The various airstrips form the backbone of the islands' infrastructure. Next to Port Stanley and Mount Pleasant Air Base, more than 30 airstrips across the islands are regularly serviced. Most strips are simple grass tracks. Before a plane lands, a local farmer often drives a vehicle along the strip (a "strip run") to ensure there are no geese, sheep, or deep ruts that could endanger the landing. Since there are no fixed terminals with departure boards, the daily flight schedules (who flies when and where) are traditionally broadcast every evening on FIRS (Falkland Islands Radio Service). For residents of the "Camp" (the local term for the countryside), this is the most important information of the day. This service is offered only through FIGAS. Unlike regular airlines, FIGAS does not have a fixed flight schedule. It operates more like an on-demand air taxi service. Passengers must submit their flight requests by 10:00 a.m. the day before. The pilots don’t plan the route for the next day until the afternoon of the previous day, based on the bookings. The route is then announced on local radio (FIRS) and on Facebook. Often, the planes fly in a loop from Stanley, visiting several airstrips in sequence to drop off or pick up passengers. The prices vary, depending on the status of the passengers: tourists pay between 150 £ and 190 £ for a single tour to some of the smaller islands. Scenic flights cost about 170 £. Residents pay about 60 £ per flight. There is a strict limit for the luggage (max 20 kg/person), and over baggage must be requested in advance and is very expensive. Tourists need to book their flight many weeks in advance.

We depart from Mount Pleasant AB (EGYP) and visit 8 strips on a clockwise tour, finishing at Port Stanley (SFAL). Shortly before reaching Port Stanley, we pass byPembroke Lighthouse, time and weather permitting.

The trip is 190 miles long with 8 landings. The shortest runway is 1382 feet long. The Britten-Norman Islander is the ideal aircraft, but any aircraft cruising at about 140 knots and capable of operating from a 1300-foot grass strip is suitable. I will probably be in the Blackbox Islander. As always, please fly what you like.

The flight plan is here.

Additional scenery:

Port Stanley – SFAL

RAF Mount Pleasant – EGYP

Pembroke Lighthouse

To see all details at Mount Pleasant, you should activate nickb007’s Lossiemouth.

The complete package (without Lossiemouth) is here.

We try real weather. Please set your simulator for a 9 am local departure.

Multiplayer Particulars:

Date and time: Sunday, May 03, 2026. 16:00 UTC

Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: United States East server

These flights are events posted at DigitalThemePark. For these Sunday flights, we use DTP’s Discord Server for communication.

If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here). Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks!

Glacier National Park 2 

Todays Flight will bring us back to Glacier National Park for further exploration of areas not flown on our last flight here. There will be abet of a overlap but not too much. The flight is 271 miles with six to seven stops. I will be in a caravan so anything 150 or so. There are some dirt strips involved in this flight with one optonal at Marys Lake.

Flight Plan Here:

Scenery:

https://flightsim.to/addon/87932/2mt1-ryan-field-cleanup-fix      Be sure not to have the 2020ryan field one active

https://flightsim.to/addon/89984/airport-from-hell-series-glacier-national-park-edition

https://flightsim.to/addon/5612/meadow-creek-usfs-airport-0s1-mt-usa

https://flightsim.to/addon/5614/spotted-bear-usfs-airport-8u4-mt-usa

Flight time and Weather :  Set the sim to 12pm we will try live weather or you can use my preset Here:

Multiplayer Particulars
Date and time: Saturday, May 2, 2026. 1800 UTC
RTWR Multiplayer Discord Channel
Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: South East Asia server.

If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here).

Regina, Saskatchewan

Our Trip

We have previously travelled a large portion of the Trans-Canada highway from Victoria British Columbia eastward to Brooks Alberta. In this trip we will continue out of Brooks following the route of the Trans-Canada highway eastward and by the day’s end we will have crossed into Saskatchewan, travelled over the City of Regina, crossed into Manitoba and made it to the city of Brandon.

The Trans-Canada Highway (Hwy 1) from Brooks, AB to Brandon, MB offers a journey through the heart of the prairies, featuring expansive agricultural landscapes, historical grain elevators, and charming towns. Key highlights include the Medicine Hat teepee, unique prairie scenery, the Assiniboine River, and museums in cities like Brandon. The terrain is very flat and straight, often referred to as "big sky" country, featuring expansive prairie views and farmland.  The highway is well-maintained with high-speed, four-lane divided lanes for most of this section.

Key Stops and details:

Brooks, AB: Nearby Dinosaur Provincial Park (UNESCO site).

Medicine Hat, AB: Features a large prairie oasis (Police Point Park) and the "World's Tallest Teepee".

Saskatchewan Prairies: Landscape is characterized by wide-open skies, vast ranches, and small towns like Swift Current and Moose Jaw.

Swift Current, SK: A major agricultural hub providing amenities.

Regina, SK: The provincial capital, home to the RCMP Heritage Centre and Wascana Centre.

Moose Jaw: Known for the Tunnels of Moose Jaw, offering tours about historical gangsters and early Chinese immigration, as well as the Western Development Museum and the Mac the Moose statue.

Manitoba Border/Virden: Entering Manitoba, you will notice a transition in the landscape. Virden is known as an oil town with a historic downtown.

Brandon, MB: A major hub featuring the Manitoba Agricultural Museum nearby (in Austin, east of Brandon) and nice riverbank views along the Assiniboine River.

Airports/Route: Departing Brooks, Alberta CYBP, 9 mid-stops: CYXH CJQ4 CJK5 CYYN CYMJ CYQR CJP4 CKY2 CYYD crossing the entire province of Saskatchewan into Manitoba with intended destination of Brandon, Manitoba CYBR.

Aircraft

This route runs 515nm with lots of stops and is designed for GA aircraft. We will need a fast-cruise of about 250kts. Some GA favourites include the Beech King Air, Beech Duke, Beech Starship, Daher TBM, Piaggio Avanti, and the Pilatus PC-12. I perhaps will use a King Air in this trip but as always please fly your aircraft of choice.

FP, itinerary, etc can be found HERE.

Add-on Scenery:   (All airports are in the default sim but there are a few free add-ons are available if you wish as below:

Medicine Hat: https://flightsim.to/addon/101064/cyxh-medicine-hat-regional-airport (by Minhbui)

Swift Current: https://flightsim.to/addon/107523/cyyn-1944-swift-current (by brelli59)* Note Libs

Moose Jaw: https://flightsim.to/addon/82098/cymj-cfb-moose-jaw-airport (by GPietro)*Note Lib.

Regina: https://flightsim.to/addon/32987/cyqr-regina-international-airport (by KrunchTime11)

Time and Weather
Prefer to fly real weather if possible but if not, the few clouds, high clouds OR Jeff-Partly Cloudy-Jeff-1.wpr preset (included) might make a nice choice.  For takeoff: set the simulator time to @1630 (ish) local.  (This time simulates early dusk and sun will be behind us yet we should have enough daylight to make it to our destination under VFR conditions).

Multiplayer Particulars
Date and time: Wednesday, April 29th, 2026 – 1800 UTC

AVSIM Discord Server: https://discord.gg/K5Vy6UxWNm - AVSIM GROUP EVENTS-WED. COM1
Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: SOUTH-EAST-ASIA Server

If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here). Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks!

Norm Richards April 23, 2026

We depart from Seradala (HP19), one of the major hubs supporting the surrounding villages. We pick up passengers or goods and head for the highlands. We will land at 11 airstrips in the region. The waypoints located in front of the strips indicate the approach points for the preferred or mandatory landing direction. We finish the flight at Ambisibil (WAUA). 

The flight is 110 miles long with 11 landings. Ideal aircraft include the PC-6, the Kodiak, and other STOL aircraft. The Twin Otter and the Caravan are listed as “Critical Aircraft” for some airstrips with very short runways. I will be in the SWS Kodiak with Tundra tires. Please fly what you like.

The flight plan is here.

Mandatory scenery is the Highlands Papua Airstrip Collection.

We have been here before, please check for duplicate scenery.

We try real weather. Please set your simulator for a 7 am local departure.

Multiplayer Particulars:

Date and time: Sunday, April 26, 2026. 16:00 UTC

Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: United States East server

These flights are events posted at DigitalThemePark. For these Sunday flights, we use DTP’s Discord Server for communication.

If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here). Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks!

