake arm is the one to follow. Caution: as you fly over the lake, the NEXT valley seems a better choice while the GOOD one is barely visible so be sure you climb along the FIRST valley that has a road along it and ends near the airport.
The valley is narrow and following it relatively close to its bottom is a rather intense experience, but orientation is easy. Just follow the valley while looking north for an opening.
As soon as you spot this opening and lower (and flatter) ground beneath, go for it (you may forget about the road). From this point, finding the destination airport (a little further north) is easy.
Two options exist for the approach. You may fly a downwind leg to the north, then use the ILS or make it straight in from the south. In the latter case, note there is a terrain bulge along the runway centerline, so be prepared to fly around it instead of a long and straight finals leg.
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When planning this leg I did a terrible mistake. I checked the destination airport, saw it had a grass runway (which I am not a great fan of) and decided to "play safe" and fly the leg with the Cessna 172. Little did I know that there is a paved runway too (though, for obscure reasons, FS "prefers" the grass one). This mistake would not have been so bad on any other leg, but this one implies flying high, really high for this aircraft.
So... don't do as I did; feel free to choose your favorite turboprop (or jet?) and, especially, be sure to look for the paved runway at the destination.
After takeoff, climb to 8500ft, turn south and follow the road nearby the airport. There are two hills and the road climbs on the left one; if you are not high enough at this point, just fly between the hills while keeping the road in sight.
Continue southwards past Melody Ranch airfield (WY31), then the valley gets narrow and the road splits. The road to the right leads back to Palisades Reservoir ("visited" within the previous leg), so be sure to follow the left road.
At first the valley looks like a narrow canyon, then it becomes wider and flatter. There are several streams crisscrossing the valley, so be sure to follow the road as you fly towards the valley end.
The exit from the valley is a saddle at roughly 8000ft, so be sure to avoid high ground in this area. After the saddle, continue south along the road.
There is an important road junction, not to be missed. From the road we follow, there is another one that splits and runs east, close to the mountains on the left side of the valley (there are some lakes in the area too). It is possible to follow that road too, but this is NOT the route I describe hereby. Instead, follow the route to the south, over the Big Piney – Marbleton airport (KBPI), visible soon after the road junction.
Further south, the road closes to the mountains on the right side of the valley (note an a red and white antenna on top of a hill next to the road), and then continues towards Fontenelle Reservoir. As we get close to the lake, the landscape has completely changed – into pure desert.
From the southern end of the lake, follow the river that drains it (Green River). There are roads too, but several of them, so the river is just easier to follow. At some point we cross a secondary railway, close to its terminus. Shortly after, we reach a highway and a railroad running west to east.
Follow the highway to the east, over the towns of Green River, then Rock Springs. Note a segment of narrow valley between the two. Rock Springs airport (KRKS) is located east of the town, on a hill.
After Rock Springs, follow the same highway on a long desert crossing with little or no landmarks at all.
Eventually the highway reaches Rawlins town and airport (KRWL). Along the highway and immediately after Rawlins, note a lake on the left, another one on the right followed by a red and white antenna. Near the antenna, a power line crosses north to south and there is a road to the south too.
Follow the road and power line to the south. Soon these are joined by a railroad as we go upstream the North Platte River. The valley itself is flat and its direction is not obvious so be sure to follow the road. While doing so we reach soon Shively airport (KSAA).
South of Shively, the landscape and vegetation change from desert to mountains; the valley is still wide and flat so it is safest to follow the road and railroad. Soon after, though there is a "Y" shaped crossroad. The power line ends. The railroad too leaves the valley and climbs to the southwest. Thus from this point, it is better to follow the river itself, be sure you follow one LEFT of the railroad.
If you picked the right stream, A-A Ranch airport should soon appear in sight. South of the airport, the valley is easier to follow. The road goes in the right direction too, but it crosses high ground which can be a problem if you are still cruising at 8500ft. In fact, you may do so as there are no unavoidable obstructions at this altitude, but it leaves too little maneuvering height for the approach (the destination airport being located over 8100ft) so it may be a good idea to climb a little higher here.
After a narrow segment where the road breaks left from the stream, the valley becomes wider again and the road crosses the stream again. From this point, either follow the road until you have the airport in sight or proceed along the stream left of the road to make it a long base leg, and then turn on finals when you get the runway in sight.
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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.
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).
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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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This is another leg more suitable for high altitude VFR, because there are few "detail" landmarks while the overall distance is easier to assess from high above. Thus you can fly this in a jet, more precisely any aircraft you are able to put down at destination (paved runway, but a narrow one without glide slope lights).
After takeoff, head east and note two ranges of hills in this direction: a bigger one (both larger and higher) on the left, and a smaller one on the right. Aim between the two ranges.
As you get near these hills, a lake appears northeast. Fly towards this lake (there is a road below going in the same direction).
Before reaching the lake, note a large river a little further ahead. This is Rio Grande, which is the same river we have been following in the legs 26 and 27. In between, we have flown a large loop to the west.
From this point, the route basically follows the Rio Grande to the ocean (more precisely, the Gulf of Mexico). As soon as the ocean appears in sight, it is recommended to descend, especially if you are flying at jet altitude.
In fact this is the biggest problem of this leg. The destination airport is a small one that cannot be seen from the distance, thus the area where it is located should be approached at low speed and low altitude; otherwise expect some circuits around it.
When the ocean shores become distinguishable as details, note a large lagoon to the south, separated from the ocean by a long and thin isthmus. When this feature becomes obvious, it is safe to leave the Rio Grande to follow the inner shore of this lagoon.
While following the lagoon further south, note a series of thin islands that almost form an isthmus across the lagoon. From this point, the destination airport is close and will appear in sight within minutes. Maintain direction until you see it, then turn right for base leg or turn right "preemptively" to intercept the runway centerline on a longer finals leg.
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This is definitely a jet flying leg; just don't plan to fly too high because it is a short leg too. The whole leg is following the ocean shore to the south, with only a few landmarks worth mentioning:
- The southern tip of the lagoon we have been flying over since the previous leg;
- A river flowing into the ocean, with a town (La Pesca) and an airport near its mouth;
- A second river flowing into the ocean, with a larger town (Tampico) and a larger airport. This is exactly the leg destination, so be sure you start descending as soon as you spot this second river and the city (even if the airport is not yet in sight).
Approach is easy, there is ILS but personally I got lazy as the airport appeared in sight, I preferred to get down visually than to fly a large loop (I was too high and too far from the runway centerline to make good use of the ILS).
You may think I also got lazy in writing shorter and shorter route descriptions? Nah, this was just because orientation was (too) easy in these latest legs, but next leg we're going up the mountains again so be prepared to look for elusive landmarks again.
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This is another leg I have flown, with the A318, as high level VFR... and documented as such. Runways at both departure and destination are paved, long and large so almost any aircraft could do the job (not sure about the A380 though).
After takeoff, climb to 13500ft and turn to the southeast along the ocean shore. Fly over the lake (or should I say lagoon?) just south of Tampico, then over the larger one further south. Following roads is out of the question as there is plentiful of these running in all directions.
When reaching the southern tip of the larger lake, note a river flowing into the ocean further south. This is Tuxpan River, and while flying towards it try to locate the city of the same name and eventually the local airport (MM0X), which is close to the riverbank and parallel to it.
Over Tuxpan, turn to the south and note a larger city ahead, which is Poza Rica. Fly towards this city; shortly before reaching it, the airport of Tajin (MMPA) also appears in sight north of the city. Over Poza Rica, note and follow the river flowing through the city, to the west then southwest (upstream).
As we get near the mountains the river is flowing from, it becomes difficult to spot the "main" valley from high above, and nearby roads don't help much either. Instead, most waypoints from now on are lakes, which are easier to spot from a higher level.
Without a dramatic change of direction, aim between a very small lake on the left and a larger one (roughly cross-shaped) on the right. The larger lake (Tejocotal) is to look for especially, but be warned its apparent shape depends a lot on the angle of view, while flying west towards it, it looked more like a large-based "Y" letter.
After Tejacotal Lake, continue on a southwesterly course towards a larger (and especially longer) lake, which is Tecocomulco Lake. After crossing the mountain barrier, the terrain below consists mostly of high plateaus, with mountain peaks rising here and there above these.
Over Tecocomulco Lake, maintain the rough "along" direction of the lake, to the southwest, between two such peaks. After passing these peaks, a large lake and a large city become visible in the distance. This is the capital city of Ciudad de Mexico. The city is quite large, so fly towards the airport (MMMX) as soon as you have it in sight.
