I have lots of family in Nebraska and lots of fond memories driving through Kansas City, Wichita, Salina, and McPherson on the way to/from visiting them, so thank you for this. And Boulder, Colorado always reminds me of the TV show Mork & Mindy. And finally I never get tired of seeing the rain and wet runway effects.
Leg 239, Granby, Colorado via New Mexico to El Paso, Texas, USA
DAY04_17B.PLN (6.2 KB)
I finally decided to fix the date ‘problem’ on my pln files since crossing the date line, hence April 17 has 2 legs. I had a bit of luck with live weather not working at the start of the leg. Lot of mountain crossings in clear skies, no icing, although the actual forecast had it overcast. Sunny pictures this leg.
04-17 Granby Grand KGNB 4:01 PM
04-17 Aspen-Pitkin Co/Sardy Field KASE * 4:38 PM Live weather bugged, cloudy according to the forecast
04-17 Lake Co KLXV 4:55 PM
04-17 Carrera Airpark 93CO 5:13 PM Bumpy, landed at the neighbors airstrip, close together
04-17 City of Colorado Springs Municipal Airport KCOS 5:52 PM PG Area
04-17 Pueblo Meml KPUB 6:07 PM
04-17 Spanish Peaks Airfield 4V1 6:23 PM
04-17 Taos Regl KSKX 7:06 PM
04-17 Santa Fe Muni KSAF 7:30 PM PG Area
04-17 Albuquerque Intl Sunport KABQ 8:24 PM PG Area
04-17 Alexander Mun E80 8:37 PM
04-17 Socorro Mun KONM 8:49 PM
04-17 Spaceport America 9NM9 9:14 PM
04-17 Shoestring Ranch NM79 9:29 PM Las Cruces PG Area
04-17 Las Cruces Intl KLRU 9:40 PM
04-17 El Paso Intl KELP 9:56 PM PG Area
Flight time 5:55 15 stops
First up, flying by Williams Fork Reservoir west of Granby
The Spider Mountain (12,692ft)
Vail Ski Resort featuring over 5,000 acres of skiing trails
Beaver Creek Ski Resort at Beaver Creek
Gold Dust Peak (13,382ft) and Big Lake in Eagle County
Aspen lies to the left along the Roaring Fork River
And off again, into the mountains after a look at Aspen
Aspen, well known very popular ski resort
Mount Oklahoma (13,845ft) in Colorado
Mount Massive (14,428ft) in the Massive Wildreness Area
Antero Reservoir in the distance
Known for the Pikes Peak Hill Climb
Colorado Springs, elevation 6,035ft at the eastern foot of the Rocky Mountains
America the Beautiful Park Fantasy Playground
Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum
Garden of the Gods, Juniper Way Loop
1,300 acres of sandstone formations
East (12,684ft) and West (13,625ft) Spanish Peaks
Culebra Peak (14,059ft) and Red Mountain (12,890ft)
Enchancted Circle Byway at Moly
On its way to the Gulf of Mexico
Back to flying with icing over New Mexico
Cañada de Abeyta (river) down in the gorge
Santa Fe, the capital of New Mexico in the Sangre de Cristo foothills
Santa Fe Plaza (wildly overgrown) and The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi further back
Another shot from the County Clerk’s Office
Continueing over Santa Fe County
Sandoval County
https://i.imgur.com/UsSCLNt.png
Sandia Crest (10,678ft)
https://i.imgur.com/T3UM2jW.png
Imagine living up there! (mostly radio antennas up there)
https://i.imgur.com/Ng5l0S8.png
Albuquerque, New Mexico’s largest city, located in the high desert
https://i.imgur.com/GvsM7zu.png
Albuquerque Tguex Park with the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science (right side)
https://i.imgur.com/Y1eYfcS.png
University Stadium and Isotopes Park (baseball stadium behind)
https://i.imgur.com/gcUxavp.png
Albuquerque Intl Sunport, X means land here?
https://i.imgur.com/VrXoEO0.png
Bernalillo County, following the Rio Grande again
https://i.imgur.com/DuferXK.png
La Joya
https://i.imgur.com/dAKaDuJ.png
Just took off from Socorro Municipal Airport
https://i.imgur.com/t7iENk5.png
Jornada Del Muerto Wilderness Study Area
https://i.imgur.com/xd6vTFe.png
Ladybug Peak (7,457ft) and Middle Peak (5,786ft)
https://i.imgur.com/xitmWG3.png
Mt Baldy and Skillet Knob (7,562ft)
https://i.imgur.com/uhLQmrF.png
Unnamed and unlisted airport along WSMR P Route 6
https://i.imgur.com/yfLehTn.png
Spaceport America
https://i.imgur.com/u2bFuE9.png
Long runway
https://i.imgur.com/KF3cfVL.png
Virgin Galactic gateway to space
https://i.imgur.com/mD3lasu.png
Block Mountain
https://i.imgur.com/zYYGyuA.png
Oñate Mountain (7,090ft)
https://i.imgur.com/VX2LmuO.png
Doña Ana County
https://i.imgur.com/h27ih2C.png
NASA - White Sands Test Facility
https://i.imgur.com/7clII2b.png
https://i.imgur.com/gUNEaHl.png
Shoestring Ranch, admiring the cacti
https://i.imgur.com/MvMgCEH.png
Baylor peak (7,667ft) at Organ
https://i.imgur.com/UEnBO05.png
Las Cruces on the edge of the Chihuahuan Desert
https://i.imgur.com/OpCAXGm.png
Flying over the Las Cruces Cruces Railroad Museum
https://i.imgur.com/LVNJP70.png
Las Cruces Intl
https://i.imgur.com/hdXJyMJ.png
One more hop to El Paso
https://i.imgur.com/ygbDPfc.png
El Paso, Texas in the far western part of the state
https://i.imgur.com/hbBDYVG.png
El Paso Internation Airport
https://i.imgur.com/UHTs0Ln.png
Next leg, Tuscon where the airplane boneyard is and on to explore Arizona.
Leg 240, El Paso, Texas via Arizona to Telluride, Colorado, USA
DAY04_18.PLN (12.2 KB)
Another marathon Sunday leg, pretty much ending back up where I started the weekend. There is so much detail in the US data it will be weird to fly over the more average terrain again. But it will also be nice not to have to look out for all the transitions between PG area and regular data. Color matching remains problematic.
First, a lot to see in this leg featuring Arizona, which always makes me think of Lucky Luke. Beautiful landscapes and a lot of detailed cities to explore.
