AVSIM's Round the World Race Forum

Adriatic – Flying Boats along the Dalmation Coast This tour was specifically designed for the Latécoère 631 flying boat with harbour landings, but I have also included a flight plan with nearby airports for land plane participants. The route features many POI’s and photogrammetry cites from WU14. We begin the tour in Venice, on the Grand Canal with a view of St Marks Square and the iconic Campanile. After boarding passengers and taking off we will do a circuit over the city for a bit of sightseeing before heading east towards Trieste. The first POI is low flyby of Miramre Castle on the Gulf of Trieste followed by a landing at the import Austo…

Texas Sizzler Today we will be flying In Hot Texas (103d) from Austin down to Houston and the Gulf coast. I will give commentary during the flight. I will use either my Piaggio or Comanche.The Flight is 300 miles with 9 landings. Flight Plan: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/grel3ijxscj51173bb11u/Texas.zip?rlkey=rpd7dexnala9u6vs7xka2rroj&dl=0 Time and Weather For takeoff on Saturday, set the simulator at 2:00 pm local for August 19, 2023. We prefer real weather. Multiplayer Particulars Date and time: Saturday, August 19, 2023. 1800 UTC AVSIM Discord Server: https://discord.gg/K5Vy6UxWNm - AVSIM GROUP EVENTS-SAT. COM3 Microsoft F…

Slovenia – Castles and the Adriatic For Saturday, August 12, 2023 We return to Slovenia to enjoy its castles. This is a small country with a rich heritage. We begin at Portorož on the Adriatic and fly inland to enjoy the many historic sites. At the end of the day, we return to the Adriatic to finish on the nearby Croatian coastal islands We leave from Portorož [LIPZ], a spa and seaside resort city. We skirt by the grand old hotels to fly over the peninsular town Piran [PIRAN] to glance at its harbor, medieval architecture, public square, and St. George’s Church. This had been an Italian town until the midcentury foibe massacres and the Istrian exodus. It is now one…

Welcome to our third flight in the Eastern European Region. We will spend most of our time in Hungary, but we will visit Bosnia and Herzegowina and Croatia as well. We depart from Budapest’s International Airport Franz Liszt (LHBP). Budapest is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. The history of Budapest began when an early Celtic settlement transformed into the Roman town of Aquincum, the capital of Lower Pannonia. The Hungarians arrived in the territory in the late 9th century, but the area was pillaged by the Mongols in 1241–42. Re-established Buda became one of the centers of Renaissance humanist culture by the 15th century. The Battle of Mohács…

Vitajte na Slovensku, Bízunk benne, hogy Magyarországra látogat! We continue our visit to the Eastern European Countries and depart from Bratislava, the Capital City of Slovakia. The airport M.R. Stefanik (LZIB) lies east of the city and we cross the city to see the [Stadium] and the [Kamzik Tower]. Our first castle is [Bratislava Castle]. The massive rectangular building with four corner towers stands on an isolated rocky hill of the Little Carpathians directly above the Danube River in the middle of Bratislava. Because of its size and location, it has been a dominant feature of the city for centuries. The location provides excellent views of Bratislava, …

Norway’s Fjords Revisited For Saturday, August 5, 2023 We shall take advantage of the summer weather and revisit the fjords of Western Norway. We begin at Stord and fly over the rugged terrain that is streaked with stunningly beautiful fjords some of which invite up-close viewing. We end our day off the coast at historic Ålesund. Descending into the Nærøyfjord, among the world’s premier natural heritage sites We depart from Stord Sorstokken [ENSO]. Most of Norway’s airports were built in the 1970s-1980s as the government wanted to create a modern transportation infrastructure in a country of mountains and coastal islands. For many towns, this meant finding slivers…

Visiting the Czech and the Slovak Republics We depart from Ceske Budejovice (LKCS), Czech Republic. Only 6 miles north is our first POI, Hlbuoká Castle [WP1]. Hluboká is one of the most famous and most frequently visited castles in the country. In the second half of the 13th century, a Gothic castle was built at the site. During its history, the castle was rebuilt several times. It was first expanded during the Renaissance period, then rebuilt into a Baroque castle at the order of Adam Franz von Schwarzenberg at the beginning of the 18th century. It reached its current appearance during the 19th century when Johann Adolf II von Schwarzenberg ordered the reconstructi…

Cape Breton Island & Prince Edward Island We resume our summer tour of the Maritime Provinces departing Point Hawksbury with a long 60nm leg past the large Bras d'Or Lake which has a connection to the open sea, and is tidal. Our POI is 18th-century French fortress at Louisbourg. The Fortress of Louisbourg was the capital for the colony of Île-Royale (Cape Breton Island) and was besieged and taken twice by the British. The fortifications at Louisbourg were systematically destroyed by British engineers in 1760 to prevent the town and port from being used in the future by the French, should the peace process return Cape Breton island to France. We contin…

