Yesterday morning, I watched a great movie/documentary on Youtube. It made me want to fly over this area I love so much, in MSFS2024 (SU4 Beta 1.6.21.0).

Quote

Sky Angels is a celebration of human ingenuity and resilience. The 31-minute short documentary follows a group of dedicated aviators who respond to an emergency when a storm cuts off access to a remote ranch. With no road access, the couple on the ranch relies on the help of pilots Doug Coale, Neil Cushman, and helicopter owner Seth Hammond. Over five months, the pilots make multiple trips, using their aircraft to deliver food, water, diesel, and other essential supplies. The documentary-style film showcases aviation’s vital role in rural communities during crises, emphasizing the teamwork and compassion that bring people together in times of need.

I choose to start from Santa Barbara (Orbx Addon), an airport I know in real and it’s also where the helicopter in the movie is based. Say Intentions created the ambiance with VFR traffic and associated radio chatter. My flight ended at Santa Ynez (KIZA) as the two cubs in the movies are based. I download the freeware but the rendition was a mess in MSFS204. Autogen buildings on top of the addon (MSFS2020 only) and fuel in the middle of the apron. So no pic at destination.

I took the Slin Savage, hoping to have enough guts to land on the off-airport field at Davies Ranch. I have zero (real) experience in Bush piloting.

It took me some times to find the exact location. It was easy to spot some tips on the video and with Internet, it’s a matter of minutes to find the exact location. Finding them in the world of MSFS with this abundance of trees is another story. And I cheated with Foreflight:

Short final! Ranch on the right:

On top of the strip:

The Davies Ranch hidden in trees, the landing strip and a room-for-improvement rendition of the Los Padres mountains:

For me, a quite unusual way of flying but a really great experience inspired by areal documentary.

Edited November 2, 2025Nov 2 by vbazillio

Inspiring indeed, have to try this out. Thanks!

[Agree, films can be perfect sources of inspiration for our virtual aviation...]

Watched the Official Trailer and bits of the Documentary now...indeed wonderful with great scenery and great bush aircraft to go with it...

Your scenery and location in these pictures match the real video quite well. I'm glad, in that final shot of the panoramic view, my eyes could spot your little Savage Cub...🙂...

(Zero RW experience in Bush Piloting...You could've fooled me here...🙂...)

Fine set of shots, I especially like shots 2 and 3 ! 

cheers 😉