We depart from Mariupol (UKCM), Ukraine. This was a serious industrial powerhouse — for decades it was home to the Azovstal Iron & Steel Works, one of the biggest steel producers in Europe, occupying about 11 square kilometres between the Kalmius River and the sea. The plant had tunnels and bunkers capable of withstanding a nuclear attack, which took on grim significance when it became the last Ukrainian stronghold during the 2022 siege, before ultimately falling to Russian forces. Departing eastward along the northern shore, we're flying over the Taganrog Gulf, a low sandy shoreline and the spits that jut southward into the sea — the Sea of Azov is characterized by numerous sand-coquina spits, and the coastline is generally low and uniform. The water below is remarkably shallow; the sea has an average depth of only about 8 metres and low salinity compared to most seas, becoming almost freshwater near the Don's outflow, Vajiram & Ravi.

We land at Yuzhny (URRT), Russia, near the city of Taganrog. Taganrog was founded by Peter I in 1698 and became the main port on the Sea of Azov. It's also the birthplace of Anton Chekhov. Continuing northeast, we're now crossing the broad Taganrog Bay — the largest bay in the Sea of Azov, with the Don and three other rivers flowing into it. The bay is so shallow and silted that constant dredging is needed to keep the channel open for Rostov traffic. The next two fields lead us around the city of Rostov-on-Don, the region's largest city. First, we land at Rostov Air Base (USEY), then fly around the city, and land at Platov International (URRP), the newer airport, opened in 2017. The town was established in 1749, and before the Russian Revolution, it was the empire's most heavily industrialized city. Thanks to the Volga-Don Canal, completed in 1952, Rostov earned the title "port of five seas" — reachable from the Black Sea, Azov, Caspian, White Sea, and Baltic. Just south of Rostov across the Don, our next stop, Bataysk (XRBB), is essentially a satellite town — a railway hub and industrial suburb. From here, we turn southwest, beginning the long leg down the eastern Azov coast. Flying southwest along the Russian shore, the coastal landscape stays flat with wide sandy beaches and the occasional liman (shallow lagoon).

We pass over the Kuban delta region — the Don and Kuban rivers discharge into the northern bays, forming rich wetland deltas supporting huge numbers of migratory birds, including pelicans and herons. We land at Yeysk (URKE). Yeysk is a port and resort town built primarily on the Yeysk Spit, which separates the Yeysk River from the Sea of Azov. It was founded as a port in 1848 and is well known as a health resort, famed for its medicinal sulfur and mud baths. The mud is hauled in from nearby Lake Khanskoye. These days it's also popular for windsurfing and kitesurfing — the spit creates reliable wind conditions. The town had a naval flight school that relocated here in the 1930s, with over 300 graduates later becoming Heroes of the Soviet Union.

Turning south, the coastline gets more interesting — we pick up the Taman Peninsula ahead and the distant profile of the Crimean hills to the west across the strait. The Temryuk Bay on our left is known for its mud volcanoes.

Now we reach the Kerch Bridge. With a length of 19 kilometres and a cost of $3.6 billion, it's the longest bridge in Europe, carrying both road and rail traffic across the Kerch Strait between the Taman Peninsula and Crimea. Construction began in 2016, and the road section opened in 2018, with the rail section following in 2019. It's been a recurring target during the war — hit by explosions in October 2022 and July 2023, and repaired both times.

Crossing into Crimea, we land at Baherove (UKBH). This was a Soviet air base established in 1947 to support nuclear weapons testing and delivery, with a 3.5-kilometre concrete runway 100 metres wide — one of three USSR strips built as an emergency landing site for the space shuttle Buran. The base was abandoned in 1996 and has been a ghost field ever since, though that enormous runway is still very much there. Kerch city itself is close by — an ancient place with Greek, Genoese, and Ottoman layers of history, and now a front-line city given its position at the bridge's Crimean end. We recross the strait, heading back to the Russian (Taman) side.

We land at Vitayazevo (URKA), the airport serving Anapa, a well-known seaside resort town on the Taman Peninsula coast. The landscape changes noticeably here — we transition from the flat Azov steppe to the beginnings of the Caucasus foothills. Flying southeast along the Black Sea coast, things get more scenic, and we land at Gelendzhik (URKG). The name "Gelendzhik" has Turkic roots, often translated as "White Bride" — the unofficial symbol of the city. Established as a modern city in 1831, it has evolved into one of Russia's premier vacation spots, with visitors drawn to its beautiful beaches and vibrant promenade. From Gelendzhik, we turn inland, climbing away from the Black Sea coast and crossing the low western ridges of the Caucasus.

Our destination is Krasnodar's Pashkovsky Airport (URKK), one of the largest airports in Russia. Krasnodar was founded in 1793 as Yekaterinodar — "Catherine's Gift" — as a military post and centre of the Kuban Cossacks. Today, it's a booming regional capital of over a million people. The airport handles a mix of domestic and international traffic and achieved a record 5 million passengers in 2021 before closing in February 2022 due to the war, then resuming operations in September 2025.

The flight is 490 miles long with 8 landings. I suggest we use a small business jet like the CJ4, the Longitude, or the Vision Jet. I will probably be in the Honda Jet. As always, please fly what you like.

The flight plans are here.  

Recommended scenery:

Mariupol UKCM

Kerch Bridge

Rostov URRP

The package is here. You may have downloaded UKCM already.

We try real weather. Please set your simulator for a 9 am local departure.

Multiplayer Particulars
Date and time: Saturday, April 25, 2026. 1800 UTC
RTWR Multiplayer Discord Channel
Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: South East Asia server.

If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here).

Wanaka region and beyond

Todays flight we will be flying 185s in the Wanaka region and then out to the coast to finish at Milford's Sound The flight is about 200 miles.

Flight plan Here: I made this one with all the airports included.

Scenery: Here:

If you have Orbx Milford Sound please activate it.

All sceneries on first page.

2pm Takeoff

Multiplayer Particulars
Date and time: Saturday, April 11, 2026. 1900 UTC
RTWR Multiplayer Discord Channel
Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: South East Asia server.

If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here). Please be kind enough to enter the title exactly as it stands in the title=”xxx” line of the aircraft.cfg file. Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks!

Moraine Lake

Our Trip

We have previously travelled a portion of the Trans-Canada highway from Victoria British Columbia eastward to Golden BC. In this trip we will continue following the route of the Trans-Canada highway eastward and by days end we will have crossed into Alberta, visited Calgary and reached the city of Brooks.

In this segment will highlight the following important locations or points of interest:

Kicking Horse Pass (1,627 metres; 5,338 ft) is a high mountain pass across the Continental Divide of the Americas of the Canadian Rockies on the Alberta–British Columbia border, and lying within Yoho and Banff national parks. Divide Creek forks onto both sides of the continental divide.

Spiral Tunnels: The "Big Hill"

The steep grade in Kicking Horse Pass posed a serious challenge. Under government pressure to complete the railway, and given the engineering challenges that came along with the geography, Canadian Pacific (CP) was not in a position to carve a gradual descent. A solution was reached, which temporarily allowed a grade of 4.5%. The first train to attempt the hill in 1884 derailed, tragically killing three workers. In an effort to improve safety, three spur lines were created to divert such runaway trains on what became known as the “Big Hill”. Switches were left set for the spurs and were not reset to the main line until switchmen knew the oncoming train was in control. Descending the Big Hill was challenging, but uphill trains had their problems too. Extra locomotives were needed to push the trains up the hill, causing delays and requiring extra workers. Although the mountains were a complication for CP, they were an inspiration to the many tourists who started to arrive by train. In an effort to preserve the landscape and encourage tourism, CP prompted the creation of Mount Stephen Dominion Reserve in 1886. The park was renamed Yoho in 1901. You Tubes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiShrhu8mgo  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wci2LRZyqSk

Lake Louise: Lake Louise, located in Banff National Park, Canada, is world-renowned for its stunning turquoise, glacier-fed water, surrounding towering mountain peaks, and the historic Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise. It is a premier year-round destination offering hiking, canoeing, and sightseeing in summer, and world-class skiing, skating, and ice climbing in winter. 

Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise: Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise is a year-round luxury hotel ideal for solo travelers, couples and families alike. (Located in Banff National Park). See https://www.fairmont.com/en/hotels/lake-louise/fairmont-chateau-lake-louise.html

Moraine Lake: Moraine Lake is a stunning, glacier-fed lake in Banff National Park, Alberta, famous for its intense turquoise water and surrounding Ten Peaks, accessible only by shuttle, tour bus, or biking from mid-June to mid-October. Located 14 km from Lake Louise, it is a premier spot for hiking, canoeing, and viewing from the Rockpile. https://www.banfflakelouise.com/experiences/moraine-lake

Banff: (Town in Alberta): Banff is a resort town in Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada, in Alberta's Rockies along the Trans-Canada Highway, 126 km (78 mi) west of Calgary, 58 km (36 mi) east of Lake Louise, and 1,400 to 1,630 m (4,590 to 5,350 ft) above sea level. https://banff.ca/ 

Fairmont Banff Springs:  For reservations please visit: https://www.banff-springs-hotel.com/ 

Calgary: (City in Alberta). We’ll take a quick tour of the city and a few poi.  Calgary is the largest city in the Canadian province of Alberta. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, making Calgary the third-largest city (after Toronto and Montreal) and the fifth-largest metropolitan area in Canada. We’ll visit downtown Calgary as well some of the other sites around the city such as the Calgary Stampede location, Olympic Oval (1988 Winter Olympics).City of Calgary YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzS586I-N7k

(After our tour of Calgary we’ll head eastward back on the Trans-Canada Highway route to the town of Bassano and to our destination in the city of Brooks Alberta).

