Viking01

Today, we simulate a typical day of operations for the Falkland Islands Government Air Service (FIGAS). Since 1979, FIGAS has operated 5 Britten-Norman Islander. They replaced the DHC-2 Beaver, which had been used since 1953. The Islander fleet underwent a couple of significant modernization upgrades and is now equipped with Glass Cockpits, Autopilot, and Satellite Tracking. 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!

We meet for another flight in the Papua Pegunungan (Highlands) region of Indonesia to help many local villages by providing urgently needed goods. 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 continue our tour around the Black Sea and fly around the Sea of Azov. It is notably shallow and about 340 km long and 135 km wide, with icebreakers sometimes needed for winter navigation. 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).

This tour takes us on a journey from the Atlantic coast of Central Africa into the equatorial rainforest interior. The route crosses two nations and traverses some of the most biologically rich and historically layered terrain on the African continent. The landscape is dominated by dense equatorial rainforest and meandering river systems. 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!

We explore the Swiss Jura, the Vosges Mountains, and the Alsace 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!

Mike found another scenery: Neuburg - ETSN

I removed the LECI link from the post above. There is no scenery for this airfield.

We’re visiting some iconic hubs, ranging from North Sea coastal bases to the foothills of the Alps. We'll see a mix of the "old guard" F-16s and the rapidly expanding F-35 fleets. 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!

We explore a part of the Pyrenees, visiting France and Spain. 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 continue our tour around England. 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!

No, the starting time remains unchanged for North America. I will start 1 hour earlier.

This flight traces a path across occupied and contested Ukrainian territory — Crimea, Kherson Oblast, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, and Donetsk Oblast. All of these regions are internationally recognised as Ukrainian territory but have been fully or partially under Russian military occupation since 2022. 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!

We’ll be hopping across three very different Gulf of Guinea neighbours, all in a relatively small geographic area, but with very different histories and vibes. We depart from Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (DNAA), which serves Abuja, Nigeria’s modern planned capital in the Federal Capital Territory. Abuja was developed from the late 1970s to replace Lagos as the capital. Nigeria is the regional giant: Africa’s most populous state with more than 230 million people and over 250 ethnic groups, including Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, and many others. It is a federal presidential republic with the economy strongly driven by oil and gas, agriculture, and a big services sector. We make our first stop at Markudi (DNMK), and from there we fly to Bebi Airport (DNBB), a small regional strip, serving the rural area around Bayaluga, and is used mainly for domestic connections and access to local resorts and communities. The next stop is at Calabar International Airport (DNCA), serving Calabar in Cross River State near Nigeria’s southeastern border with Cameroon. Calabar has a long history as a major port and administrative centre dating back to the slave‑trade era and British colonial rule, and today it is known for tourism, the annual Calabar Carnival, and its position close to rainforest reserves. Next, we cross into Cameroon and land at Douala International Airport (FKKD), serving the country’s biggest city, Douala. The airport is both public and military and is by far Cameroon’s busiest, handling around 1.5 million passengers and significant freight each year, and acting as the main international gateway for the country’s commercial capital. Douala itself is a hot, humid port city on the Wouri River estuary, the economic engine of Cameroon with heavy industry and shipping. Cameroon is often described as “Africa in miniature” because it packs in rainforest, coastal lowlands, highland plateaus, and Sahel‑type north in one state. It had formed in its modern shape when the former French and British Cameroons merged in the early 1960s, and today it is a republic whose economy leans on agriculture, timber, oil, and hydropower. We track down the Gulf of Guinea coast towards Equatorial Guinea and finish at Bata Airport (FGBT). Bata is the main city on the mainland (Litoral Province), and its airport is the second‑busiest in the country after Malabo. Bata grew from a colonial port into a modern regional centre, with oil‑related business, a seafront promenade, and neighbourhoods that stretch inland from the coast. Equatorial Guinea is our final country and one of Africa’s smallest by land area and population, split between an island part (Bioko and others) and a mainland section wedged between Cameroon and Gabon. It gained independence from Spain in 1968 and is officially a republic, though political power will be highly concentrated in the presidency. The discovery and exploitation of offshore oil had transformed Equatorial Guinea into one of sub‑Saharan Africa’s highest GDP‑per‑capita states, even though many people still rely on subsistence agriculture. The flight is 530 miles long with 4 landings. We want to cruise at about 300 kias. This calls for a subsonic jet. The Hawker Hunter, the MB339, M346, the T-45 Goshawk, or the Hawk T1 are suitable. The PC-21 is also fast enough, as well as small business jets, with this speed range. I will probably be in the MB346. Please fly what you like. The flight plans are here. Recommended scenery: Abuja – DNAA Calabar - DNCA Douala FKKD Bata - FGBT We try real weather. Please set your simulator for an 08:00 local departure. Multiplayer Particulars: Date and time: Sunday, March 08, 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!

