Very helpful topic, I’ve bookmarked. How dow you guys plan a flight? I’m using littlenav map but when load map in game, and set autopilot, aircraft did not follow routes, I don’t know why.
I use the world map and Google/Bing maps together to lay out my route. Little navmap doesn’t have all the airports the game has and doesn’t show most of them until you zoom right in. The world map in game shows all the dots, making it easier for me to draw a path connecting the dots.
Google and Bing maps come in to figure out what looks promising and what not to miss. You can easily paste coordinates from Google maps into the world map to figure out exactly where you want to go to visit certain landmarks. Then it’s simply a question of finding two dots (airports) that pass over that area.
The reverse is a bit more tricky (figuring out which airstrip is where in the real world) since a lot of names of smaller airports are generic area names or even wrong. Zooming out on the world map to get a general idea where helps.
I don’t use the in game flight plan instead I write down all the airports in notepad (the list I post every leg) After landing I look up the next airport code in the nearby airport list and take off again. I don’t know how the nav plan works and this ‘system’ makes it easy to deviate and insert or skip airports, simply update the list in Notepad.
After the flight is complete I recreate the path in the world map to add to my full route. That mostly goes via text edit (.PLN file) since the game makes a mess out of multiple way points and there is no way to re-arrange them.
While flying I keep track of where I am on Google maps by looking at landmarks, usually rivers, lakes and mountains. If I get lost or lazy I make a save game and copy the coordinates out of the .FLT file, to paste into Google maps.
Leg 97, Morombe, Madagascar to Saint Pierre, Réunion island
DAY11_27.PLN (9.4 KB)
More exploring by moon light. I’m making full use of the (near) full moon.
11-27 Morombe FMSR 4:02 AM
11-27 Andavadoaka DVD 4:12 AM
11-27 Ankazoabo FMAK 4:28 AM
11-27 Ankazoabo FMSZ 4:39 AM
11-27 Ronohira FMRA 5:14 AM
11-27 Ambalasoa FMAL 5:30 AM
11-27 Betroka FMSE 5:48 AM
11-27 Amboasary FMAY 6:13 AM
11-27 Amboasary FMAS 6:29 AM
11-27 Bekily FMSL 6:41 AM
11-27 Fotadrevo FMBE 6:52 AM
11-27 Betioky FMSV 7:12 AM
11-27 Toliary FMST 7:37 AM
11-27 Itampolo FMAP 8:13 AM
11-27 Tsihombe FMTI 8:51 AM
11-27 Ambovombe FMAO 9:05 AM
11-27 Amboasary FMAR 9:13 AM
11-27 Amboasary Sud FMAM 9:17 AM
11-27 Tolagnaro FMSD 9:32 AM
11-27 Vangaindrano FMSU 10:24 AM
11-27 Ambalavao FMSA 11:08 AM Andringitra National Park left
11-27 Ikalamavony FMIK 11:32 AM Drone cam landing (raining)
11-27 Mahanoro FMMH 12:39 PM
11-27 Atsinanana FMMQ 12:47 PM
11-27 Vatomandry FMMY 12:56 PM 382 NM next
11-27 Pierrefonds FMEP 3:32 PM
Flight time 11:30 25 stops
Andavodoaka, small fishing village on the South-West coast
Passing by Antanimieva
Isalo National Park where you can find Canyon Des Singes
Betroka on the Mangoky river
Near Tsivory
Amboasary next to the Andratina river
Near Ambinda
Fotadrevo
Betioky
Quite a busy town, market day I assume
Toliary on the South-West coast
Crossing the Linta river
Near Tsianoriha
Ranopiso
Tolagnaro on the South-East coast
I’ve seen that face before at the Queen’s palace in Antananarivo
Near Mahatalaky
Near Morokibo
Bye bye sunshine at Ankazomasy
Vodivola where the Mashinahaka river flows into the Indian Ocean
Manampatrana river in the distance, flying by moon light from here on
Andringitra Massif
Andingitra National Park on top of the massif
Near Saky
Solila
Approaching Ikalamavony, drone came required for landing, too dark in the rain
The clouds dim the moon enough for a picture
Mount Alereila up ahead
Following the Masiatra river North-East
Ambodilendemy
Ampasinambo
I hope they brought enough coffee, not done yet
Mahanoro on the East coast
Vatomandry, last stop in Madagascar today
Amazing beach, however onward to the East
Réunion island spotted
A French volcanic island I’ll be exploring by day light tomorrow
Coming in to Saint Pierre over l’Étang-Salé les Bains (the golf course)
Landing at Pierrefonds, regular exposure
Great flight, Madagascar is beautiful with its varied scenery.
Leg 98, Saint Pierre, Réunion island via Mauritius and Madagascar to Fregate, Seychelles
DAY11_28.PLN (5.5 KB)
Réunion island is amazing, Mauritius is a mess (in game), Madagascar is missing an island and grew a mystery peak. The trip to the Seychelles provided some good fuel measurement opportunities.
11-28 Pierrefonds FMEP 3:59 AM
11-28 Gillot FMEE 4:31 AM
11-28 Mauritius Intl FIMP 5:46 AM
11-28 Skydive Austral Airstrip FIPL 6:03 AM Runway? 486 NM next
11-28 Betainomby FMBI 9:25 AM
11-28 Toamasina FMMT 9:30 AM
11-28 Sainte-Marie FMMS 10:04 AM
11-28 Ambodiatafa FMAD 10:16 AM Drone cam landing (real sun is out)
11-28 Avaratra FMNC 10:34 AM
11-28 Maroantsetra FMNR 10:56 AM
11-28 Andapa FMAJ 11:15 AM Drone cam landing
11-28 Andapa FMND 11:29 AM Drone cam landing
11-28 Vohimarina FMNV 12:04 PM Drone cam landing 634 NM next, reduce weight, fly at 15K ft
11-28 Fregate FSSF 4:49 PM Drone cam landing, one go around, short runway
Flight time 12:50 13 stops
Departing from Pierrefonds towards Piton des Neiges
Piton des Neiges is a dormant shield volcano
It’s also the tallest peak in the Indian Ocean, 10,069 ft
Grand Bénare, the western edge of the caldera
Piton des Neiges on the North edge of the caldera
There is a whole town inside the caldera, Cilaos
Forêt de la Providence at the base of the volcano
Saint-Dennis, capital of Réunion island
Flying on to visit the other volcano on the island
Piton de la Fournaise, currently one of the most active volcanoes in the world
Looking back towards Piton des Neiges over Forêt départemento-domaniale de la rivière de Remparts
The volcano, it must have been active when the aerial images were taken
One more look back while heading to Mauritius
Chamarel, Mauritius
Chamarel Seven Colored Earth Geopark and Chamarel waterfall
Port Louis, capital of Mauritius
In line with the harbor is Champs de Mars, 19th century horse racing track
The citadelle in Port Louis, 19th century military fortress
Back to Madagascar (the rest of Mauritius is full of cloud shaped ‘holes’ generic farm textures)
Toasamina also called Tamatave, on the East coast of Madagascar
That mountain / island on the right, I couldn’t find it… Ilay Harandriaka Lehibe
It should be right off the coast past the harbor
Nothing there
It’s on Google and Bing (only as aerial/sat images, not on the map). However you can’t click on the name, while on Bing a Ferry goes straight through the island
Ah, it’s a reef! Still no clue where the mountain from that picture above is.
Sunset over Madagascar
Nosy Boraha, apparently there’s a pirates’ cemetery on the island
Ambodifototra
Mananara Avaratra
Maroantsetra, formerly Louisbourg, at the northern end of the Bay of Antongil
Approaching Andapa
And leaving Andapa
Another mystery at Marojejy National park
That peak standing out on the right, doesn’t exist
Which explains why a road goes straight up it
Great views at Marojejy National park
After a quick stop at Vohimarina I pointed the plane towards the Seychelles. Long flight, time for some measurements.
