Exploring the world in the Beechcraft Bonanza

[SvenZ]

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

Tennessee State Capitol

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

Vanderbilt University

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

Grand Ole Opry Performance | May 29, 2021

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

Lebanon Municipal Airport

Jennins Creek in Hence Hollow

Landing at Jackson County Airport on the Cumberland River

Dale Hollow Dam and Lake

Dale Hollow Dam Recreation Area at Dry Branch (the river)

Dale Hollow Reservoir

Hollow Regional Airpor

Named Spring Creek Airport on Google

Very pretty approach over Spring Creek

Wolf Creek Dam holding back the Cumberland River

Russel County Airport

Otter Creek in Larou County

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

How To Break Into 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

Best Kentucky Derby moments from the 2000's | NBC Sports

Heading downtown, Ohio River ahead

University of Louisville, home to The Speed Art Museum

Downtown at W Jefferson St

Belle of Louisville Riverboats and KFC Yum! Center

Louisville Slugger Museum & Factory

120ft long bat, replica of Babe Ruth’s bat, placed here in 1995

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)

Hometown Heroes: Dedicated to Louisville's Greatest

Louisville Slugger Field, home of minor-league baseball’s Louisville Bats

Atkins Quarry on the way to Clark Regional Airport

Clark Regional Airport, approach over Jeffersonville

Cementville in front of the runway

East Fork White River in Guthrie Township

Monroe Lake Dam

Kenstin Manor next to Beanblossom Creek

Indianapolis International Airport

Indianapolis Motor Speedway, home to the Indy 500 & many other races

Indy 500, one of the first racing games I got addicted to

Indianapolis 500: The Simulation (1080p/Roland MT-32)

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 )

You can land on it, not recommended, very bumpy

The real drivers at work

2021 Race Highlights // Indianapolis 500

On to Indianapolis, aka Indy, the capital of Indiana

Victory Field, home to the Indianapolis Indians

Lucas Oil Stadium, home to the Indianapolis Colts

Bankers Life Fieldhouse. home to the Indiana Pacers

Indianapolis Artsgarden next to Rhythm! Discovery Center

Indianapolis Artsgarden, cultural center and popular wedding venue

Soldiers & Sailors Monument

Neoclassical limestone memorial, houses a Civil War museum

Indiana Statehouse, Indiana’s neoclassical capitol, home to state government since 1888

Landing at Indianapolis Metropolitan Airport

Bridgewater Club

Indian Hills Flying Field-2II0

Kokomo, the county seat of Howard County

Kokomo Municipal Airport

Wabash Municipal Airport

Beck Pvt in Clear Creek Township, a grass trip next to the IN-5

Fort Wayne Country Club along W Jefferson Blvd

Jefferson Pointe Shopping Center

McCulloch Park with Ft Wayne’s Farmers Market (opening 2022)

Parkview Field and Foellinger-Friemann Botanical Conservatory behind the parking garage

Allen County Courthouse

Fort Wayne is located where the St Maries and St Joseph river come together to form the Maumee River

Fort Wayne Water Filtration at the confluence of the St Maries (right) and St Josepth (left) rivers

South Side High School Athletic Annex below the Hanson Quarry

Last stop today at Fort Wayne International Airport

Ohio next, Dayton and Cincinnati.

[SvenZ]

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

Carillon Historical Park

Home to Wright Brothers National Museum, a bit overgrown in FS2020

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

Moraine Air Park

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)

Middletown Regional Airport

Arriving in Cincinnati at Carthage neighborhood

Ivory Dale

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

Fountain Square

Cincinnati Music Hall at Washington Park, home to the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

Here’s some nostalgia served up by the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra

Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra Performs Star Wars Theme 2018 05 28

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

Clermont County Airport

Creager Airport

Lewis Airport-22II on the James A Rhodes Appalachian Hwy

General Electric Airport at GE Aviation Engine Testing in Peebles, Ohio

GE9X: First Engine to Test in Peebles, Ohio

US Grant Bridge over the Ohio river at Portsmouth, Kentucky

A three span cable-stayed structure, built between 2001-2006

I haven’t flown upside down in a while, a wee bit close to the deck

Enough clearance but it still slammed me down into the river after unpausing, can’t fly underneath this one

