Flying around the world - in alphabetical order

I was looking for something new: a challenge, and a way to fly somewhere new and different - or, even better, lots of new and different places.

Round the world has always had an appeal. How could it not? But I wondered: rather than the usual Canada-Greenland-Iceland passages, is there a different way to go about this? Now, I’ve nothing against Greenland and there’s some great scenery out there too. But why not try something completely different, I thought.

So here it is. I’m going to try and fly around the world in alphabetical order. In a Justflight Piper Turbo Arrow, naturally. Starting from Afghanistan and ending up in Zimbabwe, I’m going to fly to each country on the Wikipedia list of sovereign states. Now I’m sure some of these will be contentious, but I’ll try to leave the politics out of this for now at least…

To inject a little extra realism, I’m flying this on FSEconomy, too, trying to pick up missions where possible (this round the world jaunt won’t pay for itself, you know!). I’ll also try and fly live weather as much as possible (I know I’m going to regret those headwinds already).

Before getting properly started, I felt it would be best to buy myself a new Arrow. I picked it up at Courcelles Aerodrome in France. New registration to suit the trip: G-ABCDE (I hope you won’t mind the extra letter there…)

My route to Afghanistan takes me across Europe, through Turkey and then Iran, to Herat in western Afghanistan. After that, it’s back West, to Albania, then Algeria, and so on.

I’ll try to keep you updated on progress here. And I’d love it if you’d suggest places I should fly over or stop off at enroute.

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Well that sounds insane, but fun insane! :smiley: Happy flying there.

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It might be! Even getting through all the 'A’s looks daunting at this point…

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Just picking a section at random you’re going to be on your quest for a looong time…

Kudos for doing this, not sure it’s one I would take on though I have been thinking about my next round the world somehow trip, probably after SU5 is out.

Yep, that Australia-Austria trip is a pretty long leg!

A quick update on progress and the route through Europe…

After picking the new plane up in France, missions available in FSEconomy took me to the Czech Republic and Sobeslav Airport (LKSO), for which there’s some nice scenery available on flightsim.to.


From the Czech Republic, a couple of cargo flights took me east across southern Poland and down through Romania and a stop off at George Enescu Airport to Turkey.

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Yeah that’s going to take a looooong time :rofl:

I’m doing a RTW landing in every country that has an airport. I also started on FSEconomy. Now using OnAir. Currently north of PNG island hopping all those small island sovereign states.

Have fun!

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I think there’s going to be a lot of flying over water coming up! Could really do with an extra fuel tank on this Arrow…

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Good luck! That’s going to be a lot of back and forth.

While you’re flying you can watch this

It has a short overview of all countries (also made alphabetically so it gets better as it goes on)

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Well I’m not sure there’s any airports in ZZYZX California would landing in the town count if you land on one of the fields?

Cool idea! I have dreamed of flying in Europe Aberdeen-Bonn-Cologne-Düsseldorf- etc (you got the idea), but have never done that. Perhaps I should one day do just that.

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So after a long trip from France, I finally made it to the ‘start’, about 3,000 miles later.


On the tarmac at Herat, Afghanistan. So that’s the first country on the A-Z ticket off.

Next on the list: Albania. So a trip back west across Iran once more, with a usefully long-distance flight from FSEconomy that takes me all the way across to Alexandria in Egypt (with a quick refuelling stop halfway in the far north of Saudi Arabia.

From here’s it’s just a few short flights across Greece to Albania, taking in a few island airports and the capital, Athens, as I go.

Now Albania - or Shqipëri as it’s known locally - isn’t a country I know all that much about, so I’d love to hear your recommendations about where to aim for and what to see before I head south again to Algeria, the next country on the list…

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I wasn’t trying to hit every town in every country, but now you’ve mentioned it, I’ll have to try and make it there, too!

It was interesting to read that the number of countries in the world fluctuates:

One page said there were 195, another read it was 197, and one other said there was as many as 257. Some are recognised, some are not.

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It’s a bit of a political minefield! (Is Taiwan a country? Is Palestine? Should we count places like Greenland?) ! I’m going with the Wikipedia list, which is based on UN membership - this comes to 193 at the moment…

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It’s like the one question is that one oil platform that considers itself a tiny country a country?

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I got to 243, counting the places with autonomy. However there are varying degrees of autonomy, when is a country a separate country.

In Africa you have Western Sahara and Somaliland that are disputed, Kosovo in Europe, Gaza in the middle east, Bougainville, West Papua, Kurdistan doesn’t exist yet but has a capital (Erbil) and many others want to separate. Then you have autonomous regions in China and Russia, for example the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Korean identity in China.

Pick any list, they’re all wrong :slight_smile:

The ISO country list has 249 countries

but that also includes a couple uninhabited territories. You can’t be a country without people!

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Brilliant.

This is my rough planned trip. They are the stops I plan to tick a country off. But lots if stops in between.