Aircraft

Airports/Route: Departing CYGE CYBA CYBW CYYC CEH4 CEN2 CYBP. (331 nm) Recommend utilizing a fixed wing (or helicopter) to be able to cruise at @ 150+ kts. It might be nice to again try the latest Bksq Caravan, Bonanza or Aerostar in this trip. The Caravan is not too fast or too slow and has an unobstructed cockpit view to see the sites but as always please fly your aircraft of choice.

FP, itinerary, etc can be found HERE.

Add-on Scenery: 

(All airports are in the default sim except BANFF*! (Banff add-on is required). There are a few other scenery adds that provide some eye candy if you wish!!) (Payware is NOT required but if you have it, please feel free to use it!) 

CYGE-Golden: https://flightsim.to/addon/43796/golden-airport-cyge (by 55tom55)

CYBA-Banff*: https://flightsim.to/addon/99754/cbyw-banff-and-area (by Misfit79)  (Required)

CYBA-Scenery upgrade: https://flightsim.to/addon/4923/cyba-banff-scenery-upgrade (by Misfit79)  (Lots of libs)

Fairmont Lake Louise: https://flightsim.to/addon/4100/lake-louise-canada-fairmont-chateau  (by zrb)

CYYC Calgary: Default works fine, (No Freeware add-on found) (Payware is available: FsimStudios or Simaddons )

Time and Weather
Prefer to fly real weather if possible but if not, the few clouds, high clouds OR Jeff-Partly Cloudy-Jeff-1.wpr preset (included) would make a nice choice.  For takeoff: set the simulator time to @1630 (ish) local.  (This time simulates early dusk and sun will be behind us yet we should have enough daylight to make it to our destination at Golden under VFR conditions).

Multiplayer Particulars
Date and time: Wednesday, April 15th, 2026 – 1900 UTC

AVSIM Discord Server: https://discord.gg/K5Vy6UxWNm - AVSIM GROUP EVENTS-WED. COM1
Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: SOUTH-EAST-ASIA Server

If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here). Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks!

==================================================================================

Town of Banff

Norm Richards

April 8, 2026

We depart from Bata (FGBT), Equatorial Guinea, the largest city and the commercial and administrative heart of the country's continental territory. The population has grown dramatically in recent decades, driven by oil revenues and internal migration, and estimates now place the city at well over half a million inhabitants, making it one of the fastest-growing urban centers in Central Africa. The city has a long and layered history rooted in Spanish colonial administration.

Departing Bata and heading south-southwest over the Gulf of Guinea, we cross the mouth of the Muni River estuary and arrive at Corisco Island (FGCO). The island covers only about 14 square kilometers, making it small enough to see in its entirety from the air. The island's name, Corisco, originates from the Portuguese word for lightning, a testament to the fierce gales encountered by early sailors. Corisco International Airport opened on 10 October 2011 and was originally conceived as part of a project to turn the island into an important tourist centre. The airport currently lacks a functioning control tower for commercial scheduled services.

From Corisco, the route crosses briefly back over open water and enters Gabonese airspace, tracking south along the coast to the capital. We land at Libreville's Léon M'ba International Airport (FOOL). The town is the administrative capital of Gabon, located on the northern banks of the Gabon River as it opens into the Gulf of Guinea. Originally a port city for the timber industry, Libreville grew significantly during French colonial rule in the nineteenth century and has remained the capital since Gabon's independence in 1960. The city's founding story is one of liberation. In 1848, freed slaves founded the city of Libreville, which literally meant "free town," naming it as the symbol of their own liberation.

Departing Libreville and heading southeast, we follow the Ogooué River basin, one of the great rivers of Central Africa. The landscape below transitions from coastal urbanization to dense equatorial jungle broken only by the shimmering loops and channels of the river. We arrive at Lambaréné (FOGR), sitting on an island in the Ogooué. Lambaréné is a trading and lumbering centre with a steamboat landing, an airport, and road connections to Kango, Ndjolé, and Mouila. The town is globally known for one extraordinary reason: it is where Albert Schweitzer established his famous hospital. Albert Schweitzer opened the hospital in 1913 in Lambaréné, where he ran it until he died in 1965. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952 for his work there and used the prize money to build a leper colony. Schweitzer was a remarkable polymath — a theologian, philosopher, organist, and physician — who spent the majority of the last five decades of his life caring for the sick along the Ogooué River. The hospital continues to operate today and has become a leading African center for malaria research, recognized by the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

The leg from Lambaréné to Koulamoutou (FO23) takes us deeper into the interior of Gabon. The town sits at an elevation of approximately 326 meters above sea level. Its name is said to derive from local words meaning "place of the mango trees." The final leg gets us further east and slightly south, descending from the forested uplands toward the Ogooué River once more.  Franceville is most strongly associated with one of Gabon's most important political figures. The city was the birthplace of President Omar Bongo Ondimba, who ruled Gabon for 42 years until he died in 2009. Franceville is an active trading centre in a mining region. The exploitation of manganese at Mouanda and uranium at Mounana, both to the northwest, has greatly stimulated population growth and commerce in the area. We land at the M'Vengue El Hadj Omar Bongo Ondimba International Airport (FOON), the third largest airport in Gabon, which is also home to the Gabonese Air Force.

The flight is 380 miles long with 4 landings.

The flight plans are here.

We want to cruise at about 250 knots. I will be in the Beech Starship, but the King Air, the PC-12, the PC-24, or other small business aircraft are suitable. Please fly what you like.

Recommended scenery:

Bata – FGBT

You may have downloaded it already.

We try real weather. Please set your departure time to 8 am local.

Multiplayer Particulars:

Date and time: Sunday, April 12, 2026. 16:00 UTC

Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: United States East server

These flights are events posted at DigitalThemePark. For these Sunday flights, we use DTP’s Discord Server for communication.

If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here). Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks!

This tour features NZA Simulations Mt Cook Scenery.  We depart from Asobo’s hand crafted Lake Tekapo Airport (NZTL) which was included in World Update XII and fly to Glentanner (NZGT) which has been enhanced in the NZA Mt Cook Scenery.  After a brief look around, we proceed to Mount Cook Airport (NZMC) to pick up passengers heading up the Hermitage Hotel where we will drop them in the parking lot.  Then we begin our tour of the mountain huts in the Mt Cook Scenery package.  We return to Mt Cook (NZMC) to conclude the helicopter tour.  Time permitting, we will fly a second flight plan using C208 Caravan to Wanaka (NZWF) to finish this tour.

 Flightplan HERE  (Note 2 flight plans included)

Scenery Recommendations

•         NZMC - Mount Cook Region - NZA Simulations
•         NZWF - Wanaka Region 2024 v2 Remake - NZA Simulations

Recommend Departure time of 2:00 PM

•         Date and time: Wednesday April 8, 19:00 UTC    
•         RTWR Multiplayer Discord Channel
•         MFS Multiplayer: Southeast Asia Server

If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here). Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks!

Background

The Trans-Canada Highway is a 7,821 km (4,860-mile) federal-provincial highway system—the fourth longest highway in the world stretching from Victoria, B.C., to St. John's, NL. Officially dedicated in 1962, it spans all ten provinces, crossing the Rocky Mountains and the Canadian Shield to connect major cities.
 
• Route Structure: It is not a single road, but a network of routes (mostly Highway 1 or 17) connected by ferries, including a "Yellowhead" (Highway 16) route  through Western Canada.
• Key Features: It passes through major cities like Vancouver, Calgary, Regina, Winnipeg, Ottawa, and Fredericton.
• Signage: The route is famously marked by a white maple leaf on a green shield.
• History: Authorized in 1949 and completed in 1962 (with further upgrades until 1971), it cost over $1 billion to build, equivalent to over $10 billion today.
• Usage: It is essential for commerce, with sections (such as through Rogers Pass) requiring active, year-round avalanche control.
• Cultural Significance: The highway is associated with Terry Fox, who attempted to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research in 1980.  
• The network continues to receive upgrades from Transport Canada to support increasing traffic volumes.

