Cool. I am doing a similar project. Also in the Bonanza, but IFR. From Cebu, Philippines to Zurich, Switzerland. Currently, I’m in India. Flying as low as it’s reasonable, but with increased sim rates over boring areas.
I’ve also started using sim rate to manage exploration better. I usually slow it down in PG Areas to have plenty of time to find the interesting views (and give the sim time to catch up resolving the area), then speed it up while flying over empty terrain or in the clouds to catch back up to real time.
I always fly with live weather, which only works when it matches with the right time yet half an hour earlier or later doesn’t really matter. Live weather is not that accurate. The times I write down are in EST but not always exactly matching my local time. Sometimes I quit a bit sooner, sometimes later when running behind sim time. (Sim time also starts falling behind on its own in areas with lots of stuttering)
It makes things easier to manage. ‘Bank’ some time ahead, set sim rate to 1/4 and do groceries while the plane crawls over a body of water. Same when something comes up, pause, simrate to 1/4, then go at 2x speed where possible to catch back up later. I’ve done so many landings, landing at 2x speed goes very smooth now.
All these PG areas in the USA make me fall behind all the time though, it’s an effort to catch back up to real time. Yet much better than rushing by the interesting parts.
Good luck on your journey!
Leg 310, Quincy, Illinois via Missouri and Kentucky to Chapmansboro, Tennessee, USA
DAY06_27.PLN (9.2 KB)
A lot of wind today, more rain as well, but visibility wasn’t too bad. 5 more PG areas today, smaller ones, 8.5 GiB of data streamed on this leg.
06-27 Mt Sterling Mun I63 7:05 AM
06-27 Greater Beardstown K06 7:12 AM
06-27 Abraham Lincoln Capital KSPI 7:27 AM Springfield PG Area 39°48’3"N 89°38’56"W
06-27 Bock Farms 3LS7 7:43 AM
06-27 Roy Burden Rla 2LL3 7:49 AM Unclear runway
06-27 Hooterville 7IS3 7:55 AM
06-27 John Scharff 33IL 8:00 AM
06-27 Niklaus Rla IS26 8:07 AM
06-27 Oink Acres 17LL 8:11 AM Champaign PG Area 40°6’3"N 88°14’8"W
06-27 Mayhall 5LL3 8:42 AM 26 knot headwind
06-27 Mattoon Airport KNAR 8:55 AM
06-27 Vandalia Mun KVLA 9:16 AM
06-27 Silver Creek 3IL1 9:28 AM
06-27 St Louis Rgnl KALN 9:36 AM
06-27 Lambert-St Louis Intl KSTL 9:45 AM St Louis PG Area 38°37’33"N 90°11’24"W
06-27 St Louis Downtown KCPS 10:16 AM
06-27 Lindauer 83LL 10:26 AM
06-27 Sparta Community-Hunter KSAR 10:31 AM
06-27 Southern Illinois KMDH 10:47 AM Carbondale PG Area
06-27 Veterans Airport of Southern I KMWA 10:59 AM Marion PG Area
06-27 Vienna KVIN 11:13 AM
06-27 Kentucky Dam State Park M34 11:25 AM
06-27 Lake Barkley State Park 1M9 11:44 AM
06-27 Sabre Aaf (Ft Campbell) KEOD 11:55 AM
06-27 Whifferdill TN77 12:08 PM
Flight time 5:03 24 stops
Starting at Mt Sterling, the weather and light look almost identical to yesterday, except it’s morning now
La Moine River joining the Illinois River
Greater Beardstown Airport-K06 in Cass County, Illinois
Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport in Springfield, Illinois
Abraham Lincoln lived in Springfield from 1844 to 1861 before becoming the 16th president
Springfield, the capitol of Illinois, lit by lightning
Illinois State Capitol Building
Pinnacle Club Lounge at the top floor of 700E Adams St
Old State Capitol and Union Square Park further back
Union Station (rail museum) at Union Square Park
Leaving Springfield via Pillsbury district
Hooterville Airport-7IS3 at Hallsville
Clinton Lake, IL. I found a Clinton Lake before in Kansas
Clinton Lake State Recreation Area
Arriving in Champaign at Kraft Foods
Boney Creek running through Midtown parks
University of Illinois Armory (stadium) with military recruiting offices, scholarships and enrollment
Zuppke Field at Memorial Stadium and State Farm Center behind
Robert Zuppk was the University of Illinois head football coach from 1913 to 1941
Detention Basin (reservoir) at Healey St, looks like Champaign can use some rain
Orpheum Children’s Science Museum in a former vaudeville theater
Crystal Lake Park Family Aquatic Center and the Champaign County Fair
Continuing on over Bowdre Township
Richland Township, Lake Shelbyville in the distance
Landing at Vandalia Municipal Airport
Wood River (town) along the Mississippi River in Madison County
Edward Ted and Pat Jones-Confluence Point State Park
Where the Missouri River joins the Mississippi River
Landing at Lambert-St Louis International Airport
St Louis, Missouri at Grand Blvd and Sullivan Ave
The Dome at America’s Center, home stadium of the St. Louis Rams
The Gateway Arch, 1965 630-foot tall monument representing a door to the western part of the country
Old Courthouse where former slave Dred Scott (1799-1858) sued for freedom (unsuccessfully)
A landmark decision in 1857 of the US Supreme Court in which the Court held that the US Constitution was not meant to include American citizenship for black people, regardless of whether they were enslaved or free, The decision inflamed the national debate over slavery and deepened the divide that ultimately led to the Civil War in 1865.
Following the ruling, the Chaffees deeded the Scott family to Taylor Blow, who manumitted them on May 26, 1857. Scott worked as a porter in a St. Louis hotel, but his freedom was short-lived; he died from tuberculosis, but at least his wife and two daughters lived on in freedom.
Busch Stadium, red-brick ballpark, home of the St. Louis Cardinals
Enterprise Center, hosting ice hokey and other sports and Stifel Theatre (opera house)
St Louis Aquarium at Union Station
Alton & Southern Railway Co on the way to the airport
Landing at St Louis Downtown Airport with Gateway Grizzlies baseball club on my right
World Shooting and Recreational Complex at Shotgun Lake
I had no clue what this was from the air, it’s nearly 5km long!
Sparta Community-Hunter Airport
Carbondale in Jackson County, Illinois
Home to Southern Illinois University
Which in turn is home to Saluki Stadium and Banterra Center next to Campus Lake
Evergreen Park at Carbondale Reservoir
Marion, county seat of Williamson County. Here at W Deyoung St and Civic Cir Blvd (mall)
Downtown, only 17,000 people here
A dispersed urban area that developed out of the early 20th-century coal fields
Vienna Airport, Pope County, Illinois
Actually much closer to Glendale, 18km from Vienna
Bay City on the Ohio River, the border with Kentucky
Kentucky Dam State Park Airport
Kentucky Dam, holding back the Tennessee River and Kentucky Lake
Next to it, Barkley Dam, holding back the Cumberland River and Lake Barkley
Lake Barkley at the smaller Energy Lake
Winn Materials at Clarksville, Tennessee on the Cumberland River
Final stop today in Cheatham County
Next to Dyson Ditch Wildlife Refuge
Looks like a nice place to stay overnight. Tomorrow on to Nashville.
Leg 311, Chapmansboro, Tennessee via Kentucky to Fort Wayne, Indiana, USA
DAY06_28.PLN (10.7 KB)
Three very photogenic cities today, Nashville, Louisville and Indianapolis, all with their own character. Fort Wayne looks pretty good as well. PG data is wonderful, another 10.6 GiB streamed this leg.
06-28 Whifferdill TN77 6:51 AM
06-28 John C Tune KJWN 6:59 AM Nashville PG Area
06-28 Nashville Intl KBNA 7:41 AM
06-28 Lebanon Mun M54 7:52 AM
06-28 Jackson County 1A7 8:11 AM Dale Hollow Dam 36°32’13.9"N 85°27’04.4"W
06-28 Hollow Regional 44I 8:25 AM Wolf Creek Dam 36°52’06.1"N 85°08’49.3"W
06-28 Russel County K24 8:35 AM
06-28 Taylor Co KAAS 8:46 AM
06-28 Addington KEKX 9:01 AM
06-28 Vine Grove 70KY 9:05 AM Fort Knox 37°52’60"N 85°57’55"W
06-28 Godman Aaf KFTK 9:09 AM
06-28 Louisville Intl-Standiford Fie KSDF 9:21 AM Louisville PG Area
06-28 Calrk Rgnl KJVY 9:55 AM
06-28 Salem Mun I83 10:04 AM
06-28 Grissom Mun KBFR 10:12 AM Monroe Lake Dam 39°00’30.7"N 86°30’41.7"W
06-28 Monroe County KBMG 10:20 AM
06-28 Kenstin Manor 24IN 10:28 AM
06-28 Zupancic Field 9IN7 10:31 AM
06-28 Twelve Oaks II87 10:34 AM
06-28 Kay Air 20II 10:39 AM
06-28 Indianapolis Intl KIND 10:44 AM Indianapolis PG Area 39°46’21"N 86°9’38"W
06-28 Indianapolis Motor Speedway 39°47’41.66" N86°14’20.23"W 10:52 AM
06-28 Indianapolis Metropolitan KUMP 11:19 AM
06-28 Sheridan 5I4 11:28 AM
06-28 Indian Hills Flying Field 2II0 11:36 AM Kokomo PG Area 40°28’30"N 86°7’40"W
06-28 Kokomo Mun KOKK 11:41 AM
06-28 Wabash Mun KIWH 11:50 AM
06-28 Beck Pvt II14 11:57 AM
06-28 Homestead 29IN 12:02 PM Fort Wayne 41°3’21"N 85°16’8"W
06-28 Fort Wayne Intl KFWA 12:31 PM
Flight time 5:38 29 stops
The sun is up already, time to go
First stop at John C Tune Airport-Jwn on the Cumberland River
Arriving in Nashville, the capital of Tennessee
Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum and St Mary of the Seven Sorrows built in the 1840s
Fort Nashboro, 1780 log-cabin outpost, the foundation of Nashville on the Cumberland River
Nissan Stadium on the other side of the river, John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge on the left
John Seigenthaler Pedestrian Bridge with a view of Fort Nashboro
vXchnge - Data Center - Nashville
Bridgestone Arena, home to the NHL’s Nashville Predators
Music City Center, convention center next to Bridgestone Arena
Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, flying down Rep. John Lewis Way S
Ryman Auditorium, known as the “Mother Church of Country Music”
In front, Honky Tonk Highway on Broadway
Honky Tonk Highway, open until 3am with live music
Charles Hawkins Field and Vanderbilt Dudley Field
Looping back to down town over Vanderbilt University
333 Commerce St aka The Bat Building (617ft)
And on to Music Valley northeast of Nashville
Home to the landmark Grand Ole Opry House
hosts live radio shows featuring both country music greats and new acts
The show that made country music famous. Emanating from Nashville, TN since 1925
Garden Conservatory at the Gaylord Opryland
Heading to Nashville International Airport over the Cumberland River
Nashville International Airport
J Percy Priest Dam Site and Reservoir
Landing at Jackson County Airport on the Cumberland River
Dale Hollow Dam Recreation Area at Dry Branch (the river)
Named Spring Creek Airport on Google
Very pretty approach over Spring Creek
Wolf Creek Dam holding back the Cumberland River
Fort Knox next to Godman AAF
depository for storage of precious metal bullion & valuable items of foreign governments
Fort Knox is considered the most heavily guarded place in the world
Only Goldfinger ever attempted to break into Fort Knox
Godman AAF right next to Fort Knox
Landing at Louisville International Airport aka Standiford Field
Standiford Field was built by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1941
Taking off again to visit Louisville, Kentucky’s largest city, on the Ohio River
Kentucky Kingdom & Hurricane Bay amusement park
Cardinal Stadium at the Howard Schnellenberger Football Complex
Churchill Downs, home to the Kentucky Derby
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=044JvFK2ds0
Heading downtown, Ohio River ahead
https://i.imgur.com/6UWYvEt.png
University of Louisville, home to The Speed Art Museum
https://i.imgur.com/SH442Yb.png
Downtown at W Jefferson St
https://i.imgur.com/PA6T03l.png
Belle of Louisville Riverboats and KFC Yum! Center
https://i.imgur.com/2bN1cGp.png
Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory
https://i.imgur.com/lDuiSLG.png
120ft long bat, replica of Babe Ruth’s bat, placed here in 1995
https://i.imgur.com/QsiB7b9.png
The bat is signed by Buf Hillerich who made the first Louisville Slugger bat in 1884
Kentucky International Convention Center and Diane’s Louisville on Starks Building, Vue at 3rd (left)
https://i.imgur.com/HTXOLjL.png
https://styleblueprint.com/louisville/everyday/hometown-heroes-dedicated-louisvilles-greatest/
Louisville Slugger Field, home of minor-league baseball’s Louisville Bats
https://i.imgur.com/7t2SgKk.png
Atkins Quarry on the way to Clark Regional Airport
https://i.imgur.com/Efyyth4.png
Clark Regional Airport, approach over Jeffersonville
https://i.imgur.com/lvJk82S.png
Cementville in front of the runway
https://i.imgur.com/l0N9pZq.png
East Fork White River in Guthrie Township
https://i.imgur.com/Qa6dsck.png
Monroe Lake Dam
https://i.imgur.com/sErc6xJ.png
Kenstin Manor next to Beanblossom Creek
https://i.imgur.com/eKelQy4.png
Indianapolis International Airport
https://i.imgur.com/0saMENT.png
Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home to the Indy 500 & many other races
https://i.imgur.com/uyqe8LI.png
Indy 500, one of the first racing games I got addicted to
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76-vNXTIT28
I could only win by taking out all the other cars… The crashes and pile ups were glorious
And now it’s in full detail in a flight sim! (but no cars racing around yet )
https://i.imgur.com/2CcRuYJ.png
You can land on it, not recommended, very bumpy
https://i.imgur.com/ixp12NV.png
The real drivers at work
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hya-L3-5sck
On to Indianapolis, aka Indy, the capital of Indiana
https://i.imgur.com/jw0JL0l.png
Victory Field, home to the Indianapolis Indians
https://i.imgur.com/bWxmFme.png
Lucas Oil Stadium, home to the Indianapolis Colts
https://i.imgur.com/BNS01uq.png
Bankers Life Fieldhouse. home to the Indiana Pacers
https://i.imgur.com/i6Gw79g.png
Indianapolis Artsgarden next to Rhythm! Discovery Center
https://i.imgur.com/MnFNmbc.png
Indianapolis Artsgarden, cultural center and popular wedding venue
https://i.imgur.com/fLo6o1X.png
Soldiers & Sailors Monument
https://i.imgur.com/sy7280K.png
Neoclassical limestone memorial, houses a Civil War museum
https://i.imgur.com/kJ4BRB2.png
Indiana Statehouse, Indiana’s neoclassical capitol, home to state government since 1888
https://i.imgur.com/JSFjGga.png
Landing at Indianapolis Metropolitan Airport
https://i.imgur.com/qTikmY4.png
Bridgewater Club
https://i.imgur.com/vnY1APA.png
Indian Hills Flying Field-2II0
https://i.imgur.com/FrX48QX.png
Kokomo, the county seat of Howard County
https://i.imgur.com/NrrjwU6.png
Kokomo Municipal Airport
https://i.imgur.com/UI07epG.png
Wabash Municipal Airport
https://i.imgur.com/lnXx8Zo.png
Beck Pvt in Clear Creek Township, a grass trip next to the IN-5
https://i.imgur.com/JbEU3n8.png
Fort Wayne Country Club along W Jefferson Blvd
https://i.imgur.com/BOxqAUf.png
Jefferson Pointe Shopping Center
https://i.imgur.com/OB9SWIF.png
McCulloch Park with Ft Wayne’s Farmers Market (opening 2022)
https://i.imgur.com/vLG5bUx.png
Parkview Field and Foellinger-Friemann Botanical Conservatory behind the parking garage
https://i.imgur.com/DxQjmj7.png
Allen County Courthouse
https://i.imgur.com/YPSKzfA.png
Fort Wayne is located where the St Maries and St Joseph river come together to form the Maumee River
https://i.imgur.com/Xlz4PQL.png
Fort Wayne Water Filtration at the confluence of the St Maries (right) and St Josepth (left) rivers
https://i.imgur.com/9Q2Fgco.png
South Side High School Athletic Annex below the Hanson Quarry
https://i.imgur.com/gDGMXDo.png
Last stop today at Fort Wayne International Airport
https://i.imgur.com/ptIkd16.png
Ohio next, Dayton and Cincinnati.