Thank you, Mike! I have no idea which, if any, add-on blocks the Corsair on my system. I'll take the P-38 instead.

Great plan! I wanted to take the Blackbird Corsair. It flies ok, but the RPM and Oil Temp indicators are dead. Did anyone try the Corsair and get all the panel instruments working? Thanks

We continue the tour around New South Wales, simulating the delivery of freight to the towns we visit. We depart from Wellington (YWEL), a town situated at the confluence of the Macquarie and Bell rivers. This location served as an important base for explorer John Oxley's expeditions between 1817 and 1818, and he named the site after the Duke of Wellington. It was also established as a convict settlement between 1823 and 1831, a foundational piece of its early history, and it is near the famous Wellington limestone caves and the large Lake Burrendong. The first stop is Dubbo (YSDU), which acts as the key retail and service centre for a vast area of inland New South Wales. The climate here is semi-arid, with distinctly hotter summers and rare, yet reliable, rainfall, marking the transition into the Australian interior. Dubbo is most famous for being the home of the internationally acclaimed Taronga Western Plains Zoo, one of the world's great open-range zoos, featuring over 1,000 animals. It is a major road and rail freight hub, strategically located roughly halfway along the Newell Highway between Melbourne and Brisbane. Our next stop is Narromine (YNRM). The airport is home to the Narromine Aviation Museum, which houses the world’s only flyable replica of the 1907 Wright Flyer Model A. During WWII, this field served as a major pilot training base (No. 5 EFTS), training nearly 3,000 pilots. Located on the Macquarie River, the town is also famous for being the birthplace of cricket legend Glenn McGrath.We continue to Warren (YWRN). Known as the "Bore Bath Capital," Warren is a gateway to the Macquarie Marshes, one of the largest inland semi-permanent wetlands in south-eastern Australia. Continuing west, we reach Nyngan (YNYN), a town situated at the junction of the Mitchell and Barrier Highways. Nyngan is home to the "Big Bogan" statue, a humorous landmark celebrating the local shire's name (not in the simulator). It is a town built on copper mining and agriculture, and it gained national attention during the 1990 floods when the entire population had to be evacuated by helicopter. Our final leg takes us into the red earth of the outback. Cobar is a rugged mining town that remains a vital economic center for New South Wales. We land at Cobar's regional airport (YCBA). The airport is a hive of activity for "Fly-In-Fly-Out" (FIFO) mining workers and serves as a critical link for NSW Health and emergency services. Cobar is famous for its "Great Cobar" open-cut mine. The flight is 190 miles long with 4 landings. We want to cruise at about 170 knots. Any GA single-engine or light twin capable of that speed is suitable. I will be in the Asobo Cessna 408 in the FedEx livery. Please fly what you like. The flight plans are here. The departure airport is not in the GTN database; the GTN flightplan departs from Mudgee (YMDG). Recommended scenery: Wellington – YWEL Dubbo – YSDU Narrowmine – YRM Warren – YWRN Nyngan – YNYN Cobar – YCBA We try real weather and want to depart at 7 am local time. Multiplayer Particulars: Date and time: Sunday, March 01, 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!