Over the city, note the mountain range west of it. This range is to be crossed, but be sure you choose a lower crossing point as it is a good idea to start descending to. As soon as you get a sight of the landscape beneath these mountains, the town of Toluca should be visible ahead. The destination airport is just northeast of the town.
You may choose a visual pattern approach but personally I enjoyed the comfort of an ILS (runway 15) approach. To do so, when reaching the airport fly on the (reciprocal) runway heading, then do a procedure turn (anti-clockwise) to intercept the localizer. I doubt this is the standard procedure but it works while keeping the aircraft over safe grounds (which is not quite obvious with all those peaks around).
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This is another leg above the high plateaus of Mexico, with heavy jet compatible runways at both ends. In other words: another job for the A318!
After departure, climb to 13500ft and turn east, back towards ciudad de Mexico. While doing so, be sure you get high enough to clear the mountains in between.
Once above the city, and possibly with the international airport in sight, note the range of peaks southeast of Ciudad de Mexico. The most southerly one, which is also the highest, is Popocatepetl. Fly towards it, more precisely south of it then turn east around it.
While flying over the southern mountainside, note a large lake, having a very irregular shape, ahead (this is Valsequillo Lake). North of it (which is left as you look) is a large city, Puebla. A little north of the city is the Huejotzingo airport (MMPB). Fly towards the city and locate a railroad starting from there to the southeast.
Follow this railroad along a shallow valley (which is the first one east of Valsequillo Lake). Caution, the railroad makes a long and unexpected (and useless too, as it seems from above) loop before heading again southeast, and this happens exactly within an area where it is not clearly visible due to vegetation.
South of this area the valley becomes deeper and is easier to follow, so you no longer need to look for the railroad. Note the Tehuacan airport (MMHC) on the left side of the valley. The town with the same name should be there too but apparently it is not rendered in FS.
South of Tehuacan is the lowest point within the valley. From this point the river flows east through a perpendicular valley. The exact spot, however, is not obvious in FS except if you have a high-resolution terrain mesh.
Further south, the valley splits into several parallel variants. However, it does not matter which one is the "principal" valley, because the target is visible in the distance, in the form of flatter ground ahead (south). Fly towards this new plateau.
Soon the town of Oaxaca will appeared in sight, followed by the destination airport just behind. As far as approach is concerned, runway 01 is better because there is room to the south to descend and do a procedure turn.
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This is the last leg inside Mexico, and it goes down then up again. The runway at destination is long enough (for jets) but is narrow and has no glide slope lights, so it is not best suited for heavies. I personally flew this leg with the A318 but was somehow confused reading the airport elevation so I kind of overshoot, stopping after the runway end (ouch).
After takeoff, fly east to the plateau east of Oaxaca (and caution the peaks in between, of course). There is a railroad heading in the same direction, and it is a good idea to follow it, but it ends where the plateau ends... while we should be going further.
Where the railroad ends, follow a road to the south. The road itself makes plenty of turns along a valley, but soon it becomes obvious it heads towards a lake having a (roughly) triangular shape. As we fly towards this lake, the Pacific Ocean itself appears ahead. After the lake, follow the river that drains it, which leads to low and flad ground along the ocean shore.
Two airports are visible in the area: Ixtepec (MMIT) on the left and Salina Cruz (MM1X) on the right.
If anything happens and orientation becomes unsafe before this point, at any moment you can fly south to the ocean then follow its shore southeast until you reach Salina Cruz.
After Salina Cruz, more mountains are visible to the northeast, in he distance. Fly towards the closest high peak; about reaching it, a long lake appears ahead. Fly to this lake, over several villages on top of lower peaks and high plateaus.
Over the lake, follow its eastern arm then the river that flows into it upstream. More and larger lakes appear on your left, but these should remain in the distance, being located behind the mountain we need to "climb".
As you fly along the southern side of the mountain, note Tuxtla Gutierrez airport (MMTG) on your right, then a road that crosses your path and continues up on the mountain.
Follow this road over the mountain. On top of this mountain is a shallow valley. Here, the road reaches the town of San Cristobal de Las Casas, where there is a crossroad, while the destination airport appears slightly to the north along this shallow valley.
As the terrain around the airport looks rather misleading (in the ability to tell the low spots from the higher ones), I choose to descend in a 360 degree turn right on the spot (where I first saw the airport), then headed towards it at low level.
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This leg leads us out of North America, which we have been crossing for some 30 legs, into Central America. I flew it with the PC12 again and, while a jet could do the job, note that both origin and destination airports have short and – especially – narrow runways.
This leg can be flown in a very basic way, which is along the Pacific coast. However, inland mountains provide an interesting landscape that would be a pity to miss, so the hereby-suggested route leaves the coastline for a ride among local volcanoes.
Alternatively, one could fly the entire leg over the mountains, but the way is difficult to find before lake Atitlan. Thus, the suggested route is a compromise between sightseeing and ease of orientation.
After takeoff, climb to 12500ft and turn right to the south as soon as the terrain permits. On this course we first cross the range of mountains near the airport, then a wide valley with a long and thin lake, then another mountain range and eventually, when crossing these, the ocean appears in sight.
Once you get the ocean in sight, the best path is between the coastline and the nearby mountains, ideally at equal distance from the two. While doing so, note the town of Tapachula on the left, as well as the local airport (MMTP).
The next visible town is Coatepec; there is no airport here but there is a railroad. By now we have crossed the border into Guatemala.
Next town is Retalhulen, and the spot is easy to locate due to a large "Y"-shaped river flowing into the ocean nearby. Near the city is the airport (MGRT), but do not waste time looking for it – I did not see it either.
After Retalhulen, Atitlan Lake appears in sight to the left, in the mountains. It is time to leave the coastline for a more interesting landscape so fly to this lake. Once you reach the lake, turn right to the east between mountains – most of which being in fact volcanoes, and this is visible from their shape even with the FS default scenery.
A large city appears ahead, which is the capital city of Guatemala. The La Aurora airport (MGGT) appears in sight shortly, apparently inside the city.
Fly over the airport, and then to a lake visible further east. Before reaching this lake, another one appears still further so continue towards this one. By the time we reach this second lake (Guija Lake), we are over El Salvador.
Further east, a third (and even larger) lake appears: lake Suchitlan. Fly to this lake too, then note a large city to the southeast. This is the capital city of San Salvador, and it is our next waypoint. Next to the city is Ilopango airport (MSSS), while the newer airport of Cuscatlan (MSLP).
After San Salvador, fly east along the coastline. When you reach a delta-like segment of the shoreline, start descending because the destination airport is getting close now.
The large Fonseca bay appears ahead. The leg destination is a small cape right before entering the bay, visible from distance. Note that we approach the airport perpendicular on the runway, so the best approach is left base leg for runway 33.
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Although "technically" this is the second leg along Central America, it is the first time we're going to see both oceans. I flew it with the A318 but had some hard time landing.
The first part of this leg is to be flown along the coast. This is easy when using runway 15 but things get a little spicy with runway 33. In this case, while climbing, pay attention to Mount Conchagua and turn right around it.
As we cross Fonseca Bay, we also cross the border into Honduras. Continue eastwards along the coast, until a large inland lake appears in sight. This is Managua Lake; fly towards it.
As we get closer to and then above the lake, the city of Managua gets visible too on its southern shore, as well as the international airport (MNMG). We are now over Nicaragua.
Behind Managua Lake an even larger lake appears. Fly over this second lake, on a southeast course. Note an interesting feature, the island of Ometepe formed by two volcanoes: Conception and Madera.
Right of the lake, a mountain range starts to emerge from the lowlands. Fly towards these mountains and follow the range to the northeast. Lake Arenal appears in the mountains; make sure you fly along it for direction.
Once we get past the lake and the mountain behind this, a large city appears ahead. We are now in Costa Rica and this is the capital city of San Jose. As we get closer to the city, the two airports of Juan Santamaria (MROC) and Tobias Bolanos (MRPV). Although both are named "international", I am sure that you will notice some differences between these.
From San Jose, follow the valley eastwards to a small lake, then towards the Atlantic as this appears in sight.
Once near the coast, in order to pinpoint your position, look for a small (short but wide) cape, where the town of Puerto Limone and the local airport (MRLM) are located. From Puerto Limone follow the coast to the east.
As we fly over a narrow cape, some islands appear ahead, the closest one being the destination of this leg. More precisely, the runway is located at the eastern tip of the island, perpendicular to our bearing. Thus, do not fly immediately towards the island.
