AVSIM's Round the World Race Forum

Thunder God's Gold Today's flight will start in Scottsdale Arizona and will take us through the Superstition Mountains in search of the Lost Dutchman Gold mine. We will head up to Weavers Needle to start the search. Next, we head up the Salt River flying down low to the Theodore Roosevelt Dam fallowed by a stop at Grapevine Airport. From here we head into Indian country to see where the bloody battles of Cibecue Creek and Fort Apache were fought. After that we head North to the Petrified Forest National Park and the Painted Desert before finishing our flight in Holbrook Municipal Airport. The flight is 280 miles with 8 stops any kind of touring airplane capable …

Papua. The Best Place to be a Sim Pilot For Saturday, February 3, 2024 Ten years ago we were treated to an engaging 4-part documentary Worst Place to Be a Pilot (2014). Those young Susi Air pilots braved the challenges of flying into high mountain villages with eye-popping terrain and changeable weather. They loved the experience but understood the danger. Nowadays, the hazards include being targets of the rising insurgency – pilots have been shot and kidnapped. Today we return to Papua, the Indonesian provinces on the western side of New Guinea. We capture some of the Susi Air pilots airmanship experiences when we fly from Nabire to a number of remote mountain villag…

We continue our tour along the coast of Queensland, Australia. We depart from Bundaberg (YBUD) and follow the coast to land at Hervey Bay (YHBA). Before the arrival of the Europeans, the Butchulla Aboriginal tribe inhabited the area around Hervey Bay. James Cook reached the area in 1770 and named the bay Hervey's Bay after the British naval officer Augustus Hervey, 3rd Earl of Bristol. Matthew Flinders mapped a large part of the coast during his visit in 1802. In 1863, the first Europeans settled in what would later become the town of Hervey Bay. In 1913, Hervey Bay was connected to the railroad. In the 1920s, the population increased significantly as agriculture (su…

This is the first flight to explore the new German POI from WU 18. We depart from Ruegen Airport (EDCG) on the island of Ruegen, Germany‘s largest Island. The chalk cliffs and numerous beaches are well known. We overfly the Jasmund National Park and see the famous Pier in Sellin, which has a length of 394 meters and features a restaurant and a diving gondola. Heading back west leads us to Stralsund, the old Hanse Town with its prominent churches, St. Nicholas and St. Mary‘s. Further southwest is the airport Rostock-Laage (ETNL). It is a dual-use airport home to the German Airforce Eurofighter Wing 73. Continuing west we reach the next old Hanseatic City,…

Atlantic Beach Getaway – New England Edition The tour features two parts – one in helicopters and the other in business jets. We begin this flight with a helicopter tour of Manhattan. Starting from the Downtown Manhattan Heliport (KJRB) the tour proceeds up the East River over the Brooklyn, Manhattan, and Williamsburg bridges to the UN where we turn and follow 42nd Street past the Chrysler Building and Grand Central Terminal to just past Bryant Park (the Empire State will be off away to your left. We will follow 6th Avenue north over Central Park to the Harlem River where we turn east towards the George Washington Bridge. We backtrack flying over the Hudson tu…

Hells Canyon and Glacier Park For Saturday, October 5, 2024 Michael MacKuen We spend an afternoon flying over the high country of northern Idaho and Montana. We begin by running the course of the Snake River through Hells Canyon. Then we traverse the ranges of the Rocky Mountains and enjoy a quick run through Glacier Park, the “Crown of the Continent.” Hells Canyon We begin at McCall [KMYL], an aviation center for central Idaho’s backcounty pilots and a regional base for US Forest Service smoke jumpers and fire bombers. Flying westward, we pick up the Snake River at the Ox Bow Dam (no landing at the company airstrip) and turn north to enjoy the mos…