Thank you, that worked!

Does anyone know how Blackbox and / or Asobo handle carburettor icing controls? On the BN2 (2024 Version), the Carb Levers flip back to the up position when I move them down with the mouse, and I have a constant clicking sound. Obviously, there is a setting somewhere commanding the levers. I could not find the bindings for the carburettor heat in the bindings section of MSFS2024. Any ideas how it is named there? Thank you!

This is a helicopter tour around the French Island of La Réunion. It will take us from the western lagoons, through the dramatic volcanic "cirques" and active peaks, and finally to the northern capital. It is a recycled trip; we've been here before. La Réunion is an overseas department and region of France located in the African region with a population of approximately 910,985. Its capital and largest city is Saint-Denis. Before the arrival of French colonial subjects and immigrants in the 17th century, Réunion was an uninhabited island. Its tropical climate led to the development of a plantation economy focused primarily on sugar; slaves from East Africa were imported as fieldworkers, followed by Malays, Vietnamese, Chinese, and Indians as indentured laborers. Today, the largest proportion of the population is of mixed descent, while the predominant language is Réunion Creole; however, French remains the sole official language. Since 1946, Réunion has been governed as a French region and thus has a similar status to its counterparts in Metropolitan France. Consequently, it is one of the outermost regions of the European Union and part of the eurozone. Owing to its strategic location, France maintains a large military presence on the island. The trip begins at the La Saline Les Bains ULM platform (FME8), located on the sunny west coast. This area is characterized by its white sandy beaches and a protective coral reef. Immediately after takeoff, we will be over the Lagon de la Saline, a shallow, turquoise expanse that serves as a marine sanctuary. We head down to the beach and follow it to the first POI, Planch'Alizé, a well-known beachfront landmark at La Saline les Bains. From here, we continue a northerly heading and make three stops at heliports or Ultralight landing strips. We then turn inland to explore the three Cirques: The Cirque de Mafate is the most remote of the three, accessible only by foot or helicopter. It is a haven for hikers and is characterized by jagged ridges and isolated hamlets known as "îlets." The Cirque de Cilaos is known for its thermal springs and vineyards. Cilaos is dominated by the Piton des Neiges, which is the highest point in the Indian Ocean at 3,070 meters, and the Cirque de Salazie is famous for its countless waterfalls, including the Voile de la Mariée (Bride's Veil). In the southeast is the Piton de la Fournaise, one of the most active basaltic volcanoes in the world. Its "Enclos Fouqué" caldera creates a lunar landscape of dried lava flows and smoking craters that contrast sharply with the island’s lush greenery. On the way, we stop at multiple heliports. They are sometimes hard to spot and pretty small. After leaving the Hélistation Ciel 974, we head for the coast and land at Pierrefonds (FMEP), the island's secondary international airport. It serves as the primary gateway for those exploring the "Wild South" and the volcano. From here, we follow the coast in an easterly direction, make a short stop at the Chu de St-Pierre (FMES) before turning inland again to explore the Piton de la Fournaise area. We make some more stops in the mountains before heading for the north coast. We make two more stops and finish the flight at La Réunion - Roland Garros (FMEE), the island’s main hub in Sainte-Marie, near the capital, Saint-Denis. Named after the famous French aviator born in Réunion, it handles long-haul flights from Europe and Africa. The flight is 100 miles long and offers 19 heliports or small airstrips for landing. Some are very close together, so we can find a landing place for everyone. We want to use a small helicopter, and there is some climbing involved. I will be in the Taoag UH-1 helicopter. As always, please fly what you like. The flight plans are here. The required scenery is here in one package (2.7 GB). A huge thank you to Guillaume L, AtomicDZ, and three other great creators! We try real weather. Please set your simulator for a 9 am local departure. Multiplayer Particulars: Date and time: Sunday, February 22, 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!