Leg 312, Fort Wayne, Indiana via Ohia, Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia and Tennessee to Asheville, North Carolina, USA
DAY06_29.PLN (10.7 KB)
Trading in the plains for some nice rolling hills and an actual mountain. A bit fewer PG areas this leg, but more interesting terrain as a trade off. Still another 9.5 GiB streamed today, photogrammetry uses a lot of data.
06-29 Fort Wayne Intl KFWA 6:13 AM
06-29 Decatur Hi-Way KDCR 6:19 AM
06-29 Mulholland OI99 6:26 AM
06-29 Sidney Mun KSCA 6:39 AM
06-29 Apple 0OH7 6:42 AM
06-29 Waco 1WF 6:47 AM
06-29 James M Cox Dayton Intl KDAY 6:51 AM Dayton PG Area 39°46’34"N 84°11’45"W
06-29 Moraine Air Park I73 7:16 AM
06-29 Hook Field Mun KMWO 7:25 AM
06-29 Butler Co Rgnl-Hogan Field KHAO 7:31 AM Cincinnati PG Area 39°5’58"N 84°30’37"W
06-29 Cincinnati Muni Airport Lunken KLUK 8:10 AM
06-29 Clermont County I69 8:17 AM
06-29 Creager 3OH7 8:24 AM
06-29 Bernie’s OA10 8:27 AM
06-29 Lewis 1OH9 8:37 AM
06-29 General Electric 92OH 8:45 AM US Grant Bridge 38°43’39"N 82°59’50"W
06-29 Ashland-Boyd Co KDWU 9:17 AM
06-29 Newlon I41 9:28 AM
06-29 Ona Airpark 12V 9:32 AM
06-29 Mallory WV12 9:50 AM
06-29 Island WV08 9:58 AM
06-29 New River Gorge WV32 10:19 AM
06-29 New River Bridge 38°4’4.40" N81°5’3.94"W 10:25 AM
06-29 Raleigh County Memorial KBKW 10:36 AM
06-29 Mike Ferrell Field WV09 10:47 AM
06-29 Welch Mun I25 10:54 AM
06-29 Tazewell Co KJFZ 11:06 AM
06-29 Tri-Cities Regl Tn/Va KTRI 11:30 AM
06-29 Skyline Peak 33NR 11:48 AM Biltmore Estate 35°32’27"N 82°33’11"W
06-29 Ashevill Rgnl KAVL 12:08 PM
Flight time 5:55 29 stops
Departing from Fort Wayne just ahead of sunrise
The sun popping right up while climbing
First stop Decatur Hi-Way on Hwy 224 in Union Township
Second stop Mulholland in Center Township. So many airports here, I need to skip more
St Marys State Fish Hatchery in Grand Lake St Marys State Park
Sidney Municipal Airport- KSCA
Historic WACO Airfield in Concord Township
Great Miami River Recreational Trail in Northridge, Harrison Township, Ohio
Kettering Field on the Miami River in Dayton, located in western Ohio
RiverScape MetroPark, right after the Mad River joins the Miami River
Day Air Ballpark home of the Dayton Dragons
RTA Hub, the 5 little stalls, bus station
The Commercial Building on S Ludlow St, the one with the glass dome roof
Sinclair Community College behind Sinclair parking garage
Stuart Field at the University of Dayton
Home to Wright Brothers National Museum, a bit overgrown in MSFS
Orville Wright was born in Dayton in 1871, Wilbur was born in Millville in 1867
The first powered flight was at Kittyhawk, NC, on the Atlantic coast in 1903
Miami Bend Park in West Carrollton
Miamisburg, also along the Great Miami River Recreational Trail
The trail hugs the river for 75 miles, I would love to go cycling on that trail
https://www.miamivalleytrails.org/trails/great-miami-river-trail
Mound Golf Course at Miamisburg Mound Park
home to Ohio’s largest prehistoric burial mound, made by the Adena culture (800 BC to 100 AD)
Arriving in Cincinnati at Carthage neighborhood
University of Cincinnati College of Medicine
Nippert Stadium, home to the Bearcats, on The University of Cincinnati Campus
(Site of) TQL Stadium, originally West End Stadium, home to FC Cincinnati, soccer stadium
The picture shows the former Stargel Stadium, which was dismantled end 2018
Paul Brown Stadium, home to the Cincinnati Bengals, John A Roebling Suspension Bridge and Great American Ball Park, home to the Cincinnati Reds
National Underground Railroad Freedom Center behind Great American Ballpark
Cincinnati Music Hall at Washington Park, home to the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Here’s some nostalgia served up by the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra
Findlay Market, Ohio’s oldest continuously operated wet market
One of Cincinnati’s most cherished institutions, welcoming more than one million visitors each year
Museum Center in Cincinnati Union Terminal
On the track side, Robert D Lindner Family OMNIMAX Theater
Bellevue Beach Park on the Ohio River
Campbell County, heading for the airport
Cincinnati Municipal Airport - Lunken Field ahead
Riverfront Live and Peddlers Flea Market before the runway
Lewis Airport-22II on the James A Rhodes Appalachian Hwy
General Electric Airport at GE Aviation Engine Testing in Peebles, Ohio
US Grant Bridge over the Ohio river at Portsmouth, Kentucky
A three span cable-stayed structure, built between 2001-2006
https://i.imgur.com/eiaDOqM.png
I haven’t flown upside down in a while, a wee bit close to the deck
https://i.imgur.com/x0ZecSA.png
Enough clearance but it still slammed me down into the river after unpausing, can’t fly underneath this one
https://i.imgur.com/0k4ahoW.png
Ashland-Boyd County Airport
https://i.imgur.com/1b27bun.png
Robert Newlon Airpark in West Virginia
https://i.imgur.com/ygdvRh3.png
The Ohio river forms the state border here, Ohio on the other side
Ona Airpark-12V next to Ona Speedway
https://i.imgur.com/9O7WCog.png
St Albans, West Virginia on the Kanawha River
https://i.imgur.com/DoZ1Czb.png
Looking for Mallory Airport, while flying over Spring Hill, South Charleston
https://i.imgur.com/8vBCbbB.png
There it is, nicely hidden
https://i.imgur.com/LGXWVm5.png
Flying low has its disadvantages
https://i.imgur.com/hB451OZ.png
Scotts Island Airport ahead at Chesapeake
https://i.imgur.com/nBfoRAh.png
Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, not as good as the B&O, but a great asset in the second stage of the game, especially when teamed up with the PRR (1830: Railway and Robber Barons board game)
I started writing a PC version of 1830 back in the 90s with a friend. We got the database, map management and bidding rounds done, about to start on the main game play loop when I found the game for PC in a store. It came out in 1995. At least we didn’t get that far yet! Pre Internet days.
Scotts Island in the Kanawha River
https://i.imgur.com/L23y0gH.png
Taking off next to Diamond on the north bank
https://i.imgur.com/q0jvt4K.png
Montgomery and Dunn Hollow (coal mine)
https://i.imgur.com/xDO0DgO.png
Alloy, originally known as Boncar
https://i.imgur.com/g4lQjdX.png
Kanawha Falls
https://i.imgur.com/yrXL8Hb.png
https://i.imgur.com/YEsLII4.png
New River Bridge at New River Gorge
https://i.imgur.com/bRXqVBP.png
New River Gorge Airport at Ames Heights close to the bridge
https://i.imgur.com/U9ynImY.png
New River below, hmm that bridge looks like a runway
https://i.imgur.com/n5surey.png
No need for the airport, this works perfectly fine
https://i.imgur.com/1IWTmCJ.png
No problems flying under this one
https://i.imgur.com/25Q4y48.png
3,030 feet long, 876ft high, completed in 1977, then the world’s highest regular roadway bridge
https://i.imgur.com/0rTuBRj.png
Home to Bridge Day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKYSCmusriQ
Terry, West Virginia
https://i.imgur.com/M1IdG3q.png
Raleigh County Memorial Airport
https://i.imgur.com/S0lAQAs.png
Pocahontas Coal Co LLC on Stonecoal Creek
https://i.imgur.com/FnsFCz0.png
Mike Ferrell Field
https://i.imgur.com/9hzOx7I.png
Welch Municipal Airport at Big Four on Elkhorn Creek
https://i.imgur.com/iabvZ7T.png
Tazewell County Airport
https://i.imgur.com/uotooVR.png
A bit longer stretch to the next stop, up to 10,000ft for an overview, above Russel County
https://i.imgur.com/rUhLHRK.png
Washington County, located in the Apalachian Mountains
https://i.imgur.com/Y5ur7Cs.png
Bristol cradling the border between Virginia and Tennessee
https://i.imgur.com/02trZZb.png
The border runs through State st, center of town
Tri-Cities Airport
https://i.imgur.com/6CPrDbj.png
Lamar on the Nolichucky River in Tennessee
https://i.imgur.com/tOAi0Xu.png
Lamar Alexander Rocky Fork State Park, Big Bald mountain ahead
https://i.imgur.com/0H1WUkc.png
Big Bald (5,515ft)
https://i.imgur.com/4VFNDIj.png
Skyline Peak Airport
https://i.imgur.com/imxVLSW.png
Flat Creek in Buncombe County
https://i.imgur.com/xMtFiRH.png
Weaverville in Buncombe County, North Carolina
https://i.imgur.com/gEzSqec.png
Biltmore Estate, George W. Vanderbilt’s iconic French Renaissance château
https://i.imgur.com/W0VZECj.png
Completed in 1895, 250 room château with walled garden and conservatory
https://i.imgur.com/DAHZmeH.png
George Washington Vanderbilt II (1862-1914) art collector and member of the prominent Vanderbilt family
https://i.imgur.com/fXMCTMe.png
Asheville Regional Airport
https://i.imgur.com/taB160Q.png
Final stop for the day, just before the rain rolls in
https://i.imgur.com/FujWuQb.png
I’ll be heading east tomorrow, more of North Carolina
Leg 313, Asheville to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, USA
DAY06_30.PLN (9.5 KB)
Due east through North Carolina to the Atlantic Ocean. 4 more PG areas along the way and another 7.9 GiB of data streamed. That puts the total for the month at 188.2 GiB since arriving in Florida on the 15th. 106 PG areas in 15 days. It’s a very different game in the USA vs the rest of the world.
06-30 Ashevill Rgnl KAVL 7:21 AM
06-30 Cane Creek 4NC6 7:23 AM
06-30 Bearwallow Farm 0NC1 7:27 AM very short ‘runway’
06-30 Patton Valley 6NR6 7:39 AM
06-30 Shiflet 9A9 7:43 AM Duke Energy Lake James Dam 35°44’36.6"N 81°50’18.5"W
06-30 Silver Creek NC52 7:54 AM
06-30 Morganton-Lenoir KMRN 7:59 AM Rhodiss Dam 35°46’23.3"N 81°26’16.8"W
06-30 Hickory Rgnl KHKY 8:06 AM Oxford Hydro Station 35°49’19.3"N 81°11’33.6"W
06-30 Alexander County NC59 8:12 AM
06-30 Swan Creek 78A 8:23 AM
06-30 Happy Bottom 30NC 8:34 AM
06-30 Smith Reynolds KINT 9:03 AM Winston-Salem PG Area 36°5’1"N 80°13’17"W
06-30 Piedmont Triad Intl KGSO 9:12 AM Greensboro PG Area 36°4’21"N 79°47’23"W
06-30 May 80NC 9:40 AM
06-30 Gibsonville KGIB 9:44 AM
06-30 The Duchy 5NC5 9:53 AM
06-30 Miles NC34 9:57 AM Durham PG Area 36°0’6"N 78°56’25"W
06-30 Lake Ridge Aero Park 8NC8 10:18 AM
06-30 Raleigh-Durham Intl KRDU 10:27 AM Raleigh PG Area 35°47’39"N 78°42’37"W
06-30 Raleigh East W17 10:54 AM
Terrible stuttering, 27GB ram in use, 2-5 fps, restart, very long time to return to main menu
06-30 Raleigh East W17 11:03 AM
06-30 Wilson Industrial W03 11:12 AM
06-30 Pitt-Greenville KPGV 11:25 AM
06-30 Warren KOCW 11:33 AM
06-30 Lee Creek NC12 11:47 AM
06-30 Hodges Farm NC73 11:57 AM
06-30 Mitchell KHSE 12:18 PM
Flight time 4:48 25 stops
Ashville Regional Airport departure time, the sun is already up
First stop at Cane Creek. I barely got in the air
Taking off from Bearwallow Farm next
Landing at Shiflet Field 9A9 at Mc Dowell Memorial Park along the North Fork Catawba River
Silver Creek Airport in Morganton
Hickory Regional Airport on the Catawba River
Arriving in Winston-Salem at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center
Truist Stadium, home of the Winston-Salem Dash
The Graylyn Estate in Reynolda Village, 4 star hotel in an old mansion
Reynolda House Museum of American Art in Reynolda Historical District
Kentner Stadium ahead at Wake Forest University
First Assembly of God and Villages at Wake Forest Student Housing
North Forsyth High School - The Grand Winston-Salem (movie theater)
Vulcan Materials Company in Winston-Salem
I love quarries, if only the Grand Canyon would get this level of detail!
Piedmont Triad International Airport
Another one, Martin Marietta - Pomona Quarry
Yellowstone at this resolution, yes please
Arriving at Greensboro over Hewitt Area
Greensboro Coliseum, opened 1959
The largest indoor arena in the United States, with a seating capacity of over 23,500
International Civil Rights Center & Museum (left of the red building with large window)
First National Bank Field, home to the Greensboro Grasshoppers
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
Revolution Mill along North Buffalo Creek
Durham next, Wallace Wade Stadium at Duke University
Home to Blue Devils football since 1929
Duke University Divinity School (left) and Duke University School of Nursing (right)
Heading to the center of Durham along Duke’s Smith Warehouse
Durham Bulls Athletic Park, next to the American Tobacco Trail
Museum of Life and Science with the Magic Wings Butterfly House
Lake Ridge Aero Park, first time I see a yellow beacon, odd
It seems to be the indication for a water airport, looks pretty solid to me
Raleigh-Durham International Airport
Martin Marietta - Raleigh-Durham Quarry
https://i.imgur.com/rnbZ8Cv.png
Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina
https://i.imgur.com/qfx6HIu.png
Moore Square
https://i.imgur.com/hxyz24g.png
The well hidden North Carolina State Capitol
https://i.imgur.com/zyWR7jF.png
Capital Park and Modecai Village
https://i.imgur.com/cp7GijN.png
North Campus at North Carolina State University
https://i.imgur.com/7X5YwmN.png
Doak Field at Dail Park, home to the North Carolina State University Wolfpack college baseball team
https://i.imgur.com/MnflDe0.png
And Stanhope Student Apartments under construction (finished mid 2015)
Carter-Finley Stadium, home to the NC State Wolfpack football team
https://i.imgur.com/dH1vnnw.png
And PNC Arena, home of the NHL’s Hurricanes & NC State men’s basketball team
Landing at Raleigh East Airport - W17 *airband - 122.80 am
https://i.imgur.com/xpRz8Da.png
https://i.imgur.com/14msmUB.png
Pitt County, I had one day without lightning, can’t remember any yesterday
https://i.imgur.com/A5WUN6r.png
Tar River and Pamlico River at Washington, NC
https://i.imgur.com/2bQe2A1.png
Beaufort County along the Pamlico River
https://i.imgur.com/7mIh2pk.png
Durham Creek behind
https://i.imgur.com/r0nWkS7.png
While landing at Lee Creek Airport
https://i.imgur.com/igxI6vu.png
Drone view of Nutrien Aurora Phosphate at Lee Creek Airport
https://i.imgur.com/2bruTHs.png
Outer Banks island of Hatteras on the Atlantic Ocean
https://i.imgur.com/npuV54A.png
Frisco on the barrier island of Hatteras Island
https://i.imgur.com/p1Wf42u.png
FInal stop today at Aeroportul Billy Mitchell
https://i.imgur.com/RlwQv24.png
The beach at Frisco Campground, The Futuro House and Buxton Woods Coastal Reserve
https://i.imgur.com/ijxAc5g.png
Next leg, exploring the coast for a while before heading to Bermuda.