04-18 El Paso Intl KELP 8:42 AM PG Area
04-18 Dona Ana Co At Santa T KDNA 9:10 AM
04-18 First Aero Squadron Airpark NM09 9:29 AM
04-18 Bisbee Douglas Intl KDUG 10:10 AM
04-18 Sierra Vista Muni Libby Aaf KFHU 10:28 AM
04-18 Tucson Intl KTUS 10:49 AM PG Areas
04-18 Davis Monthan Afb KDMA * 10:54 AM Airplane Boneyard 32°10’19.8"N 110°50’55.5"W
04-18 La Cholla Airpark 57AZ 11:43 AM PG Areas
04-18 El Tiro AZ67 11:54 AM
04-18 Eds Field 20AZ 12:05 PM
04-18 Eds Field 20AZ 2:59 PM
04-18 Coolidge Mun P08 3:06 PM San Tan Valley PG Area
04-18 Williams Gateway KIWA 3:16 PM Mesa PG Area
04-18 Falcon Fld KFFZ 3:26 PM Tempe PG Area Bad Stuttering, long pauses
04-18 Phoenix Sky Hardbor Intl KPHX 3:49 PM PG Area
04-18 Glendale Muni KGEU 4:28 PM Peoria PG Area
04-18 Phoenix Deer Valley KDVT 4:40 PM Carefree PG Area
04-18 Sky Ranch At Carefree 18AZ 4:51 PM Anthem PG Area
04-18 Rio Vista Hills AZ64 5:13 PM
04-18 Wickenburg Mun E25 5:17 PM
04-18 Flying Dare’s Ranch 26AZ 5:25 PM
04-18 Gene Wash Reservoir 5CL7 5:47 PM Lake Hasevu City PG Area
04-18 Lake Havasu City KHII 6:01 PM
04-18 Ford Motor Co Arizona Proving Ground 58AZ 6:12 PM 25 knot headwind
04-18 Bagdad E51 6:42 PM
04-18 Ernest A Love Field KPRC 7:01 PM Prescott PG Area (south)
04-18 Cottonwood P52 7:24 PM
04-18 Sedona KSEZ * 7:36 PM
Bad stuttering, memory increasing, not recovering, end task, restart
04-18 Sedona KSEZ * 7:43 PM
04-18 Flagstaff Pulliam KFLG 7:51 PM PG Area
04-18 Lechee Airport KLEF 8:16 PM Meteor Crater 35°01’37.7"N 111°01’25.4"W
04-18 Winslow-Lindbergh Rgnl KINW 8:22 PM
04-18 Ganado KGAN 8:44 PM
04-18 Sanostee NM27 9:19 PM Unclear runway Shiprock 36°41’16"N, 108°50’11"W
04-18 Shiprock Airstrip 5V5 9:32 PM Cliff Palace - Mesa 37°10’1"N, 108°28’23"W
04-18 Telluride Rgnl KTEX * 10:16 PM
Flight time 10:33 33 stops
Departing from El Paso International Airport early morning
Checking out El Paso, downtown area
El Paso Convention and Performing Art Center
Sun Bowl Stadium, home to the El Paso Miners at The University of Texas
Flying out over Doña Ana County
Sierra Rica, Chihuahua, Mexico just over the border in a corner
Lone Cedar Gap in Hidalgo County. Good movie (Hidalgo) unrelated afaik
Hidalgo county offering some target practive for any aliens out there
Bisbee Douglas International Airport
Some kind of mining operation at Paul Spur, next to Forest, Cochise County, Arizona
The Lavender pit aka Sacramento pit behind Warren in Copper King Canyon
Queen mine (copper mine) in Bisbee
Queen mine on the left, ghost town Bisbee and the Lavender Pit on the right
Landing at Davis Monthan Air Force Base, not the proper way to do it, runway is plenty long
Behind the air force base is the Airplane Boneyard
And works without a hitch, well done Asobo, looks and flies great
On the other side of the airport, Tucson Pima Air & Space Museum
One does not belong in there, hanging out with the big boys
Time to check out downtown Tucson
The colorful wall is from BLX skateboard shop
Tucson is home to the University of Arizona. Arizona Stadium, home to the Arizona Wildcats
On to the next city, flying by San Pedro Vista
Continuing in the afternoon, Coolidge Municipal Airport
Superstition Springs, Mesa, Arizona
Falcon Field Airport, Sim city style square block zoning
Hohokam Stadium, longtime baseball spring training facility for the Oakland A’s
Home to Arizona State University and the Sun Devil Football Stadium
Arizona State University Desert Arboretum Park
Papago Amphitheater along E McDowell Rd on the way to Phoenix
Chase Field, home to Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix
Phoenix Suns Arena, now Talking Stick Resort Arena, still US Airways Center in game
Heard Museum (on the right) along N Central Ave with exhibits devoted to Native American civilizations
Featuring a beautiful collection of Southwestern art as well
State Farm Stadium, Gila River Arena and AMC Westgate 20 movie theater
Big entertainment complex nearby Glendale Municipal Airport
Bellair Golf Club, north side of Phoenix
On to Boulders Carefree in Scottsdale
Leaving the massive urban area behind, flying over Hieroglyphic Mountains
Mericopa County, Wild Horse Tank below
Planet, Arizona on the north bank of the Bill Williams River in La Paz County
Havasu Springs Resort at Parker Dam in the Colorado River
Gene Wash Reservoir and Airport
Lake Havasu City, known as a base for trails in the nearby desert and water sports on Lake Havasu
Bridgewater Links Golf Course and London Bridge
Famous bridge rebuilt after being transported from London in the 1970s
Ford Motor Co Arizona Proving Ground
Granite Mountain Wilderness Arizona
Granite Gardens Park along Hwy 89 to Prescott
Prescott, located in central Arizona
Wildly overgrown Courthouse Plaze with the historic Whiskey Row alongside, Jefferson Park behind
Sedona, desert town near Flagstaff
Sedona Airport, rightfully one of the star airport locations
Beautiful area, Slide Rock State Park
Flagstaff, gateway to the San Francisco Peaks, home to Arizona’s tallest mountain (Humphreys Peak)
Also home to the Northern Arizona University and Walkup Skydome sports complex (big white dome)
Flying over Meteor Crater Natural Landmark
Lechee Airport nearby Meteor Crater
The terrain is getting more rugged
Apache County, some traces of snow left here
Created by the innocent looking Wheatfields Creek
Trouble brewing at Old Sawmill Spring
Not much to see there, on to Ship Rock in the Navajo Volcanic Field
Iconic & religiously significant Navajo Nation monadnock that rises over 1,500 ft into the air
The term monadnock is used by American geologists to describe any isolated mountain formed from the exposure of a harder rock as a result of the erosion of a softer one once surrounding it (a landform termed “inselberg” “island-peak” elsewhere in the world)
Cliff Palace in Fewkes Canyon, Montezuma County
Cliff dwelling built by Ancestral Puebloans from 1190 to 1260
On the other side of the canyon is the Sun temple. Archaeological site of a ceremonial structure thought to be an ancient Pueblo astronomy observatory
Great view of Cliff Palace from the Sun Temple
I decided to go around, running out of light
Telluride, a former Victorian mining town in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains
Final stop at Telluride Regional Airport
Actually makes for a very smooth landing
I decided to park for a change, nicely detailed airport
Next up, heading to the Grand Canyon
Thank you for pointing me to the Richat Structure.
Never heard from this before. But thats ok , Since MSFS 2020 is released, I have already learned more about the beauty and the versatility of our planets surface than in the last 50 years.
I am endless grateful for this experiences, thank you MS/Asobo!
When I am finished with my south americas tour I will went to africa next.
fly safe!
Leg 241, Telluride, Colorado via Utah to Grand Canyon North Entrance, Arizona, USA
DAY04_19.PLN (7.8 KB)
I’ve been to this area a couple times although last time is already 20 years ago. Great to see it all from above, what’s further beyond the scenic lookouts. Terrain quality is a bit of a challenge, height data isn’t all that detailed while shadows are baked in on cliffs. It seems a morning flight would match better in this area. However it still looks amazing, awesome landscape to fly through.
04-19 Telluride Rgnl KTEX * 5:12 PM
04-19 Montrose Rgnl KMTJ 5:28 PM
04-19 Grand Junction Regional KGJT 5:46 PM
04-19 Hendricks Field at West Creek Ranch 63CO 6:05 PM
04-19 Hubbard 9CO3 6:09 PM
04-19 Las Sal Junction 01UT 6:21 PM
04-19 Mineral Strip UT75 6:42 PM
04-19 Happy Canyon UT97 7:01 PM
04-19 Hite UT03 7:12 PM
04-19 Fry Canyon Field UT74 7:30 PM
04-19 A Z Minerals Corporation 03UT 7:51 PM Monument Valley 37°1’13"N, 110°5’33"W
04-19 Eagle Mesa 37°3’3.18" N110°7’4.57"W 8:06 PM
04-19 Monument Valley UT25 8:10 PM
04-19 Oljato 05UT 8:18 PM
04-19 Navajo Mountain 04UT 8:29 PM Lake Powell 37°04’00.2"N 111°14’36.4"W
04-19 Page Muni KPGA 8:41 PM PG Area Glen Canyon Dam 36°56’15"N, 111°29’3"W
04-19 Marble Canyon L41 8:55 PM Navajo Bridge 36°49’3"N, 111°37’53"W
04-19 Bryce Canyon KBCE 9:20 PM Bryce Canyon 37°35’09.9"N 112°11’29.7"W
04-19 Cedar City Rgnl KCDC 9:40 PM Angel’s Landing 37°16’17.6"N 112°56’33.8"W
04-19 Colorado City Mun KAZC 10:01 PM
04-19 Grand Canyon Airport KGRM 10:24 PM
Flight time 5:12 20 stops
Departure from Telluride Airport
First we got to gain some height to get over the mountains
Back and forth gaining altitude
To get by Mears Peak (13,496ft) and Dallas Peak (13,809ft)
Montrose on the other side of the mountains
Mesa County, all highlands, flying at 8,000ft
Grand Junction in Colorado’s Western Slope region, known as the hub of Colorado’s wine country
Also home to Colorado Mesa University
Further over Mesa County, Moores Mining ahead
Landing at Hendricks Field at West Creek Ranch
Hubbard in Trumbull County, Ohio
Coming up on the Colorado River
Winding through Canyonlands National Park
Upheaval Dome, eroded crater, 5 km across, from a prehistoric meteorite impact
Mineral Canyon Strip at Mineral Bottom along the Green River
Taking off again along Tidwell Bottom (right) and Horsethief Bottom (ahead)
The Green River as it flows towards the Colorado River
Above Buttes of the Cross South in the northern reach of Glen Canyon
Hans Flat Ranger station at the junction in the road ahead
Flying over Wayne County, Mt Pennell (11,413ft) on the horizon
Approaching Lake Powell along the Dirty Devil River (Colorado River coming from the left)
Utah State Route 95 crossing the Dirty Devil River
I remember driving that route, amazing
Hite Crossing Bridge, where Route 95 crosses the Colorado River
Hite Crossing Bridge from Hite Overlook, picture I took in the summer of 2000
My attempt at a 270 degree panorama at Hite Overlook from ye old analog pictures
Lake Powell near Hite (behind), Mt Holmes (7,998ft) and Mt Ellesworth (8,245ft) to the right of me
Jacobs Chair (6,808ft) in the Elk Ridge
Fry Canyon Field, further along Utah State Route 95
Tables of the Sun South (7,116ft)
Which joins the San Juan River
Monument Valley near the border with Arizona
Fun gap to fly through in Stagecoach
Landed on Eagle Mesa, a bit bumpy
I would take a closer screenshot but it’s very low res if you get closer
Taking off from Eagle Mesa, completely dwarfs my plane
Taking off to the west, Rock Door Mesa in the distance
Looking back at Monument Valley from Oljato
Oljato Airport, looking towards Arizona
Navajo Mountain (10,387ft) and Navajo Mountain Airport
Back to Lake Powell, the soutwest side
Page in Coconino County, Arizona
Glen Canyon Dam, the end of Lake Powell
Under and over at Navajo Bridge near Marble Canyon Airport
Flying from Marble Canyon to Bryce Canyon
Tropic, in Garfield County, Utah, along Utah Scenic Byway 12
Bryce Canyon, featuring towering spires (hoodoos) & a natural amphitheater
Even more stunning in real life
I’ve got video footage of it from 1998 filmed with a JVC GR-DV1. (first Mini DV camera) Unfortunately it still recorded on (mini) tapes and the mpeg quality has degraded a lot. The resolution was pretty low as well (although better than VHS) hence I went back to analog pictures in 2000. It is a very neat compact camera for the time. Now any cheap cell phone takes better movies!