Ashland-Boyd County Airport

Robert Newlon Airpark in West Virginia

The Ohio river forms the state border here, Ohio on the other side

Ona Airpark-12V next to Ona Speedway

St Albans, West Virginia on the Kanawha River

Looking for Mallory Airport, while flying over Spring Hill, South Charleston

There it is, nicely hidden

Flying low has its disadvantages

Scotts Island Airport ahead at Chesapeake

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

Taking off next to Diamond on the north bank

Montgomery and Dunn Hollow (coal mine)

Alloy, originally known as Boncar

Kanawha Falls

New River Bridge at New River Gorge

New River Gorge Airport at Ames Heights close to the bridge

New River below, hmm that bridge looks like a runway

No need for the airport, this works perfectly fine

No problems flying under this one

3,030 feet long, 876ft high, completed in 1977, then the world’s highest regular roadway bridge

Home to Bridge Day

WV Bridge Day & Missouri Veterans Memorial

Terry, West Virginia

Raleigh County Memorial Airport

Pocahontas Coal Co LLC on Stonecoal Creek

Mike Ferrell Field

Welch Municipal Airport at Big Four on Elkhorn Creek

Tazewell County Airport

A bit longer stretch to the next stop, up to 10,000ft for an overview, above Russel County

Washington County, located in the Apalachian Mountains

Bristol cradling the border between Virginia and Tennessee

The border runs through State st, center of town

Tri-Cities Airport

Lamar on the Nolichucky River in Tennessee

Lamar Alexander Rocky Fork State Park, Big Bald mountain ahead

Big Bald (5,515ft)

Skyline Peak Airport

Flat Creek in Buncombe County

Weaverville in Buncombe County, North Carolina

Biltmore Estate, George W. Vanderbilt’s iconic French Renaissance château

Completed in 1895, 250 room château with walled garden and conservatory

George Washington Vanderbilt II (1862-1914) art collector and member of the prominent Vanderbilt family

Asheville Regional Airport

Final stop for the day, just before the rain rolls in

I’ll be heading east tomorrow, more of North Carolina

[SvenZ]

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

Heading east from Ashville

First stop at Cane Creek. I barely got in the air

Taking off from Bearwallow Farm next

McDowell County

Landing at Shiflet Field 9A9 at Mc Dowell Memorial Park along the North Fork Catawba River

Lake James Marina

Lake James State Park

Silver Creek Airport in Morganton

Morganton-Lenoir Airport

Rhodiss Dam and Rhodiss Lake

Hickory Regional Airport on the Catawba River

Alexander County Airport

Sawn Creek Airport

Arriving in Winston-Salem at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center

Truist Stadium, home of the Winston-Salem Dash

Corpening Plaza city park

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!

Smith Reynolds Airport

Piedmont Triad International Airport

Another one, Martin Marietta - Pomona Quarry

Yellowstone at this resolution, yes please

Arriving at Greensboro over Hewitt Area

Greensboro, North Carolina

Greensboro Coliseum, opened 1959

The largest indoor arena in the United States, with a seating capacity of over 23,500

Elvis and Greensboro Coliseum

Greensboro Downtown

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

Irwin Belk Track

Revolution Mill along North Buffalo Creek

May Airport 80NC

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

Chesterfield laboratory

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

Oh yes, it has a quarry

Martin Marietta - Raleigh-Durham Quarry

Raleigh, the capital of North Carolina

Moore Square

The well hidden North Carolina State Capitol

Capital Park and Modecai Village

North Campus at North Carolina State University

Doak Field at Dail Park, home to the North Carolina State University Wolfpack college baseball team

And Stanhope Student Apartments under construction (finished mid 2015)

Carter-Finley Stadium, home to the NC State Wolfpack football team

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

Pitt County, I had one day without lightning, can’t remember any yesterday

Tar River and Pamlico River at Washington, NC

Beaufort County along the Pamlico River

Durham Creek behind

While landing at Lee Creek Airport

Drone view of Nutrien Aurora Phosphate at Lee Creek Airport

Outer Banks island of Hatteras on the Atlantic Ocean

Frisco on the barrier island of Hatteras Island

FInal stop today at Aeroportul Billy Mitchell

The beach at Frisco Campground, The Futuro House and Buxton Woods Coastal Reserve

Next leg, exploring the coast for a while before heading to Bermuda.

