After so many years of flying in the sim, things can get a little repetitive. This isn’t a bad thing, it’s just a fact of life. If you follow scheduled airliner routes in the Boeing 777 and 737, as I do, you tend to find yourself at airports time and again. Whilst it’s true that, “no two landings are the same.” And add on scenery can switch things up a bit – the bottom line is that flying from Sacramento to Phoenix can sometimes get a bit repetitive. So what can be done to switch things up and reinvigorate one’s passion for the hobby?
Each, “flight simmer” may have a different answer. But for me, it comes down to flying for a reason. Sometimes you just need to fly to feel like you’ve achieved something! My solution was to replicate the route used by the reality show, The Amazing Race. By doing this, I traveled around the world and flew into a few new airports that I don’t use all that often, widening my experience and skills into different airports. Despite having done this a few times, this is the first time I’ve done so whilst logging my route and working for FSElite.
Leg 1 KSFO to MMMX
Flight plan: OFFSH9 MCKEY LAX J1 TIJ UJ5 DGO UJ63 SGU UJ33 QET UJ5 TIKEB
Plane: PMDG B737-800 in United Colors
Distance: 1635nm
Flight Time: 3 hours 44 min
The first leg was a fairly simple night flight from Flightbeams’ San Francisco to Mexico City. I turned on the autopilot early, as I recall, and listened to some Star Wars audiobooks and podcasts on the way down. It would have been nice to do this flight in daylight. But, the sun was just coming up as I reached Mexico City. The high terrain in Mexico City made for an interesting approach. Unfortunately, I don’t have add on scenery for Mexico City. However, that wasn’t the hard aspect of the leg. It was a hard touchdown that really killed it for me. A cruddy ending to an otherwise good flight and the first leg on my world-wide trip.
Leg 2 MMMX to SKBO
Flight plan: PDC3D PDC UJ5 MTT ASOKU TBG UM549 DAKMO UW87 MQU MQU1A
Plane: PMDG B737-700 In TWA Colors
Distance: 1706nm
Flight Time: 3 hours 49 min
Round 2 was another simple 737 leg. But, I had never flown into Bogotá before.The high terrain once again made the approach slightly more interesting. It’s not becoming a bit of a running joke amongst the team, but as per usual touchdown was a little hard. It was only after I landed that I discovered I had ventured off my path a bit. In the show the city pairing was actually Mexico City to Cartagena. No big deal. The landing practice is never a bad thing – especially for me!
The downside of this flight, aside from the aforementioned hard landing, was that I didn’t have scenery for Bogotá. FTX Global certainly helped when I ran into these situations. But, Global can only do so much. I really wasn’t an add on scenery junkie till FlightBeam came along with SFO. Now days, though, I get unhappy when default airports are required for these routes.
Leg 3 SKBO to SKCG
Flight plan: ZIP2H A301 BUV UG431 EJA UW10 UGREB UGE1B
Plane: PMDG 737-700 In TWA Colors
Distance: 378nm
Flight Time: 1 hour 3 min
When you combine a simple leg with distractions it can lead to unpleasantness. I was distracted on the first approach attempt. As a result, I was way too high and had to execute a go around. The second attempt went better. I used the whole 12,000 odd feet of runway. Even with default scenery , the approach was scenic with the Caribbean Sea to the north. And, the high Columbian mountains to the south. I’d recommend this airport for anyone stuck for ideas flying in the South Caribbean.
Leg 4 SKCG to LSGG
Flight plan: BAQ2A BAQ UW5 ERIKO UA319 PALAS M597 KATIN UA319 GABRA M597 CDO UA319 PIXAR M597 FIVZE DCT 27N058W 35N050W 40N040W 42N030W 45N020W 46N010W DCT RIVAK UN460 FOUCO UT183 LERGA T48 LATAM UN871 LTP UZ116 BELUS BELU1R
Plane: PMDG 777-200LR in TWA Colors
Distance: 4768nm
Flight Time: 9 hours 22 min
Finally a 777 leg with that a crew rest! My favorite kind of leg. The routing took me up over The Caribbean to the open Atlantic before taking me over Central Europe. It was a smooth approach and touchdown. And, when I got a moment to glance out the window. I got to enjoy The Swiss Alps and their close proximity to the airport. Now that’s what I call a good day of flying!
Leg 5 LSGG to UDYZ
Flight plan: MEDA4A MEDAM UM730 NITAM UT305 KODOK UM730 TOP UY11 LISKO UM730 TOP UY11 LISKO UM730 RAMAP UL614 NISVA N605 WRN L744 UDROS UM859 KARDE UL851 TBN UP146 YAVUZ UB374 INDUR INDU3B
Plane: PMDG 737-700 in TWA Colors
Distance: 1810nm
Flight Time: 3 hours 53 min
Jumping back to the 737 this time flying to Yerevan, Armenia. Getting to fly into places like Armenia is why I did The Amazing Flight. Otherwise, I would never have thought to fly to Yerevan. Nestled below some nice foothills, this nice little airport caters well to The 737-700. At long last, I performed a reasonable approach and landing. This is certainly an airport to try if you’re looking for a new place to fly, thanks to its surrounding terrain and interesting approach.