The sun is getting low, time to hustle
Cedar City, the largest city in Iron County, Utah
Zion National Park, another amazing place
Zion Observation point (on the right), hiked up there in 2000 via Echo Canyon Passage
Angle’s Landing (lower left), hiked up there in 1998, not as high but plenty narrow high ledges to get there
Our view at Angel’s landing from Zion Observation point in 2000
Zion National Park Visitor Center
Rockville, in Washington County, Utah along the Virgin River
Last stop today at an airstrip near North Entrance Station of Grand Canyon National Park
I made it to the Grand Canyon, but will have to wait until tomorrow
Next leg, following the Grand Canyon to Las Vegas
Leg 242, Grand Canyon North Entrance, Arizona via Nevada to South Lake Tahoe, California, USA
DAY04_20.PLN (10.7 KB)
The mighty Grand Canyon. She looks pretty good in game as long as you don’t get too close. Same for Las Vegas and Yosemite. This leg is more retracing my steps from 21 years ago, all very recognizable.
04-20 Grand Canyon Airport KGRM 4:21 PM
04-20 Grand Canyon National Park KGCN 4:34 PM
04-20 Tuweep L50 5:18 PM
04-20 Grand Canyon Bar Ten Airstrip 1Z1 5:25 PM
04-20 Grand Canyon West 1G4 5:42 PM
04-20 Pearce Ferry L25 5:52 PM
04-20 Temple Bar U30 6:01 PM
04-20 Hoover Dam Bridge 36°0’45"N, 114°44’29"W 6:17 PM
04-20 Boulder City KBVU 6:23 PM
04-20 Henderson Executive KHND 6:31 PM
04-20 Mc Carran Intl KLAS 6:37 PM Las Vegas PG Area
04-20 Fremont Street 36°10’14"N, 115°8’37"W 7:06 PM
04-20 North Las Vegas KVGT 7:15 PM
04-20 Indian Springs AF Aux KINS 7:31 PM
04-20 Desert Rock NV65 7:38 PM
04-20 ■■■■■■■ U75 7:48 PM
04-20 Stove Pipe Wells L09 8:01 PM Death Valley 36°36’53.7"N 117°06’47.4"W
04-20 Chicken Strip KLOO 8:18 PM
04-20 Bishop KBIH 8:35 PM
04-20 Mammoth Yosemite KMMH 8:48 PM
04-20 Lee Vining O24 8:58 PM Mono Lake 37°59’51.1"N 119°02’17.6"W
Yosemite Black Bears 37°54’15"N, 119°15’27"W Not home
Half Dome 37°44’41"N, 119°32’5"W
Yosemite El Capitan 37°43’58"N, 119°38’11"W
04-20 Mariposa-Yosemite KMPI 9:37 PM
04-20 Modesto City-Co-Harry Sham Fld KMOD 9:55 PM PG Area
Manteca 37°47’17"N, 121°13’59"W PG Area
04-20 Stockton Metropolitan KSCK 10:10 PM PG Area
04-20 Lodi 1O3 10:24 PM PG Area
04-20 Sacramento Executive KSAC 10:32 PM PG Area
04-20 Yolo County KDWA 10:45 PM PG Area
04-20 Sacramento Intl KSMF 10:51 PM PG Area
04-20 Swansboro Country 01CL 11:08 PM Bad Stuttering, memory increasing
04-20 Lake Tahoe KTVL 11:27 PM Memory back down
Flight time 7:06 29 stops
Approaching the Grand Canyon from the North Entrance
Flying out over her along Buddha Temple
Point Sublime visible in the other direction
Grand Canyon Village along the South Rim
Two shots from my trip back in 2000
Making a quick stop at Grand Canyon National Park Airport
Back to the canyon to explore down below, descending along Plateau Point
Looks pretty rough down there, heading back up at Salt Creek
Stopping by Tuweep Airport down below
Tuweep Airport in Broad Canyon
Aeroportul Grand Canyon Bar 10 / Webbs Ranch Landing Strip
Iverson Tank below, tiny dried up lake
Where the Grand Canyon Skywalk is
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Terrain quality is really bad here, hence not much of the dam in the picture
Mike O’Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge on the other side
I had to land on it of course, very busy bridge
Boulder City Municipal Airport
Seven Hills, a master-planned community approximately 7 miles from the Las Vegas Strip
McCarran International Airport
Flying along the Las Vegas Strip starting at the Mandalay Bay
Bellagio with the awesome fountains and Paris
Water conservation not all that high on the list there, the funtains consume about 12 million gallons of water a year and cost between 300K and 400K per month to operate.
Bellagio Fountain combined with Tiesto
Treasure Island where a pirate ship sunk in the Sirens of Ti free show (show stopped end 2013)
In front the Mirage Volcano, still erupting fire but less frequently nowadays
Sirens of Treasure Island
Mirage Volcano
Circus Circus Hotel and Casino which includes the largest permanent circus in the world
My favorite Las Vegas movie has great scenes there, Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas
The STRAT Hotel with some daring thrill rides at the top
Freemont Street with the world’s largest video screen build overtop
Makes for a decent runway as well!
Viva Vision Imagine Dragons at Freemont Street
Nearby is or rather was the Star Trek Experience in the Las Vegas Hilton. It wasn’t that big yet in 2000 but well made. It got a major renovation in 2004 which added the Borg invasion 4D-attraction but then it closed in 2008 and never re-opened (lost the license)
Now to get back in the air was pretty tricky
Avoid the building across the street
Made it, climbing out of El Cortez Hotel and Casino
Indian Springs Air Force Base
https://i.imgur.com/zxn6DF1.png
Desert Rock Airport
https://i.imgur.com/HcKDRBe.png
Amargosa Valley
https://i.imgur.com/ZP3JPgJ.png
Death Valley with the Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes
https://i.imgur.com/g9USIoM.png
Tbh it was a bit underwhelming in person, same in the air. It was really hot there though.
https://i.imgur.com/Gdk9lSW.png
Cottonwood Marble Canyon
https://i.imgur.com/Ow8XqoV.png
Grandstand Nature Preserve
https://i.imgur.com/FvoNh3u.png
Waucoba Mountain (11,128ft)
https://i.imgur.com/wOq2Mlg.png
Bishop located near the northern end of the Owens Valley
https://i.imgur.com/KPkz2lR.png
Bad form stopping in the intersection
https://i.imgur.com/BBTQKmf.png
Aspen Springs on Lake Crowley
https://i.imgur.com/xcs0vVP.png
Mono Lake, an ancient saline soda lake located at the eastern edge of the Sierra Nevada
https://i.imgur.com/7kAkr8J.png
Formed at least 760,000 years ago as a terminal lake in an endorheic basin
https://i.imgur.com/ZK6mCDp.png
Flying over Mount Dana (13,061ft)
https://i.imgur.com/pPV6aTG.png
Into Yosemite National Park
https://i.imgur.com/aytfS7U.png
Half Dome (8,839ft)
https://i.imgur.com/YinhvZM.png
A granite dome at the eastern end of Yosemite Valley
https://i.imgur.com/5gOhumD.png
El Capitan (7,569ft) located on the north side of Yosemite Valley
https://i.imgur.com/LPnME7T.png
Popular objective for rock climbers, and featured in the opening of Star Trek V
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PRxN-KNqLs
Mariposa-Yosemite Airport
https://i.imgur.com/pCoX9Z1.png
Modesto City-Co-Harry Sham Fld behind Modesto Air Products & Chemicals Inc
https://i.imgur.com/VJkxEML.png
Modesto, largest city of Stanislaus County, California
https://i.imgur.com/zxmFaa6.png
Salida along the Golden State Hwy 99
https://i.imgur.com/vykICUq.png
Manteca further on the way to Stockton
https://i.imgur.com/jChmiM6.png
Stockton on the San Joaquin River, in California’s Central Valley
https://i.imgur.com/bUezsj3.png
Banner Island Ballpark and Stockton Arena at McLeod Lake
https://i.imgur.com/iiKtx1C.png
Lodi in the center portion of California’s Central Valley
https://i.imgur.com/RJvbdAI.png
Landing at Sacramento Executive Airport
https://i.imgur.com/zkfUREv.png
Sacramento, the capital of California (I always thought it was San Francisco)
https://i.imgur.com/2dgozdN.png
Golden 1 Center before the new Arena was build (construction began end 2014)
https://i.imgur.com/l1QFf6P.png
Pretty consistent, all the NA PG data seems to be from 2014
California State Capitol and Court of Appeal on the left
https://i.imgur.com/hzpup7o.png
Sacramento Tower Bridge of the Sacramento River
https://i.imgur.com/slpFroe.png
Sacramento International Airport
https://i.imgur.com/XoNUJUg.png
Flying by McClellan Airport and the smaller Rio Linda Airport
https://i.imgur.com/1Jguptk.png
Folsom in front of Folsom Lake, home to Folsom State Prison
https://i.imgur.com/JxNxqxx.png
Opened in 1880, Folsom is the state’s second-oldest prison after San Quentin
Folsom Prison Blues
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0_SJ2e9Dbc8
Flying over Dark Canyon, well named
https://i.imgur.com/lI86Ts6.png
Following Silver Creek up towards Lake Tahoe
https://i.imgur.com/Esxh1Ez.png
Lincoln Valley Reservoir
https://i.imgur.com/LbJVQiL.png
Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, straddling the border of California and Nevada
https://i.imgur.com/UiP4i5z.png
Final stop today at Lake Tahoe Airport
https://i.imgur.com/X0LMk5S.png
More of California tomorrow. There are close to 60 PG areas in California. It feels like half the game content is in the USA and 25% of that is in California. I’ll be heading a bit north first then along the coast to San Francisco.