Full power at 15K ft gets about 12.06 nautical miles to the gallon.
Throttle and propeller down to 70% at 11K ft gets about 12.35 nautical miles to the gallon.
(Compared at the transition point since the plane speeds up as fuel weight decreases)
The difference in speed, 142 TAS vs 112 TAS. You have to sacrifice a lot of speed to extend the range. (I’m doing tests to figure out a way to reach Hawaii in a couple months) It’s definitely not a fire and forget autopilot journey. Fuel weight, wind speed, danger of icing, it’s going to be tricky. My previous longest flight ended just short of the runway and was ‘only’ 756 NM (double icing incidents). Now I want to cross 910nm. The recent patch has improved fuel economy somewhat, yet the listed 920nm range is still very hard to reach. Plenty of time left to figure out a way, half a year the way I’m going back and forth!
Fregate island, Seychelles
Victoria-Seychelles Airport is missing, this rather short grass strip is the only option currently
I’ll check out the site of the airport tonight/tomorrow in daylight while touring around the Seychelles. Sunrise should be 9pm my time, perhaps tonight.
Leg 99, Fregate, Seychelles via Madagascar and Mozambique to Kilwa Masoko, Tanzania
DAY11_29.PLN (7.8 KB)
Unfortunately the Seychelles weren’t worth the detour (apart from the amazing sites online). The area has very sketchy low detail, nothing deserving the title most beautiful islands on Earth. However I figured how to fly back while sleeping (■■■■ tank switch is the bottle neck) and found an amazing volcano on one of the islands on the way back to Africa.
11-28 Fregate FSSF 21:07 PM Sunrise, loop around Seychelles
11-28 Fregate FSSF 22:09 PM 608 NM next, reduce weight, fly at 15K ft
11-29 Andrakaka Navy FMNK 4:00 AM Slept during long glide from 18.5K ft at 50% thottle / 70% propeller
11-29 Arrachart FMNA 4:04 AM
11-29 Ambilobe FMNE 4:29 AM
11-29 Ampampamena FMNZ 4:43 AM
11-29 Fascene FMNN 4:54 AM
11-29 Chirongui FMCR 6:08 AM Short runway
11-29 Pamandzi FMCZ 6:15 AM
11-29 Ouani FMCV 6:51 AM
11-29 Moheli FMCI 7:09 AM
11-29 Prince Said Ibrahim FMCH 7:45 AM
11-29 Quirimba FQPD 8:56 AM
11-29 Ibo FQPE 9:02 AM
11-29 Matemo FQPM 9:08 AM
11-29 Medjumbe FQMO 9:21 AM
11-29 Mocimboa Da Praia FQMP 9:37 AM
11-29 Vamizi Airstrip FQMM 9:49 AM Drone view!
11-29 Palma LMZ 9:58 AM
11-29 Mtwara HTMT 10:10 AM
11-29 Lindi HTLI 10:27 AM
11-29 Kilwa Masoko HTKI 10:59 AM
Flight time 13:52 20 stops
I had high hopes for the Seychelles, remembering it from when Survivor was still going to new locations
Now the real thing…
Fregate early morning, sunrise
Baie Ste Anne
Looks nothing like the real thing
But it’s nice to fly at sunrise for a change, wispy fog clouds over the water melting away
North island, the part that doesn’t look too bad
Look at those beaches!
What it should look like from the air
Slihouette Island
The same part from the opposite direction on the right
I’ll spare you the mess that’s Sahe and Victoria-Seychelles Airport. On Bing it’s mostly covered in clouds, only about a 100 meter section of runway is visible. The whole island is a mess. The real thing
Back to Madagascar after a refueling stop at Fregate where I started. I let the plane climb as high as possible in FLC mode. When I was about to go to bed I reduced throttle to 50% and propeller to 70% while turning of FLC mode. That makes the plane slow down and start losing height, while autopilot, still on nav mode, keeps the plane at about the same attitude.
This reduces the fuel consumption to initially 5.90 gallons per hour to around 8 gallons per hour when the plane stabilizes around 5,000 ft. With 37 gallons of use-able fuel per tank, that gives over 5 hours before the tank needs to be switched again. That’s more than my usual night sleep.
It worked like a charm, when I woke up there were still 14 gallons of fuel left (11 use-able). I sped up the plane to full throttle, 100% propeller with ETE of 15 minutes. I could have slept for another hour easily. (Although would have overshot and might have flown into a mountain…)
Back over Madagascar, Ambodontava
Near Ampasinbengy
Antanimandry, on the North-West coast
Madirokely on Nosy Be, island off the North-West coast of Madagascar
Amazing place to dive
Forever dive at Nosy Be, including cockpit view landing at Aéroport international de Nosy Be-Fascene
Approaching Mayotte, an archipelago between Madagascar and Mozambique
It kinda looks like the forest was on fire when the images were taken
Bambao on Nzwani island
Ouani on the other side of the island
Yep, looks inviting
Mount Karthala on Comoros
7,746 ft high active shield volcano
Best find of the day, hidden above the clouds (if you usually fly at 2,500 ft)
Pretty close to the real thing, fs2020 just needs some smoke effects
Matemo, off the coast of Mozambique next to Parque Nacional das Quirimbas
Medjumbe, small private island a bit further North
Compared to the real thing
Sunset over Mikindani Bay
Right in the opposite direction, near full moon
Kilwa Masoko
Where you can visit the ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani
Drone cam landing in Kilwa Masoko
Leg 100, Kilwa Masoko, Tanzania via Kenya to Gelai, Tanzania
DAY11_30.PLN (9.1 KB)
I did not get to see Mount Kilimanjaro today, hidden in the clouds. However leaving those clouds provided much more spectacular views than the mountain itself.
11-30 Kilwa Masoko HTKI 3:58 AM
11-30 Songo Songo Airstrip HTLV 4:21 AM
11-30 Mafia HTMA 4:31 AM
11-30 Mchukwi Rufiji HTLQ 4:47 AM
11-30 Amani Gomvu HTAG 5:14 AM
11-30 Dar-Es-Salaam Intl HTDA 5:26 AM
11-30 Kisauni HTZA 5:51 AM
11-30 Chake Chake HTPE 6:26 AM
11-30 Tanga HTTG 6:48 AM
11-30 Funzi Island HKSH 7:11 AM
11-30 Ukunda Airstrip HKUK 7:20 AM
11-30 Kwale HKKW 7:27 AM
11-30 Moi HKMO 7:34 AM
11-30 Bamburi HK0H 7:40 AM
11-30 Buchuma Gate HKVB 8:01 AM
11-30 Rukinga Ranch Airstrip HKVF 8:08 AM
11-30 Voi HKVO 8:19 AM
11-30 Wanjala Mine HKWD 8:31 AM
11-30 Kangetchwa HKWN 8:35 AM
11-30 Finch Hattons HKMQ 8:46 AM
11-30 Loiyokitok HKLT 8:58 AM spiraling to gain height
11-30 Kilimanjaro Intl HTKJ 9:55 AM
11-30 Arusha HTAR 10:19 AM
11-30 Kitumbeine HTLO 10:34 AM
11-30 Gelai East HTLX 10:49 AM
Flight time 6:51 24 stops
First up, Dar Es Salaam, coastal city on the Zanzibar Archipelago
Askari monument on the left, in honor of local soldiers who fought with the British Carrier Corps in WWI.
Aania Front church on the right, constructed in the late 1800s by German missionaries.