Leg 313, Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, USA to St David’s Island, Bermuda
DAY07_01.PLN (6.2 KB)
Heading south along the Atlantic coast to Myrtle Beach before heading to Bermuda. No PG data this leg, streamed data down to just under 1 GiB.
07-01 Mitchell KHSE 6:03 AM
07-01 Ocracoke I W95 6:11 AM
07-01 Atlantic Field Mcolf 12NC 6:21 AM
07-01 Smith KMRH 6:30 AM
07-01 Circle P Farm 6NC7 6:35 AM
07-01 Bogue MCALF KNJM 6:38 AM
07-01 Whitewood Forest NC3 6:51 AM
07-01 Holly Ridge/Topsail Island N21 6:55 AM
07-01 Topsail Airpark 01NC 6:57 AM
07-01 Wilmington Intl KILM 7:05 AM
07-01 Pilots Ridge 03NC 7:11 AM
07-01 Brunswick Co KSUT 7:19 AM
07-01 Ocean Isle 60J 7:28 AM
07-01 Grand Strand KCRE 7:35 AM
07-01 Myrtle Beach Intl 7:42 AM KMYR 721nm next FLC 140 FL125 8 knot headwind
07-01 Bermuda Intl TXKF 12:27 PM 69.46 gallons used
Flight time 6:24 15 stops
Aeroportul Billy Mitchell, early morning
Hatteras Inlet Crab Spawning Sanctuary
First stop at Ocracoke Island Airport
Pemlico Sound between the barrier islands and the main land
Michael J Smith Field at Rachel Carson Reserve
Bogue MCALF, US Marine Corps Landing Field
2D Combat Engineer Battalion at Camp Lejeune
Active since 1940 to support the 2D Marine Brigade, nothing to do with dimensions, just short for 2nd
Stump Sound Area Outstanding Resource Water, Marine protected area
Wilmington, a port city known as a gateway to Cape Fear Coast beaches
Home to Battleship North Carolina museum
Pilots Ridge Airport in Wilmington
Those hangars are basically garages belong to the homes behind. Driveway to the road in front of the house, driveway to the runway at the back of he house
Intracoastal Waterway at Lockwood Folly, Lockwood Folly River flowing out
Grand Strand Airport at North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Apache Pier in Arcadian Shores
Myrtle Beach, the hub of the Grand Strand, a 60-mile string of beaches
Landing at Myrtle Beach International Airport
WonderWorks Myrtle Beach amusement park and Myrtle Beach Boardwalk and Promenade
Leaving the USA behind for a bit, back tomorrow
Course set to Bermuda, I hope I arrive
Actually I already survived the Bermuda Triangle and won’t be in it on this flight
Cruising at 140 knots IAS (FLC mode free climb)
Balanced out at 12,500 ft, will climb a bit higher as weight decreases
It’s not that far so I left the auto mixture on, lazy. At 12,780 ft here
Or rather insurance in case icing forces the plane down while I’m afk
Prop rpm set to 2170, sticking to 12,800 ft, 224nm to go
Arriving in Bermuda at Somerset Village
National Museum of Bermuda in an old fort at the tip, near Royal Navy Dockyard
Admiralty House Park at Spanish Point
The island is pretty much built-up, but there’s still a bit of farm land here and there
Albuoy’s Point on Great Sound, Hamilton on the right, the capital of Bermuda
Fort Hamilton below me, Bernard Park on the left
Another view of Hamilton, founded in 1790
Bermuda is a popular cruise ship destination
Fort Hamilton, built in 1870, the massive, 18-ton artillery pieces were never fired in defense of the city
To the airport, flying by Shelly Bay Beach
Made a loop to check out Pink Beach - West Beach on the other side
Mid Ocean Club and Tucker’s Point Golf Club
Coney Island, Crystal and Fantasy Caves and Cathedral Cave (picture)
Crystal And Fantasy Caves, Elbow Beach and Johnson’s Cove
And finally landing at Bermuda Airport
69.46 gallons used for 721nm, but I spend some extra looping the island
Next leg back to the US, straight to the Wright Brothers Memorial the north along the coast.
Leg 314, St David’s Island, Bermuda to Richmond, Virginia, USA
DAY07_02.PLN (5.3 KB)
Back to the USA to the state of Virginia. The day started out nice, then I ended up battling an epic storm which luckily cleared up at the capital of Virginia for some great sightseeing.
07-02 Bermuda Intl TXKF 6:07 AM 587nm next
07-02 First Flight KFFA 9:57 AM Wright Brothers Memorial 36°0’52"N 75°40’5"W
07-02 Pine Island 7NC2 10:06 AM
07-02 Virginia Beach 42VA 10:17 AM
07-02 Oceana Nas-Apollo Soucek Field KNTU 10:22 AM 37 knot winds
07-02 Norfolk Intl KORF 10:29 AM Norfolk PG Area
07-02 Norfolk Ns (Chambers Fld) KNGU 10:55 AM
07-02 Hampton Roads Executive KPVG 11:08 AM
07-02 Aberdeen Field 31VA 11:20 AM
07-02 Newport News-Williamsburg Intl KPHF 11:28 AM
07-02 Williamsburg-Jamestown KJGG 11:36 AM
07-02 Richmond Intl KRIC 11:55 AM Richmond PG Area 37°32’18"N 77°26’2"W
07-02 Hanover Co Mun KOFP 12:34 PM
Flight time 6:27 12 stops
Bermuda International Airport, ready to go
I’m departing at practically the same time as yesterday, yet the sun is much higher already
600nm to the east makes a big difference
Leaving Bermuda behind, climbing to 12,000ft
Back to the USA
Long flight, perfect for doing groceries. Much nicer, right when the store opens
Progressing nicely, time to switch tanks again.
I wonder when the fuel indicator will be fixed (Still shows half full as full)
It’s getting a bit cloudy near the coast, little did I know
Descending back down to my regular altitude
Land in sight, Nags Head, North Carolina
Dowdy Park next to Kitty Hawk Kites Hang Gliding School
Wright Brothers National Memorial at the nose of my plane
This is where the first powered flight took off in 1903, which lasted 12 seconds and covered 120ft
Wright Brothers National Memorial Visitor Center
Landing at First Flight Airport next to the monument
Duck, in Dare County, North Carolina, population 369
During the peak vacation season, starting after Memorial Day, the population increases to over 20,000
Flying over Currituck Sound, I feel like I’m heading the wrong way…
Knotts Island and Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge
Mackay Island National Wildlife Refuge
Landing at Oceana Nas-Apollo Soucek Field, the wind has picked up a lot
USS Wisconsin BB-64 at Nauticus in Norfolk, Virginia
Kornblau Field at S. B. Ballard Stadium on the campus of Old Dominion University
Landing at Chambers Field - NAS Norfolk
There are some breaks on the radar, no reason to stay on the ground
Found a break, over the Chesapeake Square Mall
Landing at Hampton Roads Executive, the weather radar is not looking good
It is pouring
I got stuck in a similar storm yesterday while cycling. The rain was freezing, the trail turned into a river and I got home covered in mud. It was warm and sunny when I left, then it got so dark on the way back I could hardly see the trail. Luckily I was spared the hail which fell at home, but it still took a long time to stop shivering and warm back up.
Climbing up a bit to see what’s going on, lots of clouds all around
Landing at Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport
Williamsburg-Jamestown Airport, nothing but grey to see in between
Back up while flying to Williamsburg
It looks like I’m getting to the end of it over Charles City County
Arriving in Richmond, the capital of Virginia. At Wiliamsburg Rd - S Laburnum Ave
Chimboraza Park, home to a miniature version of the statue of liberty
Lucky Strike Building next to the historic Power Plant At Lucky Strike
Manchester Bridge over the James River
https://i.imgur.com/kmA85T3.png
The falls didn’t come out well, the pylons of the old bridge did
Manchester Bridge - T Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge
https://i.imgur.com/j8rqAba.png
Kanawha Plaze and Gateway Plaza (under construction here, opened July 1st 2015)
https://i.imgur.com/C02DLsA.png
Virginia State Capitol, built in 1785 housing the nation’s oldest legislative body
https://i.imgur.com/GvQAMSg.png
Old City Hall (completed 1894) and City of Richmond Observation Deck
https://i.imgur.com/mV745eH.png
VCU Dental Care Pediatric Dentistry where the hole is
Richmond Coliseum (closed Feb 2019) and Altria Center For Research and Technology
https://i.imgur.com/06cdXe6.png
Featured on Stadium Landings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLKffZQc8l4
And was home to many concerts as well, for example Van Halen in 2017
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk8smKMTn0I
White House of the Confederacy surrounded by Virginia Commonwealth University buildings
https://i.imgur.com/6XYP9Sd.png
The John Marshall House, historic home of the 19th-century Supreme Court justice
https://i.imgur.com/ngvlwHX.png
John Marshall (1755-1835) served as the fourth Chief Justice from 1801 to 1835
Pot a Soupe at Nina F Abady Festival Park
https://i.imgur.com/eo923bu.png
Health and Life Sciences Engineering Building at Virginia Commonwealth University
https://i.imgur.com/YQ4jBvT.png
Cathedral of the Sacred Heart with Altria Theater further back
https://i.imgur.com/IEGDbrS.png
The Diamond, home to the Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels & the VCU Rams
https://i.imgur.com/z24lqVx.png
Richmond Raceway, hosting the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series
https://i.imgur.com/PctZfmm.png
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GQgLZ1GxpD8
Final stop today at Hanover County Municipal Airport
https://i.imgur.com/oQroOEa.png
Next leg heading to Delaware before visiting Washington DC. I reached another milestone yesterday and completed my route in the planning stage. I was planning ahead for a while, almost 230 airports to go but I should be home before the Xbox version launch and next update. Still plenty to see until then, including another 32 PG areas along the way.
Leg 316, Richmond, Virginia via Delaware and District of Columbia to Baltimore, Maryland, USA
DAY07_03.PLN (13.4 KB)
A visit to the capital of the USA, unfortunately no PG data for Washington, DC. I guess because it’s a heavily restricted air space; Google also doesn’t have PG data there. But it has some great landmarks to look at instead.
07-03 Hanover Co Mun KOFP 5:47 AM
07-03 Toddsbury Farm 25VA 5:54 AM
07-03 Tappahannock-Essex County KXSA 5:59 AM
07-03 Branham Mill Airpark VG29 6:05 AM
07-03 Sanford Field VA23 6:13 AM
07-03 Piney Point MD96 6:17 AM
07-03 Webster NOLF KNUI 6:22 AM
07-03 Chandler 3MD9 6:24 AM
07-03 Tangier I KTGI 6:37 AM
07-03 Midway VG56 6:51 AM
07-03 Taylor 4VA6 6:57 AM
07-03 Wallops Flight Facility KWAL 7:00 AM
07-03 Ocean City Mun KOXB 7:15 AM
07-03 Carey Field 4MD3 7:23 AM
07-03 Warrington Field DE27 7:25 AM
07-03 West Pvt DE21 7:28 AM
07-03 Eagle Crest-Hudson DE25 7:35 AM
07-03 Cape May County KWWD 7:48 AM
07-03 Paramount Air JY04 7:52 AM
07-03 Woodbine Mun KOBI 7:58 AM
07-03 Millville Muni KMIV 8:07 AM
07-03 Dave’s Aerodrome 7NJ9 8:13 AM
07-03 Dover Afb KDOV 8:25 AM Dover PG Area 39°9’27"N 75°31’10"W
07-03 Dover International Speedway 39°11’18.02" N75°31’53.27"W 8:41 AM
07-03 Delaware Airpark 33N 8:49 AM
07-03 Taylor Field 0MD1 8:56 AM
07-03 Flying Acres MD70 9:00 AM
07-03 Saxon Farm MD91 9:04 AM
07-03 Kennersley MD23 9:06 AM
07-03 Ashland Landing Farm MD21 9:08 AM
07-03 Bay Bridge W29 9:17 AM Chesapeake Bay Bridge 38°59’25"N 76°22’1"W
07-03 Lee KANP 9:34 AM
07-03 Joint Base Andrews KADW 9:45 AM
07-03 Ronal Reagan Washington National KDCA 9:54 AM
The Pentagon 38°52’16"N 77°3’21"W
Lincoln Memorial 38°53’21"N 77°3’0"W
White House 38°53’52"N 77°2’11"W
Washinton Monument 38°53’22"N 77°2’7"W
United States Capitol 38°52’23"N 77°0’33"W
United States National Arboretum 38°54’37"N 76°58’3"W
07-03 Washington Dulles Intl KIAD 10:29 AM
07-03 Montgomery Co KGAI 10:41 AM
07-03 Baltimore-Washington Intl KBWI 10:52 AM Baltimore PG Area 39°16’55"N 76°36’42"W
Fort McHenry 39°15’47"N 76°34’47"W
07-03 Essex Skypark W48 11:54 AM
Flight time 6:07 37 stops
Hanover County Airport, leaving before sunrise
Here comes the sun over Aylett
Tappahannock-Essex County Airport
Landing at Sanford Field, my plane is a little dot over the field below
Grass strips are so much nicer to land on
Webster NOLF at Beachville, Maryland
This is what those sunglasses are for
Tangier Island where Chesapeake Bay, Tangier Sound and Pocomoke Sound come together
A popular destination for a day out in a Cessna
Midway Airport, Accomack County, no longer exists it seems
A trace of an old strip on Google, nothing on Bing. Nope scratch that, I just checked again and that’s a power line corridor on Google. There is no trace of any air strip around. I landed in the field anyway.
Taylor Airport, farm strip
That nice smooth path is actually a dirt trail with tractor ruts. It somehow ended up in the road database and gets drawn as a smooth grass road
Newport Bay, Worcester County and Sinepuxent Bay (left to right)
Ocean City Golf Club and Rum Pointe Seaside Golf Links at Golf Club Shores
Eagle’s Landing Golf Course at Ocean City Muni Airport-Oxb
Landing at Eagle Crest-Hudson Airport at Overbrook next to Red Mill Pond
Higbee Beach Wildlife Management Area
Millville Municipal Airport with Thunderbolt Race Track At NJMP, New Jersey Motorsports Park and NJMiniGP (motorcycle driving school)
And rainbows, so many nowadays
Arriving in Dover, the capital of Delaware, here at the Dover Division of Motor Vehicles
Dover Legislative Hall: The State Capitol
Old State House (built 1791) and First State Heritage Park’s John Bell House, the oldest surviving wooden structure in Dover, believed to be built before 1743
John Bell house is hidden by a tree, Old State House is where my left wing is pointing
Dover Public Library with a garden on the lower roof
Dover International Speedway with Miles the Monster Statue at the entrance, lower left
Good place to land to let the rain pass
It didn’t take long, blows over quickly
Dover Mall, Dover International Speedway visible behind
Delaware Technical Community College - Charles L. Terry Jr. Campus
Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge
Chesapeake Bay Bridge across Chesapeake Bay
Opened 1952 and 1973 (parallel bridge) 7km in length
Another bridge that can’t make up its mind, you can’t fly under it the ‘normal’ way
And up here (but not lower to the road deck)
Daily rainbows added to the daily lightning, what’s next
Annapolis, Maryland’s capital city, state capitol,on the left, US Navel academy on the right
Kunta Kinte-Alex Haley Memorial in the middle: Kunta Kinte is a character in the 1976 novel Roots, written by Alex Haley (1921-1992) The book was adapted to a mini-series viewed by over 130 million people, raising awareness of black American history.