Leg 243, South Lake Tahoe, California via Oregon to Santa Rosa, California, USA
DAY04_21.PLN (13.5 KB)
A loop through Oregon, pretty quiet state with some nice vistas.
04-21 Lake Tahoe KTVL 4:01 PM Grass Lake - Black Bears 38°47’41"N, 119°58’27"W
04-21 Minden-Tahoe KMEV 4:12 PM
04-21 Carson KCXP 4:19 PM PG Area Lake Tahoe - Seagulls 39°14’21"N, 120°3’28"W
04-21 Truckee-Tahoe KTRK 4:34 PM Seagull marker disappears when getting within 3nm
04-21 Reno/Tahoe Intl KRNO 4:51 PM PG Area
04-21 Reno/Stead KRTS 4:59 PM
04-21 Bodad Airstrip CA11 5:11 PM Bodad - Black Bears 40°4’1"N, 120°15’29"W
04-21 Herlong H37 5:19 PM
04-21 Empire 18NV 5:37 PM Fly Geyser 40°51’33"N, 119°19’57"W
04-21 Sulfur NV41 5:55 PM
04-21 Winnemucca Muni KWMC 6:12 PM
04-21 Battle Mountain KBAM 6:29 PM
Betze-post pit (Nevada) 40°58’29.5"N 116°21’18.8"W
04-21 Stevens-Crosby 08U 6:58 PM
04-21 Elko KELF 7:01 PM
04-21 Elko KELG 7:06 PM
04-21 Owyhee 10U 7:13 PM
04-21 J-Lazy-M Ranch ID04 7:32 PM
04-21 Rome Service Airport 0OR6 7:44 PM
04-21 Roaring Springs Ranch OR10 8:07 PM
04-21 Lake Co KLKV 8:30 PM
04-21 Tulelake Mun O81 8:46 PM Lava Beds National Monument 41°46’29.7"N 121°30’24.2"W
04-21 Longbell Ranch 2CL3 9:00 PM
04-21 Dunsmuir Muni-Mott 1O6 9:12 PM
04-21 Tews Field CA53 Redding 9:30 PM PG Area Bump in runway
04-21 Redding Muni KRDD 9:39 PM
04-21 Chico Muni KCIC 10:01 PM PG Area
04-21 Paradise Skypark CA92 10:12 PM Orville Dam 39°32’4.01"N, 121°29’11"W buggy lake
04-21 Oroville Mun KOVE 10:21 PM
04-21 Sutter County O52 10:32 PM PG Area
04-21 Yuba County KMYV 10:34 PM
04-21 Colusa Co O08 10:43 PM
04-21 Antelope Valley Ranch 4CL3 10:52 PM
04-21 Ukiah Muni KUKI 11:07 PM Bad Stuttering, might be the night lighting
04-21 Boonville D83 11:13 PM Memory increading, bad fps, reduce terrain to 10
04-21 Lofty Redwoods 53CL 11:21 PM
04-21 Ocean Ridge E55 11:25 PM Memory recovered, smooth again, terrain back to 100
04-21 The Sea Ranch CA51 11:29 PM
04-21 Charles M Schulz-Sonoma Coun KSTS 11:44 PM
Flight time 7:43 37 stops
First a little backtracking to visit the bears at Grass Lake
Then to Minden-Tahoe Airport east of Lake Tahoe
Carson City, the capital of Nevada, named after the mountain man Kit Carson
Carson Nugget and the Nevada State Museum
The well hidden Nevada State Capitol (left) and Supreme Court of Nevada (middle)
Reno, known as “The Biggest Little City in the World”
Also known for its casinos, here the El Dorado, Silver Legacy and Circus Circus Reno
Greater Nevada Field, home of the Reno Aces
More black bears here in a pretty little valley
Pyramid Lake in Paiute Reservation
Flying towards Gerlach, Kumiva Peak (8,237ft) to the right
Dry Lake Bed at the Black Rock Desert where the annual Burning Man festival is held
Also known as Fly Ranch Geyser, a small geothermal geyser
Hycroft Mine, mining Gold and Silver deposits
Flying by Sonoma Peak (9,396ft)
Gold Strike Complex with Betze-Post Open Pit and Meikle and Rodeo underground mines
Unfortunately the pit has no height data, filled in MSFS
Landing at Tulelake Municipal Airport
Desert wilderness park with volcanic features, 700+ caves and Native American rock art
Potentially active volcano at the southern end of the Cascade Range in Siskiyou County, California
Turning to land at Dunsmuir Municipal-Mott Airport
Located along I-5 in Siskiyou County
https://i.imgur.com/mg6K8aG.png
Castle Crags State Park
https://i.imgur.com/j00jwmb.png
Shasta Lake
https://i.imgur.com/ummvUQi.png
Created by Shasta Dam, 602f high, curved gravity dam
https://i.imgur.com/6zjw7Ta.png
Shasta Lake (city) formerly known as Central Valley or CV
https://i.imgur.com/x56oyJ0.png
Redding on the Sacramento River, Sundial Bridge below
https://i.imgur.com/k5xpKNh.png
Redding, northern California
https://i.imgur.com/VGBJPvg.png
California State University, Chico
https://i.imgur.com/hYSC9QU.png
Landing at Paradise Skypark
https://i.imgur.com/ZwmfZ7H.png
Oroville Dam, 770-foot-tall artificial embankment on Lake Oroville considered the tallest in the U.S.
https://i.imgur.com/WUb7bcT.png
Yuba City on the Feather River
https://i.imgur.com/MnIpTuj.png
Sutter County Airport
https://i.imgur.com/YShYaZE.png
Caldwell Hills
https://i.imgur.com/warDDdk.png
Colusa County Airport
https://i.imgur.com/I7aDLDv.png
Sunset over Colusa County
https://i.imgur.com/26PdPk1.png
Blue Lakes at The Narrows
https://i.imgur.com/4skfXMm.png
Ukiah, largest city of Mendocino County, California
https://i.imgur.com/E3vMhr3.png
Boonville, getting close to the Pacific Ocean
https://i.imgur.com/Y8SlP0e.png
Ocean Ridge Airport
https://i.imgur.com/MECzapY.png
Green Cove Harbor Seal Rookery
https://i.imgur.com/D1UQh9R.png
Where seals hang out on the rocks
https://i.imgur.com/36eKmld.png
Approaching Windsor in Sonoma County
https://i.imgur.com/IFmFTwz.png
Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport
https://i.imgur.com/V1DBmOF.png
Part of Santa Rosa, California
https://i.imgur.com/bzxmH1g.png
Final stop today, not far from San Francisco
https://i.imgur.com/kU1eEw4.png
Next leg, exploring San Francisco and San Jose.
Leg 244, Santa Rosa via San Francisco to Three Rivers, California, USA
DAY04_22.PLN (9.2 KB)
A lot of detailed scenery to explore in California, it will take a couple days to through this state. This leg San Francisco and San Jose and a bit of the coast down to Hearst Castle. Average speed down to 75 knots per nautical mile (as the crow flies) due to all the circling and looking for places. So much to see.
04-22 Charles M Schulz-Sonoma Coun KSTS 4:25 PM Agua Caliente PG Area 38°18’28"N, 122°29’16"W
04-22 Napa Co KAPC 4:39 PM
04-22 Travis Afb KSUU 4:47 PM PG Area
04-22 Funny Farm 4CA2 5:00 PM Antioch Concord PG Areas
04-22 Buchanan Field KCCR 5:28 PM Richmond PG Area 37°56’18", 122°20’37"W
04-22 San Rafael CA35 5:43 PM
Golden gate Bridge 37°49’09.5"N 122°28’42.7"W
Alcatraz 37°49’37"N, 122°25’23"W
04-22 Metropolitan Oakland Intl KOAK 7:17 PM Casto Valley PG Area 37°42’28"N, 122°5’13"W
04-22 Hayward Executive KHWD 7:25 PM
04-22 San Francisco Intl KSFO * 7:34 PM Foster City PG Area 37°33’40"N, 122°17’6"W
04-22 San Carlos KSQL 7:47 PM Fremont PG Area 37°33’10"N, 121°59’42"W
04-22 Moffett Federal Afld KNUQ 8:02 PM
04-22 Mineta San Jose Intl KSJC 8:10 PM Runway tears, earthquake!