Karume International Airport airport, Kisauni, Zanzibar
Zanzibar
Chake Chake at the end of Chake-Chake Bay
Tanga back on the mainland
Amboni limestone caves close to Tanga
Shimba Hills National Reserve, great waterfall there
Mombasa, known as the white and blue city in Kenya
Fort ■■■■■, 16th-century Portuguese coastal fort, and Heller park where you can pet Giraffes
Ngutini wildlife conservancy
Hill next to Voi
Wanjala iron ore mine. Traces of gold were found in the iron ore in 2012
Tsavo West National Park, clouds all around, clear over the park
Finch Hattons, 5 star luxury camp not far East of mount Kilimanjaro
This is as close as I got to mount Kilimanjaro, well hidden in the clouds
Kilimanjaro is 19,336 ft high, out of the Bonanza’s reach (I did get it that high once, takes a long time climbing at 30 fpm with nearly empty tanks and no co-pilot)
I managed to get the drone on top of the clouds but no sign of Kilimanjaro
At least the view was stunning when emerging from the clouds
Then I looked behind me
Back on the ground at Kilimanjaro International Airport
Mt Meru was more cooperative
Situated in Arusha National Park
Mt Meru is a dormant stratovolcano, 14,980 ft high
Mt Meru Forest Reserve
To the South of Mt Meru
Approaching Kitumbeine
On to the last stop for today, Gelai East
Amazing area to fly through, great finish to the 100th leg. I’ll wait here for the sun to come back.
Leg 101, Gelai, Tanzania to Angama, Kenya
DAY12_1.PLN (11.2 KB)
Kenya is awesome!
12-01 Gelai East HTLX 4:02 AM
12-01 Magadi HKMG 4:16 AM
12-01 Orly (Olooitikosh) HKAT 4:35 AM
12-01 Jomo Kenyatta HKJK 4:47 AM
12-01 Eastleigh HKRE 4:57 AM
12-01 Wilson HKNW 5:02 AM
12-01 Kedong HKPD 5:15 AM
12-01 Oserongoni HKND 5:34 AM
12-01 Sirocco HKQK 5:40 AM
12-01 Naivasha HKNV 5:46 AM
12-01 Nyeri HKNI 6:13 AM
12-01 Rutundu HKMN 7:03 AM
12-01 Isiolo HKIS 7:18 AM
12-01 Buffalo Spring HKSB 7:26 AM
12-01 Loloroi HKIO 7:45 AM
12-01 Ol Malo Lodge Airstrip HKQE 8:02 AM
12-01 Loisaba Airstrop HKRF 8:07 AM
12-01 Kamogi Ranch Airstrip HKRM 8:10 AM
12-01 Mugie Ranch HKMF 8:17 AM
12-01 Kuti HKRI 8:22 AM
12-01 Lake Baringo (Kampi Ya Samaki) HKBI 8:40 AM
12-01 Kapchomuswo (Kabarnet) HKTG 8:55 AM
12-01 Eldoret Intl HKEL 9:15 AM
12-01 Kakamega HKKG 9:29 AM
12-01 Kisumu HKKI 9:40 AM
12-01 Rusinga HKHA 10:02 AM
12-01 Mfangano HKHM 10:07 AM
12-01 Migori HKMM 10:31 AM
12-01 Kihancha HKTP 10:37 AM
12-01 Kihancha HKIC 10:42 AM
12-01 Angama HKLP 10:51 AM
Flight time 6:49 30 stops
Starting the day by heading towards lake Magadi
Lake Magadi
Near Oloika
Near Ole Seni, in Kenya’s Rift Valley
Travelling up the steps, higher and higher
Orly, Olooitikosh next to Champagne Rally Park
Jomo Kenyatta airport, Nairobi
Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, here looking at Eastleigh airport
Wilson airport at the top left, big city, 3 airports
Nairobi by night and the railway museum, new and old
Kedong, great place to land
Mount Suswa Conservancy
Lake Naivasha
Crossing the Aberdare mountain range
Aberdare national park at the other side
Lovely forest
Approaching Mount Kenya, looks like the peak is hidden again
The peak of Mount Kenya, 17,057 ft high, within my reach
Rutunde airstrip, halfway down Mount Kenya
Good thing it has a slope to speed up for take off
Flying on on the North-West side of Mount Kenya
Mount Kenya, hidden in the clouds
The lighting is superb in this game
Buffalo spring airstrip, tons of fun landing sites around here
Loloroi
Following the Ewaso Ngiro river
Near Lopito
Ol Malo Lodge airstrip
Komogi Ranch
(Just out of the picture on either side, end of the high detail area)
Lake Baringo
Ol Kokwe Island, another Atlantis
There are multiple islands in the lake, visible on Bing, somehow missing
Katimok Provincial Forest
Kapchomuswo, Kabernet
Near Bartolimo
I checked first whether I would make it before taking the drone for a spin!
Eldoret International Airport
Kakamega Forest
Coming up on Lake Victoria
Mbita in the distance, where the island connects to the mainland
Rusinga, that airstrip took a pass to find
Kinancha, getting late
Lolgorien
Angama, final stop today, for good reason
Safe on the ground, now where is my umbrella
Leg 102, Angama, Kenya to Rungwa, Tanzania
DAY12_2.PLN (10.5 KB)
A lot of rain today. I don’t have much luck with mountains, they always seem to hide in a thick layer of clouds.
12-02 Angama HKLP 4:03 AM
12-02 Musiara HK48 4:07 AM
12-02 Weavers Airstrip HKKV 4:12 AM
12-02 Narok HKTU 4:18 AM
12-02 Cottar’s camp HKSD 4:23 AM
12-02 Oseur Airstrip HKQG 4:28 AM
12-02 Cottars Mara HTMM 4:32 AM
12-02 Klein’s Camp HTOU 4:38 AM
12-02 Kishoshoroni HTOE 4:47 AM
12-02 Fort Ikoma HTNF 5:07 AM
12-02 Sasakwa HTIS 5:12 AM
12-02 Kirawira B Aerodrome GTZ 5:21 AM
12-02 Nakatunguru HTPQ 5:51 AM
12-02 Mwanza HTMW 6:04 AM
12-02 Mwanza HTPP 6:18 AM
12-02 Maswa HTMC 6:49 AM
12-02 Buturi HTKE 7:07 AM
12-02 Mbono 2 HTLP 7:14 AM
12-02 Ndutu HTNO 7:23 AM
12-02 Endulen HTEN 7:36 AM
12-02 Ngorongoro HTNV 7:50 AM go around, hard to spot low visibility
12-02 Harbanget HTOA 8:14 AM
12-02 Gorimba HTKZ 8:48 AM
12-02 Handa HTLF 8:53 AM
12-02 Dodoma HTDO 9:41 AM
12-02 Mvumi HTKC 9:53 AM
12-02 Chidudu HTKY 10:13 AM
12-02 Makwasa HTOY 10:41 AM
12-02 Rungwa HTNS 10:59 AM
Flight time 6:56 28 stops
Cottar’s camp, heading for rain
Near Kleins camp, from the &Beyond people, I keep running into them
Kishohoroni, visibility is falling
Plenty rain coming down on the way to Fort Ikoma
Close to Fort Ikoma
Kibara on Speke Gulf, rain in the highlands, clear over the lakes
Muluseni
Busogwa, following lake Victoria to the South
Mwanza, big port city
Where you can find Bismarck rock
Away from the lake, back in the rain a Bututi
A break in the clouds, just to see the big cloud engulfing Mount Oldeani
Endulen at he base of Mount Oldeani
Ngoronogoro
A bit of stunt flying through the valleys of mount Oldeani
Lake Balangida
Gorimba
Gorimba airport
Handa
Kongogo
Dodoma, the capital of Tanzania
The airport is right in the middle of the city
The airport and Nyerere square
Mlowa
Mvumi
Mulanje Mountain Forest Reserve
Makwasa
Michiru Mountain Conservation Area
Final stop in Rungwa, Tanzania today. Tomorrow on to Burundi and Rwanda
Leg 103, Rungwa, Tanzania via Democratic Republic of the Congo and Burundi to Kigali, Rwanda
DAY12_3.PLN (6.4 KB)
Bad weather again today, or rather amazing awesome unbelievable weather. The sky stole the show today.