Annapolis got left out of the PG treatment so on to Washington, DC
Landing at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
I’ve been there a couple times, both times ‘randomly’ selected for further inspection. Third time I had to be in Washington, DC I drove from home, 9 hour drive but much more relaxing than flying. I took a rural more direct route while testing the sat nav system we were working on, Pennsylvania is beautiful.
The Pentagon, the world’s largest office building with about 26,000 people working there
Lincoln Memorial, 16th president of the USA, born 1809, assassinated 1865
Washington Monument, honoring George Washington (1732-1799), the 1st president of the USA
555-foot marble obelisk (constructed 1848-1884) with 2 red glowing eyes at night on all sides
The White House, has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800
The porch lantern was made by Edward F. Caldwell & Co, installed in 1902, cost $500. The chains stop it from twisting in the wind. It was lit by 18 light bulbs before they were replaced by LEDs in 2008.
The US Capitol, built in 1800, destroyed in 1814 (Burning of Washington) restored the 5 years after
The Statue of Freedom on top of the dome (installed 1863)
United States National Arboretum with the Anacostia River behind
National Capitol Columns, twenty-two Corinthian columns, part of the Capitol from 1828 to 1958
The Washington Hilton (curved building) and the Potomac River ahead
Wolf Trap along Dulles Access Rd
Washington Dulles International Airport
Blockhouse Point Conservation Park & Trails on the Potomac River
Montgomery County Airpark aka Gaithersburg NDB GAI 385
Baltimore-Washington International Airport
Arriving in Baltimore on the Patapsco River
CSX terminal at Curtis Bay and Stonehouse Cove
Fort McHenry, whose War of 1812 victory inspired “The Star-Spangled Banner”
Built in 1798, played a vital role holding off a British Navy attack on Baltimore Harbor in 1814
MECU Pavilion, seasonal harborfront pavilion, music venue
Columbus Center and the USCGC WHEC-37, museum in a WWII-era cutter
M&T Bank Stadium, Home of the NFL Ravens, so named for a poem by Edgar Ellen Poe
Oriole Park at Camden Yards, home of the MLB’s iconic Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and Joint Force Headquarters Fifth Regiment Armory
Baltimore Museum of Art at Johns Hopkins University
Babb Field at Stromberg Stadium, home of the John’s Hopkins Blue Jays
Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) House & Museum
Edgar Allan Poe is widely acknowledged as the inventor of the modern detective story and an innovator in the science fiction genre. His most famous poem 'The Raven" first appeared In the New York Mirror of January 29, 1845, which gave him national fame at once.
B&O Railroad Museum featuring nearly 200 locomotives
The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the first[common carrier railroad and the oldest railroad in the United States, with its first section opening in 1830. And since 1986 part of Avalon’s Hill board game 1830: The Game of Railroads and Robber Barons, which we played through many nights in the late 80s and 90s.
Leaving Baltimore behind with Baltimore Beach Volleyball and Pride of Baltimore memorial below
Final stop today at Essex Skypark, just on the other side of the Back River, Hawk Cove ahead
Next leg to Philadelphia.
Leg 317, Baltimore, Maryland via Pennsylvania to Lakewood, New Jersey, USA
DAY07_04.PLN (10.7 KB)
A lot of PG data in this area, 13.5 GiB chewed through this leg. It’s cooking my laptop as well, the function keys are almost burning my fingers, GPU use is 100% throughout. Ambient temperatures are high as well. Forecast for tomorrow is 31c, 40c with humidity.
07-04 Essex Skypark W48 6:17 AM
07-04 Martin State KMTN 6:19 AM
07-04 Fallston W42 6:27 AM
07-04 Forest Hill MD31 6:32 AM
07-04 Links MD88 6:37 AM Sloped runway
07-04 Draco 84PN 6:47 AM Field landing, no airport
07-04 Shoestring Aviation Airfield 0P2 6:51 AM
07-04 Gilbert 73PA 6:57 AM
07-04 Lazy B Ranch 0P8 7:01 AM
07-04 Capital City KCXY 7:12 AM Harrisburg PG Area 40°15’53"N 76°53’6"W
07-04 Millard N76 7:40 AM
07-04 Deck 9D4 7:45 AM
07-04 Hurst 69PA 7:49 AM
07-04 Boyer 28PA 7:53 AM
07-04 Reading Rgnl-Carl A Spaatz Field KRDG 8:01 AM
07-04 Morgantown O03 8:09 AM
07-04 Chester Co Carlson KMQS 8:18 AM
07-04 New Garden N57 8:23 AM
07-04 New Castle KILG 8:31 AM Wilmington PG Area 39°44’51"N 75°32’43"W
07-04 Philadelphia Intl KPHL 9:05 AM Philadelphia PG Area 39°57’8"N 75°9’52"W
Norristown PG Area 40°6’57"N 75°20’36"W
07-04 Wings Field KLOM 9:54 AM
Terrible performance, high memory usage, restart
07-04 Wings Field KLOM 10:03 AM Abington PG Area 40°8’4"N 75°7’41"W
07-04 Willow Grove NAS Jrb KNXX 10:10 AM
07-04 Northeast Philadelphia KPNE 10:18 AM Willingboro PG Area 40°2’52"N 74°53’13"W
07-04 South Jersey Rgnl KVAY 10:35 AM
07-04 Inductotherm 3NJ6 10:42 AM Trenton PG Area 40°13’1"N 74°45’55"W
07-04 Trenton Mercer KTTN 11:10 AM
07-04 Trenton-Robbinsville N87 11:17 AM
07-04 Lakehurst NATF 40°1’33.36" N74°24’27.00"W 11:27 AM
07-04 Ocean County KMJX 11:33 AM Toms River PG Area 39°57’49"N 74°12’1"W
07-04 Lakewood N12 12:00 PM
Flight time 5:34 29 stop
Heading out over Baltimore County
Fallston Airport at Wimbledon, Maryland
Draco Airport in Hopewell Township, Pennsylvania, 404 not found
Gilbert Airport in West Manchester Township
BAPS Motor Speedway close to Conewago Creek
Capital City Airport on the Susquehanna River
Steelton, a borough in Dauphin County
Harrisburg, the capital of Pennsylvania on the Susquehanna River
Harrisburg University of Science and Technology left of the train station
Pennsylvania State Capitol Complex, built 1906 (previous one burned to the ground in 1897)
The State Museum of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania State Archives
View downtown over State st, and State Street Bridge aka Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Bridge
Where the The National Civil War Museum is located
Hersheypark in Hershey, PA with Welcome to Hershey written in the grass right behind my tail
Hershey’s chocolate-themed park, opened in 1907 as a modest green space at first
Millard Airport, South Annville Township, PA
Landing at Boyer Airport at Wernersville Community Corrections Center
Reading Rgnl-Carl A Spaatz Field
Odd glitch at S Twin Valley Rd, Elverson, PA
First time I see a row of spikes, usually it’s just one anomaly
They get taller as you get closer, slalom challenge
At Conebella Farm, Chestnut Tree Rd, Elverson, PA
Cardile Mushrooms Inc at New Garden Airport, odd purple roofs
They are purple on Google Aerial view, yet blue on street view (peering between the trees). They are also purple on Bing aerial view, but blue on Bing’s Bird’s Eye view. Something that trips up auto color correction? Or special Chameleon roofs
Delaware Park Race Track on the way to New Castle Airport
The Delaware Oaks Race 8 Master, yesterday
A day late to watch the horses running from the air
Arriving in Wilmington at Daniel S Frawley Stadium on the Christina River
Grace United Methodist Church and The Residences at Mid-Town Park (construction, opened 2018)
Edgemoor Reservoir, Delaware River in the distance
The Reserve at Darley Green (finished now) and Archmere Academy in Claymont
Marcus Hook Industrial Complex
Subaru Park - Philadelphia Union Stadium at Commodore Barry Bridge
Philadelphia International Airport
Off again to explore Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s largest city
Yankee Point on the Schuylkilll River
Heading down town over Good Shepherd Penn Partners
Liberty Place, 58 floors, 945ft and 847ft high
Convention Center, home of the Philadelphia Flower Show and Philadelphia City Hall
Almost the right time on the clock, about 15 minutes ahead, screenshot saved at 9:41
Mm2no6U.png (1920×1024) (imgur.com)
Different times on different sides revealing the photogrammetry process
Urban canyon flying along 19th St Trolley Station
Independence Hall and Liberty Bell at the Liberty Bell Center right below me
Fitting to visit the Liberty Bell on the 4th of July, although there is no evidence that the bell rang on July 4 or 8, 1776. However The United States Declaration of Independence was approved at Independence Hall on July 4, 1776.
Known for the Rocky Steps
Franlin Field, opened o1895 & rebuilt in 1922 and Penn Museum behind the stadium
School of the Future next to the Schuylkill River
Norristown, the county seat of Montgomery County
Norristown Area High School at Norristown Farm Park
Landing at Wings Field Airport
https://i.imgur.com/qrM5Xx5.png
UPS - Willow Grove
https://i.imgur.com/FVN1Iuc.png
Willow Grove NAS Jrb in Horsham
https://i.imgur.com/tKJUWL6.png
Northeast Philadelphia Airport
https://i.imgur.com/XgVkUGU.png
Crossing the Delaware River
https://i.imgur.com/eaYfiYi.png
Laurel Creek Country Club at Susan Stevens Halbe Preserve on the Rancocas Creek
https://i.imgur.com/GRXIAgm.png
The Fun Plex along Parkers Creek in Mt Laurel Township
https://i.imgur.com/LmiOwlm.png
South Jersey Regional Airport
https://i.imgur.com/C4w67UN.png
Inductotherm Airport after Rancocas State Park with the South and North Branch Rancocas Creek
https://i.imgur.com/A6tGISy.png
Riverside Industrial Complex at Levittown
https://i.imgur.com/JnzYqI5.png
Seseme Place in Langhorne, Sesame Street-themed amusement park
https://i.imgur.com/fj9YuSw.png
NJ Transit Morrisville Yard on the way to Trenton, the capital of New Jersey
https://i.imgur.com/twyFkLI.png
Lower Trenton Bridge over the Delaware River
https://i.imgur.com/5aHRAFT.png
New Jersey Department of Agriculture and Helipad at the Department of Labor
https://i.imgur.com/s6BxdKw.png
No idea why the AI would place buildings (on the helipad) in a PG area, odd
New Jersey State Senate and WWII Memorial (in front of the Senate building)
https://i.imgur.com/5IpB7nP.png
New Jersey State Museum
https://i.imgur.com/oB0jwAI.png
Landing at Trenton Mercer Airport
https://i.imgur.com/dhHh16u.png
https://i.imgur.com/yR3jyXC.png
Trenton-Robbinsville Airport
https://i.imgur.com/jFlIA0t.png
Lakehurst NATF at Lakehurst Naval Air Center, missing from the game but obviously there
https://i.imgur.com/OkKhGXw.png
Thos divergent lines seem to be launch tracks for radar airplanes
Toms River South High School in Toms River on Toms River
https://i.imgur.com/6k9xCHo.png
Flag Point at Toms River Country Club
https://i.imgur.com/Y5QackN.png
Ocean County College
https://i.imgur.com/4juBqiq.png
Bay Head at Point Pleasant Beach and the Metedeconk River
https://i.imgur.com/yikIpvS.png
Gull Island in the Manasquan River
https://i.imgur.com/weReZpb.png
Final stop today at Lakewood Airport in Lakewood, New Jersey
https://i.imgur.com/BwDfl3w.png
To the Big Apple tomorrow. Strangely there is no NY PG Area listed in the game, I guess it’s one big area filed under Newark.
Leg 318, Lakewood, New Jersey to Albany, New York, USA
DAY07_05.PLN (6.1 KB)
The slowest leg so far, I took my time looking around New York. Average speed for this leg is only 35 knots, 227nm in 6.5 hours and nearly 15 GiB of data streamed. I could spend a week exploring New York alone, the excellent weather today made it hard to move on. Urban canyon exploring at its finest.
07-05 Lakewood N12 5:36 AM
07-05 Monmouth Executive KBLM 5:40 AM Middletown PG Area 40°23’45"N 74°6’9"W
07-05 Marlboro 2N8 6:06 AM Edison PG Area 40°32’28"N
07-05 Linden KLDJ 6:27 AM
07-05 Newark Liberty Intl KEWR 6:44 AM Newark PG Area 40°44’22"N 74°10’11"W
07-05 Teterboro KTEB 7:07 AM
07-05 Laguardia KLGA 7:20 AM
07-05 Floyd Bennet Field 40°35’46.74"N 73°53’47.92"W 9:25 AM
07-05 Kennedy Intl KJFK * 9:38 AM
07-05 Republic KFRG 10:12 AM Stamford PG Area 41°3’10"N 73°32’22"W
07-05 Stewart Intl KSWF * 10:58 AM
07-05 Kingston-Ulster 20N 11:20 AM
07-05 Deer Run NY74 11:31 AM
07-05 Wayne Delp 33NY 11:35 AM
07-05 South Albany 4B0 11:47 AM
07-05 Albany Intl KALB 12:01 PM
Flight time 6:25 15 stops
Departure from Lakewood at dawn
First stop is only a short hop away, Monmouth Executive Airport
Due Process Stables Golf Course and Colts Neck Stables LLC at Swimming River Reservoir
Red Bank on the Navesink River
Forested park home to WWII-era bunkers
Fort Hancock, lot of historical artillery around right at the entrance to New York
Keansburg Amusement Park on Raritan Bay
Marlboro Airport at Wickatunk Recreation Area
Middlesex College at Thomas A. Edison Park
Thomas Edison Center at Menlo Park
Port Newark Container Terminal
Newark Liberty International Airport, opened 1928, the oldest airfield in the USA
Prudential Center, home of the New Jersey Devils
New Jersey Performing Arts Center
Rutgers University - Newark Campus
Red Bull Arena on the Passaic River, home to the New York Red Bulls and NJ/NY Gotham FC
Teterboro Airport close to he Hackensack River
The Hudson river, crossing Manhattan to LaGuardia Airport
Manhattan is derived from from the Munsee Lenape language term manaháhtaan “place for gathering the (wood to make) bows” The Dutch settled on Manhattan in 1626 and called it New Amsterdam. The English took it over in 1664 and named it New York
Central Park with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir
Harlem (below me) originally a Dutch village (1658) was named for the Dutch city of Haarlem
Harlem River, Icahn Stadium and Little Hell Gate Salt Marsh
East River, Rikers Island ahead before La Guardia and Hell Gate Bridge on the right
Named for the once-dangerous channel it bridges, derived from the Dutch word hellegat (hell hole)
I still have a screenshot of Hell Gate Bridge from FSX, dated October 22nd 2006, release version
At about 7 fps while my HW was more up to date than it is currently, amazing progress.