Country of Departure Departure ICAO Capital Notes
England Norwich
Greenland Nuuk BGGH
Canada Ottawa CYOW
United States of America Ronald Reagan Washington National KDCA
Bahamas Lynden Pindling International MYNN
Cuba MUPB
Jamaica Norman Manley Intl MKJP
Haiti Port Au Prince MTPP
Dominican Republic Santo Domingo MDSD
TNCS
TFFJ
Saint Kitts and Nevis St. Kitts Island TKPK
Antigua and Barbuda St. Johns TAPA
Dominica Roseau TDCF 3rd Dec 2020
Saint Lucia Hewanorra Intl TLPL 3rd Dec 2020
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines TVSA 4th Dec 2020
Barbados Barbados TBPB 4th Dec 2020
Grenada St. Georges TGPY 5th Dec 2020
Trinidad and Tobago Piarco International Airport TTPP 5th Dec 2020
Venezuela Ciudad Bolivar Airport SVCB
Guyana Cheddi Jagan Intl SYCJ 6th Dec 2020
Suriname Zandery SMJP 7th Dec 2020
Brazil Brasilia SBBR 7th-9th Dec 2020
Rio SBGL 10th Dec 2020
Paraguay Silvio Pettirossi Intl SGAS 10th-11th Dec 2020
Uruguay Montevideo SUAA
Argentina Buenos Aires SAEZ 24th Dec 2020
Chile Santiago International Airport SCEL 27th Dec 2020
Bolivia El Alto Intl SLLP 28th Dec 2020
Peru Jorge Chavez Intl Lima Peru SPJC
SPGL 25th Jan 2021
Ecuador Jose J De Olmedo Airport SEGU 25th Jan 2021
SEQM 26th Jan 2021
Colombia Bogota SKBO 30th Jan 2021
Panama Marcos A Gelabert Intl MPMG 1st Feb 2021
Costa Rica MRSN
Juan Santamaria Intl MROC 1st Feb
Nicaragua Augusto Cesar Sandino Intl MNMG 2nd Feb 2021
Honduras Toncontin Intl MHTG
El Salvador El Salvador Intl MSLP
Guatemala La Aurora Intl MGGT 3rd Feb 20201
Belize Philip S. W. Goldson Intl MZBZ
Mexico Hermosillo Gen Ip Garcia Airport various 4th Feb 2021
United States of America KLAX
Santa Barbara Municipal KSBA
KSFO 7th Feb 2021
KSEA
Canada Vancouver International Airport CYVR 9th Feb 2021
CZST
USA (Alaska) Haines PAHN
Stevens Anchorage PANC 15th Feb 2021
KEB
Cold Bay PACD
Adak PADK
Casco Cove Cgs PAAT
Russian Federation Yelizovo Russia (UHPP) UHPP
Khabarovsk/Novy Airport UHHH
Ulan-Ude Airport UIUU
Mongolia Buyant-Ukhaa International Airport ZMUB Ulaanbaatar
China Beijing-Capital Airport ZBAA Beijing
N Korea Pyongyang-Sunan ZKPY
S Korea Seoul RKSS
Japan
RJTT
Taiwan Chiayi RCSS Taipei
Hong Kong Hong Kong VHHH City of Victoria
Philippines Ninoy Aquino International RPLL Manila
Palau Babelthuap PTRO Ngerulmud
Papua New Guinea WX53
Port Moresby AYPY Port Moresby
Solomon Islands Henderson AGGH
Micronesia PTPN
Marshall Islands Majuro Atoll PKMJ
Nauru Nauru ANYN
Kiribati Bonriki Intl Tarawa Island NGTA
Tuvalu Funafuti Intl Funafuti NGFU
Samoa Faleolo Intl Apia NSFA
Tahiti Faaa NTAA
Tonga Fua’amotu Intl NFTF
Fiji Nadi Intl NFFN
Vanuatu NVVV
Australia Norfolk Island YSNF
New Zealand Tauranga NZTG
Australia Lord Howe Island YLHI
Kingford Smith Intl YSSY
Alice Springs YBAS
Timor-Leste Dili WPDL
Brunei Darussalam Brunei Intl Brunei WBSB
Indonesia Jakarta Jakarta WIHH
Singapore Singapore WSAP
Malaysia WMKK
WMKL
Sri Lanka Katunayak VCBI
Maldives Male VRMM
India Mangalore VOML
Chennai International Airport VOMM
Thailand Phuket VTSP
Cambodia VDSR
Vietnam VVDN
Laos VLLB
Myanmar VYBM
Bangladesh M.A.Hannan Intl VGEG
Bhutan Paro Bhutan Airport VQPR
VNLK
Nepal Kathmandu Nepal VNKT
Pakistan OPRN
Afghanistan Kabul OAKB
Tajikistan Dushanbe UTDD
Kazakhstan UAAA
Kyrgyzstan Osh UCFM
Uzbekistan Tashkent UTTT
Turkmenistan Ashgabat UTAA
Azerbaijan UBBB
Georgia Tbilisi UGTB
Armenia UDYZ
Iran OISS