Leg 6 UDYZ to UGGG
Flight plan: SEVA3H SEVAN T924 TISOT N82 DF DF6B
Plane: PMDG 737-700 In TWA Colors
Distance: 151nm
Time: 37 min
For this flight I wished I had a RJ or Turboprop in my hanger. Instead, I used the trusty PMDG737-700. It was the best equipment I had for the mission. None the less, it was a simple short elevator flight. For efficiency, I went all the way up to FL390. As a result, it was a steep ride down. Again, another beautiful airport that you should try out. Long runways for what feels like an out of the way local airport.
Leg 7 UGGG to OMDB
Flight plan: LAGA3A LAGAS M54 ADILA N82 ADANO N77 MAGERI UR645 ZAG R654 PEKAM UP574 SYZ A418 ORSAR B416 DESDI DED8D
Plane: PMDG 737-700 In TWA Colors
Distance: 1251nm
Time: 3 hours 3 min
On this flight, I was heading back to the mainline. It was my last flight of the day, so I was glad to be headed back to a hub. OMDB is a massive airport. Unfortunately, this is another airport that where I didn’t have scenery, So I’m sure I missed out on a lot. Nonetheless, the zig-zag approach is always fun and the landing went very well. I can perform a greaser from time to time!
Leg 8 OMDB to WADD
Flight plan: RIKE3G RIKET M428 MUNGA A777 VAXIM P307 PARAR N571 GUNIP M630 BOBAG P501 ANITO B470 PKP L511 SBR RABO3E
Plane: PMDG 777-200 LR In TWA Colors
Distance: 4104nm
Time: 8 hours 31 minutes
Although this leg was technically long enough for a crew rest, I didn’t take it. Instead, I spent the time window watching. I had a good view of The Indian Ocean and the subcontinent of India. After crossing the equator, I had several storms to avoid. But, soon enough I was passing over Bali. This is an airport I’ve been to before; having done a fair amount of Virgin Australia flying in the past. So the approach presented no challenge and the landing went well
Vir
Leg 9 WADD to ZGSZ
Flight plan: GALK3A GALKO M522 ELANG R223 BRU L649 LAXOR M772 DULOP M771 CH A461 BEKOL BEKO4Z
Plane: PMDG 737-700 In TWA Colors
Distance: 1949nm
Time: 4 hours 28 minutes
This was one of those legs that was going well until I screwed up the approach. I felt rushed on the approach. And, as a result, I ended up smashing my way onto the runway. It was awful! And, it was the hardest landing on this entire journey.. With all my time in the 737-700, I have no excuse for such a poor performance. But, I try not to end the day with a bad landing so it was on to the next leg.
Leg 10 ZGSZ to ZGGG
Flight plan: IDUM7X IDUMA IDU81A
Plane: PMDG 737-700 In TWA Colors
Distance: 87nm
Time: 33 minutes
This was another elevator flight to a new airport. I don’t recall my cruise altitude, but, I think it was lower this time. In any event, I wanted to redeem myself with a good approach and landing. I slowed down and configured early, something I try to do on almost every leg. I got good results with a stable approach and a nice touchdown
Leg 11 ZGGG to KLAX
Flight plan: LMN1E LMN G471 PLT A599 PUD A593 POTET Y60 FUE V28 CUE Y88 DAIGO Y886 PABBA 40E50 43E60 44E70 44E80 44N70 44N50 43N40 40N30 ALCOA AVE MOOR3
Plane: PMDG 777-200 LR In TWA Colors
Distance: 6481nm
Time: 12 hours 20 minutes
This penultimate leg was fun. 6 odd hours of crew rest, good weather and good scenery in LAX (FSDreamTeam). As usual the last few hours were the hardest. But, as I got closer to LA my determination grew. I was going to complete this flight and kick ass doing it. The approach was relaxed as I’ve flown into LA a fair amount. I had “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” playing as I descended over The San Gabriels and into The LA Basin. Unfortunately, my computer isn’t capable of using Orbx Regions. As a result, I stuck with Global and made a reasonable approach and landing at LAX. The touchdown was not as soft as I would have liked. I still need to work on my approaches and landings. Regardless, of how much sim time I’ve accumulated over the years.
The Finish Line KSMO to KSBA
Flight Plan: VFR over Downtown LA then straight down the beach to Santa Barbara
Plane: Carenado Piper PA28 Archer
Distance: 111nm
Time: 1 hour 4 minutes
This flight was a fun little way to end the trip. Orbex Socal was enabled and there was great fun to be had under a low smog layer at sunrise. The real leg was flown in a helicopter. But, I can’t fly those damn rotary wings so I went with The Piper from Carenado. I wish I had had any A2A product for this leg. But alas, my flight sim budget is limited. None the less, it was a fun leg. I made a few low passes over Downtown LA being careful to avoid the Bravo. I then flew my way up the coast to penetrate the haze and land in Santa Barbara. Admittedly, the landing was a little hard for a GA aircraft.
The Numbers
Hours Flown: 52.45 Hours
Average Leg Length: 4.37 Hours
Distance: 24,431nm/ 28,095sm/ 44,953km
Summery
Another adventure is complete. And, while I didn’t add a lot of new airports, I still explored new regions of the world I might not have visited before. Having a mission to complete certainly makes it a lot more interesting. I would definitely recommend an adventure like this for those looking for a more interesting way to see the world.I have no idea what my next adventure will be. But, you can rest assured that I will report it on FSElite either on the website, the podcast or both! Till next time happy landings!