The Trans-Canada Highway traverses diverse terrain across 7,800+ km, spanning from Atlantic coastal areas through the rocky Canadian Shield in Ontario, vast prairie grasslands in the west, and high-altitude Mountain passes in the Rockies: Key features include rugged boreal forests, lakeshores, rolling hills, and intense mountainous terrain in British Columbia. 

Regional Terrain Breakdown:

• Western (BC/Alberta): Features high-altitude mountain passes (notably Kicking Horse Pass at 1,627m), steep slopes, coniferous forests, and rocky, winding roads. (*We are travelling in this section)
• Prairies (Alberta/Saskatchewan/Manitoba): Expansive, flat-to-rolling grasslands and open landscapes.
• Central (Ontario): Rugged terrain of the Canadian Shield, characterized by dense forests, dense rock formations, and thousands of lakes, particularly along the north shore of Lake Superior.
• Eastern (Quebec/Atlantic Provinces): Mix of coastal landscapes, lush green areas, and rolling terrain. 

The highway also encounters significant elevation changes, ranging from sea level on the coasts to high alpine passes.

Our Trip

We have previously travelled a portion of the Trans-Canada highway from Victoria eastward to Lytton BC. In this trip we will continue following the route of the highway eastward and by the days end we will have reached Golden BC. Golden is only 56 miles away from the provincial border between British Columbia and Alberta. You will notice elevations increasing as we travel eastward through the Rockies.

In this segment will highlight the following important locations or points of interest:

The Last Spike monument:  The Last Spike monument is located in Craigellachie, British Columbia and commemorates the driving of the final spike into the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) on November 7, 1885. Located on the Trans-Canada Highway 45 km west of Revelstoke, it marks the completion of the first transcontinental railway, connecting Canada coast-to-coast.

A slight DETOUR: to see Revelstoke Dam: The Revelstoke Dam, also known as Revelstoke Canyon Dam, is a hydroelectric dam spanning the Columbia River, 5 km north of Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada.

Columbia River: The main stem of the Columbia rises in Columbia Lake in British Columbia, Canada. After flowing a path for 1,270 miles, the Columbia River joins the Pacific Ocean near Astoria, Oregon. The major tributaries of the Columbia are the Kootenai, Flathead/Pend Oreille/Clark's Fork, Snake, and Willamette.

The Revelstoke Highline Suspension Bridge: is a 75.5-meter (248-foot) suspension bridge and cantilevered viewing deck located at Revelstoke Mountain Resort in British Columbia, Canada. Situated 1,690 meters above sea level, it features panoramic views of the Monashee Mountains and Columbia Valley. The stroller-friendly, 600-meter round-trip walk is accessible via the Revelation Gondola. This bridge spans Columbia River in the city of Revelstoke, BC.

The Big Eddy Bridge is less than a mile from the Revelstoke Suspension Bridge is old, narrow and spans the mighty Columbia River. There are lights at each end for one-way alternating traffic and for decades, long ago, it was the only way get to the other side (autos or foot traffic).

Revelstoke Mountain/Ski area: Revelstoke Mountain Resort is a ski resort on Mount Mackenzie, just outside Revelstoke, British Columbia in Canada.

Albert Canyon/Canyon Hot Springs and Resort: https://www.canyonhotsprings.com/resort/

Glacier National Park: is part of a system of 43 parks and park reserves across Canada, and one of seven national parks in British Columbia.

Connaught Tunnel: The Connaught Tunnel is a 5.02-mile (8.08 km) railway tunnel in British Columbia, Canada, opened by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) on December 16, 1916. It runs under Mount Macdonald in the Selkirk Mountains to bypass the dangerous Rogers Pass summit. Today, it primarily handles eastbound freight traffic, complementing the newer Mount Macdonald Tunnel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=97R9zoi-eDE 

Aircraft

Airports/Route: CYLY-CAZ5-CYKA-CZAM-CYRV-CYGE (271 nm)- Recommend utilizing a fixed wing (or helicopter) to be able to travel at @ 150+kts. It might be nice to again utilize the latest Bksq Caravan in this trip. It is not too fast or too slow and has an unobstructed cockpit view to see the sites but as always please fly your aircraft of choice.  FP, itinerary, etc can be found HERE.

Add-on Scenery: 

(All airports are in the default sim but there are a few scenery adds that provide some eye candy if you wish!!) (Payware is NOT required but if you have it, please feel free to use it!)

CYKA-Kamloops*: https://flightsim.to/addon/38101/kamloops-airport-cyka (by ArfusBarkus) (*Payware available-Simaddons)

CZAM-Salmon Arm: https://flightsim.to/addon/48483/okanagan-valley-airfields-6 (by TISBS)  (*NOTAM: Several Dependices for this add-on scenery)

CYRV-Revelstoke*: https://flightsim.to/addon/58711/cyrv-revelstoke-airport (by T0ken Design) (*Payware available-Simaddons)

CYGE-Golden: https://flightsim.to/addon/43796/golden-airport-cyge (by 55tom55) (*NOTAM Three Dependices for this add-on scenery)

Time and Weather
Prefer to fly real weather if possible but if not, the few clouds, high clouds OR Jeff-Partly Cloudy-Jeff-1.wpr preset (included) would make a nice choice.  For takeoff: set the simulator time to @1630 (ish) local.  (This time simulates early dusk and sun will be behind us yet we should  have enough daylight to make it to our destination at Golden under VFR conditions).

Kamloops at Night

Multiplayer Particulars
Date and time: Wednesday, April 1^st, 2026 – 1900 UTC. AVSIM Discord Server: https://discord.gg/K5Vy6UxWNm  
Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: SOUTH-EAST-ASIA Server 

If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here). Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks! 

From there, we go north along the Sunshine Coast to Powell River, before returning to Vancouver Island for the final legs.

The flight plan is here:  https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/rxku2i6jun0nspzzxqgz2/VFR-Nanaimo-CYCD-to-Nanaimo-Harbour-Water-Airport-CAC8.zip?rlkey=pfbu5gj8u35flenjx2bbaynbq&st=2bmhs6ef&dl=0

Some addon scenery will help with the water aerodromes, and you can download Jarnie's airports here (or get them from the to site..):  https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/ybr3wkubfqx6u432gkx1l/Salish-Sea.zip?rlkey=z2nkir652fnsryqhoyzpn7esh&st=05grh7dr&dl=0

Also, you should have Minhbui's excellent airports installed:  

https://flightsim.to/addon/101066/cycd-nanaimo-regional-airport

https://flightsim.to/addon/101076/cat4-qualicum-beach-airport

https://flightsim.to/addon/101064/cyxh-medicine-hat-regional-airport

I will be flying the Caravan amphib, but any good floatplane will do.

Multiplayer Particulars
Date and time: Saturday, April 4, 2026. 1900 UTC
RTWR Multiplayer Discord Channel
Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: South East Asia server.

If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here). Please be kind enough to enter the title exactly as it stands in the title=”xxx” line of the aircraft.cfg file. Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks!

Our flight begins in Porrentruy (LSZY), Switzerland, a historic small city in the Swiss canton of Jura, strategically positioned on the ancient crossroads between Alsace, the Jura mountains, and the city of Basel. Porrentruy was already an important transit hub in Roman times, and the river Doubs served as a significant waterway connecting it to the wider region. Our first waypoint dominates the city from above. The Château de Porrentruy is a Swiss heritage site of national significance, and its oldest surviving element is the thirteenth-century Réfous Tower. This remarkable tower was probably erected around 1271 and stands 32 meters high to its battlements, with a diameter of 12 meters. Today, the complex houses the judicial authorities of the Republic and Canton of Jura, but its courtyards and towers remain open to visitors. Turning south and then tracing westward and northward along the Doubs, we will cross into France and fly over one of the most scenic river corridors in Eastern France. The Doubs is a 453-kilometre river that strays into western Switzerland, forming the border between the two countries for approximately 40 kilometres north of Saint-Ursanne before turning west and southwest. We land at Courcelles-lès-Montbéliard (LFSM). A notable local memory lives on the airfield: a stele commemorates Étienne Oehmichen, who in 1921 completed his first successful helicopter flight near here.