We’ll be flying to a mix of classic RAF stations, US Air Force history, and grass‑roots GA fields, all the way from the Midlands down into the Fens and out to mid‑Wales. The flight will be split into two parts. We’ll depart from Turweston (EGBT), a former World War II bomber training base that opened in 1942 as RAF Turweston for Wellington and Mitchell crews under Bomber Command. Today it feels very GA‑friendly, with the modern aerodrome and café sitting on what was once a busy wartime station that closed in 1945 and later lay derelict before reopening for general aviation in the 1990s. Enroute we will fly over Cardington’s giant airship hangars. They date back to the First World War, when a former Royal Flying Corps field was converted into the Royal Airship Works, and the first massive shed (later Hangar 1) was constructed for rigid airships. In the late 1920s, both R100 and R101, each over 700 feet long and intended for empire‑spanning routes to Canada and India, squeezed in and out of the two colossal sheds, before the R101 crash in 1930 effectively ended Britain’s big‑airship ambitions. During the Second World War, the site switched roles and became home to RAF Balloon Command and barrage balloon production, then later served for RAF recruiting, gas production, and various test work. At Little Gransden (EGMJ), we will drop into a classic farm‑strip‑style airfield, known today for its vintage aircraft, aerobatics, and fly‑ins rather than heavy military history. Just a few miles east, we will reach the Mullard Radio Astronomy Observatory at Lord’s Bridge. It is one of the cradles of modern radio astronomy. It opened in 1957 after Mullard Ltd. endowed £100,000 for new instruments, allowing Martin Ryle’s Cavendish Laboratory group to move from cramped wartime sites to a former Air Ministry bomb store with room for long interferometer baselines. Over the following decades, the site grew to a quiet but world‑class scientific neighbour to your more obviously aviation‑focused stops. Our next landing, Mildenhall (EGUN), will be a stark contrast: originally opened in 1934 as one of the RAF’s largest bomber stations, it hosted Bomber Command operations through the Second World War before becoming a key Strategic Air Command base in the early Cold War. In the post‑war era, it was famous as a long‑standing USAF base, associated with tankers, reconnaissance aircraft, and global operations, so the scale and infrastructure really stand out compared with the smaller fields on the route. Old Buckenham (EGSV) will take us back to Eighth Air Force days: built in 1942–43, it was the exclusive home of the 453rd Bomb Group flying B‑24 Liberators on missions over occupied Europe. The modern airfield still celebrates that heritage with memorials and events. Chatteris (EGGS) will be a small, sporty stop in classic flat Fenland country, best known for microlights and parachuting. Peterborough Conington Airport (EGSF) is a historic wartime airport originally named RAF Glatton. It was constructed in 1942-3 by the 809th United States Army Corps of Engineers as a strategic bomber base for the 457th Bomb Group’s B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft during World War II. After the war ended, the facility was transferred to RAF Bomber Command but was quickly mothballed in 1946, marking the end of its military service. During the late 1960s, the E/W runway briefly returned to aviation use when two local companies utilized the facilities for parking their small executive aircraft, housed in the blister hangar. A modest portacabin served as a passenger reception area, while a ground engineer provided essential maintenance services alongside basic amenities including landline communication, air-to-ground radio, and refueling facilities. Without functioning runway lighting, night operations relied on traditional paraffin ‘gooseneck’ flares to guide aircraft safely to the ground. The Conington is currently operated by Aerolease Ltd. Aviation fuel, both avgas and, unusually for such a small airfield, Jet A1 is available, making the airfield a popular stop for turbine-powered helicopters. Sibson Aerodrome (EGSP) was established in 1930 as the Peterborough and District Aero Club. Initially a small flying club, it quickly gained attention for its strategic location and suitable airfield. During World War II, Sibson Aerodrome played a crucial role as a training base for the Royal Air Force (RAF). It became home to several RAF squadrons, serving as a training ground for pilots and operational exercises. Following the war, Sibson Aerodrome transitioned to civilian ownership and refocused on recreational flying. It became a popular destination for private pilots and flying clubs, offering facilities for flight training, leisure flying, and aircraft maintenance. Cottesmore (EGXJ) will be another classic expansion‑period station, with construction beginning in the mid‑1930s and opening in 1938 for training squadrons with types like the Vickers Wellesley and later Hampdens. It served through the war as a bomber training base and later as a home for various training and front‑line units, eventually also becoming closely associated with Harrier operations before its military flying role ended. Especially interesting was the TTTE. The Tri‑National Tornado Training Establishment was a joint unit set up by the UK, West Germany, and Italy to train crews on the Panavia Tornado. It operated at Cottesmore from 1981 until 1999 and became the central school where all three nations’ pilots and navigators would learn to fly and operate the Tornado before going to front‑line squadrons. At its peak, the unit was turning out roughly 300 crews a year. The TTTE operated three squadrons of Tornados based at Cottesmore and was manned by a mix of RAF, Luftwaffe/Marineflieger, and Italian Air Force personnel in virtually all roles. The aircraft allocation reflected that: about 23 German, 19 UK, and 6 Italian Tornados were assigned, and you could easily see combinations like an Italian student, a German navigator instructor, and an RAF‑owned jet on the same sortie. When TTTE closed in 1999, after training more than 3,500 Tornado pilots, Cottesmore shifted role again and became home to Harrier GR.7/9 squadrons as part of Joint Force Harrier. East Midlands (EGNX) will then drop us into full commercial‑airport territory on the old RAF Castle Donington site, decommissioned in 1946 and reborn as a new regional airport that opened to the public in 1965. Over the decades, it grew into one of the UK’s major cargo hubs, with early Boeing 747 visits in the 1970s and big freight operators and Royal Mail using it heavily. Tatenhill (EGBM) will feel like a quieter GA cousin in Staffordshire, occupying another ex‑RAF site which, like many, will have transitioned from wartime use to civil flying and industrial estate activity. We fly over Birmingham and the Villa Park stadium before reaching Wolverhampton Halfpenny Green (EGBO). It is a proper classic training airfield: built between 1940 and 1941 as RAF Bobbington, then renamed RAF Halfpenny Green in 1943 to avoid confusion with RAF Bovingdon. It had trained navigators and signallers on types like the Avro Anson during the war, then lay quiet before civil flying restarted in 1961, so today’s mix of flight schools and GA traffic will sit on top of strong WWII roots. We’ll finish 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. The flight is 260 miles long with 11 landings. Any GA aircraft, single engine or twin, that can operate from a 1800-foot runway is suitable. I will probably be in the BS Analog Bonanza. Please fly what you like. The flight plans are here. Recommended scenery: Turweston – EGBT Mildenhall – EGUN Old Buckenham – EGSV Marham – EGYM Chatteris – EGGS Cottesmore – EGXJ East Midlands – EGNX Tatenhill – EGBM Wolverhampton – EGBO The complete package is here. At or via ORBX, EGBT, EGMJ, EGSV, EGSP, EGBM, EGBO, and EGCW are available as payware. We try real weather. Please set your sim for a 9 am local departure. Multiplayer Particulars: Date and time: Sunday, February 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!