For a left base runway 08, fly over the airport of Cap Manuel Nino (MPCH), and then aim for the base turn. Personally I tried to do a VOR approach in order to get a more precise approach with the Airbus, but somehow misread the distance so my approach was purely visual (and therefore a little overshot).
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This is a short hop along Panama, which could be even shorter on a straight line between the origin and destination, but once we are in the area it would be a pity not to "visit" the channel.
I flew this leg with the A318, which was a little heavy for takeoff at Bocas del Toro. Witnesses have stated that no jet uses this airport in real life, so a turboprop would be more realistic.
After departure, climb to 13500ft and follow the northern coast. At cruise altitude both oceans are visible at first, then the isthmus becomes wider and the Pacific gets out of sight behind the mountains.
Further east, the terrain becomes flatter and the Gatun Lake appears ahead. As we approach the lake, the northern end of the channel becomes visible. Descend to 4500ft to enjoy the view.
The Atlantic locks are not rendered in the default scenery (unlike the Pacific locks, which is really weird), however the spot where the locks should be is easy to recognize (among other "hints", the water is sloped).
East of the Atlantic locks, is the city of Colon, with the local airport (MPEJ). Turn right and follow the channel. Waypoints and route indications are no longer necessary, as the channel is straightforward to follow.
The Pacific locks appear in sight as well as Panama City to the east and the leg destination airport to the west.
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With this leg, we complete the trip along Central America and reach deep into the mountains of Columbia. I flew this leg with the A318, and almost any aircraft would fit as well, the limitation being the length of the runway at destination (while approach itself is not difficult, due to the PAPI lights).
After takeoff fly east across the channel, and then over the airports of Marcos Gelabert (MPMG) and Tocumen (MPTO).
Further east, the isthmus that was relatively flat in the channel area becomes rougher again, with mountains along it.
We soon reach a large bay, with a river flowing into it from the southeast. Follow that river, and then continue in the same direction, to cross the Panama isthmus again. We soon reach another large bay, Uraba, on the northern coast this time. About this spot we also cross the border into Columbia.
Note a small comb-shaped cape, near the spot where Atrato River flows into the bay. Fly over this cape, and then straight east across the bay. Note a small short cape with an airport on top of it: this is Turbo (SKTU).
Upon reaching the mainland, continue to the east. A lake appears soon, with some hills behind. Fly towards this lake. As we get closer, it appears that the hills behind the lake are the northern end of a much longer and higher mountain range.
Over the lake, turn right to the southwest. Soon a large river appears ahead. Fly towards this river, then south along it. Next to the river bend is the airport of Caucasia (SKCU).
Follow the valley as it goes into the mountains. The valley becomes narrower and turns right, and then left again.
Further south, the valleys gets wide again but remains deep, with high mountains on both sides. We are now in the Cauca valley, which we will be following during this leg and the next one.
A large city appears in sight to the left, in the next valley and the surrounding hills: this is Medellin.
After Medellin the valley splits in two. Follow the left-hand valley, not the right-hand one that is flatter. From this point, there is also a railroad along the valley.
Descend to 8500ft as we get close to the leg destination, while paying attention to the mountains on the sides of the valley as we are now flying lower than these.
On the left a town appears; it is Manzales and it also has an airport, not visible though (probably we are flying too low to see it). After Manzales the valley becomes even wider, descend to 6500ft. This is necessary as the leg destination is now close and the airport is located at "only" 4500ft.
The city of Matecana appears, and then the airport gets visible too, but do not fly straight towards it because the heading is inadequate for a straight-in aproach. Instead, note the airport of Santa Ana (SKGO) ahead (it is easy to spot as it is displayed in FS on top of a high platform).
Once over Santa Ana, turn left towards the city and start descending, this leads on a good course for straight-in approach on runway 07. Note that approach for runway 25 is tougher due to the high sloped ground east of the airport.
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This leg provides a first taste of what flying in the Andes means, and I must confess it is different from anything I knew. Although it is possible to fly this route well above the terrain features, I hereby suggest flying levels that get closer to these, for a more intense experience.
I flew this leg with my brand new Flight1 ATR 72, which was nice for most of the time but kind of tricky when landing; at that time I wished I had a lighter and slower aircraft. This being said, it is up to every one's skills and technically even jets could do the job.
If anyone remembers, the leg origin at Matecana is located high on the eastern side of the wide Cauca valley. The first part of the route follows the valley, so we need to get back into it first. This is easy task if departing on runway 25, but if runway 07 is in use pay attention to the high ground ahead, in fact it is the natural slope of the mountainside. In this case climb (ASAP) to 6500ft and turn right to the west once you reach this altitude.
Over Cauca valley, we fly again past Santa Ana airport (SKGO). Due to FS rendering and data, the airport seems to be raised on a high platform. Take note to this feature, because this applies to ALL airports within this valley, which therefore become easier to spot from distance.
While following the valley upstream, keep the river and the railroad in sight. Also, in case of doubt, it is better to follow the right-hand (western) mountainside, which is straighter and less fragmented than the left-hand one (where several secondary valleys exist).
The next (raised) airport is Zarzal (SK0C), followed shortly by Tulua (SKUL).
The valley is very wide so one feels there is plenty of space to fly along it. However, one should not forget that mountains on both sides are very high above. Not far from this spot, a plane bound for Cali airport crashed after having navigation problems, which led them across the eastern mountainside and unable to climb fast enough to clear it.
After Tulua, the next feature to look for is Calima Lake on the western side of the valley. A little later, two more airports appear in sight. The leftmost one is La Primavera (SKCL), the rightmost one is inside a large city – which is Cali (SKGB).
At Cali, follow the river and railroad to the south, again close to the western side of the valley.
The next segment of the valley is still clearly contoured at the altitude we fly but the valley bottom becomes rougher, with the river itself doing a series of sharp bends. This is no problem as we are still above these terrain features.
Further south, the valley bottom turns into a large plateau and the valley edges become less visible, which make orientation more difficult. Try to locate these edges, as little visible as they are, and follow the centerline of the plateau – to the south again. You should see the Popayan airport (SKPP) on the left, but this is not a major waypoint to look for.
Later, it becomes obvious that we are approaching the southern edge of this plateau, without seeing what lies behind – yet. As we reach this edge, the Patia River valley appears in sight, to the southwest and far below.
While it is possible to continue at 6500ft, for a better terrain experience I suggest slowly descending to 3500ft. The main valley is easy to spot but as we fly downstream, any secondary valley is just as good as these all converge lower.
Further south, the valley becomes narrower and later turns west, then northwest and out of the mountains. Locate the southernmost point of the river and head to the plateau that leads from this point to the south. Be sure to start climbing (11500ft is safe, but barely so) because this time we are going upstream – and fast. Two converging rivers flow south along this plateau, be sure to follow the leftmost one.
The valley turns into a plateau, with many villages generally located on the higher spots, then turns southwest. Soon two airports appear in sight (no more raised platforms this time).
The leftmost one is Tulcan (SETU) in Ecuador, while the rightmost one is San Luis, this leg destination. The easiest approach is following a right hand pattern for runway 07 starting with the downwind leg as the airport appears in sight.
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This is one more leg along the Andes, and a rather short and straightforward one. I flew it with the ATR-72. A small jet would do the trick too, but the best is to fly low and enjoy the landscape. Note that "low" refers to height not altitude, because the initial climb I suggest is towards 13500ft.
Take off heading south, or else be very careful at the high terrain north of the airport, and turn right as soon as airborne. South of the departure airport is the airport of Tulcan (SETU), very close but on the other side of the border - in Ecuador.
Over Tulcan, follow a shallow valley downstream, first to the south and then to the southwest. Further south, this valley turns right out of the mountains, while we continue southwest along a tributary valley.
The Yehuarcocha Lake appears a little left of the valley. South of the lake is the Atahualpa airport (SEIB). From Atahualpa continue southwest.
After Atahualpa we enter an area featuring small lakes hung on top of volcanic peaks. There are three lakes along the valley; the first one is San Pablo down in the valley, then Cuicocha and Mojanda high on the surrounding peaks.
Fly right through these lakes and maintain the same course further southwest. Soon a large city will appear ahead on the hills, it is Quito the capital city. Fly towards the city, and then towards the airport (SEQU) as soon as this one appears in sight.
Besides from being a valuable waypoint, Quito provides another "benefit": it is here that we cross the equator for the first time in this tour (I am not very sure, but I expect 3 more crossings later in the tour).
