Leg 127, Ganja, Azerbaian via Georgia to Levokumskoye, Russia
DAY12_27.PLN (13.9 KB)
The Caucasus mountains are breathtaking to fly through, nicely detailed on the Georgian side. The sun setting slowly helped of course. Quite a difference compered to the fast sunsets near the equator. Plenty time to find the best place for screenshots during golden hour.
12-27 Gyandzha UBBG 3:06 AM
12-27 Tanrykulular UBGO 3:17 AM
12-27 Yevlakh UBEE 3:24 AM
12-27 Aghdas UBAG 3:32 AM
12-27 Bygyr UBGE 3:39 AM
12-27 Kyurdamir UB14 3:59 AM
12-27 Kazi Magomed UBHA 4:04 AM
12-27 Karachala UBQA 4:12 AM
12-27 Pirsagat UBQB 4:21 AM
12-27 Sangachaly Air Base UBQO 4:31 AM
12-27 Baku Lokbatan UBGY 4:39 AM
12-27 Baku Kala Air Base UB18 4:50 AM
12-27 Heydar Aliyev UBBB 4:57 AM
12-27 Zabrat UBZA 5:01 AM
12-27 Nasosnaya UB12 5:11 AM
12-27 Sital Chay UBSU 5:17 AM
12-27 Khachmas Airfield UBXA 5:36 AM Runway?
12-27 Uytash URML 6:08 AM
12-27 Makhachkala-1 Airfield UKYA 6:16 AM
12-27 Kizilyurt UKIL 6:28 AM
12-27 Severny URMG 6:49 AM
12-27 Magas URMS 7:00 AM
12-27 Beslan URMO 7:08 AM
12-27 Gizel’ UGIZ 7:16 AM
12-27 Mestia Queen Tamar UGMS 7:56 AM
12-27 Tqvarch’eli UGTQ 8:17 AM
12-27 Pskhu UGST 8:37 AM
12-27 Sochi URSS 8:58 AM
12-27 Psebay UPSS 9:22 AM Drone cam landing
12-27 Krasnyy Kurgan ULRH 9:51 AM Drone cam landing
12-27 Yessentuki URME 10:00 AM Runway lights
12-27 Mineralnyye Vody URMM 10:06 AM Drone cam landing
12-27 Levokumka ULEV 10:11 AM Drone cam landing hard to spot
12-27 Aleksandriyskaya UALS 10:14 AM Drone cam landing
12-27 Zelenokumsk UZEN 10:23 AM Drone cam landing
12-27 Zelenokumsk UZEL 10:26 AM Drone cam landing
12-27 Budyonnovsk Air Base UBUD 10:36 AM Virtual vision landing
12-27 Kalininskiy Airfield UBUE 10:40 AM Virtual vision landing short runway
12-27 Levokumskoye ULEK 10:51 AM Drone cam landing
Flight time 7:45 38 stops
A lot of airports (or rather air strips) today. Good thing because the first part through Azerbaijan was marred with bad textures while the Caspian Sea has a bad elevation bug (drop) along the shore showing a crack in the middle.
After a bunch of short hops, Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan
The water level isn’t supposed to be that low, must be a leak somewhere
Heydar Aliyev International Airport at Baku
Baku has some very modern designs, here the fame towers
and Heydar Aliyev center with unique art pieces
More unique art throughout Icherisheher, the walled old city in Baku
More ancient treasures like the Atashgah Zoroastrian Fire Temple
Once used as a Hindu & Zoroastrian place of worship and in Zelda games
Near Khachmas, it’s hazy today
Makhachkala, previously known as Petrovskoye, and Petrovsk-Port, the capital and largest city of the Republic of Dagestan in Russia
Oddly the ships still ‘float’ at the correct height, above the water, creating a stretched reflection
View of the city and statue of Makhach Dakhadayev, the city father
Approaching Kizilyurt, in the foothills of the Caucasus mountains
Kizilyurt on the Sulak river
A bit of forest near Dzhalka
Grozny, the capital city of Chechnya, Russia
Imposing towers down town
National Museum of the Chechen Republic
Gizel’, there is a ‘runway’ in the picture
Over here
Time to take on the Caucasus mountains, steep climb, 2000 fpm
Near Tseyskiy Gosudarstvennyy Prirodnyy Zakaznik
Meaning Tseyskiy State Nature Reserve
Alaniya National Park
Flying to Dykh-Tau mountain peak at Kabardino-Balkarskiy Vysokogornyy Gosudarstvennyy Zapovednik
Or Kabardino-Balkarian High Mountain State Reserve
Dykh-Tau is the second highest in the Caucasus, 17,077 ft
Glacier in front of Dykh-Tau joining the glacier coming down in front of Gistola mountain
View from Gistola mountain down the glacier
Approaching Queen Tamar Airport, close to Mestia, Georgia
Amazing place to land
Mysterious place as well
Snow coverage is working beautifully here
Flying out over Zemo Svaneti Planned National Park
The Georgian alphabet is pretty nice ზემო სვანეთის გეგმარებითი ეროვნული პარკი
Another cool place to land, Tqvarch’eli
Near Sakeni, along the Sakeni river
To the right Даутский государственный природный заповедник
Dout State Nature Reserve
Ahead ფსხუ-გუმისთის სახელმწიფო ნაკრძალი
Pskhu-Gumista Nature Reserve
Beautiful in all directions
Golden hour plus snow cover data, quite a spectacle
On the ground at Pskhu, almost out of the snow
Ritsa Relict National Park
Psou river
Sunset at Adler on the Black Sea
Which is next to Sochi, Sochi Airport
Sochi was host of the Winter Olympic games in 2014
The Olympic park is situated in Adler
Heading back over the mountains over Krasnaya Polyana
Psebay, back on the Northern side of the Caucasus mountains
Following the Reka Urup for a bit, Reka means river
Peshchera Fallosov can be found along the river, meaning ■■■■■■■ cave
Mount Elbrus to the right on the horizon, very visible all the way here
Elbrus is the highest mountain in Europe at 18,510 ft
Yessentuki, leaving the mountains behind
Last stop today at Levokumskoye Airport, a little North of the rural locality Levokumskoye
Nearly full moon, I wonder if there are any Caspian Sea Wolves out here…