04-22 Reid-Hillview Of Santa Clara C KRHV 8:22 PM San Jose PG Area
Los Gatos PG Area 37°14’51"N, 121°57’50"W
04-22 Bonny Doon Village CL77 8:37 PM
Terrible stuttering, memory out of control, end task, restart
04-22 Bonny Doon Village CL77 8:44 PM Santa Cruz PG Area 36°57’49"N, 122°1’23"W
04-22 Monterey Bay Academy CA66 8:58 PM
04-22 Salinas Muni KSNS 9:07 PM PG Area
04-22 Monterey Rgnl KMRY 9:14 PM Bixby Creek Bridge 36°22’17"N, 121°54’7"W
04-22 Hearst Ranch KCAM 9:41 PM Hearst Castle 35°41’07.4"N 121°10’07.6"W
04-22 San Ardo CA88 9:52 PM
04-22 Mendota M90 10:12 PM
04-22 Madera Muni KMAE 10:21 PM PG Area
04-22 Fresno Yosemite Intl KFAT 10:36 PM PG Area
04-22 Selma 0Q4 10:43 PM PG Area
Reedley PG Area 36°35’46"N, 119°27’25"W
04-22 Sequoia D86 10:52 PM
04-22 Three Rivers KTHR 11:03 PM
Flight time 6:31 24 stops
Departure from Santa Rosa in the fog, flying over Historic Railroad Square
Galvin Park, luckily it was just some low hanging clouds
Sonoma at the heart of the renowned Sonoma Valley winemaking region
Called Agua Caliente PG Area (Fetters Hot Springs-Agua Caliente, CA) in game
Napa County, known for hundreds of hillside vineyards in the Napa Valley wine region
Solano Town Center (the name of the mall)
Solano County, taking green energy seriously
They don’t rotate quite in sync, more like a wave to fly through at the right speed
Funny Farm Airport on Penny Lane (it’s real)
Antioch waterpark behind Deer Valley High School
Schools are so big here with an amphitheater and all
Pittsburg Power Plant on Suisun Bay
Preparing to land at Buchanan Field Airport in Concord
West Wind Solano Drive-In next to the airport, what genius planted a tree in front of the screen
Pinole in Contra Costa County on San Pablo Bay
Modern day castles, Richmond Hilltop Mall
Taking off from San Rafael Airport
To finally head to the Golden Gate Bridge, seen here from Battery Spencer
Fort Baker 19th-century concrete battery, now offering views of the Golden Gate Bridge
The only place where you can fly under the bridge (Conzelman rd) without getting swatted down
You can’t fly through the pillars either and landing on the road makes you hover 10 ft above the deck
Beautiful bridge, but not that suitable for stunt flying
The notorious Alcatraz, maximum security prison from 1934 to 1963, Al Capone among one of the first to serve time there. Museum site since 1986, attracting some 1.5 million visitors annually.
San Francisco seen from Pier 45, known for its 2 World War II-era vessels (USS Pampanito sank…)
Behind lies the well known Pier 39 where tourists and sea lions like to hang out
Zooming through the Financial District
The straight ones offer much better entertainment, Bullitt 1968
Flying over Dragon’s Gate, marking the entrance to the city’s iconic Chinatown neighborhood
The Painted Ladies on Steiner st at Alamo Square Park, a row of Victorian houses
well-known for appearances on movies, TV shows & postcards
Checking out the coast line at Lands End
Seal Rock Beach on the left and USS San Francisco Memorial middle, Point Lobos on the right
Sutro Tower, can’t miss it, on Mount Sutro, used by TV & radio stations
Crossing the Oakland Bay Bridge
No problems following this bridge, except for the tunnel part
Continuing after Yerba Buena Island
To the other side of San Francisco Bay
South Prescott, harbor area in Oakland
A favorite location in Mythbusters and locale for the epic finale of the series
Metropoliton Oakland International Airport
And San Francisco International Airport
Flying out over the terminal, pretty quiet down there
Stanford University, founded in 1885
Approaching Moffet Field Airport, Googleplex global HQ of Google at the tip of my right wing
National Full-Scale Aerodynamics Complex at Ames Research Center
California’s Great America Amusement Park
https://i.imgur.com/uPA2xBR.png
Levi’s Stadium in the background, home of the San Francisco 49ers
San José, Silicon Valley’s largest city
https://i.imgur.com/vJcVfBa.png
Flying past The Tech Interactive (purple dome)
https://i.imgur.com/kmUMTeJ.png
San José City Hall in front of San José State University
https://i.imgur.com/BsYWc3D.png
Next heading to the coast via Joe Colla Interchange
https://i.imgur.com/4o8tuuN.png
W Valley Fwy in Los Gatos
https://i.imgur.com/NGEOZYb.png
Vasona Reservoir
https://i.imgur.com/9lahqGg.png
Santa Cruz Beach, very foggy here
https://i.imgur.com/B7lBs2Q.png
Monterey Bay Academy Airport
https://i.imgur.com/Nkz6ku5.png
Salinas in Monterey County
https://i.imgur.com/04vGQzY.png
Castle Rock Viewpoint and Bixbie Creek Bridge
https://i.imgur.com/cEP9MJS.png
This is more how I remember the coast
https://i.imgur.com/HfUO74A.png
It looks a bit better from higher up, following the Cabrillo Hwy
https://i.imgur.com/einnA7t.png
Through Monterey County
https://i.imgur.com/lblWzuX.png
At Salmon Creek Falls
https://i.imgur.com/imn9NbP.png
Landing at Hearst Ranch Airport
https://i.imgur.com/4yX0AAU.png
Hearst Castle, build by William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951) Businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician with a net worth of 3.1 billion at the time, and featured in Citizen Kane (as Charles Foster Kane)
https://i.imgur.com/NpLdebL.png
Build between 1919 and 1947, National Historic Landmark and museum
https://i.imgur.com/KYLKixf.jpg
San Benito Mountain Research Natural Area
https://i.imgur.com/fGgbXf2.png
Fresno County
https://i.imgur.com/k2i3Znp.png
From hills to farms
https://i.imgur.com/jeQzs3h.png
Madera Speedway
https://i.imgur.com/4ILzTqw.png
Fresno Chukchansi Park, home of the Fresno Grizzlies
https://i.imgur.com/tRzb3Dt.png
The Big Fresno Fair, hosting the Central Valley’s largest annual event
https://i.imgur.com/1Ngah7U.png
Sunset at Fresno Yosemite International Airport
https://i.imgur.com/Atje89b.png
Cought another glimpse of the setting sun while climbing out of Fresno
https://i.imgur.com/TaYDiCL.png
Selma in Fresno County
https://i.imgur.com/TzgvCTT.png
Reedley on the Kings River
https://i.imgur.com/7KLV97H.png
Final destination this leg, Three Rivers Airport
https://i.imgur.com/uDXmRO5.png
Grass strip along a road, works as runway lighting as well
https://i.imgur.com/sLWYKVM.png
The stars are out, continue tomorrow
https://i.imgur.com/s33Za8W.png
Next leg, a quick visit to Sequoia National Park the making my way towards Los Angeles.
Wow that’s the first time I’ve seen a drive-in theater! I’ll have to see if I can find some of my local ones. Also I’ve heard the Fresno city hall has an interesting shape like an alien space ship.
It’s actually a double screen theater there, you can see the parking spaces lined up for the other screen in the picture. If you park at the right place you can each watch a different movie! I flew by a couple other ones yet this one had the best captured screen, despite the tree in front of it. No clue what’s up with the trees, they grow out of bridges, ships, cranes, I’m pretty sure I don’t have an apocalypse mod installed!
Fresno city hall looks interesting, not as wild as Walt Disney Concert Hall I flew by today. The Greater Los Angeles area is all PG area, it doesn’t seem to end! It’s a completely different game there, so much detail. I’ll post the leg tomorrow.
These flights over PG data a very demanding, so much to look at. No autopilot climb to 2,500 ft, as I usually do, and watch the screensaver go by while browsing google maps. My laptop held out, barely, couple very long pauses where I though the game had locked up but it struggled through all that data. (Pausing to take screenshots helps a lot to keep it alive) My data usage for this month already sits at 243 GiB, mostly from California.
Same for greater San Diego where I live, it’s eerie seeing all my local stores, schools, etc.
San Diego is coming up soon, any places I should visit? I made it to Oceanside to today, will be heading to Palm Springs first before San Diego.
I’ve been to San Diego before, San Diego Zoo is amazing, or was, I was there back in 2000. I saw Chicken Run there in the theaters, so must have been end June, early July, 2000. Sea world has probably change a lot since I was there. I saw today that there’s a whole extra theme park next to Disneyland.