Fly right over the airport, and once over it turn south. The large shape of the Cotopaxi peak appears ahead. Note two lower peaks side by side right in front of the Cotopaxi and fly to cross the mountains west of both these lower peaks. While doing so it soon becomes obvious we need to cross a large and shallow saddle. Be on the lookout though, this saddle may be shallow but it is not much lower than the level we fly at.
While crossing the saddle, note a road and a railroad running in the same direction. You may follow these south of the saddle - or just fly to the south, and the destination airport will soon appear in sight. Before reaching the airport, note the peak of Chimborazo in the distance further south; more of this one will be seen in the following leg.
As soon as the airport appears in sight, you should start descending in order to do a straight-in approach to the south (and enjoy the luxury of the corresponding ILS approach).
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This leg is the most difficult one along the Andes - until now. First, it is a long leg and I suspect the "wise" VFR route is to get down the mountain, follow some river over the Amazonian jungle, and then get up the mountain again at the destination. Yet, again, this would spoil the fun of flying in the Andes so I persevered in finding a high mountain route for this leg.
There are three very different sections along this route. The first part, from Cotopaxi to Cuenca, is relatively easy to follow. The middle section, between Cuenca and Bagua, lacks identifiable landmarks so it is tricky (so tricky that I got lost at some point, came back on my tracks and eventually found the correct route). These problems are also related to Google Earth, which does not provide much detail for this area. Finally, the last section is easy to navigate again, but provides quite a surprise in the end!
After takeoff, climb to 12500ft and fly south, along a railway that runs very close to the airport. The railroad leads along a shallow valley, first to the town of Ambato and the nearby airport of Chachoan (SEAM).
At this point, Chimborazo peak is clearly visible ahead (a little to the right, in fact). Continue following the railroad towards Chimborazo eastern mountainside, across a shallow but high saddle, then down south on the other side. After passing the saddle, a city appears to the southeast, it is Rio Bamba. Within the city there is the Chimborazo airport (SERB).
Be careful while following the railroad in this area, it enters and exits the town at a very sharp angle, so be sure you do not miss the "exit" leg of the railroad.
Follow the railroad along (and downstream) a shallow valley. At some point, the valley changes dramatically into a steep and deep valley, as the river struggles (and eventually succeeds) in getting out of the mountains. In this area (and before reaching "down"), the railroad splits. One branch (the right) follows the river downstream up to the Pacific, which we are not interested in, while the other (the left one) climbs back on the mountain.
Follow the railroad as it climbs diagonally across the mountainside, then upstream a valley to the left. As the railroad reaches the top again, a large city appears to the right: Cuenca. The railroad leads there, after crossing a smaller town dispersed on several hills, which is Azogues. As we approach Cuanca, the Mariscal Lamar airport (SECU) appears. The bad news is that the railroad we have so conveniently followed until now ends here.
At Cuenca, head south to get out of the valley the city is located in. The terrain ahead looks like a high plateau, with higher ground on its edges. There are several roads going out of Cuenca; locate the one that follows the western edge of this plateau. This road goes where we are going so follow it further south, there are no other terrain features that could make usable waypoints.
At some point, the road leaves the edge of the plateau and continues south in sharp turns. Ignore a road that splits and runs to the west, and follow the one along the plateau. Shortly after, the road leads towards a city, which is Catamayo. Before reaching the city, look on your right for the airport of Camillo Ponce (SETM).
The airport is located in a valley. Follow this valley to the south (upstream). Shortly after, a road coming from Catamayo joins the river we are following, but this is of little use as it ends in a loop in one of the nearby villages. However, from this point the valley to follow appears clearly to the south, so orientation becomes easier.
The valley ends in a saddle; cross this saddle and follow the valley on the other side, downstream, which is to the south again. The valley is easy to follow and the river even becomes larger (and thus rendered as a water body) further down. Descend to 9500ft because from now on there is no more point in flying very high.
As the river gets larger, follow its right bank, looking for the next waypoint. This is the point where the river turns sharply northeast and gets out of the mountains, while receiving a tributary river from the south. Caution, the river leg going "down" gets visible only when one gets close to this point. Also. On the right of the river, is the airfield of Shumba (SPJE).
From this point, locate a second tributary valley, less visible and with a smaller river along it, coming from the southeast. Follow this shallow valley upstream.
As we follow the valley, something really strange appears ahead. It looks like a rock tower and, as you probably guessed by now, the destination airport is right on top of it. Take the time to admire this terrain feature, because it is unique: you won't see it in the real world (I found no clue that such a "tower" would exist there). Moreover, this is not just a simple airport elevation mismatch in FS, because not only it is very tall but also it has some micro-terrain features of its own on top!
Speaking of terrain, once you decide to land it is easier to approach from the west, because in the opposite direction you will meet high terrain in the vicinity of the runway threshold.
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The previous leg has led us slightly outside the main and high line of the Andes. Time to get back into it!
The landscape is - again - spectacular, especially if one does not fly too high. Also, note that altitudes indicated in this leg description shall serve as an orientation means too, for instance in telling the correct saddle to fly to from the others that are too high.
I found the landing after this leg to be particularly difficult, in fact it is the second leg when I crashed (the first being Brighton Island, for those who remember it) and I had to fly the leg again. Thus I don't advise anything too big or too difficult to put down, the terrain provides enough of a challenge by itself. As for me, I successfully flew it with the PC12.
While planning the departure, do not forget where the airport is located, on that strange rock tower. This allows for some unique takeoff techniques, especially if one uses runway 31, like taking off downwards! So enjoy this opportunity, and while doing so descend to 6500ft after departure.
The first section of this leg leads back where we came from, to Bagua and eventually the large river we have been following in the previous leg. At this point, turn right and follow the valley that leads southwest (upstream).
Soon, the valley turns east, then southeast and becomes larger. Later on, the valley turns south and becomes narrower. Climb to 7500ft to avoid the bottom that keeps getting closer.
There are quite a few tributary valleys on the left and right side, but the one we need is on the left (western) side and low enough to enter it. There is also a road that seems to follow the valley but eventually climbs to the mountain south of it. Follow this valley.
If the initial section of the valley is low, this is going to change further west so climb to 12500ft. After a few sharp and narrow bends, the valley gets larger and eventually turns into a plateau. In this area there is a town near the valley, which is Cholocal.
From Cholocal follow the river to the south (as the valley is difficult to locate as such). Note some strange cliffs on the left, which is another FS-only feature due to an airfield located in this area, Pampa Grande (SPJB.) Don't hesitate to check in order to be sure, but be advised the airfield is visible only while flying really close to those cliffs. Continue along the river.
The edge of this plateau becomes visible but this is of little interest: over that edge is a valley that leads back to the same other valley we have been following. However, it is useful to fly near this edge in order to locate the lake nearby, which is an important waypoint.
From this lake fly west, then south following a river and a road and climb to 13500ft because we are getting close to the saddle to cross. Note a lake on the left, hung on a mountainside; the saddle is slightly south of it. After crossing the saddle, follow the valley that runs to the south and descend to 7500ft. This was the highest point of this leg.
Look for a railroad that follows the valley (not quite from the saddle, though), because this is related to an important waypoint. As the valley turns right, the Pacific appears in sight but in the same area the railroad splits. One branch continues downstream to the coast, while the other leads upstream into another valley. Follow the latter and climb to 9500ft.
This valley is narrow and has sharp bends on its lower part, so be sure to follow the railroad. Further south, the valley gets larger but in the same area the railroad ends. No problem though, because the valley itself is now easy to follow. Climb to 10500ft and prepare for a difficult approach (though I did not expect to have such a hard time at first view)
The destination airport does not have clear terrain on either end, but rather high mountainsides. The choices are either steep descents (hopefully ended with a successful strong flare) or a level approach from the west with very short turns on finals. Personally I tried the latter option for runway 16 but the final score was Touchdowns:1 - Crashes:1. I wish you a better luck !(and / or technique of course)
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This is one more leg along the Andes... with a twist, this time (which will be revealed at the appropriate time). Approach at destination looks like the one in the previous leg, but it is easier. I flew this leg with the ATR72... and no crash this time.
After takeoff, fly southwest (upstream) along the valley while climbing to 15500ft. Note that when departing from runway 16 it's not 100% guaranteed the aircraft can clear the nearby mountains, so plan and watch your climbing gradient carefully.
Further south, the valley becomes shallow and eventually it is possible to spot the saddle, which we reach near a small lake (Laguna Conococha). Unlike the valley we have been following, the valley ahead is very deep and flows to the west; the Pacific is visible in that direction.