Continuing southeast, we reach the small aerodrome of Belfort-Chaux (LFGG). This aerodrome was created during the First World War and hosted twenty-one successive squadrons throughout the conflict. One of those squadrons, the Escadrille MS 49, counted among its pilots Adolphe Pégoud, who had made history before the war by performing the first loop in aviation.  Our route now enters the southern Vosges mountains, crossing into the Alsatian side of the range. We land at Masevaux (LF6821), which lies in the southeastern Vosges, where the valley of the Doller widens before entering the Upper Rhine plain. During the First World War, Masevaux became the administrative capital of reconquered Alsace, welcoming personalities including the President of the Republic, King Victor Emmanuel III of Italy, Georges Clemenceau, and Marshals Joffre and Pétain.  Continuing northward through the forested southern Vosges, we land at the small ULM field of Ramonchamp (LF8851), situated in the Vosges department in the Grand Est region of France. I recommend landing and departing on runway 09 due to power lines. The village of Ramonchamp itself lies in the upper Moselle valley, a deeply wooded and historically remote part of the mountains that acted for centuries as a natural barrier between Lorraine to the west and Alsace to the east. The Vosges act as a natural barrier against oceanic weather coming from the west. The crest experiences significant rainfall, sometimes more than two metres per year, while the towns along the Alsace Wine Route benefit from a protected microclimate. The Foehn effect explains much about the mild and sunny conditions enjoyed by Colmar and its surroundings.

We land at Colmar (LFGA). Colmar is one of the jewels of Alsace and a city where every street seems to belong to a different century. The first documentary mention of the city was attested in 823, and in 1226 it was elevated to the status of an imperial city by Emperor Frederick II.  The city is also the birthplace of Auguste Bartholdi, sculptor of the Statue of Liberty, and is home to the Unterlinden Museum with its extraordinary Isenheim Altarpiece. Colmar sits at the heart of the Alsace Wine Route, surrounded by grands crus vineyards that stretch northward toward Strasbourg.

Heading northeast into the western Vosges foothills, our next stop is the aerodrome of Saint-Dié-Remomeix (LFGY), a civil airfield managed by the local aeroclub. The airfield carries a distinguished name: on 21 June 2009, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the aeroclub and the centenary of aviation, the field was officially named after René Fonck, the celebrated French ace pilot of the First World War. A full-scale replica of the SPAD S.XIII aircraft Fonck flew was constructed by eighty students and now adorns the entrance to the aerodrome. Now we reach the Château du Haut-Königsbourg, situated on a rocky ridge at 757 meters. The castle takes its name, meaning "royal castle," from its commanding position, and its origins go back to the twelfth century when it was first constructed. At the turn of the twentieth century, Wilhelm II commissioned an eight-year restoration that returned the fortress to its former glory, and after the First World War, it became the property of the French state. Just north of the Haut-Kœnigsbourg, we descend toward the intimate Val de Villé, a quiet valley tucked between the Vosges foothills. We land at Albé (LF6721), runway 09 is recommended for landing.

Our final destination is Steinbourg (LFQY), a quiet Alsatian village. The aerodrome is used mainly for gliders and ultralight aircraft.

The flight is 174 miles long with 7 landings. Most airfields have short, soft runways. We want to fly low and slow. The Pipistrel, Piper Cup, or the Draco, among others, are suitable. I will probably be in the Draco X. As always, please fly what you like. We want to cruise around 100 knots.

The flight plans are here. Porrentruy is not in the GTN database. The GTN flight plan starts at LSZQ!

Recommended scenery:

Porrentruy – SZY

Montbliard – LFSM

Chaux – LFGG

Colmar – LFGA

Remomeix – LFGY

Steinbourg – LFQY

The complete package is here.

We try real weather. Please set your simulator for a 9 am local departure.

Multiplayer Particulars
Date and time: Saturday, April 5, 2025. 1900 UTC
RTWR Multiplayer Discord Channel
Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: South East Asia server.

If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here). Please be kind enough to enter the title exactly as it stands in the title=”xxx” line of the aircraft.cfg file. Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks!

We depart from Biarritz (LFBZ), France. The airfield existed before World War II, was heavily damaged, and had to be rebuilt, finally reopening to civilian aircraft in 1954. Only about 25 km to the south, we reach San Sebastián Airport (LESO), Spain. The airport sits at just 16 feet MSL on a sandbar. The city of San Sebastián (Donostia in Basque) is a small seaside city. It is home to the second-highest concentration of Michelin-starred restaurants in the world — Kyoto is number one.

From San Sebastián, we head southeast, tracking inland across the rolling green hills of Navarra to Pamplona (LEPP), Spain. It is about 6 km from the city centre. Pamplona is, of course, famous the world over for the Fiestas de San Fermín — the running of the bulls — which runs from 6 to 14 July each year. Eight consecutive mornings, six bulls (and two or three steers to calm them) are released through the narrow old streets for about 825 metres to the bullring, with however many foolhardy participants happen to be running in front of them. But Pamplona is more than the encierro — it's the historical capital of the Kingdom of Navarra, which at its medieval peak stretched from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. The city's medieval walls, Gothic cathedral, and old town are beautiful.

From Pamplona, we head east and slightly south, into the foothills of the Aragonese Pyrenees. We reach Santa Cilia de Jaca (LECI), Spain, a small airfield with a strong gliding and skydiving culture: there's apparently a swimming pool for pilots waiting between flights! We're now entering the heart of the range. The Pyrenees stretch roughly 430 km from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean, forming the natural border between France and Spain. They're geologically distinct from the Alps — older, more compact, and in many ways more dramatic, because the highest summits rise almost directly from the plains with very little transition. The range contains around 200 peaks above 2,000 metres, with the highest, Aneto, reaching 3,404 metres on the Spanish side. Pyrenean weather is notoriously changeable — Atlantic fronts pile in from the west and can build fast.

Now we head north back across the border into France, threading through or over the high ridgeline. The first POI is the Lac De Gaube. It is famous for its beauty and well known because the Lake can be easily reached. The next Lake is Lake de Cap-de-Long, one of the largest reservoirs in the Pyrenees. Its dam stands 101 meters tall and holds back over 67 million cubic meters of water. The reservoir supplies water for power generation at the Pragnères power plant—one of the most powerful hydroelectric plants in France. Next, we reach the Pic du Midi de Bigorre, home to the Pic du Midi Observatory. Nowhere on the northern side of the Pyrenees is there another mountain of comparable altitude so close to the plain — the surrounding peaks reach 2,500 metres at best, which makes the Pic du Midi geometrically extraordinary. The Pic du Midi is where NASA's lunar map was drawn up in 1969, and it's the world's oldest high-mountain astronomical observatory. It's also the only Dark-Sky Preserve in France. The observatory has been operating continuously since the 1880s. Scientists have made the arduous trek up since 1884, and the history of research here goes back to 1774. From the air at this point, if visibility allows, we could see the Col du Tourmalet directly below — the highest paved road pass in the French Pyrenees at 2,115 metres and one of the most legendary climbs in the Tour de France. The Tourmalet has been included in the Tour de France more often than any other pass, since 1910, when the Pyrenees were first introduced to the race.

We arc east and then south to Bagnères-de-Luchon (LFCB), France. Bagnères-de-Luchon (often just "Luchon") is a classic 19th-century spa town in the high Garonne valley. The thermal baths have been in use since Roman times. It's also a Tour de France landmark — the Col de Peyresourde just above town has featured in the race almost every year. We cross back into Spain, heading south, descending from the Pyrenean spine into the dry, pre-Pyrenean hills of Aragon, and reach Benabarre Airport (LENA), Spain.

From Benabarre, we head east across the pre-Pyrenean plateau, tracking the southern flanks of the range as the terrain starts climbing again towards the eastern Pyrenees. Then we turn north into the mountain valleys, picking our way through the Alt Urgell to the destination Andorra–La Seu d'Urgell Airport (LESU), Spain. It is a public airport owned by the government of Catalonia, located in the municipality of Montferrer i Castellbò in eastern Spain. It serves the city of La Seu d'Urgell and the microstate of Andorra, which is 12 km north of the airport. La Seu d'Urgell is a small Catalan city with a remarkable Romanesque cathedral, the 12th-century Seu d'Urgell Cathedral, and it's the seat of the Bishop of Urgell, one of the two co-princes of Andorra.