This was the view from our hotel in San Diego back then
No luck placing it anywhere with Google Maps, probably all changed
Yup, Disney California Adventure opened around 2002 or so. As for San Diego there’s La Jolla Cove with the Children’s Pool (albeit more for seal children than human children these days) and breakwater, the USS Midway museum (retired WWII aircraft carrier), Miramar air base (former home of Top Gun), Coronado Bridge and the Hotel Del Coronado, Belmont Park on Mission Beach with the Giant Dipper roller coaster, Petco Park (Padres baseball stadium), Qualcomm Stadium (former Chargers football stadium), Balboa Park near the zoo, and San Diego State University. In general there is so much variety of microclimates (coast, valleys, mountains, and deserts) packed in a relatively small area. And if you keep going east from there, the Salton Sea isn’t too far away.
Also looks like you’re along Ash St between India St and Columbia St, which would place you at the Best Western Plus Bayside Inn, looking west, over the Mission Federal Credit Union and towards the Embarcadero and Wyndham Hotel.
Yes! I was looking one street too close to the bay. That little red roof sticking out is Ruth’s Chris Steak House. It did change a bit, the tennis court is gone. I got all the places converted to coordinates, will check em out when I fly by.
When we first got to San Diego (started our tour there in '98, visited again in 2000) us ignorant Europeans had never heard of North South designations for streets, or rather that they each start numbering from 0 again. We couldn’t find our hotel, right number, completely on the wrong side of town!
Great city, I’ll be back one day showing my kids around.
Leg 245, Three Rivers via Los Angeles to Oceanside, California, USA
DAY04_23.PLN (12.6 KB)
Another day in California, exploring the Greater Los Angeles Area. It’s all a continuous PG area, flying over this ocean of building for hours really drives home how many people there are. Sure you see it on maps, and I’ve actually driven through the area before. Yet seeing it like this from the air is different, buildings to the horizon which ever way you look.
The Greater Los Angeles Area has 18.7 million people. Far less than Tokyo-Yokohama (38.5 million) yet there a lot is auto gen buildings which don’t convey the same feeling of endless variation. Or rather, autogen buildings don’t draw as much attention and you fly much higher over them. To see all the detail in the Greater Los Angeles area I was at 1,000ft above the terrain at most.
04-23 Three Rivers KTHR 9:45 AM Sequoia National Park
General Sherman Tree 36°34’53.8"N 118°45’05.3"W
04-23 Sequoia Ranch CA44 10:08 AM
04-23 Exeter O63 10:19 AM
04-23 Visalia Muni KVIS 10:29 AM PG Area
04-23 Hanford Muni KHJO 10:36 AM PG Area
04-23 Salyer Farms 24CL 10:43 AM
04-23 Porterville Mun KPTV 10:55 AM PG Area
04-23 Kern Valley L05 11:11 AM Lake Isabella - Seagulls 35°39’22"N, 118°28’2"W
04-23 Bakersfield Muni L45 11:35 AM PG Area
1:50
04-23 Bakersfield Muni L45 5:17 PM
04-23 Taft-Kern Co L17 5:25 PM
04-23 7R Ranch CL25 5:31 PM
04-23 Santa Barbara Muni KSBA 5:45 PM Runway Tears PG Area
04-23 Point Bennett Research Station KLOP 6:12 PM
04-23 Ranger Station KBUE 6:15 PM
04-23 Bechers Bay Airstrip KISS 6:22 PM
04-23 Christy Airstrip CA97 6:30 PM
04-23 Oxnard KOXR 6:44 PM PG Area
04-23 Point Muga Nas (Naval Base Ven KNTD 6:50 PM
Simi Valley PG Area 34°15’12"N, 118°46’28"W
Santa Clarita PG Area 34°26’31"N, 118°32’6"W
04-23 Skyotee Ranch CL74 7:24 PM Willow Springs racetrack 34°52’23.0"N 118°15’50.0"W
04-23 Rosamond L00 7:33 PM
04-23 Lancaster KLAT 7:40 PM Unclear runway, bumpy terrain PG Area
04-23 Palmdale USAF Plant 42 KPMD 7:43 PM PG Area
04-23 San Gabriel Valley KEMT 7:59 PM Runway tear, flipped plane PG Area
Downtown LA PG Area 34°3’4"N, 118°15’36"W
Glendale PG Area 34°8’56"N, 118°15’27"W
Hollywood PG Area 34°8’1"N, 118°19’20"W
Universal Studios 34°08’15.8"N 118°21’06.7"W
04-23 Bob Hope KBUR 8:47 PM
04-23 Van Nuys KVNY 8:52 PM
04-23 Santa Monica Muni KSMO 9:05 PM PG Area
04-23 Los Angeles Intl KLAX * 9:10 PM Inglewood PG Area 33°57’17"N, 118°20’17"W
04-23 Jack Northrop Field/Hawthorne KHHR 9:13 PM PG Area
04-23 Zamperini Field KTOA 9:23 PM Longbeach PG Area 33°45’33"N, 118°11’37"W
04-23 Long Beach/Daugherty Field/ KLGB 9:40 PM Downey PG Area 33°56’15"N, 118°7’30"W
La Habra PG Area 33°55’47"N, 117°56’44"W
04-23 Fullerton Muni KFUL 9:45 PM Disneyland Anaheim PG Area 33°48’45.3"N 117°55’08.4"W
Santa Ana PG Area 33°44’57"N, 117°52’24"W
04-23 John Wayne Airport-Orange County KSNA 10:02 PM
04-23 Catalina KAVX 10:16 PM
04-23 San Clemente Island NALF KNUC 10:27 PM
04-23 Bob Maxwell Memorial Airfield KOKB 10:51 PM
Flight time 7:24 34 stops
I snuck in a couple hours in the morning, departure from Three River
To check out Sequoia National Park
Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks
There in the middle is the General Sherman Tree
From the other side, General Sherman Tree Car Park above the tree
General Sherman Tree, just under 275ft tall, one of the tallest trees in the world
By volume, it is the largest known living single-stem tree on Earth, estimated to be around 2,300 to 2,700 years old. Cowboy James Wolverton, discovered the tree on August 7, 1879 and named it after the Civil War general under whom he served.
Flying a bit further into Sequoia National Park in Tulare County
Springville, preparing for a 180 degree turn to land at Sequoia Ranch behind me
College of the Sequoias at Visalia
Porterville in the San Joaquin Valley
Lake Isabella in the southern Sierra Nevada
I managed to chase it with the drone while pausing the plane
Still not easy to follow, reducing sim rate helps (Fauna slows down too unlike traffic)
Then suddenly a whole flock appeared
Things not to do in real life, with a lot of pausing not to quickly overshoot the birds
Flying with the birds is nice, except I’m actually moving nearly 100 mph faster
Definitely not the view you want to see in a real plane
Enough bird watching, on to Bakersfield, the country music capital of the West Coast
Home of country music singers Merle Haggard (1937-2016) and Buck Owens (1929-2006)
Flying into Los Padres National Forest
Over the Santa Ynez Mountains to Santa Barbara
La Playa Field on Leadbetter Beach in Santa Barbara
The pier (behind) is unfortunately mostly under water
US 101 overpass at N Calle Cesar Chavez
Flying out to the islands on the coast, San Miguel island
Caliche Forest on San Miguel Island
Home to Cabrillo Monument, the Portugese navigator who discovered California in 1542
Santa Cruz Island, Channel Islands National Park
Landing at Christie strip on Santa Cruz Island
Back to the mainland, landing at Oxnard Airport
Oxnard, a seaside city west of Los Angeles
Simi Valley in the southeast corner of Ventura County
Over the Ronald Reagan Fwy at Topo Canyon rd
Six Flags Magic Mountain at Santa Clarita
Following Bouquet Creek up into Bouquet Canyon
Willow Springs International Raceway, just over 50 miles north of LA
Approaching Pasadena
https://i.imgur.com/7OO1ve4.png
Descending back into the metropolitan ocean, San Gabriel Valley
https://i.imgur.com/C3cz7XI.png
San Gabriel Valley Airport
https://i.imgur.com/aIksdH6.png
Remember to always wear a seat belt, runway tears flipped my plane upside down after touch down
https://i.imgur.com/1FhZ46X.png
The whole ground shifts up an down while the terrain tiles get updated