12-03 Rungwa HTNS 4:00 AM
12-03 Rungwa River HTIC 4:26 AM
12-03 Mlambala HTIO 4:40 AM
12-03 Sumbawanga HTSU 5:08 AM
12-03 Kirando HTPL 5:43 AM
12-03 Mahale Airstrip HTML 6:38 AM
12-03 Kalemie FZRF 6:55 AM
12-03 Kigoma HTPJ 7:39 AM
12-03 Uvira FZUB 8:13 AM
12-03 Kabare FZLS 8:43 AM
12-03 Kabare FZPB 9:00 AM
12-03 Bujumbura Intl HBBA 9:44 AM (capital Gitega on the way)
12-03 Ruyigi HBRU 10:18 AM
12-03 Kirundo HBBO 10:48 AM
12-03 Nemba HRYN 10:58 AM
12-03 Gako HRKI 11:03 AM
12-03 Kigali Intl HRYR 11:16 AM
Flight time 7:16 16 stops
Starting in the rain over Lukwati game reserve in Tanzania
Dramatic skies, however I’ve seen nothing yet at this point
Near Mlambala
Airstrip along the Rungwa river
Crossing lake Rukwa
Looking out towards Sumbawanga
On the way to Kirando
Close to Mwai
How is my laptop not melting
Lake Tanganyika, longest freshwater lake in the world
Mahale Mountain National Park
Picking my jaw back up from the floor at Mahale airstrip, at the base of the mountains
Between Kalemie and Kigoma
Near Mahiela
Lulimba in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Panda, small village on the R521
Approaching Uvira airport
Uvira airport, which is still 90 miles from Uvira
Crossing Massif D’itombwe to Uvira at the North-West end of lake Tanganyika
Quick stop at Butetegele
Unnamed city in South-Kivu
Neither Bing nor Google know what it’s called at 3°03’38.4"S 28°11’23.2"E
Heading further towards the lake
Still over Massif D’itombwe
Bujumbura, largest city in Burundi on the North-East end of lake Tanganyika
Those rectangles standing out is Station d’épuration des eaux, water treatment plant
Near, oh who cares, simply amazing. They sure make good clouds in Burundi
Gitega, capital of Burundi
Losing light on the way to Kirundo
Lake Rwihinda
Lake Cyohoha South on the border with Rwanda
Kigali, capital of Rwanda
Nice easy landing
I mostly know Rwanda from the movie Hotel Rwanda. Hôtel des Mille Collines became famous after 1,268 people took refuge inside the building during the 1994 genocide.
Bustling night life and genocide memorial
1 Like
Leg 104, Kigalu, Rwanda to Mogoto, Uganda
DAY12_4.PLN (8.1 KB)
A lot of messy terrain today including bad weather, this area is not well captured. It’s a shame since it included Mount Stanley and more volcano sites. Too many clouds there I guess, all on the sat images.
12-04 Kigali Intl HRYR 4:06 AM
12-04 Gisenyi HRYG 4:39 AM
Bad performance, weird shimmering trees, streaming issues, restart
12-04 Gisenyi HRYG 4:46 AM
12-04 Goma Intl FZNA 4:50 AM
12-04 Ruhengeri HRYU 5:21 AM Messy area
12-04 Kisoro HUKI 5:33 AM
12-04 Kisoro HUKL 5:44 AM
12-04 Rutshuru FZNC 5:50 AM
12-04 RWindi FZNR 6:06 AM
12-04 Ntungamo HUNU 6:19 AM
12-04 Mweya HUMW 6:31 AM
12-04 Kasese HUKS 6:48 AM
12-04 Margherita HUMH 7:07 AM
12-04 Bundibugyo HUBU 7:27 AM
Streaming issues, restart
12-04 Bundibugyo HUBU 7:34 AM
12-04 Fort Portal HUFP 7:49 AM
12-04 Kyenjojo HUKM 7:58 AM
12-04 Entebbe Intl HUEN 8:54 AM
12-04 Kajjansi Airfield HUKJ 9:00 AM
12-04 Bweyogerere HUNA 9:16 AM
12-04 Nakasongola HUNK 9:38 AM
12-04 Lira HULI 10:02 AM
12-04 Matany Airstrip HUNP 10:41 AM
12-04 Moroto HUMO 10:52 AM Drone cam landing
Flight time 6:38 21 stops
Mount Niyaragongo from its good side before the weather managed to hide it
11,384 ft high active volcano with the world’s largest lava lake
Older eruption site, Baruta, just to the North of Niyaragongo
Due to the active nature of the volcano, most of Niyaragongo is permanently hidden beneath the smoke
This is the one part with detail, everywhere off screen it’s a mess, no lava lake unfortunately
The real thing
Active volcanoes and waterfalls on the wish list!
Kisoro near Mgahinga Gorilla National Park and Volcanoes national park
Detail is pretty poor around here, better for the weather to hide it
What it looks like in reality
Rutshuru in the western branch of the Albertine Rift
Queen Elizabeth National Park further North on the way to Mount Stanley (in the distance)
Kasese at the base of Mount Stanley or rather cloud Stanley
Rwenzori Mountains National Park
The real thing
Margherita on the North side of Mount Stanley
Guess where the mountain is
Crossing back to the South-East side
Cleared it, barely
Kyenjojo
Near Kitega
Entebbe International Airport
Kampala, the capital of Uganda
Kabaka’s Palace in Kampala
Which includes this torture chamber from the butcher of Uganda, Idi Amin
The rest of the trip was pretty much flat with default texture patches to cover up the clouds on the sat data
Losing light on the way to Matany
No clue when the moon will be out, drone cam landing at Moroto before the last light disappears
Leg 105, Mogoto, Uganda via Kenya to Baidoa, Somalia
DAY12_5.PLN (7.4 KB)
Another milestone reached, 2000th airport visited during this leg. Although some airports are a bit of guesswork where or what the landing strip is.
12-05 Moroto HUMO 3:54 AM
12-05 Perror HUMR 4:17 AM Runway?
12-05 Lodwar HKLO 4:40 AM
12-05 Ferguson’s Gulf HKFG 4:54 AM
12-05 Kataboi HKLW 5:09 AM Runway?
12-05 Alia Bay HKLD 5:26 AM Runway?
12-05 Loyangalani HKLY 5:54 AM
12-05 Gatab Lower HKOX 6:12 AM
12-05 Belatrix Kargi HKON 6:38 AM
12-05 Segel HKQI 6:50 AM
12-05 Sololo HKST 7:29 AM
12-05 Moyale MYS 7:50 AM
12-05 Moyale Lower HKMY 7:55 AM
12-05 Bute Moyale HKOP 8:07 AM
12-05 Takabba HKSS 8:32 AM
12-05 Rhamu HK0B 9:01 AM
12-05 Mandera HKMA 9:20 AM
12-05 Lugh Ganane HCMJ 9:41 AM
12-05 Waajid HCWA 10:02 AM
12-05 Baidoa HCMB 10:26 AM Virtual vision landing
Flight time 6:32 19 stops
I haven’t seen the desert in a while, still as lovely as before
Following a dried up river to Lodwar
Lodwar on the Turkwel river
Kataboi on lake Turkana
Alia Bay on the other side of the lake
Mount Kulal Biosphere Reserve
Flying up Mount Kulal, a 7,497 ft high eroded extinct vulcano
Pretty steep climb, I had to loop back to make it
The airstrip is on the hill, taking of right over the valley
Between Gatab and Belatrix Kargi
Kargi
Gof Barachuma, one of the many craters in the area, this one near Segel airstrip
Sololo
Moyale, Etheopia, right on the border with Kenya
The city is in both countries, flying back into Kenya
Approaching Takabba over the Dide Galgalu Desert
Lost in the coarse height data, right in Takabba
Mandera
Peaceful non eventful flight to Lugh Ganane
Lugh Ganane inside a huge loop in the Webi Jubba river
Approaching Waajid, last bit of sunshine
Following a string of lights to Baidoa
Fancy lighting for a dusty dirt road!