Scotland. Castles, Casks and a Course For Saturday, July 22, 2023 Michael MacKuen Today we shall take a look at some of the iconic castles and distilleries in and near the Highlands. And we shall tip our caps to the Old Course at St. Andrews. Some of these “points of interest” are depicted in the default simulation, others are portrayed by the payware Orbx “Northern Britain” package, and others are represented by Black Shark technology and will require some imagination. The Scottish landscape will be good throughout. Loch Einaich in the Cairngorm Mountains We depart Cumbernauld [EGPG] for Falkirk and take a close look at the massive public sculpture “The Kelpies”…

Around Auckland – small airfields We visit several smaller and very small grass strips as well as some regular airfields around Auckland on the North Island of New Zealand. We depart from Ardmore (NZAR) and head northeast to land at Motutapu Island (NZ2B). We want to land to the east because of the slope. We continue east and land at Reeve (NZKE) and then at Chamberlains Bay (NZ2A). Here we want to come in from the sea, again because of the slope. Crossing the Firth of Thames we reach Coromandel (NZCX). We continue and land at Pauanui (NZUN), Thames (NZTH), Black Miranda (NZ3I), and Kelly Field (NZ3C) before we turn south. We land at Ohinewai (NZ3O), turn west…

Nova Scotia & Cape Breton Island We start this multi part summer tour of the Maritime Provinces departing Yarmouth and a quick circle of the Cape Forchu Lighthouse before heading north to Bier Island and the entrance to the Bay of Fundy, then across Saint Mary’s Bay to Digby. Crossing to the east side of Nova Scotia we pass over Kejimkujik National Park with a landing at Liverpool then Bridgewater. The route proceeds with a flyover of the historic fishing town of Lunenburg (home of the famous fishing schooner Bluenose) then overwater past the scenic St Margarets Bay to Peggy’s Point Lighthouse. We reach the entrance of Halifax Harbor at the York Redoubt Historic…

Today we will be flying out of New Mexico into the lower part of Colorado. The Flight is 230 miles with stops along the way. We will be at higher altitude for most of the flight. I will be in my Piaggeo. I don't think there are any add-ons. Flight Plan: https://www.dropbox.com/s/192g9g6il4oana0/Colorado July.zip?dl=0 Particulars: Date and time: Saturday July 8, 18:00 UTC https://discord.gg/cgNm9Fh3 MFS Multiplayer: US Eastcoast 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 oth…

Tour de France Alps 2023 For Wednesday, July 5, 2023 Michael MacKuen The iconic Tour de France begins this year on July 1 and runs in 21 stages through July 23. The race demands different capabilities including speed, strength, stamina, and courage. Nowadays, the best individual racers are members of large professional teams whose strategies and teamwork are important for the overall result. At the end, prizes are awarded for cumulative performance to sprinters (green jersey), climbers (polka dot jersey), and most important, general classification or the overall winner (yellow jersey, maillot jaune). The overall winner is often decided in the final mountain stages o…

Latécoère 631 & Costa del Sol Because a lot of the regular participants have other commitments this week, I have put together a tour that is a little different. It features a flying boat tour of the Spanish Mediterranean coast. We start in Tangier with a quick hop to Gibratar, then proceed up the Costa del Sol with water landings at Marbella, Malaga, and Almeria. The route continues up to Alicante and finishes at Valencia. Flightplan: HERE You will need a flying boat for this tour. Highly recommend the Latécoère 631 if you have it. An alternative is Hercules H-4 if you want something larger. Freeware Downloads Wa…

Australia Red Zig-Zag (Part 2) The zig-zag resumes at Warburton just to the south of the Gibson Desert and located on the Great Central Road. Continuing north and east, crossing the Great Central Road several times we pass the border of Western Australia and Northern Territory arriving at the Indigenous Australian community Kaltukatjara , also known as Docker River. From Docker River the route is more northerly and we will cross the WA/NT border several times as we follow the Ord River in the Kimberly region eventually reaching Diamond Mining Region of Lake Argyle. Flightplan: HERE Aircraft: The landings are about 50 miles apart and cruise speed…

Folks, The Ford AT-4 Trimotor is currently available for FREE this week only on the MSFS marketplace. I am planning to recreate the Century of Flight challenge of flying across the Andes from Mendoza to Santiago in the near future. Recommend that you pick this up ASAP. Jeff

Brittany & Normandy The tour of the Atlantic coast of Brittany and Normandy consists of three parts. 1 Bretagne The first section features coastal Brittany and begins with a departure from Pluguffan (LFRQ). We proceed southwest to Phare d’Eckmuhl then northwest to the rugged Pointe du Raz and a tour of the lighthouses. The route then heads back to the cost at Pointe Saint-Mathieu headland featuring a lighthouse and ruins of a 6th century Celtic Abby. Back to the east and a flyover of Brest before a landing at Guipavas (LFRB). Heading north to Ile Vierge lighthouse then follow the coast to Roscoff - the location of Brittany Ferries Term…