We meet again in Vietnam and visit some of the old US Airfields. We depart from Camp Enari (VENA), a few miles south of Pleiku. We head north and stop at Polei Kleng (VPKL), Dak Seang (VDSC), and Thuong Duc (VHTD). We turn south and land at An Hoa Comba (VAHC) and Mang Buk (VMAN) before heading to the coast and finishing the flight at Gia Vuc (VIU). The flight plans are here. The flight has 213 miles and 5 landings. I will be in the DHC-4 Caribou in the “Good Morning Vietnam” livery., please fly what you like. You want the additional addon airfields, they are not in the MSFS database. https://flightsim.to/file/18350/camp-enari-airfi…

Scotland Tigers-8: UK-Scotland-Orkney Islands: Wick (EGPC) to North Ronaldsay (EGEN) There are only two more Scotland trips remaining before we have covered the entire county of Scotland in this series. This second to last excursion covers the Orkney Islands. Orkney also known as the Orkney Islands or, the often deprecated, Orkneys, is an archipelago off the north coast of Scotland. Part of the Northern Isles along with Shetland, Orkney is 10 miles (16 km) north of Caithness and has about 70 islands, of which 20 are inhabited. The largest island, the Mainland, has an area of 523 square kilometers (202 sq mi), making it the sixth-largest Scottish island and the …

Austria’s Imperial Legacy For Saturday, September 28, 2024 Michael MacKuen Today we fly over eastern Austria. Through the Middle Ages, Austria was a player in central European politics. And from the late 15th century, Austria and then Vienna became the de facto capital of the Habsburgs’ Holy Roman Empire and then the Astro-Hungarian empire. We shall take a look at some of the castles, palaces, abbeys and cathedrals that are part of that imperial legacy. Zeltweg AirPower 2022 We initiate our flight from Zeltweg Air Base [LOXZ] (recently renamed Fliegerhorst Hinterstoisser). This the main airfield of the Austrian Air Force and hosts Europe’s biggest …

Isle of Man and Northern Wales For this flight, we need two flight plans and two different aircraft. We start with a flight around the Isle of Man, in a Helicopter. I will use the HPG H145, please fly what you like. The Isle of Man is a self-governing British Crown Dependency between Great Britain and Ireland in the Irish Sea. It is recognized as one of the Celtic nations and is the homeland of the Manx people, a Celtic ethnic group. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Governor. The government of the United Kingdom is responsible for the Isle of Man's military defense and represents it abroad, but th…

Today's flight in P38s will take us to the Military air bases of Southern California and Southern Nevada. This flight is 700 miles with 9 stops. We will be wanting to fly about 300MPH. P38s are preferred but fly what you want. On some of the longer legs we could try some formation flying. Flight Plan: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/i7j630dtcsz1g5ttlywf5/ANOQknryh5qMdLtozD2a9gk?rlkey=qsqm56qz35io1pko1s4yy2s9c&st=0izyxq0r&dl=0 Scenery: KNJK El Centro NAF https://flightsim.to/file/47000/el-centro-naf-knjk Naval Air Station Miramar ( KNKX ) https://flightsim.to/file/19615/dc-designs-naval-air-station-miramar-knkx Vandenberg KVBG h…

We visit Vietnam. We depart from Pleiku (VVPK), a city in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. We head towards the coast of the South China Sea and land at Chu Lai (VVCA). This is a former US Airbase, now used by the Vietnam Army. We fly north along the coast, pass over Da Nang, and land at Dong Hoi (VVDH). The improved airport began operations in 2008. We follow the coast to reach Vinh (VVVH), the largest city in North-Central Vietnam. Turning inland we reach Tho Xuan (VVTX), a mixed-used airport. It is planned to improve it to become a relief airport for Hanoi‘s Noi Bai International Airport. We reach this airport (VVNB), and continue back to the coast, and land…