LaGuardia Airport, circa 1939 airport in Queens
Back to Manhattan for a closer look, here over East Harlem
The Metropolitan Museum of Art, featuring a huge collection from all over the world
Heading down 7th Avenue, Columbus Circle on the right
And back to Columbus Circle along 8th Avenue right over Christopher Columbus statue
Museum of Arts and Design behind me in between 8th Ave and Broadway
Heading down 5th Avenue next, Grand Army Plaza at the entrance to Central Park
The Empire State Building, completed 1931
First I heard of it was from Roald Dahl’s “James and the giant peach”
The top was intended as a mooring station for Zeppelins, used only once in 35 knot winds
Apparently The Thomas Jefferson still has a rooftop zeppelin mooring mast (never used) Builders of the hotel created a tower for what was believed to be the future of air travel. However too much wind up there.
Flatiron Building, Architect Daniel Burnham’s iconic 1902 triangular tower at Madison Square
Washington Square Park, historic Greenwich Village gathering spot
Penn Station, the main intercity railroad station in New York City and the busiest transportation facility of any kind in the Western Hemisphere, with over 600K daily passengers
The station is underneath Madison Square Garden, the round building… Madison Square Garden was named for its location, however Madison Square is at Flatiron Building. Of course Pennsylvania Station isn’t in Pennsylvania either. The original station was razed in the early 60s, moved underground and Madison Square Garden build on top.
Penn 1 or One Penn Plaza, completed 1972, 57 floors, 750ft
Times Square, originally Longacre Square until the NY Times hq moved there in 1904
I had plans to land here, better not
Manhattan Bridge and Brooklyn Bridge over the East River
Manhattan Bridge, opened 1909, known for it’s ornate Arch and Colonnade at Chinatown
7 lanes of traffic, 4 subway tracks and pedestrian/cycle paths on either side
Brooklyn Bridge, opened 1883, the first fixed crossing of the East River
6 lanes of traffic, walkway in the middle
https://i.imgur.com/YKRjksH.png
It used to carry elevated trains until 1944, streetcars until 1950
https://i.imgur.com/VM4gQ6n.png
(Can’t land on either, bounding box preventing getting to the deck)
Looking straight down Broadway (which makes a slight left turn at E 10th st)
https://i.imgur.com/JaMdodQ.png
9-11 Memorial & Museum and the new One World Trade Center, opened 2014
https://i.imgur.com/2mL8XeK.png
The Battery park and Whitehall Terminal at the tip of Manhattan
https://i.imgur.com/JZnAKp6.png
The Statue of Liberty, gifted by France in 1885
https://i.imgur.com/YbgrG35.png
Edouard de Laboulaye (1811-1883) hoped that by calling attention to the recent achievements of the United States, the French people would be inspired to create their own democracy
https://i.imgur.com/iY0gAXi.png
The full name of the statue is “Liberty Enlightening the World” referring to the Enlightenment ideals
https://i.imgur.com/JRW7D5T.png
Fort Jay and Urban Assembly New York Harbor School on Governers Island
https://i.imgur.com/M3qJUNm.png
Fort Jay is the oldest existing defensive structure on the island, built in 1794
https://i.imgur.com/bdQUKGm.png
The fort was built on the site of earthworks from 1776, built to defend New York City during the American Revolution
One more view of Manhattan (can spend so much more time here)
https://i.imgur.com/fH2TiRW.png
Ellis Island on the left with Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration
Brooklyn, New York City’s most populous borough, with an estimated 2,648,403 residents in 2020
https://i.imgur.com/aofbGwJ.png
Coney Island with Maimonides Park, home of the Brooklyn Cyclones
https://i.imgur.com/GEyykJP.png
Home to the Cyclone Wooden Roller Coaster in operation since 1926
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93xGlC1UAQ8
Fun ride, we tried it out back in 1999 when we visited NY for the premiere of Star Wars Episode One. Which wasn’t really worth traveling 6,000 km for, however we also saw The Matrix (awesome) and of course New York! Since 2015 I’ll always associate Coney Island with Mr. Robot. Epic first season.
Landing at Floyd Bennett Field, no longer in use, became a park in 1974
https://i.imgur.com/2azlkJW.png
Rockaway Beach and Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge over Jamaica Bay, heading to JFK
https://i.imgur.com/zYSa6uP.png
John F Kennedy International Airport
https://i.imgur.com/E2yJ61W.png
Opened in 1948 as New York International Airport)and was commonly known as Idlewild Airport
https://i.imgur.com/cQFGfnM.png
Nowadays the busiest international air passenger gateway into North America
https://i.imgur.com/sVHlKak.png
Flying over Queens, Meadow Lake, Willow Lake and MTA Jamaica Yard Facility from top to bottom
https://i.imgur.com/geAf30y.png
Corona Park with the Unisphere, Queens Museum and New York State Pavilion
https://i.imgur.com/zeaoLfG.png
Arthur Ashe Stadium, the largest tennis stadium at Flushing Meadows
https://i.imgur.com/pvfZ9au.png
The stadium got a (retractable) roof in 2016, not here yet
Citi Field, home of the New York Mets
https://i.imgur.com/VJEImnO.png
Belmont Park, annual site of the Belmont Stakes Triple Crown championship
https://i.imgur.com/wNch9U2.png
Republic Airport in Farmingdale
https://i.imgur.com/OO21j5u.png
Centre Island in Oyster Bay
https://i.imgur.com/yzVyzVx.png
Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve
https://i.imgur.com/4PFcddE.png
Shippan Point in Stamford
https://i.imgur.com/SWAavb6.png
Stamford, a Connecticut city on Long Island Sound
https://i.imgur.com/MhYAyS5.png
North Stamford Reservoir
https://i.imgur.com/JYf4YPd.png
GlenArbor Golf Club
https://i.imgur.com/cxnkSMZ.png
Amawalk Dam
https://i.imgur.com/VDlghpD.png
Cold Spring on the Hudson River
https://i.imgur.com/jdstobb.png
United States Military Academy, founded 1802
https://i.imgur.com/VpPh3kt.png
Hudson Highlands State Park
https://i.imgur.com/s5iy7ZT.png
Stewart International Airport
https://i.imgur.com/Wpy2CmH.png
Located in Newburgh, New York
https://i.imgur.com/UyLw6J4.png
Nicely modeled smaller airport
https://i.imgur.com/yXGjqR0.png
Counts as a bridge to fly under
https://i.imgur.com/CrCwI2e.png
Port Ewen and Kingston on the Hudson River
https://i.imgur.com/ccnAggV.png
Saugerties, Esopus Creek joining the Hudson River
https://i.imgur.com/crkj37I.png
Wayne Delp Airport
https://i.imgur.com/CkMinE1.png
CSX Albany at Bethlehem
https://i.imgur.com/WHjzl7v.png
Turned around to land at South Albany Airport, CSX Car Shop ahead
https://i.imgur.com/AyWh2A3.png
Albany, the capital of New York
https://i.imgur.com/rv3vZST.png
New York State Capitol in between East and West Capitol Park
https://i.imgur.com/2TDaTnG.png
Amazing building
https://i.imgur.com/MYE8AKI.png
Last stop today at Albany International Airport
https://i.imgur.com/E8jiq1i.png
Next leg, Massachusetts and Connecticut while heading back to the coast to explore Long Island.
Leg 319, Albany, New York via Massachusetts and Connecticut to Providence, Rhode Island
DAY07_06.PLN (11.9 KB)
Following Long Island today, visiting Yale along the way and the capitals of Connecticut and Rhode Island. Plus one very special Airport…
07-06 Albany Intl KALB 6:14 AM
07-06 Rensselaer County 5B7 6:18 AM
07-06 Pittsfield Mun KPSF 6:27 AM
07-06 Westfield-Barned Rgnl KBAF 6:40 AM Springfield PG Area 42°5’37"N 72°35’3"W
07-06 Braley Intl KBDL 7:04 AM
07-06 Hartford-Brainard KHFD 7:13 AM Hartford capital
07-06 Maplewood Farm CT39 7:30 AM
07-06 Tweed-New Haven KHVN 7:40 AM New Haven PG Area
07-06 Igor I Sikorsky Memorial KBDR 8:15 AM Bridgeport PG Area 41°10’39"N 73°11’23"W
07-06 Long Island Mac Arthur KISP 8:46 AM
07-06 Bayport 23N 8:50 AM
07-06 Brookhaven KHWV 8:56 AM
07-06 Lufker 49N 9:00 AM
07-06 Gabreski KFOK 9:05 AM
07-06 Mattituck 21N 9:11 AM
07-06 Westmoreland 49NY 9:17 AM
07-06 Rose Field 2NK3 9:24 AM
07-06 Gardiners Island Landing Field KSPP 9:30 AM
07-06 Montauk KMTP 9:35 AM
07-06 Block Island State KBID 9:42 AM 25 knot tailwind
07-06 Canapitsit 15MA 9:58 AM Very short
07-06 Martha’s Vineyard KMVY 10:11 AM
07-06 Katama 1B2 10:15 AM
07-06 Nantucket Memorial KACK 10:27 AM
07-06 Chatham Mun KCQX 10:36 AM
07-06 Province Town Mun KPVC 10:51 AM Pilgrim Monument 42°3’8"N 70°11’19"W
07-06 Marshfield Muni - George Harlo KGHG 11:03 AM
07-06 South Weymouth NAS - Shea Field NZW 11:22 AM Brockton PG Area 42°4’37"N 71°2’52"W
07-06 Taunton Mun KTAN 11:35 AM Terrible performance 27GB RAM in use
07-06 Iroquois Landing 02NH 11:52 AM Road landing, nothing to land on
07-06 Melville KMEO 11:56 AM Uneven terrain
07-06 Theodore Francis Green State KPVD 12:02 PM Providence PG Area 41°49’53"N 71°24’56"W capital
07-06 North Central State KSFZ 12:35 PM
Flight time 6:21 32 stops
Albany International Airport
it’s still close to the summer solstice, earlier sunrise the further north I go. I live 500km directly west from Albany, so still slightly ‘behind’, about 7 degrees, 28 minutes later sunrise
Leaving Albany behind, heading to Long Island
First stop today at Rensselaer County Airport
My coffee isn’t ready yet, bit of a steep dive to make the runway, flaps as air brakes
Branch Westfield River at Goldmine Brook Falls
Westfield-Barned Regional Airport
Arriving in Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield City Hall and Memorial Bridge over the Connecticut River
Better view of City Hall at Court Square
Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame
Basketball was invented by Springfield College instructor and graduate James Naismith in 1891
Also here The Amazing World of Dr Seuss Museum
Theodor Seuss Geisel (1904-1991) was born and raised in Springfield
Hartford, the capital of Connecticut on the Connecticut River
Landing at Hartford-Brainard Airport
No PG data here, but here’s the Old State House and the current State Capitol
Hartford is home to The Mark Twain House & Museum
The home of Samuel Langhorne Clemens (Mark Twain 1835-1910) and his family from 1874 to 1891. Clemens wrote many of his best-known works while living there.
Arriving in New Haven on Long Island Sound
Home to Yale University, founded 1701
Harkness Tower at Branford Court
Payne Whitney Gymnasium, looks like its being renovated here
Ingalls Ice Rink, commonly referred to as The Whale, built 1953- 1958
Yale Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale University Science Hill
New Haven City Hall in Orange Street Historic District
John Dixwell (1607-1689) Grave and Monument below
Yale Bowl, Reese Stadium and Yale Field
Metro-North East Bridgeport Yard
Webster Bank Arena and Ballpark at Harbor Yard (closed end 2017)
Hartford HealthCare Amphitheater opened May 2021 where the Ballpark was. It still shows under construction on Gogle Street View Nov 2020 and shows a partly dismantled baseball stadium on Google maps. Bing street view is from 2014 shows the baseball stadium.
Mary and Eliza Freeman Houses, listed on the Connecticut Freedom Trail
The last two houses of Little Liberia, a settlement of free people of color. The oldest surviving homes in Connecticut built by African-Americans in 1848
Fayerweather Yacht Club on Burr Creek
Fairfield Beach Club at Jennings Beach
Veteran’s Memorial Park and Marina in Norwalk on the Norwalk River
Arriving in Long Island at Nissequogue River State Park fter crossing over Long Island Sound
Francis S. Gabreski Airport, Westhampton, NY
Mattituck, a hamlet in Suffolk County
It’s fall here, time traveling again
Landing at Westmoreland Airport on Shelter Island
Montauk, a village at the east end of the Long Island peninsula
Known for its beaches, Kirk Park Beach and Gin Beach below
The tiny Canapitsit Airport with Nashawena Island ahead
Martha’s Vineyard, Island & summer colony known for its traditional New England cottages
Katama Airpark at Edgartown, flying in over Meshacket Neck
Nantucket Island with Nantucket Memorial Airport
https://i.imgur.com/UJVHERu.png
Provincetown at the northern tip of Cape Cod, Massachusetts
https://i.imgur.com/vNue2Hd.png
The seaside town is on the site of the Mayflower’s landing in 1620, commemorated by the towering Pilgrim Monument and neighboring Provincetown Museum
https://i.imgur.com/oUlY4Uc.png
P-town is known as a longtime haven for artists, lesbians and gay men
https://i.imgur.com/s5lwYNV.png
Today more than 200 businesses belong to the PBG, and Provincetown is perhaps the best-known gay summer resort on the East Coast
Scituate, a seacoast town in Plymouth County
https://i.imgur.com/MkFwl7Q.png
Oceanside Dr in Seaside at Scituate
https://i.imgur.com/ICUwM4D.png
I wondered about that ‘gap’, turns out it’s already gone. It’s just amazing that you can see the rocks on the beach!
Minot Beach
https://i.imgur.com/ISsDSra.png
South Weymouth Lssr Shea Field - KNZW
https://i.imgur.com/SgX9xLO.png
Brockton in Plymouth County
https://i.imgur.com/TBviAGv.png
Those PG forests with aut0-gen trees over top really bring my system down. I had zero issues in New York City, yet here I’m flying at 2 to 5 fps and 27 GB RAM in use
Brockton City Hall
https://i.imgur.com/IEm6qgI.png
C&C Reading Farm and River Bend Country Club on the other side of E Center St
https://i.imgur.com/Fxw1aX5.png
Iroquois Landing 02NH
https://i.imgur.com/K8oSm7X.png
I looked it up online, 02NH is actually a Seaplane base exactly 3 degrees north from here
According to the game it’s at 41°39’26.52"N 71°13’3.79"W
According to Unipage (and others) it’s at 44°39’25.6"N 71°13’08.8"W
On the Bear Brook River in Dunner, New Hampshire, although there’s nothing there either and Bing calls it the Androscoggin River. Privately owned airport.
The elevation is correct for where it is supposed to be
https://i.imgur.com/khQFWqE.png
Yet how did a seaplane base end up in MSFS, I landed on a road instead
I went back to it an hour ago to try it out
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zod_4tgt4Eo
Seems like there is a runway under the water, but the plane won’t gather speed while driving in water. The most bizarre take off / landing yet.
Arriving in Providence, the capital of Rhode Island
https://i.imgur.com/t0tTEPJ.png
Kettle Point on the Providence River
Downtown Providence
https://i.imgur.com/nK1wGfK.png
City Hall with the US Probation & Parole Office on the other end of Kennedy Plaza
https://i.imgur.com/uRR0I0z.png
Dunkin’ Donuts Center and the Rhode Island Convention Center
https://i.imgur.com/6JO9YRP.png
Rhode Island State House (built 1891-1901) needs its roof trimmed
https://i.imgur.com/m5MaPwQ.png
Old State House (completed 1762)
https://i.imgur.com/EJJPOFu.png
On May 4, 1776, the General Assembly declared its independence here, renouncing its allegiance to the British crown, and the date is now celebrated as Rhode Island Independence Day
Hunter Psychology Lab at Brown University, founded 1764
https://i.imgur.com/TV5tLnd.png
Roger Williams Park Botanical Center
https://i.imgur.com/pCQ0Pwh.png
Cranston Street Armory next to Dexter Field
https://i.imgur.com/SF7O9og.png
Final stop today at North Central State Airport
https://i.imgur.com/r9JtlV8.png
Well done crew, you are now certified seaplane pilots
https://i.imgur.com/0q3mh5v.png
Tomorrow on to Boston and then New Hampshire and Maine.