To the left there is the Cordillera Huayhash, a range of high peaks always covered in snow. Aim to the large saddle north of this range, which is reachable at the altitude we are cruising at. Caution, this is not a very precise waypoint, and a cruising altitude significantly different from the suggested one can make a lot of difference (in confusion, that is).
Beneath the mountains we reach the surprise I was mentioning in the introduction. Near such an impressive mountain range as the Cordillera Huayhash one could expect: more spectacular peaks, deep valleys, or at least some hills as a transition to lower terrain. Well, in this case it's none of the above. Instead, the Andes have the "altiplano", high plateaus so flat that one could think they are just hundreds of feet above sea level - while in reality it's over 10000ft.
Fly towards the two lakes ahead, the longer one is Lake Lauricocha. A deep valley appears on the left, but we should remain above the plateau between this valley and the mountains. While doing so, we reach a crescent-shaped lake located in a narrow and deep valley.
From this lake, a much larger lake is visible to the left; this is Lake Junin. Fly towards it, with an "orientation bonus" if you fly over its northern shore: the airport of Vicco (SPVI), displayed on a raised platform as it occurs often in this area in FS.
Aim for the southeastern end of Junin Lake, and then continue in the same direction until a railroad appears. The next section of the leg follows this railroad to the south, with the only difficulty to locate all junctions and in each case follow the right track.
Soon, the railroad turns slowly to the southwest, and then after a sharp loop back to the southeast. Right after this turn there is a first junction; continue to the southwest ignoring the railroad to the southwest.
The railroad leads parallel to the hills on the left (ok, these look like hills but at this altitude...) Near the end of these hills, there is another junction with a railroad to the southwest. The main track then turns left towards a small lake (Laguna de Paca). There is also an airfield here, Francisco Carle (SPJJ), which is sunken into the ground.
The railroad turns again to the southeast, following a river, towards the town of Huancayo. At Huancayo, the railroad continues along the same river to the south, towards a section of narrow valley. Further south, the valley becomes shallow and the terrain turns into a plateau again.
The railroad continues roughly to the southeast, but at some point turns west towards a town visible in the distance, Huancavelica. At this point, leave the railroad and continue to the southeast. Caution, after this point the obvious waypoints are scarce so be on the lookout and be sure you can turn to a safe point, which in this case should be Huancavelica.
Note a deep valley on the left, but do not fly towards it, instead follow the plateau edge. As a town appears in sight down in the valley, fly towards it. This is Ayacucho, and the airport nearby is the Colonel Alfredo Mendivil Duarte (SPHO).
Continue past Ayacucho and upstream the valley located east of the town. There is a road along this valley too. After a while, it becomes visible that the valley ends into a saddle with a deeper valley beneath. On the edge, leave the road and follow this valley to the south.
Note a big "V" river bend (a triple bend, in fact) pointing east. From the tip, follow the tributary valley coming from the east. While following this valley, note a lake that appears on your left (Pacucha Lake); when this lake becomes visible, the destination airport is roughly at mid-distance.
The straight-in approach from the west requires a very precise vertical profile management, due to the high hill just west of the airport. There are PAPI lights that could help, but I did not check whether these actually provide a profile that clears that hill. It is also difficult because unless you fly very high, the runway itself is hidden from view by the same hill.
Instead, I suggest a more level approach. Descend while flying over the runway (which gives a good opportunity to assess its position), and then over the southern shore of Lake Pacucha. Turn 180 degrees over the lake, which gives a good sight of the runway. The only problem is the required turn on very short finals, but by carefully following the terrain it is possible to make this turn less sharp.
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While most of this leg follows the altiplano, its first section crosses a maze of river valleys that is some challenge for orientation. The narrow dirt runway at destination severely limits the aircraft choice. For me (and my present skills), such a runway calls for a C172 but… just for laughs, try to get one of these airborne at SPHY, the show is worth the lost time! So I used the B1900D for this one.
After takeoff, climb to 13500ft while flying to Lake Pacucha (northeast of the airport). From the lake, fly left of the hill nearby to a saddle (which is very close to the lake) and beyond, along a valley that descends to the north in a steep slope. This valley ends into the larger and deeper valley flowing from the west to the northeast.
Be on the lookout because VERY soon we need to change the direction again, when reaching an important confluence point. The main valley turns left and flows northwest (to lower terrain, which is clearly visible when looking in that direction). We came here following one tributary from the west, and there are two others, one from the east and one from the southeast.
Follow the tributary valley to the east!
The valley leads east, then northeast. Later, the valley turns to the southeast as we reach the Apurimac canyon. At first, only high snowy peaks are visible on the left side, but after a while tributary valleys appear from that direction.
Follow the first of these valleys that obviously leads to a saddle that is lower than your cruise altitude (if set as indicated in this leg description). Aim for that saddle while following this valley, which in its upper part leads east.
As we reach the saddle, a lake is visible ahead (at roughly the same altitude). Fly to this lake and watch the ground for a railroad a little left of it. This railroad is to be followed for the remaining of the leg, so as soon as you get it in sight the hard part of this leg is over.
Follow the railroad to the east. Note a crescent-shaped lake on the left side, as well as numerous villages along the railroad. Soon we get to the town of Cuzco and the Velasco Astete airport (SPZO).
After Cozco, the railroad leads downstream a valley, until this one turns to the northwest and out of the mountains. From this point, the railroad leads upstream a tributary valley almost changing direction (so one can easily miss the spot where the terrain stops descending and starts climbing again).
A lake appears on the right side, suspended above the valley (Laguna de Pomacanchis). Climb to 15500ft and note smaller lakes on the right side of the railroad. We soon reach the highest point of the railroad, situated in the La Raya saddle. Beyond the saddle the terrain is relatively flat and provides no orientation clues, so be sure to keep the railroad in sight at all times.
After a long crossing of the altiplano, what seems to be a small lake appears on the left but in fact it is a branch of Lake Titicaca. We do not fly directly towards it, instead we follow the railroad some more, until we reach Juliaca airport (SPJL). After Juliaca, the railroad turns west and crosses the mountains all the way to the Pacific coast.
From Juliaca, fly to the lake (which is now visible as large as it is) and follow (roughly) its western shore. In fact, the time required to cross the lake speaks for itself about the size of the lake.
A long promontory (east-west oriented) appears in the middle of the lake. Fly to the tip of this promontory, and then along it and close to its shore looking for the destination airfield. Caution, this one is hard to spot so one has to pass close to it to locate it. Do not descend yet because there is high terrain close to the airfield.
As soon as you get the runway in sight, the best approach is to memorize its position and orientation, and then fly away from it over the water while descending and eventually turn towards it on finals. Most of there maneuvers, however, need to be performed without actually having the airfield in sight.
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This leg is mostly about crossing the altiplano, vith just some variety near the end to spice up things a little. The runway at destination is long, wide and has PAPI lights. However, before selecting the B747 remember the departure has to take place on the modest dirt strip at Titicaca Lake. So, for me it was the PC12 again.
After take off (westwards, I assume, due to the high terrain east of the runway), turn first right towards the lake to gain altitude then a full 180 right again to cross the narrow isthmus west of the airfield. Climb to 14500ft while doing so.
After the isthmus, fly southeast to the end of the lake and then south until crossing a railroad that runs east to west. Follow this railroad to the east (there is a parallel road too). Note that the capital city of La Paz is quite near, which could provide an unmistakable waypoint, however it is only barely visible from this angle. Thus we stick to following railroads.
Along the railroad we reach the town of Viacha, where a railroad junction is located. Two (!) tracks go northeast into La Paz; one goes southwest across the mountains, all the way to the Pacific coast, while the one we need to follow goes south, parallel to a river. Caution, there is no single junction but rather several "cascading" junctions so picking the right one is not trivial.
The railroad crosses several roads. Another road on the left goes in the same direction, almost parallel to the railroad. There are not many terrain features, except for a range of hills on the left and, a little further south, a lake on the right.
We reach a large river, which the railroad follows for a while to the southeast. Then the railroad leaves this river and here comes another long and uneventful ride across the altiplano. Eventually a large lake appears to the south and the railroad turns towards it.
Before reaching the lake we fly over Oruro town, and the local airfield Juan Mendoza (SLOR).
From Oruro we follow the railroad southwards, along the eastern shore of Lake Uro Uro. A secondary railroad climbs along a valley, while we continue south towards a larger lake - Poopo Lake - along the railroad and a parallel road.
While flying along the eastern shore of Poopo Lake, a small lake appears on the left, between the hills. From this point on, there is a "safe" route and a "spicy" route as well. The safe option is to continue south along the railroad until reaching a major junction, which is a waypoint in the next leg too. From that junction, it is thus possible to do the beginning of the next leg in reverse and reach Sucre this way.