This is the second flight to explore the new POIs in Switzerland. We depart from Calcinate Del Pesce (LILC) in Italy and head straight to our first POI, the Isola Bella in the Lago Maggiore in Switzerland. The island is one of the Borromean Islands. A member of the influential House of Borromeo began the construction of the palace in 1632, dedicated to his wife Isabella (thus the name). All three islands can be visited, but the Isola Bella is the main attraction. We cross back over the Lago Maggiore and land at Lugano (LSZA). Now we get a good view of the other two large lakes, Lugano Lake and Lake Como. We pass by the three Castles at Bellinzona, which w…

Patagonia Part 4 We depart from Villa O'Higgins Airport (SCOH) heading westward, winding our way upward into the Southern Patagonian Ice Field before descending to our first landing at Río Pascua Airfield (SCTP) which serves small settlements along the Pascua River. There is mountainous terrain in all quadrants. The runway is aligned northwest with the lowest terrain routing. This is the first of the shortish (2362 ft) airfields that we will visit on this tour. It is only 16nm to our next landing at Río Bravo Airfield (SCRB) – and another challenging approach featuring terrain and a short field length. Much more of this to come. We follow a dog leg course d…

An Austrian Alpine Escapade For Saturday, September 14, 2024 Michael MacKuen We fly over Austria’s Alps. We begin over Tyrol’s vast array of high peaks and then shift to the mountains and wider valleys of Salzburg. And finally we cross over the high ridges of Carinthia. Under highline 179 We depart from Bolzano (or Bozen) [LIPB] in the Italian province South Tyrol which, until WWI, was a core part of Austria. For many years the region remained contested by native German-speakers who identified with Austria rather than Italy – this matter is now formally settled and South Tyrol accommodates its two languages and cultural lineages. We fly north to T…

Scotland Tigers-7: Plockton to Wick - Via the Outer Hebrides For Wed. Sept. 11, June 26, 2024 Plockton Airfield EG29 Today we bring out the old bi-planes for the seventh flight in this Scotland excursion. Last trip we weaved in and out of the Inner Hebrides. This trip continues from Plockton (EG29) and we head westward over the Inner Hebrides to the Outer Hebrides or Western Isles Island chain west of “mainland” Scotland. The Outer Hebrides Islands form an archipelago whose major islands, listed in order of our travel, are: Barra, South Uist, Benbecula, North Uist, and Lewis and Harris, As a matter of trivia, South Uist is not connected to Nort…

This is the forth flight in Queensland, Australia. We depart from Mackay (YBMK) and follow the coast south. There are very few airports, but eventually, we reach Williamson Shoalwater (YWIS), a military training area. Continuing southeast we reach Samuel Hill (YSMH), an airfield that also belongs to the Military training area. Heading south we arrive at Rockhampton (YBRK). The economy of Rockhampton has strengths in tourism, health, and agriculture. The Central Queensland University founded in 1967, has its main campus at Norman Gardens, and is the only Australian university with a campus presence in every mainland state. The city is served by Rockhampton Airport, an…

Switzerland became a country in its modern form in 1848, when it adopted a federal constitution and transformed from a confederation of separate states into a federal state.However, the origins of Switzerland as a political entity date back much further: The traditional founding date of the Swiss Confederation is August 1, 1291. This is when three cantons (Uri, Schwyz, and Unterwalden) formed an alliance for mutual defense. Over the centuries, more cantons joined this loose confederation. Switzerland's independence from the Holy Roman Empire was formally recognized in 1648 by the Peace of Westphalia. The modern federal state of Switzerland was established in 1848 followin…

For this flight, we return to Greece. We depart from Corfu’s International Airport Ioannis Kapodistrias (LGKR) and land at Preveza Aktion (LGPZ), Zakinthos (LGZA), and Kalamata (LGKL) before reaching Greece’s Capital City Athens. We overfly the Acropolis and land at Athen’s International Airport (LGAV). Time permitting, we continue to Skiathos (LGSK). The flight has 380 miles and 4 landings. We haven’t flown the DC-6 for a while, so I will be in the PMDG DC-6A in the Olympic livery. Any airplane able to cruise at about 220 knots is suitable. Please fly what you like. The flight plans are here. Additional scenery: LGKR: https://flightsim.…