We continue our tour around the Black Sea and depart from Chisinau (LUKK), the capital and largest city of Moldova. This city of around 700,000 people sits in the central part of this small Eastern European nation. Moldova is a landlocked country. It gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991 and is one of Europe's poorest countries, though it has a rich winemaking tradition dating back thousands of years. Chisinau itself features a mix of Soviet-era architecture and modern developments, with wide boulevards and numerous parks. The official language is Romanian, though Russian is also widely spoken. Flying southeast, we reach Odesa (UKOO), Ukraine's third-largest city and most important port on the Black Sea. This historic city of about one million people has been called the "Pearl of the Black Sea." Founded in 1794 by Catherine the Great, Odesa developed as a cosmopolitan trading hub with a unique character reflected in its beautiful 19th-century architecture, including the famous Potemkin Stairs. The city has a rich cultural heritage with strong connections to literature, music, and humor. Odesa has been significantly affected by the ongoing war with Russia that began in 2022. Continuing along the coast, we reach Mykolaiv (UKON), a major shipbuilding center located at the confluence of the Southern Bug and Inhul rivers near the Black Sea. With a population of around 470,000 before the current conflict, Mykolaiv has been a crucial naval construction hub since the Russian Empire. The city is sometimes called the "City of Shipbuilders." Like Odesa, Mykolaiv has been heavily affected by the war. Our next destination is Skadovsk (UKSK), a small resort town with a pre-war population of around 17,000. This quiet seaside town in the Kherson Oblast has traditionally been known for its sandy beaches and shallow waters, making it popular for family holidays. Flying further west, we arrive at Khersones (UKSV) near Sevastopol in Crimea. This region is dominated by the ancient Greek archaeological site of Chersonesus, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The area is significant both historically and militarily. Sevastopol is home to Russia's Black Sea Fleet and has been a major focal point in the ongoing conflict, experiencing drone attacks and military activity. Final Destination: Gora Klementyeva (Mount Klementyev), Crimea. This flight concludes at Gora Klementyeva (UKKB), located near the town of Koktebel on Crimea's eastern coast. Mount Klementyev is famous in aviation history as one of the world's premier sites for gliding and soaring. The mountain's unique aerodynamic properties create consistent updrafts, making it ideal for unpowered flight. Since the 1920s, it has been a training ground for glider pilots and the site of numerous aviation experiments. The nearby town of Koktebel is a resort area known for its natural beauty, vineyards, and connections to Russian poets and artists. The flight is 388 miles long with 4 landings. We want to cruise at about 250 knots. Good choices are the CJ4, the PC-24, the PC-12, or any small business jet or fast turboprop. I will probably be in the PC-12. Please fly what you like. The flight plans are here. The GTN database does not include any Russian airports. Therefore, the GTN flight plan ends at URKA. Recommended scenery: Chisinau – LUKK (from previous flight) Mykolaiv – UKON (from previous flight) Shadovsk UKSK Khersones – UKSV Chisinau is available as payware from ORBX. We try real weather. Please set your simulator for a 1 pm local departure. Multiplayer Particulars: Date and time: Sunday, February 8, 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!