Andorra is a landlocked microstate in the eastern Pyrenees, bordered by France to the north and Spain to the south, covering just 181 square miles. It is the world's only co-principality, jointly ruled by the President of France and the Bishop of Urgell. That arrangement has been in place since 1278 — the treaty that ended a dispute between the Count of Foix and the Bishop of La Seu d'Urgell. The French president, therefore, inherits the title of Prince of Andorra the moment they take office, which makes Emmanuel Macron, among other things, a feudal prince. Andorra has never formally belonged to either Spain or France. Andorra la Vella is the highest capital city in Europe, at about 1,023 metres above sea level. Andorra is the only country in the world where the sole official language is Catalan. It uses the euro but is not an EU member. Around 80% of Andorra's GDP comes from tourism and related services. Millions of visitors come annually, mainly for duty-free shopping and skiing — the Grandvalira ski area has over 300 km of slopes. Andorra has no army, no railway, and, effectively, no airport of its own. Andorra claims to be the last surviving fragment of the Marca Hispanica, the military buffer zone created by Charlemagne to keep the Moors from advancing into the Frankish empire. Whether or not that's strictly accurate, it is genuinely one of the oldest political entities in Europe with continuously unchanged borders since 1278.

The flight is 291 miles long with 5 landings. I will be in the A2A Aerostar, but almost any GA single-engine or Twin is suitable. As always, please fly what you like.

The flight plans are here. Use the gfp plans with care; they will not be read by my systems.

Recommended scenery:

Biarritz - LFBZ

San Sebastian - LESO

Pamplona - LEPP

Bagneres - LFCB

Se de Urgel - LESU

LESU, LESO, and LEPP are available as payware.

We try real weather. Please set your simulator for a 3 pm local departure.

Multiplayer Particulars:

Date and time: Sunday, March 29, 2026. 16:00 UTC

Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: United States East server

These flights are events posted at DigitalThemePark. For these Sunday flights, we use DTP’s Discord Server for communication.

If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here). Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks!

We depart from Vojens (EKSP), also known as Skrydstrup. This is the heart of the Royal Danish Air Force’s fighter capacity. Fighter Wing Skrydstrup is the resident unit. They are currently transitioning from the F-16AM/BM to the F-35A Lightning II.

Our first stop is Wittmund (ETNT), home to the Luftwaffe’s Tactical Air Force Wing 71 "Richthofen". They’ve fully moved on from their legendary Phantoms and now fly the Eurofighter Typhoon. It’s one of the primary Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) hubs for Northern Germany. Next, we hop over to the Netherlands.

Leeuwarden (EHLW) is a massive F-35 hub now. The 322 Squadron operates the F-35A here. The MQ-9 Reaper drones are stationed at this base for ISR missions. Moving south to Volkel (EHVK), we find 312 and 313 Squadrons. While Volkel was the long-time home of the Dutch F-16, by now the F-35A has taken over as the primary teeth of the base.

Crossing into Belgium, we hit Kleine-Brogel (EBBL). This is the home of the 10th Tactical Wing. They still operate the F-16MLU, though the transition to the F-35 is ongoing. Then we track down to Florennes (EBFS), home of the 2nd Tactical Wing. Like their colleagues at "KB," they are F-16 operators, but Florennes is also the first Belgian base to officially stand up F-35A operations and houses the new MQ-9B SkyGuardian drones.

We head back into Germany to visit the big US hubs. Spangdahlem (ETAD) is the home of the 52nd Fighter Wing. They operate the F-16C/D Fighting Falcons of the 480th Fighter Squadron (the "Warhawks") here. Just a short flight away is Ramstein (ETAR). No fighters here; this is the heavy-lift capital of Europe. The 86th Airlift Wing operates C-130J Super Hercules, C-21, and C-37 transport aircraft. Continuing southeast, we reach Neuburg (ETSN). This is the base for Tactical Air Force Wing 74. Like Wittmund, they are a Eurofighter Typhoon unit and handle the QRA for Southern Germany.

Then we cross into the Alps to land at Zeltweg (LOXZ) in Austria. This is the main interceptor base for the Austrian Air Force. The Überwachungsgeschwader (Surveillance Wing) operates its fleet of Eurofighter Typhoons from here, alongside PC-7 Turbo Trainers used for pilot schooling.

Finally, we arrive at Istrana (LIPS) near Treviso. This is the home of the 51° Stormo (51st Wing) of the Aeronautica Militare. While this base was famous for the AMX "Ghibli," those have been retired. The base is now a dedicated Eurofighter Typhoon hub, providing air defense for North-Eastern Italy.

The flight is 1000 miles long with 9 landings. The flight plan is here.

We want to be fast! The F-35, F-14, Tornado, Eurofighter, or any aircraft cruising at about 420 knots are suitable. I will probably be in the IFE Typhoon. As always, please fly what you like.

Recommended scenery:

Wittmund – ETNT

Zeltweg – LOXZ

Zeltweg Airpower Show

Vojens – EKSP

Leeuwarden – EHLW

Volkel EHVK

Dutch Airport Library

Kleine Brogel – EBBL

Florennes - EBFS

Spangdahlem – ETAD

Ramstein – ETAR

You may already own some of these addons. All airports are in the simulator database. The Zeltweg Airpower scenery is heavy and just eye candy.

We try real weather. Please set your simulator for a 3:30 pm local departure.

Multiplayer Particulars
Date and time: Saturday, March 28, 2025. 1900 UTC
RTWR Multiplayer Discord Channel
Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: South East Asia server.

If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here). Please be kind enough to enter the title exactly as it stands in the title=”xxx” line of the aircraft.cfg file. Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks!

Channel Islands California

On todays flight we will be trying out our new Caravans on a tour of Southern California's Channel  Islands and other sites.

The flight is 328 miles and 14 stops. We will just finish wherever we are if time runs out.

Set your simulator to 11am for Departure. We will try real weather but if not scattered clouds will give some nice contrast.

Flight Plan: Here:

Scenery: Here:

Most of you have these already

Multiplayer Particulars
Date and time: Saturday, March 21, 2026. 1900 UTC (2000CET, 1400EST, 1100PST)
Where: RTWR Multiplayer Discord Channel
Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: South-East Asia server.

If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here). Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks!

We start at Tatenhill (EGBM), a friendly GA airfield near Burton-on-Trent. It has a great rural feel and is home to some active flight schools. Our first POI is the Villa Park stadium in Birmingham. We stop at Wolverhampton (EGBO), also known as Halfpenny Green, a classic ex-RAF base with three runways. From Wolverhampton, we head west, fly over the Iron Bridge, and continue toward the border to land at Welshpool (EGCW), a mid‑Wales airport born not from the Air Ministry but from a local farmer‑turned‑aviator, Bob Jones, who started with a grass strip on his land in 1990. Developed into Welshpool Mid‑Wales Airport with a hard runway and hangars, it became both a business and community hub, even hosting the Wales Air Ambulance base from 2006.

After departure, we fly over Powis Castle. It is the best-kept castle in Wales and is also known for its gardens. Now we’ll climb over Lake Vyrnwy. It’s a massive Victorian reservoir with a famous stone straining tower that resembles a fairytale castle rising out of the water. From there, we swing back east to land at Shawbury (EGOS). This is a major military helicopter training base.

Next, we track north to Liverpool John Lennon Airport (EGGP). As we depart, we’ll be overflying the city of Liverpool. Look for the Silver Jubilee Bridge and the Mersey Gateway Bridge spanning the River Mersey. A short hop east takes us to Manchester (EGCC). Here we see the Old Trafford Stadium.  It dates from 1910, was rebuilt after WWII bomb damage, and today holds around 74,000 spectators, making it the largest club football stadium in the UK. We see that the Hulme Arch, which was opened in May 1997, has a 52 m steel arch with cable stays, and is mainly there to restore the historic road route while acting as a local landmark. Beetham Tower (Hilton Tower) is a 47‑storey mixed‑use skyscraper on Deansgate, completed in 2006, and for years the tallest building in the UK outside London at 169 m. 1 Angel Square is known for its distinctive glazed, triangular form and highly energy‑efficient design.

As soon as we leave Manchester heading east, we’re crossing the Peak District. As we cross the hills, we’ll fly over Chatsworth House (The Palace of the Peak), one of the most famous stately homes in the UK. It’s massive, surrounded by yellow-green parkland and the River Derwent. Chatsworth is often called the finest country house in England. It has been the seat of the Duke of Devonshire since 1549.

After that, we’ll touch down at Doncaster (EGCN). The RAF Base (depicted in the addon) was decommissioned in 1996, and became an International Airport which ceased operations in 2022. Finally, we head to our destination: Humberside (EGNJ). It’s a busy hub for offshore helicopter operations serving the North Sea gas rigs.

The flight is 238 miles long with 6 landings. The flight plans are here. I will be in the BlackSquare Duke; any GA plane able to cruise at about 160 knots will do.

Recommended scenery:

Tatenhill – EGBM

Wolverhampton – EGBO

Welshpool – EGCW

Shawbury – EGOS

Liverpool – EGGP

Manchester – EGGC

Finningley – EGCN

Humberside – EGNJ

As payware, we have EGBM, EGBO, EGCC, EGCW, EGGP, EGNJ available from or via ORBX.