No more light, continue tomorrow.
Leg 106, Baidoa, Somalia via Yemeni islands to Las Khorey, Republic of Somaliland
DAY12_6.PLN (7.1 KB)
A double leg today. After finishing my usual early morning flight I looked up when the moon would rise over Somalia and went back out in the afternoon for a flight by moon light.
12-06 Baidoa HCMB 3:43 AM
12-06 Baledogle HC01 4:27 AM
12-06 K50 International HCAF 4:37 AM
12-06 Mogadishu HCMM 4:53 AM
12-06 Belet Uen HCMN 6:03 AM
12-06 Dhuusamarreeb Airport HCDH 6:49 AM
12-06 Dhuusamarreeb Airport HCDS 7:09 AM
12-06 Adado Airport AAD 7:30 AM
12-06 Geladi Airport HCGA 7:56 AM
12-06 Galcaio HCMR 8:26 AM
12-06 Garowe HCMW 9:16 AM
12-06 Eil HCME 9:50 AM Drone cam landing
12-06 Gardo HCMG 10:32 AM Landed on road parallel to airstrip
12-06 Gardo HCMG 2:59 PM Moon is up!
12-06 Hafun Airstrip HCBA 3:58 PM Drone cam landing
12-06 Hafun Old Base Airstrip HCBG 4:03 PM Drone cam landing
12-06 Moori OYSQ 5:19 PM lights!
12-06 Alula HCMA 6:45 PM Plane animations stuck, belly landing despite gear showing down
12-06 Bosaso HCMF 7:30 PM
12-06 Las Khorey HCLA 8:01 PM
Flight time 11:51 18 stops
First Mogadishu, the capital Somalia
Big city, 4.9 million people
It’s been an important port city for millennia
There are no airports along the coast so heading inland to Bulet Uen
It can be green there as well
Pretty dry when the images were taken
Guriel Airstrip near Guriceel
Galkayo
A little bit of elevation towards Garowe, it has been mostly flat terrain so far
Approaching Garowe
And onwards to Eil, sun already setting, not much to see in this part of Somalia
Landing in Eil by drone cam, barely visible runway
Stubbornly continuing, it gets really dark without the moon, last light fading
I had to land on the road next to the runway in Gardo, the ground remains black no matter how much you increase the exposure
Luckily there are plenty glowing orbs along even the smallest roads!
After a long break, continuing on by moonlight. Near Rako Raaxo
Coming up on the Indian Ocean at Ashira
Illegally flying without my tail flasher (tail beacon?) since it’s blinding with this increased exposure
Most Eastern tip of Africa, just a bit past Xaafun (Hafun Airstrip)
Hafun old salt factory on the water and the lovely coast by daylight
Darsah, island in the Arabian Sea
It’s pretty much a huge wall in the ocean
With trees I have never seen before, Dragon’s blood trees
Socotra, Yemini island with a lot more of those trees
Hajhir Mountains on Socotra
Socotra is a magical place, beach of colored rocks on the right, Dihamri beach
Hajhir Mountains
Kilmia, the main village of the Guardafui Channel island Abd al Kuri
Back to Somalia, Bereeda
Going along the North shore back West
Approaching Alula over the rugged terrain
Near Alula
Big mountains on the coast at Bandar
Qandala, ancient port town
On to Bosaso, more mountain walls right up to the coast
First signs of dawn approaching on the horizon
On the way to Las Khorey
Loving this game!
FInal stop today, Las Khorey, an ancient coastal city in the Sanaag region of Somaliland
The self declared Republic of Somaliland is not internationally recognized. It was a British protectorate until 1960, after which it was independent for 5 days. Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991. While no foreign power recognizes its sovereignty, it is self-governing with an independent government, democratic elections and a distinct history.
I guess the question “how many countries are there” can’t be answered. This is at least the fourth time that I’ve run into a contested area as well as dotted border lines, and I haven’t gotten to the Middle East and Asia yet.
1 Like
Leg 107, Las Khorey, Republic of Samaliland to Aba Segud, Ethiopia
DAY12_7.PLN (4.5 KB)
12-07 Las Khorey HCLA 4:11 AM
12-07 Erigavo HCMU 5:05 AM
12-07 Berbera HCMI 5:47 AM
12-07 Egal HCMH 6:28 AM
12-07 Wilwal International HAJJ 7:03 AM
12-07 Jijiga HAJI 7:09 AM
12-07 Dire Dawa Intl HADR 7:45 AM
12-07 Harar Meda HAHM 8:59 AM
12-07 Bole Intl HAAB 9:16 AM
12-07 Lideta Army HAAL 9:22 AM
12-07 Aba Segud HAJM 10:28 AM
Flight time 6:17 10 stops
First up Las Khorey by day
Heading up into the mountains towards Erigavo
It’s a long climb, that ridge is no joke
The edge of the world does exist
Given enough time this whole plateau will be gone as well
Erigavo also spelled as Ceerigaabo or Erigabo
Onwards to Berbera
Back towards the coast, down the ridge
Gulf of Aden in sight
Berbera, the former capital of British Somaliland protectorate
Now flying towards the new capital of Somaliland
Hergeisa, the capital of Somaliland since 1941
Freedom square War memorial to commemorate Somaliland’s breakaway attempt in the 1980s
About 80% of the city was destroyed in 1988 by aerial bombardment during the civil war. I remember my mother having her hands full with a lot of refugees from Somalia late 80s, early 90s. (She worked for vluchtelingenwerk in the Netherlands). Since my mother wasn’t comfortable driving and I had just got my license I ended up driving some back and forth. One women was not used to cars and we had to keep pulling over as the motion made her sick.
War has terrible effects on people. One morning on the way to school, one of the people my mother was helping tried to commit suicide by train. He survived, I can still hear his screams as they tried to back the train off his legs (which he lost)
Flying on, Dugu, Ethiopia
Jijiga not much further
On the way to Dire Dawa
After a quick stop at Dire Dawa, further towards Addis Ababa
Fantale, stratovolcano crowned by a 350 meter deep crater
Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia
African Union Commission conference center at the bottom
The lions of Judah, n the left, Lion of Judah monument from 1954, a cultural symbol of Afrocentrism
On the right, the original monument from 1930. The statue resided in Rome from 1935 to the 1960s, transported there when Italy occupied Addis Ababa at the end of the second Italo-Ethiopian war. It was nearly removed again by the Derg regime after the 1974 revolution. It was allowed to stay as a memory of Ethiopian antifascist resistance and a symbol of Ethiopia.
Tiglacin monument, a memorial to Ethiopian and Cuban soldiers involved in the Ogaden War
The Ogaden War, or the Ethio-Somali war was a dispute between Ethiopia and Somalia which began with the invasion of Ogaden by Somalia. Cuban troops sent by Fidel Castro delivered a major defeat to Somalia. The war left Somalia with a disorganized and demoralized army and an angry population. All of these conditions led to a revolt in the army which eventually spiraled into a civil war. The one I touched on in Hergeisa.
National Museum on the left, contained the famous fossilized bones of the early hominid Lucy.
Red Terror Martyr’s Museum on the right, established in 2010 as a memorial to those who died during the Red Terror 1977 & 1978 under the Derg government. It’s not a pleasant visit, the things people can do to another human being.
Oof that’s a lot to digest on the way out
Cumbi, losing light
Didesa river, well basin now. It’s still empty on Google maps and Bing, showing a construction site
No clue where the lake polygon comes from, maybe a prediction?
A bit of digging shows it as the Arjo Didessa Dam, commissioned U/C, last known info a study about the effects of the dam and an article about the problems with funding stalling the progress. FS2020 is ahead of the curve.
Last stop today Abajifar Airport in Jimma, the coffee production center of Ethiopia
Leg 108, Aba Segud, Ethiopia via Kenya to Bor, South Sudan
DAY12_8.PLN (5.4 KB)
Mostly low detail terrain today, giving me more time to look around at what it really looks like. Still some good sights in game as well.