Monteray Pass Rd, heading for Los Angeles
https://i.imgur.com/IUIcXL1.png
Crossing the Los Angeles River, the Terminator 2 vibes are strong
https://i.imgur.com/jOjhcFP.png
Walt Disney Concert Hall, downtown LA
https://i.imgur.com/EMUwMK0.png
Los Angeles Central Library between the sky scrapers
https://i.imgur.com/2NzuZod.png
1000 Grand by Windsor construction at Los Angeles S Grand Ave - W Olympic Boulevard
https://i.imgur.com/jySX43L.png
Opened 2015, another indication data is from 2014 at the latest
STAPLES Center, hosts LA teams, the Lakers, Clippers, Kings & Sparks
https://i.imgur.com/CtXvo7Z.png
L.A. Live behind, massive entertainment complex featuring a theater & The Grammy Museum
Elysian Heights
https://i.imgur.com/FgEi4t3.png
On top of Mount Lee, since 1923
https://i.imgur.com/Cs7dtVi.png
Hollywood Reservoir
https://i.imgur.com/8ieAZ4y.png
Hollywood Boulevard, Chinese Theater on the left as well as the Walk Of Fame
https://i.imgur.com/WH8mqQB.png
I watched a movie there once, it wasn’t all that good, the theater made up for it. Beautiful theater
Hollywood Boulevard at N Highland Ave
https://i.imgur.com/LcokLys.png
Another chance to date the data, when was that combination of billboard up
Back along Hollywood reservoir
https://i.imgur.com/HClfl4c.png
To Universal Studios Hollywood
https://i.imgur.com/iXObXJ9.png
We got drenched there in the Jurassic park ride (replaced 2018) then warmed up at Backdraft (replaced 2010). The park has changed a lot, 1998, 2021
Crossing the San Diego Freeway
https://i.imgur.com/w5Zg9PC.png
To Santa Monica, Pacific Park on Santa Monica Pier down below
https://i.imgur.com/xqpCVSf.png
Unfortunately the rest of the pier is under water
Santa Monica at Broadway and (end of) Promenade, Muscle Beach (Venice Beach) in the distance
https://i.imgur.com/pfCmJin.png
Looking down Ocean Ave along Santa Monica Beach
https://i.imgur.com/9Hbphg6.png
Santa Monica Municipal Airport
https://i.imgur.com/TZmTOaX.png
Los Angeles International Airport
https://i.imgur.com/pK0SktH.png
Even with ground traffic at 10 my laptop can barely handle all the details
https://i.imgur.com/x2tS2WO.png
Los Angeles Southwest College along Glenn Anderson Fwy
https://i.imgur.com/HtyohlD.png
Making a loop around Lunada Bay
https://i.imgur.com/0U9fQYN.png
Terminal Island at Long Beach
https://i.imgur.com/kqgGGvU.png
Long Beach, RMS Queen Mary is moored in Queensway Bay, a museum/restaurant since 1930
https://i.imgur.com/o9sdmC0.png
Sadly overgrown by trees in the game
https://i.imgur.com/q9KKgiu.png
Fullerton Municipal Airport
https://i.imgur.com/OeqhI7K.png
Disneyland Anaheim, the original, opened July 17, 1955
https://i.imgur.com/AkGYlxA.png
And directly behind it, new to me, Disney California Adventure Park
https://i.imgur.com/g0iF2LS.png
Santa Ana River, at first I thought that transition was a glitch, it’s real
https://i.imgur.com/IGoEann.png
Most of the river has been replaced by concrete, some parts are turned into parks again
https://i.imgur.com/46AETba.png
John Wayne Airport-Orange County
https://i.imgur.com/6015SlD.png
Newport Center
https://i.imgur.com/ejuYx3q.png
Escaping the urban sprawl to enjoy the sunset on the way to Santa Catalina Island
https://i.imgur.com/21OkrSU.png
Catalina Airport
https://i.imgur.com/9LwOQ4T.png
San Clemente Island
https://i.imgur.com/giF3K5P.png
Arriving back at the mainland after sunset, already very dark under the clouds
https://i.imgur.com/EX7OxDL.png
Last stop this leg, Bob Maxwell Memorial Airfield
https://i.imgur.com/Sle79kD.png
More of California next leg, Palm Springs and San Diego up next.
Leg 246, Oceanside, California, USA to Isla Natividad, Baja California Sur, México
DAY04_24.PLN (15.7 KB)
Visiting Palm Springs and San Diego this leg, then on to Mexico. San Diego was great to visit again, another huge PG Area and thanks to @bwc1976 I had a great itinerary of places to visit. The area is not quite at the level of London photogrammetry, yet it’s vast. Then you get to the Mexico border and all detail abruptly ends. It’s a digital as well as physical border, big contrast.
Since it was full moon I kept on flying into the night, long itinerary this leg.
04-24 Bob Maxwell Memorial Airfield KOKB 4:58 PM Oceanside PG Area
04-24 Fallbrook Community L18 5:08 PM Temecula PG Area
04-24 French Valley F70 5:19 PM
04-24 Pines Airpark 8CA5 5:22 PM Unclear runway
04-24 Perris Valley L65 5:27 PM PG Area
04-24 March Arb KRIV 5:31 PM Moreno Valley PG Area
04-24 Riverside Muni KRAL 5:39 PM PG Area
04-24 Ontario Intl KONT 5:47 PM PG Area
04-24 Rialto Mun/Miro L67 5:55 PM San Bernardino PG Area
04-24 San Bernardino Intl KSBD 6:03 PM
04-24 Redlands Muni KREI 6:06 PM Yucaipa PG Area 34°2’12"N, 117°3’4"W
04-24 Banning Muni KBNG 6:13 PM
04-24 Palm Springs Intl KPSP 6:32 PM PG Area
Desert Hot Springs PG Area 33°57’54"N, 116°30’57"W
04-24 Yucca Valley L22 6:48 PM
04-24 Twentynine Palms KTNP 6:59 PM Joshua Tree Natl Park 33°51’54.8"N 115°54’20.8"W
04-24 Desert Air Sky Ranch 63CA 7:18 PM
04-24 Salton Sea KSAS 7:26 PM
04-24 Ocotillo L90 7:33 PM
04-24 Hunt’s Sky Ranch 04CL 7:42 PM
04-24 Gillespie Field KSEE 8:01 PM
04-24 Miramar MCAS KNKX 8:07 PM Former Top Gun HQ
04-24 Montgomery-Gibbs Executive KMYF 8:10 PM
04-24 San Dieogo Intl KSAN 8:29 PM PG Area Sea World, San Diego Zoo
La Jolla Cove 32°51’01.2"N 117°16’22.0"W
USS Midway Museum (aircraft carrier) 32°42’49.5"N 117°10’31.5"W
Coronado Bridge 32°41’21.5"N 117°09’11.6"W
Hotel del Coronado 32°40’47.7"N 117°10’45.8"W
Belmont Park Giant Dipper 32°46’16.3"N 117°15’02.9"W
Petco Park stadium 32°42’26.7"N 117°09’25.6"W
Qualcomm Stadium 32°46’59.3"N 117°07’10.7"W
Balboa Park (San Dieogo Zoo) 32°44’03.8"N 117°08’40.9"W
San Diego State University 32°46’31.5"N 117°04’16.5"W
04-24 Imperial Beach Nolf (Ream Fld) KNRS 9:13 PM
04-24 Gen Abelardo L Rodriguez Intl MMTJ 9:24 PM
04-24 Reider Ranch CA75 9:33 PM
04-24 Jacumba L78 9:42 PM
04-24 Calexico Intl KCXL 9:55 PM
04-24 Yucatan Airstrip MXFD 10:04 PM
04-24 Yuma MCAS / Yuma Intl KNYL 10:18 PM PG Area
04-24 Wellton KWEO 10:30 PM
04-24 Ajo Mun P01 10:52 PM
04-24 Sonoyta MXTC 11:11 PM
04-24 Aduana de Sonoyta Airstrip MMWX 11:19 PM
04-24 Mar de Cortes Intl AMC 11:32 PM Crater 31°50’44.1"N 113°23’30.1"W
04-25 Golfo de Santa Clara MMHM 12:04 AM
04-25 San Felipe Intl MMSF 12:23 AM
04-25 Meling Ranch Airstrip MMEM 12:44 AM
04-25 Rancho Magana MMFI 12:55 AM
04-25 Lorenzos de Baja MMRZ 12:59 AM
04-25 Los Pinos MMOE 1:04 AM
04-25 El Socorrito MMOB 1:08 AM 149nm next 19 knot headwind
04-25 Airport Isla Duadalupe MMGD 2:04 AM 173nm next 17 knot tailwind
04-25 Isla Natividad Airstrip MMBS 3:02 AM CTD on end flight
Flight time 10:04 43 stops
Departure from Bob Maxwell Memorial Airfield
A look at Oceanside by daylight, here at Oceanside Fishing Pier
Carlsbad Power Plant further down the coast
Heading insland, Fallbrook Community Airport
Temecula in southwestern Riverside County
Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula
Turning to land at French Valley Airport
Perris, Riverside County, California
Casa Blanca, formerly known as Blanca, now an annexed neighborhood of Riverside
The Santa Ana River is rather full here
Ontario International Airport
I live in Ontario, CA as well, except this is Ontario, CA, USA
San Bernardino connected to Fontana with Rialto in the middle
San Bardardino History and Railroad Museum
Redlands Municipal Airport ahead
There are a lot of windmills there (3,218 units operational) but not this close together!