[SvenZ]

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

Sunrise over Hatteras

Hatteras Inlet Crab Spawning Sanctuary

Ocracoke Beach

First stop at Ocracoke Island Airport

Portsmouth Island

Pemlico Sound between the barrier islands and the main land

Carteret County

Michael J Smith Field at Rachel Carson Reserve

Rachel Carson Reserve

Croatan Game Land

Bogue MCALF, US Marine Corps Landing Field

Onslow County

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

Holden Beach

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

A peek inside the museum

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.

[SvenZ]

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

Pine Island Airport

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

Virginia Beach Airport

Landing at Oceana Nas-Apollo Soucek Field, the wind has picked up a lot

Nice day for sightseeing

Norfolk International Airport

USS Wisconsin BB-64 at Nauticus in Norfolk, Virginia

Chrysler Museum of Art

Scope Arena

13News Now... Then: History of the Norfolk Scope arena

Kornblau Field at S. B. Ballard Stadium on the campus of Old Dominion University

Old Dominion University

Landing at Chambers Field - NAS Norfolk

There are some breaks on the radar, no reason to stay on the ground

Chesepeake, VA

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

Heading back down to Aberdeen

Aberdeen Field

Landing at Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport

Eesh, close one

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

Providence Forge

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

The falls didn’t come out well, the pylons of the old bridge did

Manchester Bridge - T Tyler Potterfield Memorial Bridge

Kanawha Plaze and Gateway Plaza (under construction here, opened July 1st 2015)

Virginia State Capitol, built in 1785 housing the nation’s oldest legislative body

Old City Hall (completed 1894) and City of Richmond Observation Deck

VCU Dental Care Pediatric Dentistry where the hole is

Richmond Coliseum (closed Feb 2019) and Altria Center For Research and Technology

Featured on Stadium Landings

Richmond Coliseum - Microsoft Flight Simulator STADIUM LANDING!

And was home to many concerts as well, for example Van Halen in 2017

"Jump (Van Halen) & Monkey Wrench" Foo Fighters@Richmond VA Coliseum 10/14/17

White House of the Confederacy surrounded by Virginia Commonwealth University buildings

The John Marshall House, historic home of the 19th-century Supreme Court justice

John Marshall (1755-1835) served as the fourth Chief Justice from 1801 to 1835

Pot a Soupe at Nina F Abady Festival Park

Health and Life Sciences Engineering Building at Virginia Commonwealth University

Cathedral of the Sacred Heart with Altria Theater further back

The Diamond, home to the Double-A Richmond Flying Squirrels & the VCU Rams

Richmond Raceway, hosting the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series

Richmond’s Best Short-Track Racing Moments | Best of NASCAR | Richmond Raceway

Final stop today at Hanover County Municipal Airport

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.

[SvenZ]

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

Hanover County at dawn

Here comes the sun over Aylett

Tappahannock-Essex County Airport

Branham Mill Airpark

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

Tangier Island Airport-Tgi

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

Cape May County Airport

Millville Municipal Airport with Thunderbolt Race Track At NJMP, New Jersey Motorsports Park and NJMiniGP (motorcycle driving school)

And rainbows, so many nowadays

Dave’s Aerodrome

Dover AFB, Delaware

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

And off again

Dover Mall, Dover International Speedway visible behind

Delaware Technical Community College - Charles L. Terry Jr. Campus

Taylor Field

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

But this works

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

Ivy City, Washington, DC

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

USS Denobla at BWC Terminals

MECU Pavilion, seasonal harborfront pavilion, music venue

Columbus Center and the USCGC WHEC-37, museum in a WWII-era cutter

Baltimore City Hall

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

Dundalk on the The Back River

Final stop today at Essex Skypark, just on the other side of the Back River, Hawk Cove ahead

Next leg to Philadelphia.

[SvenZ]

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

Essex Skypark in the morning

Heading out over Baltimore County

Fallston Airport at Wimbledon, Maryland

Forest Hill Airport-MD31

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

Consolidated Scrap Resources

View downtown over State st, and State Street Bridge aka Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Bridge

Reservoir Park

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

THE DELAWARE OAKS RACE 8 MASTER 2021 07 03

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

Openened 1990

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.