12-08 Aba Segud HAJM 3:35 AM
12-08 Awasa Old Airstrip HALO 4:36 AM
12-08 Dodola HADO 4:48 AM
12-08 Robe HAGB 5:22 AM
12-08 Negele HANG 6:17 AM
Game lock up, not responding, end task 7:02 AM
Continue from last known position 7:09 AM
12-08 Sabarei HATU 7:40 AM
12-08 Lokwor HALE 7:57 AM
12-08 Baco HABC 8:36 AM
12-08 Mizan Teferi HAMT 9:16 AM
12-08 Tippi HATP 9:26 AM
12-08 Tippi HATI 9:52 AM
12-08 Kapoeta HSPD 10:11 AM
12-08 Bor HSEQ 10:41 AM
12-08 Bor HSEE 11:19 AM Virtual vision landing, diverted from HSDW
Flight time 7:47 13 stops
Bale Mountains National Park near Mount Batu
Mount Batu and the dry highlands
Approaching Negele
And leaving again
Yabelo Wildlife sanctuary
Which features a picture of a Zebu (domestic humped cattle) not all that wild
The terrain near Yebelo
Stephanie Wildlife Sanctuary aka Chelbi wildlife reserve
Also no pictures of wildlife, however the people and culture around here are amazing
Dreamy cliffs
Lake Chew Bahir in the distance
Sibiloi National Park
Mago National Park
Here you can find the Mursi Tribe
Considered as one of the most dangerous tribes in the world. Here is a documentary from the 70s
Meanwhile, arriving in Jinka, located in the hills north of the Tama Plains
On to Omo National Park
Where the Nyagatom tribe resides among others
On the way to Kure
Near Tippi
Kapoeta, South Sudan
Boma National Park
Where the Murle Tribe lives
Losing light on the way to Kalana, time flies
And on to Bor
I had to divert to a different air strip than originally planned, too dark to land. The airport at Bor has the runway in the G1000 which works for landing without light. It was only a 4 minute detour, plenty air strips along the White Nile.
1 Like
Leg 109, Bor, South Sudan to Asosa, Ethiopia
DAY12_9.PLN (14.9 KB)
A long flight today. I went to bed early because of an oncoming migraine, better to sleep through it. However then I couldn’t sleep anymore from 2 AM. The headache was not that bad anymore, time to fly.
Then it turned out South Sudan has the most consistent poor coverage so far, it really is a place to avoid in FS2020. Completely flat with bad textures everywhere. I had set out a big survey with tons of stops, thinking, if there are big clusters of airstrips, the area must have plenty to see. Maybe there is, not in the game though, nor any pictures on Google. I did find one interesting way point with picture, crash sight of an Antonov.
All the landings kept it fun, especially after I pushed on in the dark. The drone came at max exposure makes the landing light useful to see the ground in an otherwise pitch black night.
12-09 Bor HSEE 2:25 AM
12-09 Bor HSDW 2:29 AM
12-09 Bor HSBR 2:34 AM
12-09 Juba HSSJ 3:02 AM
12-09 Yei HSYE 3:28 AM Airstrip on bad texture
12-09 Ibba Airstrip HSMJ 4:06 AM
12-09 Tonj HSTN 5:02 AM Runway is the slightly greener line…
12-09 Tonj HSTA 5:09 AM Airport marker on, impossible to tell what is a ‘runway’
12-09 Tonj HSTG 5:15 AM
12-09 Wau HSWW 5:31 AM
12-09 Kajok HSKF 5:42 AM
12-09 Kajok HSKE 5:50 AM
12-09 Kajok HSKK 5:54 AM
12-09 Kajok HSKO 6:02 AM Runway?
12-09 Aweil HSAO 6:22 AM
12-09 Aweil HSAA 6:35 AM Runway? Landed on road
12-09 Aweil HSAB 6:47 AM Airport marker on, invisible ‘runway’
12-09 Aweil HSAC 7:01 AM
12-09 Aweil HSBL 7:10 AM
12-09 Aweil HSBI 7:26 AM
12-09 Gogrial HSHX 7:38 AM
12-09 Gogrial HSHN 7:41 AM
12-09 Gogrial HSIA 7:51 AM
12-09 Gogrial HSHO 7:54 AM
12-09 Gogrial HSHZ 8:03 AM
12-09 Bentiu HSCC 8:29 AM
12-09 Leer HSLM 8:41 AM
12-09 Leer HSMP 8:50 AM Dodging cars while landing
12-09 Leer HSLQ 9:12 AM
12-09 Leer HSNI 9:24 AM
12-09 Malakal HSNJ 9:36 AM Odd memory usage increase, keeps rising, fps tanking
12-09 Malakal HSMZ 9:49 AM Bad memory leak, landing at 2 fps, slowing sim rate down as well
Memory usage more than doubled to 12 GB system ram, restart, not responding on exit but ram usage is going down
Patch appeared on restart, small patch
12-09 Malakal HSMZ 10:00 AM Still 7 GB ram in use despite flat terrain
12-09 Bentiu HSDF 10:05 AM Weird double airport marker (HSCY)
12-09 Bentiu HSDG 10:09 AM
12-09 Bentiu HSDD 10:13 AM
12-09 Malakal HSNB 10:21 AM Memory down to 4.3 GB, back to normal
12-09 Malakal HSSM 10:40 AM
12-09 Malakal HSNU 10:51 AM Drone cam landing
12-09 Malakal HSOT 11:00 AM Drone cam landing
12-09 Adareil AEE 11:25 AM Drone cam landing
12-09 Kurmuk HSKW (Bunj Airport, Boing) 11:49 AM Drone cam landing, mind the road crossing
12-09 Asosa HAAN 12:08 PM Drone cam landing, hard to spot on Google/Bing
12-09 Asosa HASO 12:23 PM Virtual vision landing, runway!
Flight time 9:42 42 stops
Juba, the (temporary) capital of South Sudan, situated along the White Nile
Juba became the capital in 2011 when South Sudan formally declared its independence
However the government proposed that a new planned city be built as a replacement capital elsewhere, likely Ramciel in the middle of South Sudan
And well, nothing to see really, this is the most decent shot I could get for hours
Somewhere between Kajok and Aweil, no bad transitions in view and a couple colors
Aweil, one of them, it’s all called the same
This town actually had one picture available on line, low res
Looks just as flat
Antonov crash site on the edge of Gogriel
Antonov AN-26 crashed in 1997, no casualties
Forced landing after being hit by Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) ground fire.
Near Fan Agork, unknown river
Leer or rather Koch inside Block 5A oil concession
Between 1998 and 2003 the community was attacked many times by government-supported troops or militias.
Losing light, forcing some colors out over the White Nile
I passed over some refugee camps in the dark, not much to see, mostly pictures of UNHCR missions. South Sudan is the most recent recognized sovereign country in the world and the situation is ongoing
https://www.unhcr.org/south-sudan-emergency.html
I kept flying to more detailed areas to explore tomorrow. Since the moon was gone, pitch black out, undefined runways (not present in the G1000) I had to find a new way to land. It turns out that at max exposure the landing light reaches the ground from about 100 ft up. Good enough to land if you’re in the right spot.
Thus it became a game of finding the runway on Google/Bing, then making sure to come from the right direction to the right spot. The airport marker helps, at least at these small airstrips without beacons you can be reasonably sure it’s actually on the ‘runway’ Which is just a dirt strip. Roads nearby help as well for orientation, they all have lights in game!
Without any roads or other visual references it’s quite a thrill to find the runway
Any moment now the ‘strip’ will appear, don’t sink too soon, trees!
The final stop had a real runway, present in the G1000 as well. Easy now compared to above
Asaso in Western Ethiopia.
Safari time tomorrow. I set out a route along all the Fauna POI, let’s see if I can find any animals.