The other option avoids flying that route section twice. In order to do so, a mountain crossing is required which calls for attention and terrain awareness and, as such, is not guaranteed to succeed. Should one get lost in this section, it is possible to recover either by flying back to Poopo Lake and following the safe route, or by flying south until reaching a railroad which is part of the same safe route.
If you prefer this more challenging route, fly to the small lake between the hills. Note that a road goes in the same direction. Follow the river that flows into the lake upstream, along one branch of this road (caution, there are more of them). The valley becomes narrow, then back wider. Follow the road which first runs within the valley, and then climbs on the mountainside on the left. While doing so the heading is south, then southeast and east, and eventually even northeast.
Note that at this point we are not so high to clear all terrain around, so you may prefer to follow the road while flying lower, nearer to the valley.
Shortly the road reaches flatter terrain and heads northeast. In this area look for a road junction, and follow the "new" road to the southeast. This road climbs to a saddle and continues in the next valley. Here is another road junction, close to the lowest point of the valley crossing. The roads are not of high importance though.
From this point, the important is to follow the valley downstream. The first segments are oriented to the east and northeast, but it is impossible to provide a full description due to the lack of any visual clues except for the numerous river bends and tributaries. Also, following the valley may seem easy but in this case it is not always obvious to tell the upstream from the downstream.
In all cases, follow the valley as far to the east as you can, while looking for the city of Sucre in the same direction. The city is located on top of the hills, so it is visible from distance. Eventually, an easy approach at destination rewards this difficult section.
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In the last three legs we have been flying over the altiplano, east of the high peaks of the Andes. Time has come to cross the mountains again in this leg!
The dirt runway at destination limits the aircraft choice. I used the PC12.
After takeoff, climb to 13500ft and fly over the town of Sucre (which means a 180 turn if departing to the north). There are two railroads going out of the town, and both are heading roughly to the south, so be sure to pick the right one. The one to follow is leaving the town close to its western limit and runs south along a valley.
The railroad does not remain on the bottom valley for long, instead and climbs on its western side. While doing so it has a series of sharp turns so watch it carefully while you follow it (to the south, southwest and eventually west).
After a while (and a number of the abovementioned sharp turns), the railroad leads us to the town of Potosi and the nearby airport of Capitan Nicolas Rojas (SLPO). As soon as you get the town in sight, climb to 16500ft due to the higher ground ahead.
After Potosi keep following the railroad, This one climbs steeply on the mountainside left of the valley, then along a green valley towards a desert plateau. The look of the landscape changes - to desert - while the railroad continues its series of sharp turns. After crossing this desert, landscape color changes back to green, as the terrain gets lower. We are now out of the mountains, and back into the altiplano.
Shortly after, the railroad we are following ends at a junction on the main line. The main line is the very one that we have been following in the previous leg, and even the Poopo Lake is visible in the distance (unless it is a very well done illusion). As mentioned in the previous leg description, if one does not want to take the chance of getting lost in these mountains (and does not bother to fly the same leg section twice), this is the safest way to end that leg too.
From the junction we follow the railroad to the south while descending to 14500ft. This new section of altiplano crossing should be quite uneventful and possibly unimpressive in FS, but in real life we would see a quite outstanding feature: the Salar de Uyuni, or see of salt. In FS, however, there is no dedicated terrain class for salt so patches of sand desert are displayed instead.
After a while we reach Uyuni, in the southeastern corner of the Salar. The town is not displayed in FS but there are junctions on both the railroad and the road running parallel to it. There is one railroad track running east, into the mountain. The track to the southeast crosses out of the mountains, to reach lower ground in Argentina. Instead, follow the track heading southwest.
In the first part, this railroad follows the southern limit of the Salar, which we do not see in FS, so it is again rather uneventful. As we get closer to the mountains, however, the terrain changes. First some patches of desert appear, and then terrain turns to just desert.
The landscape becomes interesting, as high volcanic peaks appear on both sides of the (rather flat) valley we are following. After a while, we get to a railroad junction, as it happens we are done crossing Bolivia and have reached Chile now. Follow the railroad to the southwest. This is upstream so expect to reach higher and higher ground. The railroad has again numerous turns but generally follows the valley so it is easy to follow.
The railroad eventually climbs on the right mountainside towards a saddle. Caution, this saddle is only visible after one starts to turn along the railroad. The road parallel to the railroad is heading for the same saddle, so whichever you can follow is just as good.
West of this saddle, we are still over high ground and the terrain is a desert again. However, while flying southwards along the railroad the terrain gets lower so descend to 11500ft. At some point the railroad reaches a "false" junction, it is only a loop so continue southwards.
A town appears ahead, this is Calama. As we get closer, the El Loa airport appears in sight too.
After Calama orientation is tricky because we have to leave the railroad. Follow the road that exits the city north of the airport and runs to the southeast. This road seems to lead nowhere but in fact we are slowly climb towards the edge of a large terrain depression.
As this fact becomes visible, be sure to follow the road towards that edge (there are a few crossings to avoid). Once over the edge, continue along the road but look ahead. The spot we are aiming for is an oasis in this desert. Do not expect palm trees or water bodies, but the texture is different enough to make it visible from distance. As you get closer, the destination runway appears in sight too.
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A little bored of following railroads, and sensing the finish line is close (I mean Ushuaia), I slipped again into the "high level VFR" temptation. Departing from the dirt runway at San Pedro with a big iron seems somehow unrealistic, so it is time for my ATR72 again.
After takeoff, fly south while climbing to FL190. This way one has a good view of the depression and its sea of salt: the Salar de Atacama (unfortunately there is nothing but sand desert displayed in FS). As long as you reach the cruising level, turn left straight to the east and "just cross the mountains". At this level and in this area there are no impending mountain peaks so just fly straight and enjoy the view.
The best route further is to follow - again - a railroad. Be for the lookout as you reach the last (easternmost) deep valley, for a railroad running along this valley. Then follow this railroad to the south and out of the mountains, flying over the towns and airports of Jujuy (SASJ) and Salta (SASA). As it results from these airport codes, we are now in Argentina.
There is no problem if you miss the railroad; in this case continue east until clear of the mountains, then along the eastern mountainsides until reaching Salta.
In both cases, the Salta airport is easy to identify due to its very specific 3-runways layout. Caution, the airport is not actually in the town but on top of the hill west of it.
Once south of Salta, fly to and over a long lake. Then proceed along (but east of) the eastern mountainsides until reaching Tucuman and the Tenente Benjamin Matienzo airport (SANT).
After passing Tucuman, turn slightly to the right to keep the mountains in sight. A large reservoir lake appears on the left - Termas de Rio Hondo - but this is not of interest for orientation. Instead, while abeam this lake; look for a tiny reservoir lake ahead and to the right (Dique de Escaba).
Fly to this lake and note, to the south, a region of hills crossed by several north-south oriented valleys. Follow the nearest valley and soon these valleys merge into a single wide and flat valley, where a town is visible too. This is Catamarca, and the destination airport is just southeast of the town.
Note: if you are not in a hurry as I started to be, there is a more classic low altitude VFR route possible. Continue to the south over the Salar de Atacama until reaching a railroad. This railroad, if followed to the east (and to the north at the single junction along it) leads on a longer way to Salta.
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This is another leg to fly high; only this time I used the A318 due to convenient paved runways at both ends.
From Catamarca, fly south while climbing to FL270. Like in the previous leg, follow the eastern mountainsides. There are also a couple of large lakes on the left, which do not appear on the map.
Roughly between these two lakes, but closer to the mountains, is the town of La Rioja, as well as the Capitan Vicente Almonacid airport (SANL).
South of the second lake, the mountainside is less distinct and thus more difficult to follow. Maintain roughly the same heading (southwest) and look to the left for a massive but isolated mountain peak, covered with desert-like terrain. The next waypoint is just southwest of this peak, this is the town of San Juan. East of the town is the local airport (SANU).
South of San Juan, the mountainside is easier to follow until the next waypoint, which is the town of Mendoza together with El Plumerillo airport (SAME). At Mendoza, turn right for a straight west crossing of the mountains. The landscape is impressive but the difference from the previous crossing is obvious: the souther we get, the narrower are the Andes thus the shorter the crossing.
West of the mountains (and bck into Chile), do not fly all the way to the ocean. Instead, look to the south for a large city, which is Santiago, visible from the distance. While locating the city is easy, finding the destination airport is a more delicate matter as there area many of them within the city.