Philadelphia Museum of Art

Known for the Rocky Steps

Rocky -Training - Les Rocky Steps - Philadelphia Museum of Art

Franlin Field, opened o1895 & rebuilt in 1922 and Penn Museum behind the stadium

School of the Future next to the Schuylkill River

Norristown Yard - Glasgow Inc

Norristown, the county seat of Montgomery County

Roosevelt Field (mall)

Norristown Area High School at Norristown Farm Park

Landing at Wings Field Airport

UPS - Willow Grove

Willow Grove NAS Jrb in Horsham

Northeast Philadelphia Airport

Crossing the Delaware River

Laurel Creek Country Club at Susan Stevens Halbe Preserve on the Rancocas Creek

The Fun Plex along Parkers Creek in Mt Laurel Township

South Jersey Regional Airport

Inductotherm Airport after Rancocas State Park with the South and North Branch Rancocas Creek

Riverside Industrial Complex at Levittown

Seseme Place in Langhorne, Sesame Street-themed amusement park

NJ Transit Morrisville Yard on the way to Trenton, the capital of New Jersey

Lower Trenton Bridge over the Delaware River

New Jersey Department of Agriculture and Helipad at the Department of Labor

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)

New Jersey State Museum

Landing at Trenton Mercer Airport

Trenton-Robbinsville Airport

Lakehurst NATF at Lakehurst Naval Air Center, missing from the game but obviously there

Thos divergent lines seem to be launch tracks for radar airplanes

Toms River South High School in Toms River on Toms River

Flag Point at Toms River Country Club

Ocean County College

Bay Head at Point Pleasant Beach and the Metedeconk River

Gull Island in the Manasquan River

Final stop today at Lakewood Airport in Lakewood, New Jersey

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.

[SvenZ]

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

Sunrise over Howell Township

Due Process Stables Golf Course and Colts Neck Stables LLC at Swimming River Reservoir

Red Bank on the Navesink River

Hartshorne Woods Park

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

Edison, New Jersey

Thomas Edison Center at Menlo Park

Rahway River

Linden Airport

Infineum USA

Port Newark

Port Newark Container Terminal

Cape Liberty Cruise Port

Newark Liberty International Airport, opened 1928, the oldest airfield in the USA

Newark, New Jersey

Prudential Center, home of the New Jersey Devils

Flying over Market St

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

Docking on the Empire State Building

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

It used to carry elevated trains until 1944, streetcars until 1950

(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)

9-11 Memorial & Museum and the new One World Trade Center, opened 2014

The Battery park and Whitehall Terminal at the tip of Manhattan

The Statue of Liberty, gifted by France in 1885

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

The full name of the statue is “Liberty Enlightening the World” referring to the Enlightenment ideals

Fort Jay and Urban Assembly New York Harbor School on Governers Island

Fort Jay is the oldest existing defensive structure on the island, built in 1794

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)

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

Coney Island with Maimonides Park, home of the Brooklyn Cyclones

Home to the Cyclone Wooden Roller Coaster in operation since 1926

Cyclone Coney Island roller coaster (360 POV) - Luna Park NYC

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

Rockaway Beach and Cross Bay Veterans Memorial Bridge over Jamaica Bay, heading to JFK

John F Kennedy International Airport

Opened in 1948 as New York International Airport)and was commonly known as Idlewild Airport

Nowadays the busiest international air passenger gateway into North America

Flying over Queens, Meadow Lake, Willow Lake and MTA Jamaica Yard Facility from top to bottom

Corona Park with the Unisphere, Queens Museum and New York State Pavilion

Arthur Ashe Stadium, the largest tennis stadium at Flushing Meadows

The stadium got a (retractable) roof in 2016, not here yet

Citi Field, home of the New York Mets

Belmont Park, annual site of the Belmont Stakes Triple Crown championship

Republic Airport in Farmingdale

Centre Island in Oyster Bay

Caumsett State Historic Park Preserve

Shippan Point in Stamford

Stamford, a Connecticut city on Long Island Sound

North Stamford Reservoir

GlenArbor Golf Club

Amawalk Dam

Cold Spring on the Hudson River

United States Military Academy, founded 1802

Hudson Highlands State Park

Stewart International Airport

Located in Newburgh, New York

Nicely modeled smaller airport

Counts as a bridge to fly under

Port Ewen and Kingston on the Hudson River

Saugerties, Esopus Creek joining the Hudson River

Wayne Delp Airport

CSX Albany at Bethlehem

Turned around to land at South Albany Airport, CSX Car Shop ahead

Albany, the capital of New York

New York State Capitol in between East and West Capitol Park

Amazing building

Last stop today at Albany International Airport

Next leg, Massachusetts and Connecticut while heading back to the coast to explore Long Island.