2 Likes
Leg 110, Asosa to Semara, Ethiopia
DAY12_10.PLN (3.8 KB)
After nearly 100,000 Nautical Miles, finally wildlife spotted! Only at one site though, the first I went to. The other locations remained empty no matter how much I flew around in circles. I even reloaded the game at the marked location to see if that would help. No matter, the locations were beautiful by themselves. Great are to explore with amazing sights.
Btw, don’t unplug a charging controller while fs2020 is running…
12-10 Asosa HASO 3:01 AM
Lockup, end task, restart. Unplugged (charging) DS4 controller to get sound (Win 10 assigns sound to DS4), game hangs
12-10 Asosa HASO 3:08 AM Blue Nile Giraffes 11°30’26.99"N 37°32’56.06"E
12-10 Bahir Dar HABD 4:42 AM Bahir Dar Stadium
12-10 Azezo HAGN 5:08 AM Fassil Ghebbi 12°36’30.24"N 37°28’12.39"E
12-10 Humera HAHU 5:45 AM
12-10 Shire HAIN 6:32 AM
12-10 Axum HAAX 6:55 AM Church of our Lady Mary of Zion (ancient)
12-10 Setoko HAST 8:02 AM Meshesha Wenz - Giraffes 12°57’45.17"N 38°36’14.91"E Not there
12-10 Setoko HAST 8:42 AM Bugna - Elephants 12°15’33.97"N 39°01’54.86"E Not there
Dawunt - Giraffes 11°27’55.83"N 39°11’53.15"E Not there
Dessie Zuriah - Elephants 10°54’46.6"N 39°28’08.54"E Not there
12-10 Combolcha HADC 9:51 AM
12-10 Semera HASM 10:37 AM Road landing, real sun out, too dark for drone
Flight time 6:49 8 stops
First departing from Asosa
First time I had to reduce the saturation for an image, it was too painful
Approaching Debre Zeyit
Near Debre Zeyit
No name available for this river, Chamoga river on the other side of the hill
And there they are!! Along the Blue Nile near Bahir Dar
They’re not shy, they don’t stop for a picture either. You can’t pause nature.
Exactly where the marker said they would be, walking back and forth
A little bit back to Bahir Dar on lake Tana, starting point of the Blue Nile
Bahir Dar international stadium at the bottom
Martyrs Memorial Monument in memory of those who gave their lives fighting against the Derg dictatorship.
To the other end of the lake where Fassil Ghebbi is in Gondar
Fortress and palace compound, once the seat of Ethiopian emperors
The shape is there, missed the mark on textures
Fasilides’ Bath on the right, emperor of Ethiopia from 1632 to 1667
Near Cafta, the mountains are pretty high here
Climbing to about 10K ft to get over
Approaching Shire further ahead, no name for that settlement in the picture
Moving on to Axum also spelled as Aksum
Aksum, known for its tall, carved obelisks, relics of the ancient Kingdom of Aksum
And the ancient Church of our Lady Mary of Zion
Place where emperors were crowned and said to contain the ark of the covenant
Many ancient things to see here, Queen Sheba’s palace on the left
The Ezana Stone on the right, documenting the conversion of King Ezana to Christianity and his conquest of various neighboring areas between 330 and 356 AD
So much history in Aksum, Queen Sheba’s bath, the obelisk of Axum from the 4th century, the tomb of king Bazen and multiple other ancient palace sites.
Flying on to Sekoto
Abiy Addi along the way
Takeze river, dam down below on the right
Tekezé Dam and power station on the left
Taking a peek at the construction of the power station
Mount Ras Deshen in the distance, 14,900 ft high
8,000 ft is about ground level here at airstrips
Following the Takeze river to the South
Meshasha Wenz, more giraffes are supposed to be here
Approaching Sekoto
Bugna, flying back and forth looking for the missing elephants
They’re probably hiding in that tent…
None here either, pretty area
Near Girara, a single cloud
Crossing over the Bashilo river
Dawunt, where are the giraffes hiding
Oh well, flying on to Kombolcha
Imagine marching armies through here in ancient times
No elephants at Dessie Zuria either, Combolcha
On the far right is a camp from Yapi Merkezi, busy constructing a 1224 km railway line connecting Uganda, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania to the Indian Ocean. There’s no sign of it yet on Bing, on Google you can see the construction up to just North of the airport.
Hardibo lake North of Kombolcha
Mile Serdo wildlife reserve
It’s dark again, very dark. My final stop, Semera, had no runway lights of course. No matter how well I lined up with the drone the runway remained invisible. The real sun drowned out the weak shine from the landing light. I resorted to landing on one of the well lit roads next to the airport. Tricky landing since the road was not flat, but it worked. Or rather I landed on the nice clear strip next to the road, rush hour in Semera.
Leg 111, Semara, Ethiopia via Djibouti and Eritrea to Port Sudan, Sudan
DAY12_11.PLN (5.5 KB)
Another beautiful flight keeping me busy until sundown, so much to see
12-11 Semera HASM 4:02 AM
12-11 Dikhil HDDK 4:45 AM
12-11 Ali-Sabieh HDAS 5:04 AM
12-11 Chabelley HDCH 5:21 AM
12-11 Ambouli HDAM 5:30 AM
12-11 Tadjoura HDTJ 5:45 AM
12-11 Obock HDOB 5:57 AM
12-11 Assab Intl HHSB 6:29 AM
12-11 Adigrat HAAR 7:55 AM
12-11 Dahalak Island Southeast Z10Y 8:27 AM Flamingos 15°46’49.91"N 40°07’31.10"E Not there
12-11 Massawa Intl HHMS 8:53 AM
12-11 Asmara Intl HHAS 9:14 AM
12-11 Keren HHKE 9:52 AM
12-11 Port Sudan HSPN 11:04 AM Nice lighted runway
Flight time 7:02 13 stops
First up, Dikhil in Djibouti, fuzzy runway
Along the Hariou river which looks very dry
Approaching Ali Sabieh, the colors of the desert are back
Ali Sabieh
That drawing on the left is Ali Sabieh mountain
Yep, it’s dry there
On the way to Chabelley
The gulf of Tadjoura in the background
Djibouti, capital of Djibouti at the entrance to the Red Sea
Colorful city, whitewashed French colonial buildings and Moorish arcades
Crossing the river Alloum
The border with Eritrea already, Djibouti is pretty small
Approaching Āssab
And on towards Adigrat
I went a bit inland to visit Nabro Volcano on the way to Adigrat
A stratovolcano which was believed to be extinct until its recent eruption in 2011
There is actually a whole series of old volcanoes here
Near Daghil Liddola
A lot of variation in the terrain on this route
Arriving at Adigrat, Ethiopia. Eritrea is only a narrow strip on the coast at its South end.
Dahlak island, back in Eritrea, in the Red Sea
There are supposed to be flamingos on this part, no sign
Not on real life pictures either. The water is so clear!
Massawa International Airport
Former Imperial palace in Massawa
The would fit right into an Uncharted or Tomb Raider game
Asmara, the capital of Eritrea
Those little clouds are actually producing a lot of lightning…
Known for its Italian colonial buildings
Ranging from art deco cinemas to the Futurist, airplane-shaped Fiat Tagliero service station
Fiat Tagliaro on the left, strong Fallout 4 vibes
On the right could be a scene from a movie
Near Mihlab
And Curoh, great lighting
Little fluffy clouds
Nafka wildlife reserve
Passing by Nafka, time to turn the displays’ brightness down
Shmup style, Amiga parallax shooter
Near Madroriet
Yob wildlife reserve
Sneaking into Sudan after dusk
Ending today’s flight at Port Sudan, nice well lit runway, landing in comfort.
Leg 112, Port Sudan, Sudan to Am Djarass, Chad
DAY12_12.PLN (4.2 KB)
Exploring around the Nile in Sudan and a cool volcanic site in Chad. There aren’t many landing strips in the deserts, few stops today.