I would be interested in Bob‘s opinion on both versions. I flew the T-38A in the 1980‘s at Sheppard AFB as a student and really liked it. A good rendition on that bird would get a lot of flying hours in my sim!

It's time to wrap up our flights in the Czech Republic. We depart from Brno (LKTB), the country's second-largest city. We head north and follow the small river Svratka before turning west. Our first POI is the Pilgrimage Church of St. John of Nepomuk atop Zelená Hora, an outstanding example of Baroque Gothic style. After landing in Jihlava (LKJI), a town on the Bohemian-Moravian border, and the stops in Jindřichův Hradec (LKJH) and Hosin (LKHS), we approach the next major POI: Hluboká Chateau (Frauenberg). This Neo-Gothic fairy-tale castle is one of the most visited in the Czech Republic. We continue west to reach Strunkovice (LKSR). Here we turn southwest and cross the border into Germany. We land at Sonnen (EDPS) and leave Germany again. We arrive at Scharding (LOLS) in Austria. After a quick stop at Kirchheim (LOLK), we head for Salzburg (LOWS) and finish this flight there. The flight is 220 miles long with 7 landings. The flight plans are here. Any GA airplane is suitable. I will be in the A2A Comanche. Please fly what you like. Recommended scenery: Czech GA Revival Brno - LKTB Sonnen – EDPS Scharding – LOLS Kirchheim – LOLK LOWS is an enhanced airport. A payware version is available from Digital Design via ORBX. We try real weather. Please set your simulator for a 10 am local departure. Multiplayer Particulars: Date and time: Sunday, February 1, 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!