View from Riverside County on the way to Palm Springs
Palm Springs in the Sonoran Desert of southern California
Cathedral City, flying over the Whitewater River
Palm Desert a bit further along the river, in California’s Coachella Valley
Water from the Colorado river keeps this desert oasis going via the 123-mile Coachella Canal
Twentynine Palms in San Bernardino County
Desert park with geologic wonders & signature Joshua trees
The two pictures on the right are my own, first time I saw a Coyote
We have Coyotes up here (Ontario) as well, never seen them but you can hear them howl sometimes and warnings to look after your pets are common in late fall. Red foxes are easier to see. My wife had a staring contest with one just yesterday. He came up from the riverbank while she was gardening, prompting a serenade of ‘What does the fox say’
Flying back towards the coast over San Diego County, the landlocked Salton Sea on the horizon
Approaching Gillespie Field, El Cajon
Riverview Farms, Winter Gardens
Landing at Miramar MCAS, home of TOPGUN (US Navy Fighter Weapons School) until 1996
Flying along Scripps Coastal Reserve
La Jolla Cove, popular with divers and seals
The Giant Dipper at Belmont Park
Who doesn’t love a good wooden rollercoaster
Sea world, can’t miss it. Flying by the high dive
San Diego International Airport
Flying over San Diego Santa Fe Depot, W Broadway on the right
USS Midway Museum. The USS Midway is the longest-serving aircraft carrier in the 20th century (1945-1992) named after the Battle of Midway of June 1942. The ship missed WW2 by one week.
Too much ‘clutter’ on the deck to attempt a landing, a low pass will do, one plane does not belong
Petco Park, home to the San Diego Padres. Convention Center behind along the shore
Hotel Del Coronado along Coronado Beach. The curved Coronado bridge connects the island
The world famous San Diego Zoo (opened 1916) in Balboa Park
Balboa Naval Medical Center visible behind
Murphy Canyon next to Qualcomm Stadium
SDCCU stadium opened in 1967 as San Diego Stadium, was known as Jack Murphy Stadium from 1981 to 1997, then Qualcomm Stadium until 2017. It closed 2019, being replaced with the new Aztec Stadium
It’s not half demolished in the game, half covered with trees, still fully standing
San Diego State University, nice amphitheatre
Chollas Lake Park next to Hwy 94
https://i.imgur.com/ukcekFd.png
Crossing the Sweetwater river on the way to the border
https://i.imgur.com/gHtyRe9.png
International Gateway of the Americas, US-Mexico border crossing at the Tijuana river
https://i.imgur.com/59Sr1jA.png
Tijuana border city on the other side in Mexico
Gen Abelardo L Rodriguez International Airport in Tijuana along the border
https://i.imgur.com/RwimUv5.png
Flying over Jacumba Wilderness Area while following the border inland
https://i.imgur.com/4iVNDLU.png
A long road with a fence marks the border
https://i.imgur.com/nUTEGIt.png
Acueducto Río Colorado Tijuana
https://i.imgur.com/ygNiOCd.png
Celexico International Airport next to Mexicali
https://i.imgur.com/1IE3U50.png
Mexicali, the capital city of the state of Baja California in northern Mexico
https://i.imgur.com/MwCm6zv.png
Catedral de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe
https://i.imgur.com/ug5gCQE.png
Monumento La Ciudad que Capturó el Sol (“The city whose sky captured the sun”)
https://i.imgur.com/yL8hIC1.png
Vicente Guerrero Park on the right
Yuma, Arizona, Yuma Territorial Prison Park below
https://i.imgur.com/ssoiUHg.png
Ocean to Ocean Highway Bridge and a look at the accommodations inside the 1876 prison
https://i.imgur.com/DyQZcWJ.png
Ligurta, Arizona
https://i.imgur.com/sXOhG8r.png
Barry M Goldwater Air Force Range
https://i.imgur.com/aSQ2LQ7.png
New Cornelia Mine at Ajo, Pima County, Arizona
https://i.imgur.com/R7zENr0.png
Sonoyta, Sonora, Mexico
https://i.imgur.com/A3CYhJm.png
Rocky Point, Sonora, flying to the Gulf of California
https://i.imgur.com/Zl8pIFg.png
But first back inland a bit to visit Reserva de la Biosfera El Pinacate y Gran Desierto de Altar
https://i.imgur.com/jyI3nS3.png
Cráter El Elegante
https://i.imgur.com/soxHRnV.png
Cerro Picacho del Diablo (10.157ft) the highest peak on the Baja California peninsula
https://i.imgur.com/9EeUfOF.png
Meling Ranch in Ensenada
https://i.imgur.com/fHqXM3V.png
Santo Domingo, Baja California, Mexico
https://i.imgur.com/UlbE8zy.png
Isla Duadalupe in the North Pacific Ocean
https://i.imgur.com/jnIFd9C.png
Where you can swim with sharks
https://i.imgur.com/PLxVjYS.png
Final stop today at Isla Natividad
https://i.imgur.com/Yl5YI1A.png
Next leg, further into Mexico.
Thanks for the great views! I don’t often get a chance to play during the daytime here, so I end up “chasing daylight” in other parts of the world. Maybe that will change in the summer. Gillespie Field is actually my local airport where I’d be taking lessons for real if I could, and Winter Gardens is where my wife grew up.
Chasing daylight will be a problem for the last part of my trip, flying in my own timezone. Actually the shape of South America already pushes me into my own timezone reducing the daylight hours I can fly in. I’ll improvise.
It was the same problem when my wife and I played World of Warcraft. It is (or was) tied to real time day/night cycle. Since we only played in the evening I only know the game as the eternal nighttime world of warcraft.
Leg 247, Isla Natividad, Baja California Sur to Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, México
DAY04_25.PLN (12.5 KB)
A very relaxing leg over a variety of desert and mountains. Mexico is a lot bigger than I previously though it was and I never really knew about the terrain apart from desert. There is a lot of desert, yet also plenty mountainous terrain.
04-25 Isla Natividad Airstrip MMBS 12:15 PM
04-25 Bahia Tortugas Airfield MMBI 12:21 PM
04-25 Bahia Asuncion Airstrip MMBH 12:39 PM
04-25 Rancho San Cristobal Airstrip MMEL 1:02 PM
04-25 Cadeje Airstrip MMMU 1:21 PM
04-25 Mulege MXNG 1:40 PM
04-25 Mulege MXNF 1:47 PM
04-25 Punta Chivato MXND 1:52 PM
04-25 San Marcos Airstrip MMST 1:56 PM
04-25 San Lucas Militaty Airstrip MMSR 2:01 PM
04-25 San Ignacio Downtown Airstrip CYD 2:18 PM
04-25 San Ignacio 1 MM26 2:20 PM
04-25 Vizcaino MMEE 2:31 PM
04-25 Rancho El Caracol Airfield MMEI 2:33 PM
04-25 El Barril MMVT 2:54 PM
2:39
04-25 El Barril MMVT 4:47 PM
04-25 Punta San Francisquito Airstrip MMSU 4:50 PM
04-25 Bahia de Kino MXCA 5:08 PM
04-25 Bahia de Kino MMBA 5:15 PM
04-25 El Socorro MMZN 5:30 PM
04-25 Sahuaripa MMSH 6:17 PM Bumpy Runway
04-25 Col Alamillo MXMC 6:47 PM
04-25 Bodegas Generales del Campo MMKD 7:10 PM
04-25 Campo Diez MMBP 7:15 PM
04-25 Gen Div P A Roberto Fierro Vil MMCU 7:33 PM
04-25 Santo Nino MXDG 7:50 PM
04-25 Minera La Perla MMHD 8:12 PM
04-25 Los Novillos MMHL 8:34 PM
04-25 Laguna Del Rey MM82 8:54 PM
04-25 Cuatro Cienegas New MM64 9:22 PM
04-25 Monclova Intl MMMV 9:34 PM
04-25 San Roberto MMLK 9:49 PM Virtual vision landing
04-25 San Manolo MMQJ 9:53 PM Virtual vision landing
04-25 La Pitaya MMRE 9:58 PM Drone cam landing
04-25 Quetzalcoatl Intl MMNL 10:22 PM
Flight time 8:14 33 stops
First getting back on the peninsula at La Lobera, La Lobera Baja California Sur
Salina el Cuarenta Seasonal Lake
Very dry on Baja California peninsula
San Ignacio, a palm oasis town in Mulegé Municipality
El Barril on the Gulf of California
Isla Turón on the way to the mainland, crossing the Gulf of California
Landing at El Socorro Airport, La Habana, Sonora
Until Mazatán in the center of the Mexican state of Sonora
The mountains are getting more rugged in Madera Municipality
Gómez Farías Municipality, Chihuahua state
Chihuahua, capital of Chihuahua state
The Metropolitan Cathedral of Chihuahua can be found here
Palacio de Gobierno features beautiful artworks and the Grutas Nombre de Dios is a popular attraction
Volcanic landscape at San Juan de las Maravillas
My night light is already out Ocampo Municipality
It will be dark soon, I’m heading east as well, accelerating the sunset
Cuatro Ciénegas Municipality, radiation fog appearing
Last glimpse of the sun, moving behind the mountain in a minute
Cuatro Cienegas in the northern Mexican state of Coahuila
Still bright enough to keep going
Nuevo Laredo on the banks of the Rio Grande, across from the American city of the same name
Final stop today, Quetzalcoatl International Airport
Reyes Meza Museum looks great in Nuevo Laredo and it’s free admission as well
Next leg, exploring the border area here, then south along the Gulf of Mexico