[SvenZ]

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

Crossing Main St

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.

Maplewood Farm Airport

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

Moving on to Milford Harbor

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

Old Dam Rd Marsh Open Space

Veteran’s Memorial Park and Marina in Norwalk on the Norwalk River

South Norwalk

Arriving in Long Island at Nissequogue River State Park fter crossing over Long Island Sound

Bayport Airport

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

Orient Beach State Park

Rose Field Airport

Montauk, a village at the east end of the Long Island peninsula

Known for its beaches, Kirk Park Beach and Gin Beach below

Cuttyhunk Island

The tiny Canapitsit Airport with Nashawena Island ahead

Martha’s Vineyard, Island & summer colony known for its traditional New England cottages

Martha’s Vineyard Airport

Katama Airpark at Edgartown, flying in over Meshacket Neck

Nantucket Island with Nantucket Memorial Airport

Provincetown at the northern tip of Cape Cod, Massachusetts

The seaside town is on the site of the Mayflower’s landing in 1620, commemorated by the towering Pilgrim Monument and neighboring Provincetown Museum

P-town is known as a longtime haven for artists, ■■■■■■■■ and gay men

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

Oceanside Dr in Seaside at Scituate

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

South Weymouth Lssr Shea Field - KNZW

Brockton in Plymouth County

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

C&C Reading Farm and River Bend Country Club on the other side of E Center St

Iroquois Landing 02NH

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

Yet how did a seaplane base end up in fs2020, I landed on a road instead

I went back to it an hour ago to try it out

Microsoft Flight Simulator - Iroquois Landing 02NH

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

Kettle Point on the Providence River

Downtown Providence

City Hall with the US Probation & Parole Office on the other end of Kennedy Plaza

Dunkin’ Donuts Center and the Rhode Island Convention Center

Rhode Island State House (built 1891-1901) needs its roof trimmed

Old State House (completed 1762)

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

Roger Williams Park Botanical Center

Cranston Street Armory next to Dexter Field

Final stop today at North Central State Airport

Well done crew, you are now certified seaplane pilots

Tomorrow on to Boston and then New Hampshire and Maine.

[SvenZ]

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

Juniper Hill Golf Course

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

BOSTON LEGAL - Official Trailer

James Spader and William Shatner were magic in that show

Still relevant today as well

Alan Shore on Homosexuality

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

Heading down, downtown

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.

Logan International Airport

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

Concord Municipal Airport

Concord, the capital of New Hampshire, on the Merimack river

The Concord Mall along the I 93

Downtown Concord

New Hampshire State House

South End Marsh

Jeness Pond in Strafford

Sanford Regional Airport

Portland International Jetport

Portland, Maine, set on a peninsula extending into Casco Bay

Hadlock Field, home to the Portland Sea Dogs and Portland Fitzpatrick Stadium

Sprague Terminal

Forest City Cemetery on the Fore River

Turner island, the tidal difference in Portland can reach over 12ft between low and high tide

Casco Bay Bridge

Cross Insurance Arena, multipurpose arena featuring ice hockey

WEX Inc. Building 2 at Portland Cruise Terminal

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

This is not far (relatively) from the Bay of Fundy (Nova Scotia, Canada) where the highest tidal differences are observed (53.5ft)

Incredible Time Lapse of the Highest Ocean Tides Six Hours in 52 Seconds

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

And Great Chebeague Island

Littlejohn Island

Lower Goose Island and The Goslings on the way to Farr Field Airport

Skolfield Shores Preserve on the way to Brunswick Executive Airport

Merrymeeting Field at Bowdoinham Wildlife Management Area

Main State House in Augusta, the capital of Maine

Memorial Circle and the Kennebec River

You don’t see very many roundabouts in the USA

Kennebec Valley Rail Trail at Augusta Waterfront Park on Front St

The Gun Shop on Coney Circle

Old Fort Western, the oldest surviving wood fort in New England from 1754

Commissioner Office at Viles Arboretum (park)

Turning over the Kennebec River to head towards the airport

Final stop today at Augusta State Airport

It’s right next to town along Western Ave

Tomorrow I’ll be flying along the Canadian border to Vermont, the last state I haven’t visited yet.