This flight covers a route through the Philippines, starting from the rice plains of Central Luzon, hopping through the tropical "Last Frontier" of Palawan, crossing the agricultural landscapes of Mindoro, and concluding in the megalopolis of Manila. We depart from Rosales Airport (RPRI), also known as the Carmen Airstrip, in the Palawan province of the Philippines. It is a major agricultural hub often called the "Gateway to the North." The airfield itself is primarily used for light general aviation and rotary aircraft. Our first stop is Puerto Princesa International Airport (RPVP). Puerto Princesa is the cleanest and greenest city in the Philippines and is home to the famous Underground River. The airport is a major hub with a paved 8500-foot runway (09/27). From there, we proceed to San Vicente Airport (RPSV), a newer facility built to provide access to the 14-kilometer "Long Beach." Continuing north, we reach El Nido Lio Airport (RPEN). El Nido is world-renowned for its dramatic limestone cliffs and hidden lagoons. This is a private airport requiring precision on approach due to the surrounding hills and coastal winds. The Palawan leg concludes at Busuanga Airport (RPVV), also known as Francisco B. Reyes Airport. This airport serves Coron, a premier destination for shipwreck diving. The runway is tucked between rolling hills, making for one of the most scenic approaches in the country. Leaving the Palawan archipelago, we fly east across the Mindoro Strait to San Jose Airport (RPUH) in Occidental Mindoro. San Jose is the province's economic center, known for its salt industry and agriculture. Next, we head to the northeastern coast of the island to Calapan Airport (RPUK). Calapan is the "City of Golden Grains" and the capital of Oriental Mindoro. The airport is a small facility with a paved runway of about 3100 feet (11/29). It sits near the coast, offering a beautiful view of the Verde Island Passage as you descend. The approach and departure are very demanding in the YS-11; don't take too much fuel or passengers! Under adverse weather conditions, we make a fly-by. The final leg of your flight takes us across the Batangas coastline toward Ninoy Aquino International Airport (RPLL) in Manila. As the primary international gateway to the Philippines, Manila is a dense, high-energy metropolis. The flight is 460 miles long with 6 landings. I planned it with the YS-11 in mind, but almost all business jets or turboprop aircraft are suitable. I will be in YS-11 in a Philippine Airlines livery. Please fly what you like. The flight plans are here. Additional scenery: Rio Tuba - RPRI Puerto Princesa - RPVP San Vincente – RPSV San Jose – RPUH Calapan – RPUK El Nido – RPEN Busuanga – RPVV RPLL and RPVP are available as payware from CloudSurf Asia (via ORBX). We try real weather. Please set your simulator for a 6:30 am local departure. Multiplayer Particulars: Date and time: Sunday, January 25, 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!

We continue our tour through southern England. We depart from Fowlmere (EGMA) and turn southeast to reach our first landing, Earls Colne (EGSR). Just 8 miles west, we arrive at Andrewsfield (EGSL). We stay in the east of London and land at North Weald (EGSX), Stapleford (EGSG), and Damyns Hall (EGML) before heading east. We land at Thurrock (EGMT) and Southend (EGMC) before turning south again. We land at Rochester (EGTO) and overfly the Archbishop's Palace and Leeds Castle before reaching Headcorn (EGKH). Further south, we visit Bodiam Castle and Herstmonceux Castle and finish the flight at Lydd (EGMD). The flight is 153 miles long and has 9 landings. The C172 or C182, the Piper P28, or the DA-40 / DA-42 are examples of suitable aircraft. I will probably be in the COWS DA-40 or DA-42. As always, please fly what you like. The flight plans are here. Additional scenery: Except for Lydd (EGMD), all other airfields are available as payware from / via ORBX. As freeware is available: Fowlmere EGMA modern or Fowlmere EGMA WWII Earls Colne EGSR North Weald EGSX Stapleford EGSG Damyns Hall EGML Please set your simulator for a 1 pm local departure. We try real weather. Multiplayer Particulars: Date and time: Sunday, January 18, 2026. 17:00 UTC Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: United States East server These flights are events posted at DigitalThemePark and use DTP's Teamspeak Channel 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!