The Scarlet Pipistrel Visits the Dolomites For Wednesday, June 21, 2023 Michael MacKuen Today we have some fun flying through the Dolomites (Dolomiti in Italian, Dolomiten in German) in the north-eastern part of the Italian Alps. This is a trip through steep jagged peaks and green alpine meadows sprinkled with clear blue lakes and fringed with firs. The mountains are distinctive for their pale grey limestone hue – the name stems from the characteristic mineral dolomite. The Dolomites are renowned for their hiking. We shall do the next best thing ... flying. And what better aircraft than the Pipistrel – from nearby Slovenia? Over the Dolomites We depart from C…

Saturday June 17, 2023 Today, we are covering the last part of the 10 day bus tour.. from the North end of Vancouver Island, in Port Hardy to the lovely capital of BC, Victoria. Suggested addon airports: Port Hardy: https://flightsim.to/file/45069/porty-hardy-airport-cyzt Qualicum Beach: https://flightsim.to/file/13930/cat4-qualicum-beach-airport Nanaimo: https://flightsim.to/file/9479/cycd-nanaimo-airport Also a flattening mod, and CAM3 Duncan airport, here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/tm9i6zsc128uvc6/ISLAND AIRPORTS.zip?dl=0 Lastly, recommended Vancouver Island South addon mesh: https://flightsim.to/file/15218/vancouver-island-canada-15m…

Big Island Today we will be flying over to the Big island of Hawaii. We depart Hana Maui for a 30 mile flight over to the big island. We have 7 stops along with some sight seeing for a total of 263 miles. I will be in my Piaggeo. Flight Plan https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/bu3c8eatqxdifmo0u7je2/h?dl=0&rlkey=onb2pk1u8vk8a1960viqs4n2b Scenery https://www.dropbox.com/s/s02kubogow4ur9c/Big Island.zip?dl=0 Particulars: Date and time: Wednesday June 14, 18:00 UTC https://discord.gg/cgNm9Fh3 MFS Multiplayer: US Eastcoast Server If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't…

Saturday flight, June 10, 2023. We are starting our journey in Prince George, and one of our first stops is at Fort St. James which for a while was the headquarters for the North West Company west of the Rockies. The original fort is well preserved and is worth a visit.. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_St._James On this trip, there are many reminders of the fur trade around 1800, and one of the key figures in that saga, Simon Fraser. Fraser was a partner in the North West Company during the critical years of competition in the fur trade. He began his career in 1792 as an apprentice clerk in Montréal. By 1801, he had been promoted to wintering partn…

Colorado Adventure #5 Today we will be doing a flight in the central western part of Colorado. We start in Utah and fly east visiting sites and stunning views. We will end up in Aspen. This is a touring flight so I will be in my Piaggio, RV 14 are similar. The flight is 243 miles with 8 landings. We want to leave about 2:30pm. I will be using my #1 preset but fly what ever you like. Flight Plan: https://www.dropbox.com/s/htgbbkz3iijf5ba/2023-06-07 Colorado.zip?dl=0 Optional Scenery https://flightsim.to/file/984/colorado-ranchers-club-scenery Particulars: Date and time: Wednesday June 7, 18:00 UTC https://discord.…

Greece - Mountains, Islands and the Sea For Saturday, June 3, 2023 Michael MacKuen We revisit some of our favorite spots in Greece. We fly from Corfu over the mountains and central plains to lovely Skiathos, then down over the sights of classic Athens, and the Aegean for stylish Mikonos, and finally the famously challenging visual approach to Samos. From the West to the East of Greece. Departing Skiathos We depart from beautiful Corfu (Kerkyra) [LGKR]. The rugged island is historically important as the military bastion that stopped the Ottoman challenge to Europe. (Under the Venetians, its several fortresses were able to withstand three separate invasions from th…

Southern Utah Parks Tour Starting from Bryce Canyon (KBCE) the route wanders around southern Utah and features flightseeing tours of Bryce Canyon National Park, Cedar Breaks National Monument, and Zion National Park before crossing northern Kaibab Plateau and Vermilion Cliffs National Monument. We finish with a landing at Vince Bazillio’s Marble Canyon (L41). Flightplan: HERE Aircraft: For flightseeing an aircraft with good visibility and able to fly slowly is preferred. I will be in the excellent Freeware Got Gravel NXCub (the latest version 2.0.1 includes some nice paints as shown in the screenshot) Recommended Scenery (Freeware): …

PNG Guns and Gold in the Western Highlands For Saturday, May 27, 2023 Michael MacKuen Today we shall run through the Western Highlands. We begin at Tabubil, the headquarters for the Ok Tedi Mine, proceed across the sparsely-populated central mountains to reach the Porgera Gold Mine, and then end our run at Mount Hagen. In this high country, we visit a mix of established airports and smaller village airstrips. The scenery can be eye-watering. An RAAF Caribou climbing out of Telefomin We depart from Tabubil [AYTB] in the Star Mountains right on the border with Indonesia. Sited in a dense jungle, the large town (10,000) was established to support the Ok Tedi Mine [O…