[SvenZ]

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

Damariscotta Lake

Preparing to land at Knox Co Regional airport in Thomaston

Approach over Dragon Products Company

Matinicus Island

Vinalhaven, located on the larger of the two Fox Islands

North Haven

Witherspoons Airport

Stonington Municipal Airport

Landing at Banks Airport in Atlantic on Swan Island

West Tremont

Round Pond near Unionville

Addison in Washington County

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)

Grand Manan Island

Eastport on Moose Island, Maine, USA

West Grand Lake in Grand Lake Stream district

Upper and Lower Oxbrook Lake

Junior Bay, North Washington

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

Upper Long Pond, Lincoln

South Branch Lake, Seboeis Plantation

Piscataquis County

Kennebec River feeding Wyman Lake

Sugarloaf Regional Airport in Carrabassett Valley

Sugarloaf Mountain (4,237ft)

Narrow Gauge at Sugarloaf, ME - Trails We Love - Outside Today

Steven A Bean Municipal Airport at Rangeley Lake

Lac Aziscohos, North Oxford

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

Stanstead/Weller Airport

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.

https://haskellopera.com/tours/

While you can not exchange goods, you can meet people at the library

Separated by travel ban, Iranian families reunite at border 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)

Savage Island Airport

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

I got lucky with a break from the rain at the ferry crossing, back to down pour

Secret Spot Airport-3NK5

Basin Harbor Airport

Montpellier, the capital of Vermont with Vermont State House right ahead of me

Edward F Knapp State Airport at Montpellier

Flying over (former) TeleAtlas, Lebanon office

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

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

TomTom | Home

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

I decided to climb above the clouds with a longer distance to the next stop

Over Salisbury, NY, sunshine

Over Norway, NY

And back down, Oneida County Airport

Lakeport on Oneida Lake

Syracuse Hancock International Airport

Syracuse on Onodaga Lake

NBT Bank Stadium, home to the Syracuse Chiefs

Onondaga Lake

The mall next to Metropolitan Syracuse Wastewater Treatment Plant

Downtown, Clinton Square below

Syracuse City Hall and the Erie Canal Museum further back

tracing the waterway’s history in the 1850 Weighlock Building

Carrier Dome at Syracuse University

Another pass over downtown with a break in the rain

Syracuse Family Court ahead, as well as more rain

E Jefferson St at Columbus Circle

And the Museum of Science & Technology

Skaneateles Aerodrome, next to Skaneateles Lake, part of the Finger Lakes

Owasco Lake

Melrose Park at the north end of the lake

Last stop today, Finger Lakes Regional Airport at Seneca Falls

Located on the northern end, west side of Cayuga Lake, east of Seneca Lake

Tomorrow maybe better weather to see the rest of the finger lakes, then making my way to Niagara Falls via Rochester on Lake Ontario.

[SvenZ]

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

Back down to Rochester

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

Hendershot

Tiger Paw Aerodrome

Olcott-Newfane

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

Niagara Falls Whirlpool Jet Boat Tour 2019 in 4K

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

Niagara Falls Whirlpool Frozen 4k #kw

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

The Horseshoe Falls

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 barrel ride down Niagara 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

Silver Creek

Busti in Chautauqua County

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

Still so cloudy

Pittsburgh NorthEast Airport

Allegheny County

Following the I 76 Pennsylvania Turnpike

Turned off to Wexford when I realized the i 76 isn’t going to Pittsburg!

Perry Hwy 19 is going to Pittsburg

McCandles, the fountain of youth is here in Allison Park

Looks scary, bring a flashlight. After you

Ross Park Mall

Pittsburgh in western Pennsylvania at the junction of 3 rivers

David L. Lawrence Convention Center and The Andy Warhol Museum on the right

Andy Warhol (1928-1987) was born and raised in Pittsburgh

PNC Park on the Allegheny River, home of the Pirates

Heading downtown

Melon Square below, dubbed the emerald oasis

Allegheny County Courthouse

At Grant Street

At Gateway subway station with the Roberto Clemente Bridge ahead

Heinz Field, home of the Steelers & University of Pittsburgh Panthers

Located at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, forming the Ohio river

PPG Paints Arena, home of the Pittsburgh Penguins

The University of Pittsburgh

University Honors College (tower) and Carnegie Museum of Art (behind the tower)

McKees Rocks Bottoms along the Ohio River

Neville Island

Pittsburgh International Airport

Cortland on Mosquito Creek Lake

Thompson Drag Raceway / Thompson Raceway Park, opened 1958, doubles as a landing strip