We try real weather. Please set your simulator for a 10 am departure.

Multiplayer Particulars:

Date and time: Sunday, March 22, 2026. 16:00 UTC

Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: South East Asia server

These flights are events posted at DigitalThemePark. For these Sunday flights, we use DTP’s Discord Server for communication.

If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here). Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks!

Arizona Highways

Todays flight will take us into Arizona. Starting at the Grand Canyon we will work our way east following an unfamiliar path before we turn North and go up into the San Jaun mountains to finish in Telluride Colorado.

The flight is 335 miles with 8 stops. I will be in the A2a Comanche so anything about 170 or so is good.

Flight plan: Here:

Additional Scenery

https://flightsim.to/addon/51051/page-municipal-airport-kpga

https://flightsim.to/addon/53549/marble-canyon-airport-l41

https://flightsim.to/addon/105538/5v5-shiprock-airstrip-shiprock-new-mexico

All in one: Here:

Time and Weather
For takeoff on Saturday, set the simulator at 12:00pm local for March 14, 2026. We typically prefer real weather. but feel free to fly what you like.

Multiplayer Particulars
Date and time: Saturday, March 14, 2026. 1900 UTC (2000CET, 1400EST, 1100PST)
Where: RTWR Multiplayer Discord Channel
Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: South-East Asia server.

If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here). Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks!

Takeoff is at 12 noon. Weather can be anything you want live or preset. 

The tour of Japan continues with a departure from Sendai (RJSS) and a tour of the Tōhoku region with stops in the Akita, Iwate, and Aomori prefectures.  Time permitting, we will cross the Tsugaru Strait near Cape Ōmazaki and land at Hakodate (RJCH) on Hokkaido.

 Flightplan HERE

Scenery Recommendations

•         RJSS - Sendai
•         RJSR - Odate-Noshiro
•         RJSA - Aomori Airport
•         RJCH - Hakodate Intl Airport

Akita Prefecture is in Japan's Tōhoku region on Honshu, bordered by Aomori, Iwate, Miyagi, and Yamagata Prefectures, with Akita city as its capital. Originally part of Dewa Province, Akita remained remote until after 600 CE, when settlements began following military campaigns against the Ezo tribes. The Satake clan later governed during the Tokugawa era, focusing on agriculture and mining.

Hanamaki is in central Iwate Prefecture, positioned at the meeting point of three rivers with the Kitakami River. The city stretches from the foothills of Mt. Matsukura in the west to Mount Hayachine in the east. Major reservoirs include Lake Tase, Lake Hayachine, and Lake Toyosawa. Parts of Hanamaki are within Hayachine Quasi-National Park, and the Hanamaki Onsenkyo Village features a chain of 12 hot springs along the Ōu Mountains.

Akita-Komagatake is an active stratovolcano 10 km east of Tazawa Lake, on the border of Akita and Iwate prefectures in Honshu. Its most recent eruption was from September 1970 to January 1971. It is Akita Prefecture's highest mountain and the second tallest in Towada-Hachimantai National Park.

Mount Iwate is a 2,038-meter stratovolcano in the Ōu Mountains of western Iwate Prefecture, Japan, and the region's highest peak.

Akita-Yake-Yama is a small stratovolcano in Akita Prefecture, Japan, that is known for its radioactive waters. A small parasitic lava dome is located four kilometers from the volcano.

Kitaakita sits in the mountains of north-central Akita Prefecture, about 80 km northeast of Akita city, covering roughly 10% of the prefecture. Bordered by the Ōu Mountains to the east, its urban center lies around the Takanosu Basin and along the Yoneshiro River and its tributaries. Much of Kitaakita is forested, with some areas within Towada-Hachimantai National Park. This inland city is known for its heavy winter snowfall.

Mount Iwaki is a symmetrical andesitic stratovolcano rising from the Tsugaru Peninsula plains. Its summit crater measures two kilometers across, with three lava domes on the west and south slopes. The mountain was frequently active during the Edo period, mainly with small to moderate phreatic explosions, and last erupted on March 23, 1863. Hirosaki University has operated an 18-station observatory there since 1981.

Lake Towada is Honshū’s largest crater lake, straddling Aomori and Akita prefectures at 400 meters above sea level. At 327 meters deep and covering 61.1 km², it ranks as Japan’s 12th largest lake. Its striking blue color comes from its depth, and it features two peninsulas jutting in from the southern shore. The lake is a well-known tourist spot.

Hachinohe lies on the southeast coast of Aomori Prefecture, bordered by the Pacific Ocean and crossed by the Oirase and Mabechi Rivers. Once a key center for the Emishi people, Hachinohe suffered severe damage and the loss of about 100 homes during the 2011 Japanese tsunami, which also wrecked its port and stranded large fishing vessels inland.

Aomori Prefecture, located in Japan's Tōhoku region, is the northernmost prefecture on Honshu with Aomori City as its capital. It borders the Pacific Ocean, Sea of Japan, Iwate and Akita Prefectures, and faces Hokkaido across the Tsugaru Strait. The region is known for its unique culture shaped by remote geography and snowy winters, traditional crafts like Tsugaru-jamisen music, embroidery, pottery, and distinctive local dishes such as porridges and soups.

Mount Osore is a Buddhist temple and pilgrimage site in the Shimokita Peninsula, Aomori Prefecture, Japan. Situated in an active volcano's caldera, it is regarded in Japanese mythology as a gateway to the underworld.

Hakodate, in Oshima Subprefecture, Hokkaido, is Japan's third largest city in Hokkaido after Sapporo and Asahikawa. Its port was the first in Japan opened to foreign trade (1854) under the Convention of Kanagawa and was once northern Japan’s most significant port. Originally inhabited by the Ainu, its name likely derives either from an Ainu expression meaning "shallow fort" or from the Japanese word for "box" or "building," referencing a fifteenth-century castle. Hakodate remained Hokkaido’s largest city until the Great Fire of 1934.

Recommend Departure time of 2:00 PM

•         Date and time: Wednesday March 18, 19:00 UTC    
•         RTWR Multiplayer Discord Channel
•         MFS Multiplayer: Southeast Asia Server

If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here). Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks!

We're departing from Khersones Air Base (UKSV), perched on a small cape at the southwestern tip of the Crimean Peninsula, right on the Black Sea. The airfield sits just a couple of kilometres from the ancient ruins of Chersonesus, one of the most significant archaeological sites in the former Soviet world. The ancient city was located on the shore of the Black Sea on the outskirts of present-day Sevastopol, where the site is referred to as Khersones — and the name Chersonesos in Greek literally means "peninsula," which aptly describes the location. The ruins date back to 422 BC, and this is famously the place where Volodymyr the Great was baptised into Christianity in AD 988, launching what would become the Russian Orthodox Church. As for Sevastopol itself, the city has had one of the more dramatic histories in the region. The Russians began constructing a naval base there in 1783, named Sevastopol the following year, and after the base was completed in 1804, it became the home of the Black Sea Fleet. Today, Crimea has been under Russian military occupation since 2014, internationally recognised as Ukrainian territory.

We're heading northeast across the Crimean Peninsula. The terrain shifts as we move inland — the dramatic Crimean Mountains running along the southern coast give way to the flat, dry steppe of central Crimea. Our first stop is Gora Klementyeva (UKKB), a small strip used for gliding and skydiving. The "Gora" in the name means "mountain" in Ukrainian and Russian — it refers to the hill that made this spot famous for soaring in the Soviet era. This was one of the earliest aviation sites in the USSR and hosted international glider competitions.

We follow the coast north. Our next stop is Henichesk (UKHE), actually destroyed, but usable in the sim. Henichesk arose in 1784 as a crossing and border fortification on the site of a Turkish fortress called Enichi, which dated to 1703. It was a port and trade centre on the salt route running from Crimea north through Ukraine and Russia, and by the turn of the 20th century, it had one of the largest flour mills in southern Ukraine. Salt was the engine of this town for generations — the hypersaline lakes nearby and the Syvash lagoon system made it a natural hub for the trade. The town became one of the main export points for bread, salt, and wool in the Azov region. The real star of the area, visible right from the airfield, is the Arabat Spit. It's the largest sand spit in Ukraine, separating the Syvash Bay from the Sea of Azov — about 115 kilometres long and between 270 metres and 8 kilometres wide, formed by sand washing roughly 850 years ago. Before the war, it was a hugely popular Ukrainian holiday destination — warm shallow sea, therapeutic mud, and thermal springs.