Leg 320, Providence, Rhode Island via Massachusetts and New Hampshire to Augusta, Maine, USA
DAY07_07.PLN (6.2 KB)
Another crawl though 5 PG areas. (avg speed 45 knots, 10.8 GiB data streamed) So much to see, Boston is awesome. I didn’t expect water masks either this far North, but there are some very nice ones at Portland and further north.
07-07 North Central State KSFZ 6:07 AM
07-07 Waters MA97 6:15 AM
07-07 Worcester Rgnl KORH 6:21 AM Worcester PG Area 42°15’55"N 71°47’49"W
07-07 Marlboro 9B1 6:51 AM Terrible performance, PG forests
07-07 Sudbury MA70 7:00 AM Very short, trees in the way, 3 attempts
Boston PG Area 42°20’48" 71°5’51"W capital
07-07 Logan Intl KBOS 7:56 AM Lowell PG Area 42°38’44" 71°18’21"W
07-07 Beverly Rgnl KBVY 8:20 AM
07-07 Steck Farm NH78 8:49 AM
07-07 Manchester KMHT 8:56 AM
07-07 Concord Muni KCON 9:08 AM Concord PG Area 43°12’26"N 71°32’14"W capital
07-07 Sanford Regl KSFM 9:39 AM
07-07 Portland Intl Jetport KPWM 9:52 AM Portland PG Area 43°39’17"N 70°15’2"W
07-07 Farr Field ME33 10:40 AM
07-07 Brunswick Executive KBXM 10:48 AM
07-07 Merrymeeting Field 08B 10:55 AM
07-07 Augusta State KAUG 11:23 AM Augusta PG Area 44°18’40"N 69°46’47"W
Flight time 5:16 15 stops
Early sunrise again, departing from North Central State Airport (Providence, RI)
Passing by Woonsocket Reservoir Number Three
Worcester in central Massachusetts
City Hall at Worcester Common Oval
They put the patio umbrellas up early
The train station at Front St and Grafton St
EcoTarium and Lake Quinsigamond on the right
Worcester Technical High School
Solar panels all over the roof, expected this day and age from a technical school
Salisbury Mansion (from 1772) and Worcester Art Museum
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Crossing I 240 heading down town (the road)
USPS Central Massachusetts Processing & Distribution Center next to Lake Quinsigamond
Power lines are very easy to navigate by in forested areas, serves as firebreaks as well
Blue Star Memorial Highway below, Sudbury Reservoir ahead
Brandeis University, great Pokemon hunting according to the reviews
Marcus Field at Brandeis University and the Charles river
Arriving in Boston over the Massechusetts Turnpike along the Charles River
Home to Harvard Business School and Harvard Stadium (oldest U-shaped stadium in the USA)
Harvard Kennedy School at John F Kennedy Memorial Park
More of Harvard University with Harvard Law School on the left
I can’t hold it in anymore I’ve got to plug one of my most favorite shows of all time
James Spader and William Shatner were magic in that show
Still relevant today as well
Annenberg Hall, Harvard Yard and the Widener Library
Longfellow Bridge (with trees)
Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge
New England Aquarium next to Long Wharf
Custom House Tower
The dial seems to be in the same position as on Google, same data source or dial stuck
Irish Famine Memorial in front of Walgreens and Old South Meeting House (tower sticking out)
Along the Freedom Trail commemorating the 1845 Irish potato famine
City Hall Plaza, Government Center Transit Stop under construction
Closed March 22, 2014 for a major renovation, reopened on March 21, 2016. It’s finished on Google, so not the same data source, data from late 2014 or 2015
Old State House (built 1713), tough one to get a clear shot at
Boston seems to have a giant hosta problem
The Paul Revere House
Paul Revere (1735-1818) took part in the Boston Tea Party and was a principal rider for Boston’s Committee of Safety. In that role, he devised a system of lanterns to warn the minutemen of a British invasion, setting up his famous ride on April 18, 1775
Massachusetts State House at Boston Common
Freedom Trail Starting Point left of Boston Common Frog Pond (ice skating rink in winter)
Fenway Park, home of the Red Sox
My first ‘encounter’ with the USA as a little lad was getting a Red Sox Baseball cap from a friend of my parents who had traveled to Boston. Still a big deal in the 70s (living in the Netherlands)
Baseball caps were entirely new to me (had never seen one before) and the USA was also still seen as the greatest country on Earth, a magical gift. Currently Canada is (according to Google), however we just had a subdued Canada Day (our independence day July 1st) as the country grapples with its historic and ongoing treatment of Indigenous peoples. There is always (much) room for improvement.
Bird’s eye view with East Boston Memorial Stadium
Leaving Boston behind via Maurice J Tobin Memorial Bridge
To Salem, The House of the Seven Gables (1668) and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Birthplace next door
Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) is best known for The Scarlet Letter (1850) and The House of the Seven Gables (1851)
Of course Salem is most known for the Salem Witch Trials (1692), Salem Witch Museum below
Salem Witch Trials Memorial park
Salem Pioneer Village at Forest River Park
Recreated 17th-c. colonial village
Landing at Beverly Regional Airport
Arriving in Lowell at Cawley Memorial Stadium and Janas Memorial Skating Rink
Lowell Memorial Auditorium nearby the Memimack River
National Historic Park next to Boott Cotton Mills Museum next to John E Cox Memorial Bridge
Edward A. LeLacheur Park - Lowell Spinners Baseball at University of Massachusetts Lowell
Lakeview Ave running through Dracut
https://i.imgur.com/5Z7tOYn.png
Concord Municipal Airport
https://i.imgur.com/NyoQ8zW.png
Concord, the capital of New Hampshire, on the Merimack river
https://i.imgur.com/OgK3o31.png
The Concord Mall along the I 93
https://i.imgur.com/TboWqhj.png
Downtown Concord
https://i.imgur.com/T4gb6Oq.png
New Hampshire State House
https://i.imgur.com/890rsGK.png
South End Marsh
https://i.imgur.com/oCHt6xQ.png
Jeness Pond in Strafford
https://i.imgur.com/wtfU08T.png
Sanford Regional Airport
https://i.imgur.com/agUoKYF.png
Portland International Jetport
https://i.imgur.com/eXjFImI.png
Portland, Maine, set on a peninsula extending into Casco Bay
https://i.imgur.com/nhT0CHE.png
Hadlock Field, home to the Portland Sea Dogs and Portland Fitzpatrick Stadium
https://i.imgur.com/qea34zf.png
Sprague Terminal
https://i.imgur.com/vHg40dI.png
Forest City Cemetery on the Fore River
https://i.imgur.com/d6jTbVv.png
Turner island, the tidal difference in Portland can reach over 12ft between low and high tide
https://i.imgur.com/9pN5R4i.png
Casco Bay Bridge
https://i.imgur.com/x8zFf77.png
Cross Insurance Arena, multipurpose arena featuring ice hockey
https://i.imgur.com/z3QuLnn.png
WEX Inc. Building 2 at Portland Cruise Terminal
https://i.imgur.com/gDRIZtV.png
Aug 2017 that building is still standing, June 2019 it’s gone (streetview of different dates) It looks like you can see inside the building, no roof, but it’s actually steel girders holding up the roof.
That looks like the tide coming in at The Brothers next to Waits Landing
https://i.imgur.com/L1RAhtv.png
This is not far (relatively) from the Bay of Fundy (Nova Scotia, Canada) where the highest tidal differences are observed (53.5ft)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQnpWyXMyL8
Asobo is thinking about implementing tides and together with a world update for Canada, I’ll certainly check it out on a more in depth Canada tour some time in the future.
Not home yet, continuing on at Little Chebeague Island
https://i.imgur.com/bWVW2pL.png
And Great Chebeague Island
https://i.imgur.com/D6bZy3O.png
Littlejohn Island
https://i.imgur.com/fwQ9GvW.png
Lower Goose Island and The Goslings on the way to Farr Field Airport
https://i.imgur.com/CFiCcv6.png
Skolfield Shores Preserve on the way to Brunswick Executive Airport
https://i.imgur.com/yNGQtpb.png
Merrymeeting Field at Bowdoinham Wildlife Management Area
https://i.imgur.com/cEcxW3A.png
Main State House in Augusta, the capital of Maine
https://i.imgur.com/ydO2CHD.png
Memorial Circle and the Kennebec River
https://i.imgur.com/lPKr8zR.png
You don’t see very many roundabouts in the USA
Kennebec Valley Rail Trail at Augusta Waterfront Park on Front St
https://i.imgur.com/qnAyJg5.png
The Gun Shop on Coney Circle
https://i.imgur.com/MHHxV6l.png
Old Fort Western, the oldest surviving wood fort in New England from 1754
https://i.imgur.com/Pv1ZZGd.png
Commissioner Office at Viles Arboretum (park)
https://i.imgur.com/uQqFMRH.png
Turning over the Kennebec River to head towards the airport
https://i.imgur.com/oeDueVT.png
Final stop today at Augusta State Airport
https://i.imgur.com/GMTskRB.png
It’s right next to town along Western Ave
https://i.imgur.com/d8NtYo8.png
Tomorrow I’ll be flying along the Canadian border to Vermont, the last state I haven’t visited yet.
Leg 321, Augusta, Maine via Vermont to Seneca Falls, New York, USA
DAY07_08.PLN (16.1 KB)
A long leg today, exploring Maine and Vermont, then to the Finger Lakes in New York. A little bit of Canada in there as well (New Brunswick and Quebec), following the border.
07-08 Augusta State KAUG 5:38 AM
07-08 Knox Co Regl KRKD 5:57 AM
07-08 Matinicus Island 35ME 6:06 AM Trees at end of runway
07-08 Mary Talbot Meml Airfield ME55 6:15 AM
07-08 Witherspoons ME41 6:20 AM Short runway
07-08 Stonington Mun 93B 6:26 AM
07-08 Banks ME5 6:35 AM
07-08 Hancock County-Bar Harbor KBHB 6:42 AM
07-08 Cherryfield KDHE 6:53 AM
07-08 Drisko 05ME 7:07 AM Short runway, sloped
07-08 Cutler Regl ME2 7:15 AM
07-08 Grand Manan CCN2 7:24 AM
07-08 Lubec Mun 65B 7:30 AM
07-08 Eastport Mun KEPM 7:34 AM
07-08 St Stephen CCS3 7:42 AM
07-08 Princeton Mun KPNN 7:47 AM
07-08 Lincoln Regl KLRG 8:08 AM
07-08 Webber Jones ME03 8:23 AM
07-08 Two Falls ME79 8:29 AM
07-08 Sugarloaf Rgnl B21 8:45 AM
07-08 Bean Mun 8B0 8:57 AM
07-08 Stanhope CSN5 9:16 AM
07-08 Weller CTQ2 9:25 AM Haskell Free library 45°00’20.7"N 72°05’51.7"W
07-08 Mansonville CSK4 9:34 AM
07-08 Franklin Co State KFSO 9:47 AM
07-08 Northern Lights VT46 9:54 AM
07-08 Savage Island VT15 10:00 AM
07-08 Shaw Meadow VT52 10:04 AM Gordon Landing 44°41’16.2"N 73°20’57.9"W
07-08 Plattsburgh Intl KPBG 10:14 AM
07-08 Secret Spot 3NK5 10:18 AM
07-08 Richter Aero NY84 10:27 AM
07-08 Basin Harbor B06 10:31 AM
07-08 Mad River Fly-in VT29 10:44 AM Montpelier 44°15’43.5"N 72°34’50.5"W
07-08 Edward F Knapp State KMPV 10:51 AM TeleAtlas Hanover 43°40’44"N 72°15’43"W
07-08 Lebanon Muni KLEB 11:12 AM
07-08 Rutland - Southern Vermont Rgn KRUT 11:24 AM
07-08 Granville 01NK 11:32 AM
07-08 Floyd Bennett Memorial KGFL 11:38 AM
07-08 Plateau Sky Ranch 1F2 11:49 AM Low quality terrain area
07-08 Oneida Co KUCA 12:11 PM
07-08 Curtis NY62 12:16 PM
07-08 Kamp 1B4 12:19 PM
07-08 Syracuse Hancock Intl KSYR 12:30 PM Syracuse PG Area 43°2’20"N 76°8’5"W
07-08 Marcellus NK71 12:49 PM
07-08 Skaneateles 6B9 12:54 PM
07-08 Finger Lakes Rgnl 0G7 1:07 PM
Flight Time 7:29 45 stops
Augusta State Airport, the sun is up, time to go
Leaving Augusta behind to head further into Maine
Preparing to land at Knox Co Regional airport in Thomaston
Approach over Dragon Products Company
Vinalhaven, located on the larger of the two Fox Islands
Landing at Banks Airport in Atlantic on Swan Island
Drisko Airport in Jonesboro on the Chandler River
Grand Manan Island, New Brunswick, Canada at start of the Bay of Fundy, Gulf of Maine behind
Grand Manan Airport with traces of snow… (16c/61F there)
Eastport on Moose Island, Maine, USA
West Grand Lake in Grand Lake Stream district
The Frog (peninsula) at Horseshoe Lake
Number Three Pond
Thinking up names for thousands of lakes isn’t easy! There are over 6,000 lakes in Maine
South Branch Lake, Seboeis Plantation
Kennebec River feeding Wyman Lake
Sugarloaf Regional Airport in Carrabassett Valley
Steven A Bean Municipal Airport at Rangeley Lake
Heading into the rain. It’s been raining (at home) since I woke up with the clouds drifting east to where I am in the game. Live weather is working
Haskell Free Library at Derby Line and Stanstead
The US-Canada border, looking at Derby Line in Maine, Stanstead, Quebec behind
That’s at Church st / Rue Church in Canada
Haskell Free Library and Opera House, border marked with black tape inside the building
The Opera House opened on June 7, 1904, having deliberately been built on the international border. The building was the gift of Martha Stewart Haskell (1831-1906) and her son, dedicated to her late husband. The family’s aim was to provide the border communities with a center for learning and cultural enrichment,
From he visitor page:
The Haskell Free Library & Opera House is not a border crossing. We have one entrance, which is in the United States. Visitors from Canada are able to access the building. They must park on the Canadian side, and follow the sidewalk from Church St to the entrance. After leaving the building, they must return to Canada by the same route.
While you can not exchange goods, you can meet people at the library
On to Mansonville Airport in Highwater, Quebec
Northern Lights Airport-VT46, Vermont
Virtual travel, no passport necessary, no hassle at the border!
One time I drove from Montreal, QC to Lebanon, NH, border crossing at Blackpool. I still had a Dutch passport at the time and was on the way to Lebanon for work. I had flown in to Montreal to drive the rest, instead of flying to Boston and drive the other way.
Thinking ahead I had filled out one those green visa waiver forms at the airport, which the US border control promptly rejected. I had to fill out one of their forms (same one) and pay $8 in exact change. Only cash allowed. Well of course I didn’t have exact US change on me. They kept my passport and car and I had to walk back across the border to Canada to a border shop to get change.
Sometimes I think the US border agency is just there to harass people. On our honeymoon we flew to Vancouver, rented a car there and drove to Seattle to meet friends. (Plan was to visit there, then vacation in BC, fly back from Vancouver). They took my passport, had us sit in the waiting room while searching the entire car.
When I crossed the border at Buffalo (to drive to Washington, DC for work) they took my passport, had me sit in a concrete bunker (waiting room) packed with other people for over an hour to get interrogated before being allowed to go on.