When approaching from the north, the first one in sight is the Arturo Benitez International airport (SCEL). The second airport to appear in sight, south of SCEL (and slightly to the east), is our destination Los Cerillos. The airport can be recognized to its main taxiway at a (non-square) angle to the runway. The suggested approach is to fly a downwind leg southwest while losing what is left as extra altitude, then turn around before reaching the high rocky terrain between the city and the ocean for the finals leg to the northeast.
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The (partial) finish line at Ushuaia seems closer and closer. To further accelerate things, there is a full bunch of legs that can be flown with jets (I used the A318) and almost in straight lines. This leg leads south along Chile (no mountain crossings - for once).
After departure, climb to FL270 and fly south. As soon as we get some altitude, the terrain features around become clear: the Andes of course to the east, while the ocean is barely visible to the west. Between the two there is a range of hills. Most of this leg is to be flown above the flat area between these hills and the mountains.
The first town that appears (after leaving Santiago and its suburbs) is Rancagua, with a lake south of it and the local airport de la Independencia (SCRG). Then there are several towns along the route with no airports and thus more difficult to identify.
Next is the town of Talca, which is located just west of a large lake (Colbun), and has an airport (SCTL). South of this point there are no more hills, and the area between the ocean and the mountains is too wide to navigate without landmarks, so fly to the coast and then south along the coast.
The destination is located next to a bay formed by a long, narrow and curved peninsula. The city of conception is located in the very spot where a large river flows into the ocean. Start descending with the city in sight and fly towards this. In fact, while flying over the city the El Carriel airport appears in sight too.
To loose extra altitude, the best is to fly over the airport and then do a procedure turn or half a pattern for a finals leg to the north. In this case ILS is available too.
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This time we do not go away without crossing the Andes again, fortunately it is a fast leg again available to jets (the A318 again for me).
Fly to the southeast while climbing to FL270. Follow the large river that ends at Conception and note the confluence point of two large tributaries. Fly towards this confluence, and then in the same direction (roughly southeast), until reaching the town of Los Angeles (not THAT one, of course) and the airport of Maria Dolores (SCGE) north of the town.
Turn south and fly over some low and rocky hills, until reaching the next town, which is Victoria, with the local airport south of it (SCTO).
Note several lakes on the left, inside and near the mountains. A first lake is long and narrow (Colico), while the second is larger (Villarica). Fly to this lake and note three volcanic peaks in a straight line to the east, located just south of the lake: Villarica, Quetrupillan (the lowest of the three) and Lanin.
The route is south of this peak line, over the next (long and thin) lake, which is Calafquen. By the time we reach the eastern tip of this lake, the next one is clearly visible to the east, on the Argentina side: lake Huechulafquen, easy to recognize due to its "Y" shape.
Fly over lake Huechulafquen to its eastern tip, and then turn south and start descending, as the destination airport will appear in sight VERY soon. Caution, there is no visible city so the runway is not easy to spot from distance.
The runway is located in a shallow valley, oriented roughly east to west. The safest approach is to fly over the runway, and then enter a left-hand downwind leg while descending, for a finals leg to the west. Do not descend too fast because this downwind leg occurs above some hills. Also, do not come too shallow on short finals because there is a hill foot near the threshold whose height is difficult to assess due to surrounding terrain. I was surprised by this and discovered later (during "replay") that I had cleared that hill by just a few meters.
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This is the last of the "fast leg" series that can be easily flown with jets. Moreover, it is one of the shortest legs of the tour yet. Thus, I flew the A318 again, but at a lower level - FL170, which also allows for a better view of the Andes we are crossing again.
Fly to the south, left of the high mountain ground but keeping this one in sight.
After some time, a large river is visible on the left (Linay River) while a large lake appears ahead in the mountains. This is Nahuel Huapi Lake. Fly to the eastern tip of the lake, where the town of San Carlos de Bariloche is located as well as the local airport (SAZS).
Fly to the west along the lake southeastern arm, and then continue along its western arm. Where the lake ends, on the left, is the peak of Tronador (the "thunderer"). When abeam the Tronador, turn slightly left towards the Todos Lake, on the Chile side of the mountains.
West of Todos Lake an isolated peak appears, (the Osorno volcano), and further west there is a large lake (Llanquihue). Start descending and fly towards the southwestern tip of Llanquihue Lake. The destination airport is just south of it, between the lake and the town of Puerto Montt. A procedure turn or half a pattern may be used to make a final approach from the south (and possibly use the available ILS).
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No more landmasses to cross... the remaining of the American part of the tour mostly cross the frozen fjords of Chile and Argentina. This leg may be flown by jet despite to the gravel runway at destination, however I preferred the B1900 for realism and to better enjoy the landscape.
Fly southeast and climb to 9500ft.This brings us over the Reloncavi Sound, where the city of Puerto Montt is located, and towards its exit. Once we reach this exit, we are not quite over the open sea, but over the larger Ancud Gulf.
Note the large Chloe Island on your right. Despite its size, it is relatively far from the mainland so further south it is barely visible. For orientation, turn south and follow roughly the centerline between the mainland and Chloe Island (and preferably keeping both in sight).
A plentiful of small islands is located in this part of Ancud Gulf. Further south, there are no more such islands to be seen, and we have passed into Corcovado Bay. The name comes from the prominent volcano visible on the left (and easily recognizable due to its cone shape and the lakes hung over its northern mountainside).
From this point, follow closely the mainland shore past Mount Corcovado, but pay attention not to enter any fjord. Note The Juan Yates Bay on the left, which harbors three small islands. Further south, another prominent peak is visible on the mainland (but near the shore): Mount Melimoyu.
Before getting abeam Mount Melimoyu, note the Refugio Island nery near to the mainland. Once over this island fly to the large fjord south of mount Melimoyu. Follow this fjord to the southeast.
The fjord ends in a "T" crossing into another fjord. The destination is located at the northern tip of this second fjord. However, due to the high terrain, expect the runway to be really close when you get it in sight so start descending before the two fjords meet.
The runway is short but well in line with the fjord so the approach is easy over the water.
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Generally it is a good practice to check the arrival airport before planning one's flight. Be sure you don't forget it before starting this leg. Moreover, while the airport loads into FS, be sure to sit down, because it goes like this:
"First view from the active runway, hmm, a nasty high mountain ahead. Let's try the reciprocal... oops, another one there! Time to look at the sides, hoping for an easy approach on base leg, and the result is, (drum roll) NONE". Indeed, this runway is located on the bottom of a deep hole!
Thus, planning this leg is mostly about planning the approach. Note also that before getting to the approach there is a long leg to fly (longer than the previous ones, that is) so it would be a terrible loss for one to crash on landing after an hours-long flight. In fact, I strongly advise practicing this approach before (which I did too, of course).
The landing looks so bad that for a time I considered flying the leg in a chopper, but two things stopped me. First, I don't know whether it is allowed, and also (and especially) I am no chopper specialist either. Considering this, the wisdom took over and I decided that my best chances to get down in one (virtual) piece were aboard a C172.
Basically I tried two strategies. The first and the most promising one was to come over the "cauldron" edge aiming for a steep finals leg, but the results I got were below my expectations (and moreover, below the ground level).
So I tried - successfully - another strategy, which could qualify as a circle-to-land. Basically it means doing a 180 turn while descending inside the cauldron. More details will follow when this leg description will get to the approach, but for now we are still at its other end.
One consequence of flying this leg in a slow "approach-safe" aircraft is that it takes ages. So fill up the tanks, get airborne, start climbing to 5500ft and ... relax. Fortunately the landscape is interesting enough, but even so it is most likely you will need a good book in flight - or use time compression, "as fast as it gets".
Fly southwest along the fjord towards its exit. While flying along it, note the peak of the Cerro Maca volcano on the left side. Abeam the volcano cut the corner to the south. Do not enter the fjord that extends eastwards south of Cerro Maca, instead look for the (less obvious) continuation of the fjord to the south.
After passing a group of small islands, however, the way south appears clearly. Continue to the south until this fjord ends, avoiding the other ones that extend on the left or right.
The fjord ends as a lake on the mainland, but beneath the land the ocean is visible further south. Cross the isthmus between the lake and the ocean. Once over the water again, note the Javier Island on the right, and follow the shoreline southwest. Near the island there is a labyrinth of fjords that we need just to ignore.
The next fjord is the one to follow. Further sound, this fjord too splits into several branches surrounding a triangular island. Fly over this island, then further maintaining direction, over a fjord that ends but close to the next one (east-west oriented).