Heading northeast, we stay over the flat steppe of southern Ukraine. The landscape here is classic Eastern European agricultural plain — broad open fields of wheat, sunflowers, and grain. The next stop is Melitopol (UKME), a large industrial center. Melitopol has been under Russian occupation since late February 2022.

For our final leg, we head east along the northern coast of the Sea of Azov, crossing into Donetsk Oblast. The Azov coast is flat and wide, with long sandy spits and shallow lagoons — the sea is famously shallow, rarely more than 15 metres deep, which gives it warm summer temperatures but also makes it more susceptible to storms. Our destination is Mariupol (UKCM). The city was founded in 1778 as Pavlovsk, on the site of a former Cossack encampment, and renamed Mariupol in 1779 to honour Maria Fyodorovna, the second wife of Crown Prince Paul. In 1780, its population grew rapidly after many Greeks from the Crimean Peninsula were resettled there. Known as "the ocean gateway of the Donbas," Mariupol was used by Ukraine to export metals, grain, salt, and machinery while receiving iron ore, manganese ore, and cement.

The flight is 290 miles long with 3 landings. We want to cruise at about 250 knots, and we have some grass runways. Among others, the King Air, TBM, or PC-12 are suitable aircraft. I will be in the BlackSquare Starship. As always, please fly what you like.

The flight plans are here. The airports are not in the GTN database.

Recommended scenery:

Khersones – UKSV

Melitopol  – UKME

Mariupol – UKCM

We try real weather and want to depart at 3 PM local.

Multiplayer Particulars:

Date and time: Sunday, March 15, 2026. 17:00 UTC

Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: United States East server

These flights are events posted at DigitalThemePark. For these Sunday flights, we use DTP’s Discord Server for communication.

If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here). Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks!

Background

The Trans-Canada Highway is a 7,821 km (4,860-mile) federal-provincial highway system—the fourth longest highway in the world stretching from Victoria, B.C., to St. John's, NL. Officially dedicated in 1962, it spans all ten provinces, crossing the Rocky Mountains and the Canadian Shield to connect major cities. 
•    Route Structure: It is not a single road, but a network of routes (mostly Highway 1 or 17) connected by ferries, including a "Yellowhead" (Highway 16) route through Western Canada.
•    Key Features: It passes through major cities like Vancouver, Calgary, Regina, Winnipeg, Ottawa, and Fredericton.
•    Signage: The route is famously marked by a white maple leaf on a green shield.
•    History: Authorized in 1949 and completed in 1962 (with further upgrades until 1971), it cost over $1 billion to build, equivalent to over $10 billion today.
•    Usage: It is essential for commerce, with sections (such as through Rogers Pass) requiring active, year-round avalanche control.
•    Cultural Significance: The highway is associated with Terry Fox, who attempted to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research in 1980.  
•    The network continues to receive upgrades from Transport Canada to support increasing traffic volumes.

The Trans-Canada Highway traverses diverse terrain across 7,800+ km, spanning from Atlantic coastal areas through the rocky Canadian Shield in Ontario, vast prairie grasslands in the west, and high-altitude mountain passes in the Rockies: Key features include rugged boreal forests, lakeshores, rolling hills, and intense mountainous terrain in British Columbia. 

Regional Terrain Breakdown:
•    Western (BC/Alberta): Features high-altitude mountain passes (notably Kicking Horse Pass at 1,627m), steep slopes, coniferous forests, and rocky, winding roads.
•    Prairies (Alberta/Saskatchewan/Manitoba): Expansive, flat-to-rolling grasslands and open landscapes.
•    Central (Ontario): Rugged terrain of the Canadian Shield, characterized by dense forests, dense rock formations, and thousands of lakes, particularly along the north shore of Lake Superior.
•    Eastern (Quebec/Atlantic Provinces): Mix of coastal landscapes, lush green areas, and rolling terrain. 

The highway also encounters significant elevation changes, ranging from sea level on the coasts to high alpine passes.

Our Trip

We have previously travelled a portion of the Trans-Canada highway from Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, on Vancouver Island which is designated as Mile 0.00 of the highway. We travelled northward from Victoria along the route of the highway and arrived at Nanaimo. From Nanaimo we boarded a the Trans-Canada ferry route across the Strait of Georgia to the British Columbia mainland and again followed the highway to Vancouver, one of Canada’s largest and most scenic cities.

This trip will take us through the city of Vancouver in either helicopters or very low and slow fixed wing GA aircraft. WARNING WARNING – autopilot and GPS does work on this Vancouver portion of this excursion! We will cover almost all of the cities many point of interest locations: and there are many! Being on the Pacific side of the country, Vancouver hosts all of the exports and imports from the Orient and beyond. We will view the various city poi and attractions, export/Import terminals and ports as well as key railway transport to/from the ports locations. We will also visit the waterfront and the famous Stanley Park as well as other points of interest. Have built/added many named userpoints and added to the fp to use to be able identify the various locations. Bert can point out these and other significant locations as we approach.

Once we complete the Vancouver tour (some 150 nm waving through the city), if we have time, we’ll catch up with the Trans-Canada out of Abbotsford and head north east to Lytton BC and end our trip.  The total trip today is only 251 nm and in two parts. Firstly, 150 nm Vancouver city tour weaving through the city and the second part a 101 nm following the Trans-Canada out of Abbotsford and heading northeast to end the trip in Lytton BC.  Slower is best in this excursion.

Aircraft
Recommend utilizing a helicopter to be able to travel low and slow and to be able to navigate the twists and turns of the Vancouver city tour and visiting the many poi in the Vancouver area. We may want to make non-scheduled stops along the way. For non-helicopter pilots please use a slow STOL capable aircraft like a cub, C152, Draco or other that can travel slow and slow. Best @ 100 kts or a tad slower. 

FP, itinerary, etc can be found HERE.

Add-on Scenery  
(All airports are in the default sim but there are a few scenery adds that provide some eye candy if you wish!!) (Payware is NOT required but if you have it, please feel free to use it!)

Vancouver City

CYVR Airport: https://flightsim.to/file/29246/project-yvr-vancouver-international-airport (by Project _SCNE)

Vancouver Bridges: https://flightsim.to/file/5314/vancouver-bridges-vancouver-bc-canada (by FreakyD)

Port of Vancouver https://flightsim.to/file/33073/port-of-vancouver-vancouver-bc-canada (by FreakyD)

Vancouver Foliage & Water fixes: https://flightsim.to/file/23909/vancouver-foliage-water-clean-up-bc-canada (by FreakyD)

OR

CYVR: Vancouver Intl airport available as Payware (by various creators IE: FSDreamTeam, FSimStudios)

CYVR: Vancouver City Times Scenery Payware (by SamScene3D)

CYVR: Vancouver Bridges scenery is available as Payware (by RKBridger)

Other

CBC7: Helipad (by NightIntruder):   https://flightsim.to/addon/101071/cbc7-vancouver-harbor-public-heliport

CAK3: Airport (by PropellerBC):       https://flightsim.to/addon/2390/cak3-delta-airpark-bc

CYNJ: Airport (by PropellerBC):       https://flightsim.to/addon/2481/cynj-langley-regional-airport-bc

CZBB: Airport (by DaneSimAir):        https://flightsim.to/addon/97101/czbb-boundary-bay-airport

CYPK: Airport (by DaneSimAir):       https://flightsim.to/addon/96577/pitt-meadows-regional-airport-cypk

CYXX: Airport (by Ryanosaurus13)   https://flightsim.to/addon/30091/cyxx-abbotsford-international-airport

CYCW:Airport (by PropellerBC):      https://flightsim.to/addon/1873/cycw-chilliwack-bc

CYHE: Airport: (by DaneSimAir):      https://flightsim.to/addon/64067/hope-airport-cyhe

Time and Weather
Prefer to fly real weather if possible but if not, the few clouds, high clouds OR Jeff-Partly Cloudy-Jeff-1.wpr preset (included) would make a nice choice.  For takeoff: set the simulator time to @1700 (ish) local.  (This time simulates early dusk and hopefully the lights will come on in the city of Vancouver yet we will still have enough daylight to make it to our destination under VFR conditions).  

Vancouver Skyline

Multiplayer Particulars
Date and time: Wednesday, March 11, 2026 - (1400 EDST, 1300 CDST, 1200 MDST, 1100 PDST), (1 hr earlier for EU until they move to DT
on Sunday, March 29, 2026). AVSIM Discord Server: https://discord.gg/K5Vy6UxWNm  - AVSIM GROUP EVENTS-WED. COM1
Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: SOUTH-EAST-ASIA Server

If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here). Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks! 

Norm Richards
March 5th, 2026