At airports I always got the pink slash on my ticket ‘randomly’ selected for further investigation. The only time I didn’t have trouble was right after 9/11 happened and I crossed the border back to Detroit from Canada, to fly back to The Netherlands. (after visiting my later to be wife)
Gordon Landing, VT, where I took the ferry over Lake Champlain
The hassle was worth it, the trip through Vermont was amazing
Cumberland Head, NY, other end of the ferry crossing
Bridges are great to look at, ferries are always a joy to take, such a nice break
Plattsburg International Airport
https://i.imgur.com/w8Jnyct.png
I got lucky with a break from the rain at the ferry crossing, back to down pour
Secret Spot Airport-3NK5
https://i.imgur.com/1CLZzYz.png
Basin Harbor Airport
https://i.imgur.com/y3O2A6S.png
Montpellier, the capital of Vermont with Vermont State House right ahead of me
https://i.imgur.com/VZsMZnv.png
Edward F Knapp State Airport at Montpellier
https://i.imgur.com/gq1NQoa.png
Flying over (former) TeleAtlas, Lebanon office
https://i.imgur.com/C3RwqmX.png
That was the destination of my visit. The navigation company I worked for got their map data from TeleAtlas (founded 1984), which had bough Geographic Data Technology (founded 1980) based here in Lebanon.
TomTom later bought TeleAtlas in 2008, hence the TomTom sign
https://i.imgur.com/g8X9exa.png
The mapping vans are equipped with six cameras, two side-sweeping lasers and a GPS navigation device. The vans capture about three photos per second while traveling at normal speeds, resulting in more than 100 million images per year from each van. 3-D scanning lasers record the width, height and contours of the first reflective surface they encounter, producing data that when combined with the images create a three-dimension representation.
Unfortunately the Lebanon office got downsized in 2017, happened all after my time, but I still feel bad for the people that lost their job in Lebanon
https://www.vnews.com/Tomtom-lays-off-about-35-employees-at-Lebanon-office-9543956
TomTom currently provides its road data to Bing maps, and the roads you see in game are originally coming from TeleAtlas and Geographic Data Technology
https://www.tomtom.com
Great company to work for, nothing but fond memories. However after turning hobby into work, I now rely on paper maps or simple memorization when I go anywhere. I haven’t used a navigation device in well over a decade.
Lebanon Municipal Airport, Vermont
https://i.imgur.com/LaUS2nA.png
I decided to climb above the clouds with a longer distance to the next stop
https://i.imgur.com/tINIhGz.png
Over Salisbury, NY, sunshine
https://i.imgur.com/AVmxtLc.png
Over Norway, NY
https://i.imgur.com/6qHdokc.png
And back down, Oneida County Airport
https://i.imgur.com/bvgJVs0.png
Lakeport on Oneida Lake
https://i.imgur.com/PbFQuqz.png
Syracuse Hancock International Airport
https://i.imgur.com/0feBHaO.png
Syracuse on Onodaga Lake
https://i.imgur.com/qrAZLTA.png
NBT Bank Stadium, home to the Syracuse Chiefs
https://i.imgur.com/AG3rCj8.png
Onondaga Lake
https://i.imgur.com/gpqvkNX.png
The mall next to Metropolitan Syracuse Wastewater Treatment Plant
https://i.imgur.com/Eq7oq5e.png
Downtown, Clinton Square below
https://i.imgur.com/lwKT1Md.png
Syracuse City Hall and the Erie Canal Museum further back
https://i.imgur.com/Jvkdpzs.png
tracing the waterway’s history in the 1850 Weighlock Building
Carrier Dome at Syracuse University
https://i.imgur.com/Cy2324v.png
Another pass over downtown with a break in the rain
https://i.imgur.com/9Y8fm8L.png
Syracuse Family Court ahead, as well as more rain
https://i.imgur.com/9e7vOoG.png
E Jefferson St at Columbus Circle
https://i.imgur.com/5PnWfmC.png
And the Museum of Science & Technology
https://i.imgur.com/cIMynuI.png
Skaneateles Aerodrome, next to Skaneateles Lake, part of the Finger Lakes
https://i.imgur.com/UVNAdTg.png
Owasco Lake
https://i.imgur.com/GqKL3tr.png
Melrose Park at the north end of the lake
https://i.imgur.com/qRuddRv.png
Last stop today, Finger Lakes Regional Airport at Seneca Falls
https://i.imgur.com/jq5HlMw.png
Located on the northern end, west side of Cayuga Lake, east of Seneca Lake
https://i.imgur.com/WT2A6DT.png
Tomorrow maybe better weather to see the rest of the finger lakes, then making my way to Niagara Falls via Rochester on Lake Ontario.
Leg 322, Seneca Falls, New York via Pennsylvania to Kelleys Island, Ohio, USA
DAY07_09.PLN (13.8 KB)
Almost back home, but still a couple more PG areas to visit, hence a loop around lake Erie before the final push home. This leg, visiting Niagara Falls, Pittsburg and Clevelend.
07-09 Finger Lakes Rgnl 0G7 5:36 AM
07-09 Seneca AAF KSSN 5:41 AM
07-09 Penn Yan KPEO 5:47 AM
07-09 Midlakes 92G 5:52 AM
07-09 Canandaigua D38 5:58 AM
07-09 Greater Rochester Intl KROC 6:10 AM
07-09 Manitou Field 91NY 6:14 AM
07-09 Hendershot 34NY 6:19 AM
07-09 Maynard’s 56NY 6:26 AM
07-09 Tiger Paw Aerodrome 35NK 6:35 AM
07-09 Olcott-Newfane D80 6:41 AM
07-09 Shear 63NY 6:46 AM Whirlpool Jet Boat Tours 43°15’21.2"N 79°03’50.0"W
07-09 St Catharines/Niagara District CYSN 6:53 AM Niagara Falls PG Area 43°4’58"N 79°4’23"W
07-09 Rainbow Bridge Niagara Falls 43°5’25.65"N 79°4’4.69"W 7:19 AM
07-09 Niagara South CNF9 7:38 AM
07-09 Mesmer NY49 7:41 AM
07-09 Ft Erie CNJ3 7:45 AM Peace Bridge 42°54’25.1"N 78°54’21.2"W
07-09 Buffalo Niagara Intl KBUF 7:53 AM
07-09 Buffalo 9G0 7:58 AM
07-09 Hamburg Inc 4G2 8:05 AM
07-09 Evans Airways 4NK3 8:08 AM
07-09 Chautauqua Co/Dunkirk KDKK 8:17 AM
07-09 Chautauqua County/Jamestown KJHW 8:26 AM
07-09 Sanders Personal Use 70PN 8:33 AM
07-09 Brokenstraw P15 8:38 AM Bad stuttering, forests plus fog, 26 GB ram in use
07-09 Mountain Crest 17PS 8:49 AM Marker off by 0.81nm
07-09 Mc Cauley’s 8PN3 8:57 AM
07-09 Pittsburg Northeast 9G1 9:15 AM McCandles PG Area 40°36’25"N 80°2’33"W
Pittburgh PG Area 40°26’59" 80°0’46"W
07-09 Pittburgh Intl KPIT 10:19 AM
07-09 Beaver County KBVI 10:30 AM
07-09 New Castle Mun KUCP 10:38 AM
07-09 Youngstown-Warren Rgnl KYNG 10:46 AM
07-09 Thompson rag Raceway 73OH 11:00 AM
07-09 Willoughby Lost Nation Municipal KLNN 11:08 AM
07-09 Burke Lakefront KBKL 11:17 AM
07-09 Cuyahoga County KCGF 11:27 AM
07-09 Cleveland-Hopkins Intl KCLE 11:48 AM PG Area
07-09 R & M Aviation 4OI7 11:54 AM
07-09 Kelleys I 89D 12:20 PM
Flight time 6:44 38 stops
Finger Lakes Regional Airport
I’m leaving at about the same time as yesterday, yet further west and it’s cloudy
Seneca Falls in the rear view mirror
A watery sunrise promising a mostly gloomy day
First stop at Seneca AAF on Seneca lake
The sun is trying to get through
Canandaigua on Canandaigua Lake
It’s always sunny above the clouds
Located on Lake Ontario and the Genesee River
Greater Rochester International Airport
Landing at Manitou Field
Same weather here, looking out the window, light rain all day
Heading for Canada, across the Niagara River, Old Fort Niagara below
Originally built (1726) to protect the interests of New France in North America
Whirpool Jet Tours at Niagara-on-the-lake
I’ve been on that boat a couple times, awesome
Sir Adam Beck No 2 Generating Station on the right (Canadian side), No 1 just behind me
Robert Moses Niagara Power Plant on the left (US side)
Water gets diverted before the waterfalls (by canals and tunnels) to giant reservoirs that get topped up at night. Extra water gets diverted at night so only 25% of the available water goes over the falls, during the day 50% gets to fall down. This reduces the movement of the falls to 1ft per year instead of moving 3ft per year towards lake Erie. And generates close to 4.9 million kilowatts, enough to power 3.8 million homes.
The Whirlpool, as far as the jet boats go
90 degree turn in the river created a bowl, rotating counter-clockwise
Whirlpool Aero Car and view from Whirlpool Beach
And in winter time
There is a great Butterfly conservatory a bit before the Whirlpool, one of our favorite places to visit
Behind it are the hydro canals, not acessibile, probably quite fast flowing water
On to the falls, first Whirlpool Rapids Bridge and White Water Walk
Train bridge and closed traffic bridge (walls build on the bridge)
Rainbow International Bridge with border inspection areas on either side
Visiting the American falls first
American Maid of the Mist tours depart at the bottom of Niagara Falls Observation Tower
Nikola Tesla Monument sits there overlooking the falls
Cave of the winds is there as well with a boardwalk along the bottom of the falls
Back on the Canadian side, past Fallsview Indoor Waterpark to line up for
a landing on Rainbow Bridge, buzzing the Canada Border Services Agency tower
It works, only because there is no collision detection with the lamp posts
Looking towards the falls, raining again
Looks kinda weird without the huge plume of spray, the gloomy weather actually helps here
Now imagine twice as much water going over and taking a barrel down the falls…
First time I saw the falls was on national geographic, which made it seem like they were pristine in the forest. Color me surprised to find a huge amusement park the first time I visited. My wife ahd already warned me, but the scale of the tourist trap was as imposing as the falls themselves
That’s Skylon tower and at the water’s edge is Hornblower landing, Canadian Maid of the Mist dock
Fallsview Tourist Area with casinos and well everything
Flying by Goat Island while going further up the Niagara River to Buffalo, NY
Peace Bridge connecting the US and Canada
It has been very quiet since March 2020, the border is still closed
Landing at Buffalo Niagara International Airport
Hamburg Airport-4G2 along a busy road (Heltz rd)
Irving, where Cataraugus Creek flows into Lake Erie
Youngsville in Warren County, Pennsylvania
Deerfield Township, Pennsylvania
Tidioute on the Allegheny River
The Allegheny River at Grove Run
Finally, some sunshine while taking off from Mc Cauley’s
https://i.imgur.com/YE2VK4r.png
Still so cloudy
https://i.imgur.com/NOwmytX.png
Pittsburgh NorthEast Airport
https://i.imgur.com/ZwZmouV.png
Allegheny County
https://i.imgur.com/4NoX1aT.png
Following the I 76 Pennsylvania Turnpike
https://i.imgur.com/WvJE6xZ.png
https://i.imgur.com/SoIK5rv.png
https://i.imgur.com/HR9zPiV.png
Turned off to Wexford when I realized the i 76 isn’t going to Pittsburg!
https://i.imgur.com/k9Lea5c.png
Perry Hwy 19 is going to Pittsburg
https://i.imgur.com/YJtSqcK.png
McCandles, the fountain of youth is here in Allison Park
https://i.imgur.com/KPQOZZE.png
Looks scary, bring a flashlight. After you
https://i.imgur.com/ip9PvMB.png
Ross Park Mall
https://i.imgur.com/SFkTpyf.png
Pittsburgh in western Pennsylvania at the junction of 3 rivers
https://i.imgur.com/LoDYcDW.png
David L. Lawrence Convention Center and The Andy Warhol Museum on the right
https://i.imgur.com/goy9AQ7.png
Andy Warhol (1928-1987) was born and raised in Pittsburgh
PNC Park on the Allegheny River, home of the Pirates
https://i.imgur.com/9dvWnxB.png
Heading downtown
https://i.imgur.com/DqrLqpH.png
Melon Square below, dubbed the emerald oasis
https://i.imgur.com/4KhKbrh.png
Allegheny County Courthouse
https://i.imgur.com/mtV1PuH.png
At Grant Street
https://i.imgur.com/69DlOcb.png
At Gateway subway station with the Roberto Clemente Bridge ahead
https://i.imgur.com/KSjqHOp.png
Heinz Field, home of the Steelers & University of Pittsburgh Panthers
https://i.imgur.com/r4nJ9bK.png
Located at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, forming the Ohio river
PPG Paints Arena, home of the Pittsburgh Penguins
https://i.imgur.com/BJvCeFu.png
The University of Pittsburgh
https://i.imgur.com/KD6S7Hv.png
University Honors College (tower) and Carnegie Museum of Art (behind the tower)
https://i.imgur.com/g2ld8pw.png
McKees Rocks Bottoms along the Ohio River
https://i.imgur.com/2jus6Fi.png
Neville Island
https://i.imgur.com/4zNBtG6.png
https://i.imgur.com/GXeiUDe.png
Pittsburgh International Airport
https://i.imgur.com/N6eddsj.png
https://i.imgur.com/hFwx0fP.png
Cortland on Mosquito Creek Lake
https://i.imgur.com/roHmvuk.png
Thompson Drag Raceway / Thompson Raceway Park, opened 1958, doubles as a landing strip
https://i.imgur.com/FtM1uhw.png
At least in MSFS it’s an airstrip
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8AiUJETPWos
Willoughby Lost Nation Municipal Airport (Lakeland NDB LQL 263)
https://i.imgur.com/eVRJuWJ.png
Chagrin Lagoons Yacht Club
https://i.imgur.com/PY4OMg1.png
Timberlake, Eastlake on Lake Erie
https://i.imgur.com/uPTrGHB.png
Whitcraft Cleveland (formerly TECT Power)
https://i.imgur.com/T92mA8h.png
CSX Intermodal Terminals, Cleveland
https://i.imgur.com/VXO2prX.png
Following the Cleveland Memorial Shoreway to Cleveland
https://i.imgur.com/BoiMgtz.png
Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and FirstEnergy Stadium
https://i.imgur.com/6l7R7Pg.png
FirstEnergy Stadium is the home of the Cleveland Browns
https://i.imgur.com/Yfw4mon.png
The Terminal Tower Residences at Cleveland Public Square
https://i.imgur.com/hiVC0cI.png
Progressive Field, hom e of the Cleveland Indians and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse
https://i.imgur.com/o4fy090.png
The Cleveland Museum of Art
https://i.imgur.com/DNmDtFw.png
University Hospital Main Campus at Case Western Reserve University
https://i.imgur.com/JGLO268.png
Health Sciences Research Campus
https://i.imgur.com/ROMyEHI.png
Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport
https://i.imgur.com/Ly4m7bL.png
R & M Aviation
https://i.imgur.com/i7lzyEw.png
NRG Energy, Inc on Lake Erie
https://i.imgur.com/Lo4jqfd.png
US Steel corporation in Lorain
https://i.imgur.com/BBXlCtN.png
Lorain, where the Black River flows into Lake Erie
https://i.imgur.com/xgr5bGP.png
Lorain Yaght Basin
https://i.imgur.com/JLQXfif.png
Kelleys Island in Lake Erie
https://i.imgur.com/l3BfvxZ.png
Final stop today at Kelleys Island Airport
https://i.imgur.com/AVy7s69.png
Next to Scheele Preserve
https://i.imgur.com/yY0Arad.png
https://i.imgur.com/oeXV0XE.png
Next leg on to Toledo and Detroit before the final part of the way home via London, Ontario.