This new fjord has one branch to the north, then one to the east and finally one to the southeast, left from a high and massive peak (Cerro O'Higgins). Follow this last one branch until its end. Near its end the fjord is splitting again, one branch to the south (with an island inside) then another one to the north. Ignore both and continue to the southeastern end of the fjord.
From this point maintain the direction of the fjord, and note a high thin lake on your right, and then a very long lake, roughly at sea level, which is O'Higgins Lake. Follow this lake to the southeast and descend to 3500ft, the destination is now close.
The lake bends to the south, shaped as a huge "U" with one end where we are now and the other at the destination. However it is easier to take the shortcut between the two branches of the "U". Try to find the best (that is lowest) point to cross.
Once over the eastern arm of the lake, you should already recognize the landscape if you practiced the landing before. If you did not, fly towards the mountainside to the east and note the "cauldron", which becomes more and more visible as you get close to it. In this case make a pass over the cauldron to memorize the runway position.
And now, here is "my" scenario for the landing. Descend to 1700ft, full flaps and level up (this hurts the C172 indeed) and aim for the northern side of the cauldron. Look for the road coming from the north and crossing the cauldron, and then cross the cauldron edge above and parallel to this road.
Once you cross the edge, start descending around 500fpm with 50% throttle. Stay as close as possible to the western side of the cauldron to allow for a large turn on finals. If there is still not enough space for the turn, it is possible to turn wider, overshoot the centerline and continue turning to intercept it again from the east. The drawback is that in this case the aircraft needs to slip between trees.
Once on the runway, hit the brakes and hope for the best...
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Landing an aircraft into that cauldron was difficult, but getting it out is not easy either. After a few attempts with the C172, in all cases too close to both the edge and the stall speed, I decided to go for something slightly more powerful and flew this leg with the B1900.
In any case, a steep crosswind leg is required to escape this aircraft trap. I can't call it a "natural trap" however, because I have strong reasons to believe this cauldron doesn't exist at all in real life.
Once you get out and able to look for landmarks, follow the O'Higgins Lake to the south, up to the base of the "U" and beyond, along a lake arm extending to the southeast. Before reaching the tip of the lake, the next large lake (to the south) appears in sight; this is Lake Traful. Fly towards its eastern tip, and a new lake appears further south: Lake Argentino. Again, aim for the eastern tip of this lake.
Fly westwards along the southern shore of Lake Argentino. Note the El Calafate airport (SAWC); the town itself is not rendered in FS. Further west, another airport appears having two crossing runways.
A narrow lake appears to the left, within a deep valley, but in fact it is just another arm of Lake Argentino. Fly to that lake arm and follow it to the south until it ends. From the tip of the lake continue to the south, right of a range of rocky peaks, which is Cordillera del Paine. Abeam of the Cordillera, note the lake south of it. This is Lake Pehoe, which is continued to the southeast and towards lower ground.
Fly southeast along Lake Pehoe, ignoring its large arms that extend to the east. Near the southern end of the lake, more lakes appear to the south, but this is actually a fjord of the Pacific Ocean. Fly towards this fjord and start descending. The destination airport is straight ahead, on the northern shore of this fjord.
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This is the last leg on the American continent, and you may want to finish in style. Personally I used the ATR72 on this one but if you prefer something really big, note that the destination airport is OK so limitations are due to the runway length at the departure airport.
Climb to 12500ft and follow the nearby fjord to the south, close to its eastern shore. Before the fjord bends to the southwest, a large lake appears to the southeast. fly to the southeastern shore of this lake, and note it is linked by a narrow channel to the next lake further south.
Again, fly to the southeastern tip of this second lake. The Strait of Magellan appears ahead, and soon the airport of Carlos Ibanez del Campo International (SCCI) appears too on the shore. The town (of Punta Arenas) is further south, fly over it and beyond along the strait's northwestern shore.
Tle large Dawson Island appears in the middle of the strait. Fly over this island, aiming for its southeastern tip. From this point, maintain this southeastern course and cross the channel to the mainland, and then further on across a mountain range. The highest peak of the range is Mount Darwin, and should be clearly visible on your left as you continue southeast.
South of the mountains, a new fjord appears, which is west to east oriented. Follow this fjord east and descend to 4500ft, as the destination is close now. The airport is located on the northern shore of this fjord, and you may prefer a visual straight-in approach or to enter the left downwind leg for the reciprocal runway to take advantage of the ILS.
And that's about the Americas in this tour!
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Unfortunately I did not find any way to fly this leg in VFR (and fortunately I did not even try to).
There is a kind of a challenge though. The distance is long enough to make this leg available to the classes 6-7 of the EHM fleet. However, before fueling up your B747, take a look at the destination runway: kind of short, no navaids (except for a NDB), and not even PAPI lights for guidance. It is possible of course, and many did it already, but I preferred to add a touch of originality here (too).
The A318 Elite, entered in service at EHM in 2008, is the smallest aircraft having a "published" range above this leg distance. After a few tests, I concluded that it is usable for this leg but subject to some particular conditions.
First, I did not use any "fancy route planning", just the plain straight line between departure and destination airports. Well, "straight line" is a way of speaking, so expect to see a perfect circle segment displayed on the FS map. At long range altitude (FL370) the flight should take 11-12 hours.
Then, this is a trip to "travel light". No passengers, no flight attendants (to attend whom?) and no extra cargo and luggage. I could not give up the galleys, though, for realism sake: On such a long and boring flight, if I was a pilot, I suppose I would spend some time eating...
Weather surprises are not quite welcome on this flight either. I think a merely 10kts headwind would make the difference between ending the flight with a landing or a ditch. Of course you may try the opposite and setting up some tailwind, but I doubt this is the correct spirit here.
Eventually, as the approach at destination is forcefully visual, one must ensure to get there by daylight. The leg duration and polar vicinity make it for a difficult planning here. I got it not very well myself, as I arrived one hour too early (than I previously planned) so I barely had enough light to see the trees near the runway.
And this is all about planning, but there is one more thing to remember for the departure. Make sure you get a good (that is fuel effective) climb profile, because wasting fuel during this flight is the worst thing to do.
Once at cruise level, there is not much advice to use, possibly except this one: if you plan to take a nap during this long flight, set your alarm clock and set it wisely. If the aircraft reaches destination it will just orbit above the airport but in this case it will not take long before it falls out of the sky of fuel starvation.
Close to destination, care must be taken to follow a smooth descent profile, and, especially, avoid flying tenths of miles at very low altitude before the finals. This would induce a frightening fuel flow when compared to what is left in the tanks. Start descending at 80-90nm from destination, with engines idle or close to it.
One difficulty is to locate the runway in time for proper alignment. Here are some hints:
- From the cruise track, a turn to the left is necessary to get room for a finals turn to the right. Note that the final part of the flight follows a long bay with the destination near its western tip. Make sure you fly over the mainland south of this bay (though possibly close to it) and this will ensure the necessary space for a decent finals leg.
- The airport itself is not visible from far away, but as you get close to the bay western end an isolated hill appears in the area where the airport should be. The airport is JUST east of it, so prepare to fly a little right of this hill.
After completing your landing, note that the airport facilities (as of the default FS scenery) include - and are limited to - one parking position, hopefully you did the flight without wingmen.
Welcome to Australia (or Tasmania, to be more precise)!
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I am hereby hijacking my own thread (I think this is allowed ;D ) to announce the news of my completion of the EHM world tour.
I am sorry for not being able to record and document all the WT legs (as I did for its first third). It was just too much work to do, roughly 3 times as much as actually flying the tour.
However, I DID fly the tour in the 100% VFR style as explained in the beginning of this thread. So... its doable.
A few memories from this spectacular adventure...
Most difficult navigation part: Sahara. I had to rely on ded reckoning only, and once had to do several loops in the destination airport area until I was able to spot it.
Most beautiful region: I just cannot choose one, there are sooo many breathtaking landscapes to visit! And things went only better at half tour when I switched to FSX.
Hardest "psychological moment": Port Said. After several legs that brought me closer and closer to Europe and the EHM hubs, turning back south to overfly all Africa was... well, hard.
Hardest landings:
- CYVM because I insisted in putting down a jet there, in a very short daylight season. And I crashed once.
- SCOH, probably a FS9 terrain error, where I only could land the C172. Barely. And after one intense training session
- VQPR as long as I tried to land the ATR after following the valley line, and this resulted in very steep finals. Went around 3 times after attempting the landing in both directions.
Good luck to all currently doing or starting this tour (and congrats to those having already completed it)!
Andrei