12-12 Port Sudan HSPN 3:47 AM
12-12 Port Sudan HSSP 3:54 AM
12-12 El Bauga HSEX 4:45 AM
12-12 Atbara HSAT 5:17 AM
12-12 Khartoum HSSS 6:19 AM
12-12 Wadi Seidna Air Base HSOM 6:28 AM
12-12 Ed Debba HSDB 7:32 AM Nearly impossible to spot ‘runway’
12-12 Dongola HSDN 8:04 AM
12-12 Umm Kaddadah HSUM 10:10 AM
12-12 Am Djarass FTAJ 11:32 AM Virtual vision landing
Flight time 7:45 9 stops
Departing from Port Sudan
Into the desert towards El Bauga
Familiar views by now, dry rivers, bare mountains, still pretty
And all the patterns otherwise covered up by vegetation
Gold veins, I wish
There is gold here though, Ariab Mining company - Hassai
Hassai Gold Mine, the only gold producing mine in Sudan
The mine has produced over 2.3 million ounces of gold from 18 pits in the area
Atbara, where the Atbarah river joins the Nile
Known as the railway city for its links to the railway industry
Following the Nile upstream
Meroë, ancient city about 4km from the Nile
Pyramids of Meroë
Shendi further up the Nile
Both sides of the Nile are farmland pretty much all the way
Khartoum, the capital of Sudan at the confluence of the White and Blue Nile
The Blue Nile (from the top) starts at lake Tana at Bahir Dar where I was just a few days ago
The White Nile (from behind) comes from Lake Victoria (Uganda side)
Big city with 5.3 million inhabitants, Al-Nilin mosque on tthe right
Strange circles near Al Matammah (not close, closest place with a name)
Giant versions of crop circles perhaps
Older versions are scattered around, can be found at 16°32’15.7"N 31°58’43.7"E
There are smaller same looking versions nearby that definitely look like crop fields
Moving on towards Ed Debba
Which seems to be an alternative name for Al Dabbah
More of the Nile to Dongola
Then followed a 2 hour stretch of desert to get to the volcanic site at Umm Kaddadah
More desert
And more, my crew fell asleep
Approaching Meidob volcanic field North of Umm Kaddadah
Worth the long flight
The volcanic field is formed by overlapping lava flows deep dow
The last eruption was over 4,000 years ago
Volcanic activity began 6.8 million years ago and continued into the Holcene
Malha crater containing a small lake
Umm kaddadah airport, tight landing
There’s actually a much longer dirt strip just behind the camera
Another long flight to the next volcanic fields to the North
That will have to wait until tomorrow, it was pitch black when I arrived in Am Djarass. The runway has no lights but is present in the G1000, ‘instrument’ landing.
Leg 113, Am Djarass, Chad to Al Booster, Gabr, Libya
DAY12_13.PLN (4.5 KB)
More volcanoes to visit, daylight is burning (in Chad)
12-13 Am Djarass FTAJ 3:47 AM
12-13 Fada FTTF 4:26 AM
12-13 Faya-Largeau FTFL 5:12 AM
12-13 Zouar FTTR 6:45 AM
12-13 Zougra FTTZ 7:17 AM
12-13 Matan AS Sarra HL56 8:56 AM
12-13 Kufra HLKF 9:59 AM
12-13 Sarir C-4 HLSA 11:24 AM Runway lights
12-13 Messla HLML 11:34 AM Virtual vision landing
12-13 Gialo HLGO 11:56 AM Drone cam landing visible thanks to glowing textures
12-13 Al Booster (Gabr) HL0N 12:25 AM Virtual vision landing, 27 knot crosswind
Flight time: 8:38 10 stops
Interesting mounts on the way to Fada already
A most likely dried up lake, no water in it on Google
The river leading to it is definitely dry
Fada on the Ennedi Plateau
I’m getting some Star Wars vibes from this town
Emerson Dias Crater, maybe
It’s listed as a night club on Googlemaps with reviews complimenting the music and ambiance
Approaching Faya-Lageau
Flying on towards Zouar
Emi Koussi
11,302 ft high shield volcano
Highest peak in the Sahara
Following the lava flow down the mountain
Tibesti mountains
It’s pretty much the only named thing in the area besides one other volcanic site
Thus more Tibesti mountains (area)
on the way to Zouar
Intimidating wall to fly by
Next to Zouar
Pic Toussidé, 10,712 ft high active volcano
There are no trees/bushes on the sides, the lava flows seem to trick the flora generation algorithm
Crater next to Pic Toussidé
And a smaller one next to the one above
Bardaï-Zougra Airport at NDrali
Heading East through the Tibesti mountains
Omou
More mountains
The terrain changes quick around here
And then the sand took over, long stretch of featureless desert to Matan AS Sarra
Airbase in southernmost Libya
To Kufra
Very red around here
More crop circles on the edge of Al-Jawf (Kufra airport)
Mesmerizing, those are some big records
Kufra Airport at Al Jawf, which averages 2.5 mm of rain annually
An intricate network of pipes connect all the farms
On to Safir while the sun goes down
I continued on in the dark to Gabr, Al Booster Airport. Tomorrow I’ll reach the Mediterranean sea (only to turn back South to follow the Nile through Egypt next)
1 Like
Leg 114, Al Booster, Gabr, Libya to Aswan, Egypt
DAY12_14.PLN (4.5 KB)
That was a pleasant surprise. I didn’t think it would be visible in Egypt but I did get to witness a partial eclipse when the sun went down. So cool.
12-14 Al Booster (Habr) HL0N 3:57 AM
12-14 Al Jaghbub HLAL 4:05 AM
12-14 Habata HE18 4:54 AM
12-14 Sidi Barrani HE40 5:08 AM
12-14 Mersa Matruh HEMM 5:32 AM
12-14 Badr El Din HE11 6:14 AM
12-14 Dakhla HEDK 7:51 AM
12-14 Shark El Oweinat Intl HEOW 8:53 AM
12-14 Wadi Halfa HSSW 9:54 AM
12-14 Abu Simbel HEBL 10:14 AM
12-14 Aswan Intl HESN 11:00 AM
Flight time 7:03 10 stops
First stop Habata Airport, Egypt. Clearly a military air base near the border
Sidi Barani, a bit cloaser to the coats, another military air base
They were very friendly, didn’t mind me landing without announcing myself at all
Mersa Matruh, popular resort town
Also known for Rommel beach and Rommel museum located in caves that served as the German WWII commander’s headquarters.
Pretty place
Well defended too, another air base but also international airport
Heading South to Badr Al Din
Mostly flat but taking a step down here
The step is creating some odd patterns
Badr Al Din is just an oil/gas mining area, on wards to Dakhla
20 knot cross wind pushing my plane at an angle
The desert, either the same for hours or changing every couple minutes
Dakhla, one of the seven oases of Egypt’s Western Desert
Skimming the dunes for a change
No shortage of sand here
Shark El Owainat, looks like an IQ test, find and extend the pattern
Heavily defended farm land
Continuing on to Wadi Halfa
Lake Nubia
It’s dammed at Aswan, about 290 km North-East from here
Wadi Halfa, Sudan, the town is to the left on the shore of Lake Nubia
Port town at the end of a rail line from Khartoum, goods transfer to a boat here
Going downstream or North-East along the lake, check out the sun
At the shore of lake Nubia, something’s happening with the sun
I did not expect to get to see the solar eclipse here!
Partial solar eclipse over Lake Nubia, Egypt
Arriving at Abu Simbel
Known for the Abu Simbel temples, build by King Ramses II 3,000 year ago
Not in the original spot though, relocated in 1968 when the Aswan dam was build
Crossing the Sheikh Zayed Canal for irrigation of the desert
Dark again, last stop incoming
Aswan at the end of lake Nassar, after Aswan high dam it’s simply the Nile again
Aswan also has several historical sites
Qubbet el-Hawa left and Fatamid cemetary right
Tomorrow I’ll be following the Nile to visit the Pyramids.
1 Like