Western Australia – Jet Tour – Part 2 We resume our tour at Mount Keith (YMNE), the site of an open pit nickel mine. It is 104nm to our first stop - Leonora (YLEO) in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia and then 61nm to the gold and nickle mining community of Laverton (YLTN). The route continues 117nm further east to the Tropicana Gold Mine (YTRA) at the western edge of the remote Great Victoria Desert. It is a longish 187mn southwest to Kalgoorli (YPKG) – the location of the Super Pit gold mine. Another longish 184mn leg will take us to Bruce Rock (YBRO) a town in the eastern Wheatbelt region of Western Australia. Western Au…

Norway Inland For Saturday August 31, 2024 Michael MacKuen We take a few hours to explore Inland Norway. We fly the historic route from Trondheim in the north to Oslo in the south. And we take a few exploratory diversions. This is the Norway less touristed. It is a rugged terrain that sustains a sparse population which, only in recent years, has begun to enjoy contemporary European prosperity. Worth our while to see an interesting part of Norway that is normally overshadowed by the spectacular coastal scenery. Heading South from Trondheim We depart from Trondheim Vaernes [ENVA], the main airport in the region, and head for the city itself. We get a…

We will be flying at the top of the world! We depart from Qamdo Bangda (ZUBD), Tibet, China. At an elevation of 4,334 m (14,219 ft) above sea level, Qamdo Airport was formerly the highest airport in the world. It was surpassed by Daocheng Yading Airport, with an elevation of 4,411 m (14,472 ft), on 16 September 2013. It has a very long runway, 4.5 km (2.8 mi), a necessary feature to accommodate the reduced engine and lift performance that affects aircraft at high altitudes, requiring higher than normal takeoff speeds and therefore longer takeoff and landing runs. We want to climb to about 20.000 feet, using some valleys. At waypoint 4 we enter the Yarlung Tsangp…

Alberta Canada and the Canadian Rockies Today's flight will bring us back into Canada for a three hr tour of Alberta and the Canadian Rockies, The flight is 310nm with five stops. I will be in my Comanche but fly what you want. Set time for 1PM. Flight Plan: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/3zum9cd66rgjjk486kpwq/AMozz8Ir0QMPj-7sJt0Y_7U?rlkey=jfjukfqygzywmojqc2vzsc05n&st=vggwk3vl&dl=0 Scenery's: https://flightsim.to/file/4923/cyba-banff-scenery-upgrade https://flightsim.to/file/43796/golden-airport-cyge https://flightsim.to/file/6478/cyja-jasper-alberta-canada Particulars: Date and time: WED August 28, 18:00 UTC …

This is our third flight in Queensland, Australia. We depart from Townsville (YBTL) and follow the coast south. Our first stop is at Ayr (YAYR), a small rural town in the center of the sugarcane growing region. We continue for a longer leg and reach Bowen (YBWN). From here, the Mount Aberdeen National Park can be visited. We follow the coast and land at Hideaway Bay Airport (YHAB). After crossing the peninsula we head south and land at the Whitsunday Coast Airport (YBPN), serving the town of Prosperine. We head back towards the coast and land at Shute Harbor/Whitsunday (YSHR), from where transportation is available to visit the Whitsunday Islands a…

Western Australia – Jet Tour – Part 1 Western Australia encompasses the western third of the land area of Australia. The full route is over 1800nm in length. Long legs will require high cruise speeds and the tour was planned with the default CJ4. The entire tour will take several weeks to complete. We begin our tour at Port Hedland (YPPD) whose deep natural anchorage made it the perfect location for the export of iron ore. It is 217nm east and our first stop - the isolated mining town of Telfer (YTEF). The town of Telfer suffered from the decision to move the Telfer mine from residential to a fly-in fly-out workforce. Commercial services were withdrawn, a…