Kuwait Kuwait City OKBK
Iraq ORBI
Somalia Bosaso HCMF
Syria OSDI
Lebanon Beirut Intl OLBA
Israel Tel Aviv LLBG
Jordan Amman OJAI
Saudi Arabia Riyadh OERK
Bahrain Bahrain Intl OBBI
Qatar Doha Intl OTBD
United Arab Emirates Dubai Intl OMDB
Oman Muscat - Seeb Intl OOMS
Yemen Sanaa Intl OYSN
Eritrea Asmara Intl HHAS
Ethiopia Bole Intl Addis Ababa HAAB
Djibouti Ambouli HDAM
Kenya Moi Intl Mombasa HKMO
Uganda Entebbe Intl HUEN
Rwanda Gregoire Kayibanda Intl HRYR
Burundi HBBA
Tanzania HTKJ
Seychelles Seychelles Intl FSIA
Mauritius Mauritius Intl. FIMP
Comoros Moroni Hahaia FMCH
Madagascar Ivato Intl FMMI
Mozambique FQPB
Malawi FWKI
Zambia Lusaka Intl FLKK
Zimbabwe FVKB
Swaziland Matsapha FDMS
South Africa Johannesburg Intl FAJS
FACT
Lesotho Moshoeshoe Intl FXMM
Botswana FBSK
Namibia Hosea Kutako Intl FYWH
Angola FNLU
Congo, Democratic Republic of the FZKJ
Congo, Republic of the Bangoka Intl FZIC
Gabon FOOB
Sao Tome and Principe FPST
Equatorial Guinea FGSL
Cameroon Nsimalen Intl FKYS
Central African Republic FEFT
South Sudan HSSJ
Chad N’djamena FTTJ
Sudan HSSS
Egypt HECA
Libya HLLT
Malta LMML
Tunisia Tunis DTTA
Algeria DAAE
Niger DRZA
Nigeria Nnamdi Azikiwe Intl DNAA
Benin DBBB
Togo DXNG
Ghana DGSI
Burkina Faso Ouagadougou DFFD
Côte d’Ivoire DIAP
Liberia GLRB
Mali GAKY
Sierra Leone Lungi Intl GFLL
Guinea GUFH
Guinea-Bissau GGOV
Gambia GBYD
Senegal Dakar GOOY
Cabo Verde Amilcar Cabral GVAC
Mauritania GQPA
Madeira LPMA
Morocco Casablanca GMMN
Gibraltar LXGB
Portugal Lisbon LPPT
Spain Madrid LEMD
Andorra Andorra la Vella LESU
LFMN
Italy Rome LIRF
Slovenia Ljubljana LJLJ
Croatia Zagreb LDZA
Austria Vienna LOWW
Slovakia Bratislava LZIB
Hungary Budapest LHBP
Serbia Belgrade LYBE
Bosnia and Herzegovina Sarajevo LQSA
Montenegro Podgorica LYPG
Kosovo Pristina BKPR
Macedonia Skopje LWSK
Albania Tirana LATI
Greece Athens LGAV
Cyprus Larnaca LCLK
Turkey Ankara LTAC
Bulgaria Sofia LBSF
Romania Bucharest LROP
Moldova Chișinău LUKK
Ukraine Kiev UKKK
Russia Moscow UUEE
Belarus Minsk UMMS
Lithuania Vilnius EYVI
Poland Warsaw EPWA
Czech Republic Prague LKPR
Liechtenstein Vaduz ---- LSZE
Switzerland Bern LSZB
Luxembourg Luxembourg ELLX
France Paris LFPG
Belgium Brussels EBBR
Germany Berlin EDDT
Latvia Riga EVRA
Estonia Tallinn EETN
Finland Helsinki EFHK
Sweden Stockholm ESSA
Norway Oslo ENGM
Denmark Copenhagen EKCH
Netherlands Amsterdam EHAM
England London City EGLC

Currently at Nauru.

For Monaco will probably land at Nice.

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wow, what a dedication !!

Loving this plan and ambition.

I’m 75 legs into my scenic RTW trip with no real plan other than to see the world. 85,328Nm so far and 327hrs 7 mins flying time. You can read all about it here if you want (might help to while away those long cruise hours for you):

I’m also planning my next trip (which has kept me amused on the longer cruise legs!): visiting every capital city in the world (227 on my list!) flying direct only and doing so in as efficient a way as possible. For those familiar with it, this is a very large example of the travelling salesman problem - how to visit 227 places and minimise the total distance travelled. With a bit of excel magic, I’ve landed on a route that is 94,868Nm long. It looks like this:

Debating whether to use the DC-6 or the Longitude.

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