At least in FS2020 it’s an airstrip

Gasser Reunion ScottRods AA Gassers Drag Racing

Willoughby Lost Nation Municipal Airport (Lakeland NDB LQL 263)

Chagrin Lagoons Yacht Club

Timberlake, Eastlake on Lake Erie

Whitcraft Cleveland (formerly TECT Power)

CSX Intermodal Terminals, Cleveland

Following the Cleveland Memorial Shoreway to Cleveland

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and FirstEnergy Stadium

FirstEnergy Stadium is the home of the Cleveland Browns

The Terminal Tower Residences at Cleveland Public Square

Progressive Field, hom e of the Cleveland Indians and Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse

The Cleveland Museum of Art

University Hospital Main Campus at Case Western Reserve University

Health Sciences Research Campus

Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport

R & M Aviation

NRG Energy, Inc on Lake Erie

US Steel corporation in Lorain

Lorain, where the Black River flows into Lake Erie

Lorain Yaght Basin

Kelleys Island in Lake Erie

Final stop today at Kelleys Island Airport

Next to Scheele Preserve

Next leg on to Toledo and Detroit before the final part of the way home via London, Ontario.

[SvenZ]

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

Kelleys Island early morning

Heading to Pelee Island, on the Canadian side of the lake

Pelee Island in Lake Erie

North Bass Island, back on the US side

Put-In-Bay on South Bass Island

Approaching Toledo, Ohio

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

Vistula Historic District

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

Toledo Suburban Airport

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

Windsor International Airport

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

Grand Bend | Drone Aerial View | Best of Canada

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

Western Fair District

Parkwood Hospital and Walkers Pond

Staffordville

Long Point, a sand spit and medium-sized hamlet on the north shore of Lake Erie

Home to Long Point National Wildlife Area, Ryerson’s Island on the left

Long Point Lighthouse at the tip

On my list of places to visit

Port Dover, from where you can just about see Long Point

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

Port Dover Friday the 13th July 2018

Known for the PD13 Motorcycle Rally, started 1981, now exceeding 100,000 bikers in summer

Landing at Simcoe (Dennison Field)

Back to the bicycle trail to follow it home, passing Waterford on the way

Black Bridge, century-old 166-metre long rail bridge part of the Waterford Heritage Trail

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

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

Paris, Ontario, establish 1850 on the confluence of the Nith and Grand River

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

Hmm my shadow is going the other way, almost there, cossing Robinson Rd and Greens Rd

Touchdown, back home

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

(Everything else is vanilla FS2020, only world updates enhancements)

@ARH64CDN left me the perfect spot to park, the airport looks great!

Ok, you can get out now, show’s over

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

Down to Earth: The Astronaut’s Perspective

[ARH64CDN]

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!

[SvenZ]

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.

[SvenZ]

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.

Île Haute

Pyramide de Branca (2,450ft)

Mont Ross (6,070ft) highest point in the Kerguelen Islands

(Bit of a mess in game)

Bay of The Table (Baie de la Table)

Glacier Ampere

Glacier Aggasiz

Baie Laissez-Porter

Mont du Theodolite (2,474ft)

Lac Valerie

Mont Lacroix (2,418ft)

île du Roland, one of the smaller islands just north of Grand Terre

île du Roland with Île de Croy behind

Mont Muraille (1,493ft)

Île Foch

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)

Baie du Hillsborough

Mont Pierre Lejay (2,943ft)

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

Meet the Mawson Peak men

Big Ben erupting on Heard Island in 2016

Rare video of Heard Island volcano Big Ben erupting

Circling around Big Ben, Allison Glacier

Gotley Glacier

Fiftyone Glacier

Winston Glacier

Stephenson Glacier, descending to land near Stephenson Lagoon

Landed in the lake next to Stephenson Lagoon, the edge of the aerial data

Heard Island

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

[bwc1976]

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.

[SvenZ]

I guess it’s just whatever they could get their hands on. There are PG areas of rural towns while the capital of for example NY does not have PG data. I’m guessing Washington DC is omitted due to flying restrictions, yet Richmond has no PG data either.

I hope we get PG data for all the capitals in the world and major cities over time. Especially older cities in India, Iran, Myanmar, Tibet, most of ancient Asia would look spectacular. It’s good to still have tons to look forward to!

[bwc1976]

Thank you for sharing this beautiful and educational journey with us!

[TurnoverYak4002]

Amazing! What a trip. And peaceful written. Really great! Congrats!