Leg 323, Kelleys Island, Ohio, USA to Brantford, Ontario, Canada
DAY07_10.PLN (10.1 KB)
This is it, the final leg. Back to Brantford via Detroit, Windsor and London, Ontario.
Final count for data streamed since entering Florida, 275.2 GiB worth of PG Areas on the eastern side of the USA. I think I was up to 240 GiB on the western half, a lot of data!
07-10 Kelleys I 89D 6:24 AM
07-10 Pelee Island CYPT 6:30 AM
07-10 North Bass Island 3X5 6:36 AM
07-10 Middle Bass-East Point 3W9 6:39 AM
07-10 Middle Bass Island 3T7 6:41 AM
07-10 Rattlesnake Island 58OH 6:44 AM
07-10 Put-In-Bay 3W2 6:47 AM
07-10 Keller KPCW 6:51 AM
07-10 Gibbs Field 03OH 6:55 AM
07-10 Fremont 14G 6:59 AM
07-10 Toledo Executive KTDZ 7:07 AM Toledo PG Area 41°39’5"N 83°32’27"W
07-10 Toledo Suburban KDUH 7:25 AM
07-10 Tecumseh Mills 22T 7:36 AM
07-10 Ann Arbor Mun KARB 7:43 AM Ann Arbor PG Area 42°16’2"N 83°44’53"W
07-10 Oakland County Intl KPTK 7:59 AM Chrysler Headquarters & Technology Center 42°39’16" 83°13’48" W
07-10 Coleman A Young Muni KDET 8:18 AM Detroit PG Area 42°19’56"N 83°2’57"W
07-10 Detroit Convention Center 42°19’36.11"N 83°2’59.32"W 8:38 AM Ambassador Bridge 42°18’44.1"N 83°04’27.3"W
07-10 Windsor International Airport CYQG 9:01 AM
07-10 Stoney Point (Trepanier) CRJ2 9:13 AM
07-10 Harsens I Z92 9:28 AM
07-10 Sarnia (Hadfield) CYZR 9:46 AM
07-10 Grand Bend CPL4 9:59 AM
07-10 Huron CYCE 10:04 AM
07-10 London CYXU 10:14 AM London PG Area 42°59’9"N 81°14’50"W
07-10 St Thomas Mun CYQS 10:30 AM Grand River mouth 42°39’22.0"N 81°00’27.4"W Bad texture area
07-10 Straffordville CNS6 10:39 AM Long Point National Wildlife Area 42°33’23.6"N 80°09’18.3"W
07-10 Simcoe (Dennison Field) CPA4 11:11 AM Port Dover 42°46’58.4"N 80°12’06.8"W (before the airport)
07-10 Brantford CYFD 11:46 AM Touchdown
Flight time 5:22 27 stops
Heading to Pelee Island, on the Canadian side of the lake
North Bass Island, back on the US side
Put-In-Bay on South Bass Island
ADM Grain Toledo on the Maumee River
Fifth Third Field in Downtown Toledo, home of the Dayton Dragons
Huntington Center, 8,000 seat multi purpose arena. Kiss performed here in 2016 for example
National Museum of the Great Lakes with a docked Lake Freighter
They are impressive to watch come into Hamilton under the Burlington Canal Lift Bridge. One time a small pleasure boat didn’t want to wait and went through the canal in the opposite direction. I doubt they’ll do that again, the wake those lake freighters make in the Burlington Bay Canal is scary, turning the little boat in a bucking bronco.
Mahoney Environmental along the Maumee River
Chrysler - Toledo Assembly Complex
Sections of the Toledo complex have operated as an automobile assembly plant since 1910
originally for Willys-Overland vehicles and Jeeps since the 1940s
This however is the Toledo North Assembly Plant (built 1997-2001)
producing the unibody Jeep Liberty, employing nearly 7,000 workers
Michigan Stadium, known as the big house and Crisler Center at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan, Shapiro Undergraduate Library below
University of Michigan Hospital
Domino Farms, nearly 3,000ft long office structure in Ann Arbor
Chrysler Headquarters & Technology Center
Located in the Metro Detroit city of Auburn Hills, Michigan
GM Factory ZERO, Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Center
As of May 2020, the plant is being retooled to produce electric vehicles, including the all-new GMC Hummer EV, which will set you back between $80,000 and $106,000 (sold out in 10 minutes)
Arriving in Detroit at Ford Field, home field of the Detroit Lions and Comerica Park
Downtown Detroit, nicknamed the motor city
TCF Center. convention center with free parking
If you can skip the booths, luckily not very busy when the PG data was taken
Guardian building (1929) and Penobscot Building (1928)
Windsor, Ontario, Canada, facing Detroit across the Detroit river
Caesars Windsor at Riverfront Festival Plaza
Ambassador Bridge, connecting the US and Canada
The one where I didn’t have trouble getting across the border
US Customs and Border Protection – Ambassador Bridge Port of Entry
Still very intimidating with all the cameras, sensors and what not
Canada Border Services Agency - Windsor Port of Entry
A bit friendlier welcome but still so different when coming from Europe’s open borders
Alumni Field at the University of Windsor
University of Windsor next to the Ambassador Bridge
Canadian Pacific Railway Company - Windsor Yard
FCA Windsor, Chrysler Centre, opened 1928
producing minivans since 1983 with over 4,000 employees
Stoney Point (Trepanier) airstrip at Pointe aux Roches, Lakeshore, Ontario
Walpole Island Indian Reserve No 46
There are more than 600 First Nations/Indian bands in Canada, 3,100 Indian reserves across Canada, and over one million registered Indians in Canada as of December 2019
Saint Clair Flats State Wildlife Area on Harsens Island. Michigan, USA
Babys Point on the St Clair River, which is the US-Canada border
Looks like it was early spring when the images were taken, ice floating in the water
Sarnia on Lake Huron in Southwestern Ontario
Flying over Blackwell Trails Park on the way to Sarnia Chris Hadfield Airport
Grand Bend, located on the shores of lake Huron
My wife and I stayed there for a couple days and got attacked by a swarm of ladybugs on the beach. They are vicious! They’re not poisonous but their bites still hurt and they were hungry
Very nice place without swarming ladybugs
Centralia-James T Field Memorial Aerodrome
Arriving in London, Ontario over Argyle
At Quebec st, heading downtown
My wife bought our first car here for me, a hybrid which I was looking for. Turns out they’re not all that practical for Canadian winters. It takes so long to warm up you can’t feel your hands while driving. No trunk space either, but very good at retaining trade in value!
Victoria Park in Central London
London Citi Plaza
https://i.imgur.com/reTAQFt.png
Western Fair District
https://i.imgur.com/2mBbzn0.png
Parkwood Hospital and Walkers Pond
https://i.imgur.com/hADzxrr.png
Staffordville
https://i.imgur.com/2IhuDCF.png
Long Point, a sand spit and medium-sized hamlet on the north shore of Lake Erie
https://i.imgur.com/OCrePl2.png
Home to Long Point National Wildlife Area, Ryerson’s Island on the left
https://i.imgur.com/d7YZEfC.png
Long Point Lighthouse at the tip
https://i.imgur.com/b4wxlm1.png
On my list of places to visit
https://i.imgur.com/4QXyfIg.png
https://i.imgur.com/aWdhy9f.png
Port Dover, from where you can just about see Long Point
https://i.imgur.com/iuTUzSu.png
Great place to take the kids, and a couple times a year I cycle there for a dip in the lake
Beware if you visit on Friday the 13th
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q50eYv1C5JA
Known for the PD13 Motorcycle Rally, started 1981, now exceeding 100,000 bikers in summer
Landing at Simcoe (Dennison Field)
https://i.imgur.com/lKOtF1s.png
Back to the bicycle trail to follow it home, passing Waterford on the way
https://i.imgur.com/Wi3iPuw.png
Black Bridge, century-old 166-metre long rail bridge part of the Waterford Heritage Trail
https://i.imgur.com/gPqgbAb.png
As you can see in the pictures it was a great day outside. After finishing the leg I took my bike out and cycled here, awesome trail
It’s the LE & N Trail, here at Oakland, old railroad bed following Brock’s route
https://i.imgur.com/aeKnSAJ.png
part of the route that Sir Isaac Brock (1769-1812) himself took during the War of 1812. While he did not survive the war, he did manage to capture Detroit after the Americans invaded Canada at Windsor. Canada remained loyal to Britain and gained its independence in 1867, separating from Britain as recently as 1982.
Brantford Airport at Colborne St W, flying on to Paris before landing
https://i.imgur.com/fR7VFK9.png
Paris, Ontario, establish 1850 on the confluence of the Nith and Grand River
https://i.imgur.com/5K4qxp8.png
My home town, yoo hoo family. (Odd, I didn’t hear my plane flying over)
Back along the river to Brantford to make a turn and approach the airport over the pedestrian bridge over the Grand River, officially Oakhill Trail Bridge
https://i.imgur.com/lTOUADN.png
Hmm my shadow is going the other way, almost there, cossing Robinson Rd and Greens Rd
https://i.imgur.com/QloedFz.png
Touchdown, back home
https://i.imgur.com/v9sadFv.png
It actually made me a bit emotional, ridiculous. I’ve been sitting at home all this time…
Taxiing to a parking spot, Airport enhancements thanks to @ARH64CDN
https://i.imgur.com/mc7RX0b.png
(Everything else is vanilla MSFS, only world updates enhancements)
@ARH64CDN left me the perfect spot to park, the airport looks great!
https://i.imgur.com/zJDMEkn.png
Ok, you can get out now, show’s over
https://i.imgur.com/1PqXDoV.png
There you have it. Review complete.
Traveled 321,741nm / 375,253 miles / 595,864 km, over 1.5 times the distance to the moon
Over 7,100 airports visited (7,146 stops total but not all at airports)
Just a few minutes shy of 2590 hours traveled at an overall average speed 124.2 knots GS
243 countries, sovereign territories and island nations visited
Could be more or less, I’m not qualified to say what is independent enough and what not. I didn’t count the autonomous regions in Russia and China, might have counted too many island nations.
37.7 GB of screenshots collected along the way, 13,682 total files
Almost 32% of that were in North America where the most detailed data is by far
Best part of the trip, going to places I had never even heard of and find out about them
Many thanks to Asobo and Microsoft for making it all possible. As well thanks to my wife and kids for being patient with me through this long trip. And of course thanks to this great community keeping my interest going with all the great post of things to see and places to visit.
I already have ideas for my next trip (Mars!) but not so soon. After a Canada world update I do want to take a closer look at this great country.
Keep up the great work Asobo!
Ending with this great inspirational video, from an average height of 2,500 ft to 248 miles high
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIkqs9_FK28
Thank you for such a narrative! I enjoyed reading and following all these months, especially the real photos you added to the story.
I am also very honoured that you used the CYFD Brantford Scenery - sounds like the only non default scenery you used. I have plans to update it even more, with the name Brantford on the apron as I think I figured out how to do that, and maybe photogrammetry hangars as an option. Unfortunately I have had no time to do it but it is on my list!
Again, great narrative and I wish I could do a similar flight some day!
Bravo!
Some stats from the journey, screenshots taken:
North America 4,318
Asia 2,704
Africa 2,082
South America 1,869
Europe 1,393
Oceania 1,339
Caribbean 657
Middle East 532
Antarctica 127
By far the most in North America since most of the content is there, I counted
USA 259 PG Areas
Europe 54 PG Areas
Canada 11 PG Areas
Japan 6 PG Areas
Australia 6 PG Areas
I could be off a few for the USA and Europe but you get the idea
Most legs were in the USA (45) followed by Russia (24), Canada and China (15), Indonesia (14), Brazil, Australia and Argentina (12) and India (10).
I couldn’t resist flying yesterday so went through all 32 landing challenges, fun to see all the special airports again while landing in different planes. Apart from the Dreamliner, what a horrible thing to fly! It has a mind of its own constantly fighting my inputs.
Bush flights are next, those should be easy to navigate after this tour. And I still want to visit the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. FS2020 has no airports there (there are 4) and its far away from everything (3,300 km from Madagascar, 4,000 km from Australia) However it looks quite good on Bing maps with some nice glaciers. The unknown is calling.
Bonus leg, Grand Terre, French Southern and Antarctic Lands to Heard Island and McDonald Islands
DAY07_21.PLN (3.3 KB)
Visiting Grand Terre of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands. Part of Archipel Kerguelen also known as the Desolation Islands. Grande Terre is the main island, 6,675 km2 (2,577 sq mi) in area, about three quarters of the size of Corsica.
There are no airports here, no routes pass over here. It is truly one of the most isolated places on Earth and no indigenous inhabitants. However Bing has pretty good coverage of this territory. Likely thanks to France maintaining a permanent presence on the island, consisting of 45 to 100 soldiers, scientists, engineers, and researchers.
I set out a route for the ICON A5, brought in by ship from Madagascar (Unfortunately I can’t figure out how to let you start in the water, flight plan starts airborne)
07-21 Port-aux-Français 49°21’07.7"S 70°13’10.8"E
07-21 Mont Ross 49°34’39.99"S 69°30’45.68"E
07-21 Baie de la Table 49°30’9.70"S 69°13’14.17"E
07-21 Glacier Ampere 49°21’58.61"S 69°10’11.88"E
07-21 Baie Laissez-Porter 49°2’52.79"S 69°1’32.78"E
07-21 île du Roland 48°35’29.34"S 68°47’13.92"E
07-21 Île Foch 49°0’42.31"S 69°15’53.45"E
07-21 Port-aux-Français 49°21’7.68"S 70°13’35.24"E
07-21 Heard Island and McDonald Islands 53°7’52.58"S 73°40’27.35"E
I didn’t use live weather for this trip as it covers the entire island in snow at this time of year. So it’s a rare snow free late July with few clouds preset. I left a bit before 9 AM local time.
Mont Ross (6,070ft) highest point in the Kerguelen Islands
(Bit of a mess in game)
Bay of The Table (Baie de la Table)
île du Roland, one of the smaller islands just north of Grand Terre
île du Roland with Île de Croy behind
Détroit de Tucker below, Mont Sinai (2.274ft) and Baie de la Marne ahead
Baie de la Marne with Mont de l’Hemicycle (1,378ft)
Back at the start, Port-aux-Français, the capital settlement of the Kerguelen Islands
No idea why the game places windmills there. That shack at the bottom of the windmill on the right is labeled B9 on Bing maps, no trace of any windmills.
Quick stop in the bay to top up the fuel before heading to Heard Island
Leaving Grand Terre behind at Pointe des Calcedoines
The Icon A5 doesn’t have autopilot. I used time acceleration to span the distance (over 2 hour flight) instead of continually correcting course. Once the A5 drifts off a little it doesn’t take long until it starts doing circles.
At first I thought I flew all the way here in vain, McDonald Island and the north-west part of Heard Island (Mount Dixon) don’t have any good data. Luckily the center and south-west do have aerial data to enjoy.
Mawson Peak (9,006ft) on Heard Island
Active volcanic summit of the Big Ben massif on Heard Island
1964 expedition to Mawson Peak, Australia’s highest mountain
Big Ben erupting on Heard Island in 2016
Circling around Big Ben, Allison Glacier
Stephenson Glacier, descending to land near Stephenson Lagoon
Landed in the lake next to Stephenson Lagoon, the edge of the aerial data
Some joker put a McDonald’s at Mawson Peak. McDonald Island is 60km to the west though… Interesting island, one huge icy volcano with glaciers coming off all around. Over 2,100 nautical miles from mainland Australia.
Fun flight, what other gems are hidden around the world
So weird that Fort Worth has photogrammetry but not Dallas! But Fort Worth is still pretty cool, I remember numerous school field trips to the Museum of Science and History (including the Noble Planetarium and Omni Theater) as well as one each to Casa Mañana, the Amon Carter art museum, and the zoo.