....being that there was some wild weather...thermals...downdrafts around Michigan today, just east of Flint at about 3,500 ASL, I decided to practice downdraft maneuvers, and after taking off from KFNT (Flint-Bishop Int.) under control of my new Logitech Force 3D Pro (of which I HIGHLY recommend, and of which I will do a user-review of later...) I headed east towards the Blue Water Bridge that connects Port Huron, Michigan to Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. I knew that there was a horse track just southwest of Sarnia's airport sitting south of Highway 402, ..and so decided to see if it was actually depicted..AND...if so, was where it should be?As I approached at about 2,800 feet ...my jaw dropped. There is was!!!!! Using UTX USA and CANADA,...THERE IT WAS!OK....so....I threw the StationAir 6 into a left bank and headed out over the Huron coast and on towards Grand Bend, Ontario. I knew that there is a car raceway there that is quite popular on the weekends and such. As I was about 90 degrees to Grand Bend's AWESOME beach,...I headed inland, and flew up over that white-sandy beach and on towards Highway 21. TO MY AMAZEMENT...my sheer amazement....THERE WAS THE DEPICTION of the raceway!I don't know about you folks, but I am seriously blown away with this. I mean...here is a small lake-side town....yeah sure...a popular tourist spot, but....the detail of UTX USA and CANADA simply is top notch. Roads, highways, primary and secondary are all there...and even more important...WHERE THEY SHOULD BE! Attractions where they should be!Kudos....Back to my VFR Tourist Flight, lol. I'm now going to head over towards Tobermory----and see if the ferry is heading out towards Manitoulin Island....will follow its course...then on towards Blind River, Soux Saint Marie...north following the coast past Batchawana Bay and Old Woman River Hill...to finally check out the famous Canada Goose statue on the cliff in Wawa, Ontario...that sits over the beautiful coast of Lake Superior. From what I have been seeing today in FSX, I fully expect it to be there...lol. Oh....if you take my trip yourself....do land at Wawa..and then take a taxi over to the Wawa Inn...and order a great plate of Superior Smoked White Fish. They serve the best there. I know...I stay there sometimes on business, lol!Back to the flight....and cheers!Mitch'er

This type of reaction is what we've all experienced throughout the years as we discover FS's ongoing potential. Too bad Microsoft or should I say someone at Microsoft doesn't get it...It's also a shame many real pilots don't see the shire scope of this product or the projects built on top of it. The detail you've described here is why many of us had a much easier time transitioning into real world aviation versus the average joe...

UTX can be eerie in that way. I was similarly surprised to see the golf course at the south end of the runway of my home airport (one I've always thought would be convenient for those "can't quite make it" moments).

Having landed on a golf course once, I can confirm they are ideal, but you will not make yourself popular with the club members LOLAl

It may seem surprising to the uninitiated, but for obvious reasons of infrastructure planning and even more for tax purposes, all the States of the Union have departments dedicated to mapping each and every road, stream, path, sewer line, etc. And, because it is your tax dollars at work, they make this information freely available on the Internet. See for yourself - search for your State web site and check out the GIS department, and you will find the race tracks, and the horse tracks, and the golf courses, and so on.All any enterprising enthusiast has to do is download the files, use the Microsoft tools (conveniently located in the SDK folder) to convert them to bgl files, and then fly over a more realistic rendition of the world.Why did Microsoft not do this? Probably because all of that information takes a lot of time to compile from so many individual sources, so they went to one or two suppliers whose sources were not always so complete. And anyway, all that data is not available for 99% of the world.Best regards.Luis

Lots of airports I've visited have golf courses nearby. Apart from trying to concentrate on a putt when GE turbofans are shrieking max revolutions several dozen feet from my ear, or adjusting for my natural slice by knowing the vortex produced by a Beechcraft Baron on final, I've often wondered if there was some way of beating the dog-leg on that long 14th by banking a tee shot off of the wing dihedral of an outbound 737? Well, I am drastically overselling my golf skills here. Mostly I am lucky if the ball travels in the 180 degree arc I see facing forwards.Still, it would be cool to combine golf and flight simulators. Fly to the airport, taxi to the golf course, cart to the first hole, tee up with a long wood, and shoot the ball into the number one outboard engine of BoeingGuy flying his 747 in multiplayer. Hole in one! Jeff ShylukSenior Staff ReviewerAVSIM

What a neat flight .. That area doesn't have the mountainous relief of say, the Pacific Northwest... but all the islands and bays make for some very scenic flying ...You could have turned south near the "Soo" (Sault Ste Marie), and flown right over my house.. and then diverted over to Mackinac Island (I'm flying there for real this weekend), for a nice, dockside lunch.

....being that there was some wild weather...thermals...downdrafts around Michigan today, just east of Flint at about 3,500 ASL, I decided to practice downdraft maneuvers, and after taking off from KFNT (Flint-Bishop Int.) under control of my new Logitech Force 3D Pro (of which I HIGHLY recommend, and of which I will do a user-review of later...) I headed east towards the Blue Water Bridge that connects Port Huron, Michigan to Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. I knew that there was a horse track just southwest of Sarnia's airport sitting south of Highway 402, ..and so decided to see if it was actually depicted..AND...if so, was where it should be?As I approached at about 2,800 feet ...my jaw dropped. There is was!!!!! Using UTX USA and CANADA,...THERE IT WAS!OK....so....I threw the StationAir 6 into a left bank and headed out over the Huron coast and on towards Grand Bend, Ontario. I knew that there is a car raceway there that is quite popular on the weekends and such. As I was about 90 degrees to Grand Bend's AWESOME beach,...I headed inland, and flew up over that white-sandy beach and on towards Highway 21. TO MY AMAZEMENT...my sheer amazement....THERE WAS THE DEPICTION of the raceway!I don't know about you folks, but I am seriously blown away with this. I mean...here is a small lake-side town....yeah sure...a popular tourist spot, but....the detail of UTX USA and CANADA simply is top notch. Roads, highways, primary and secondary are all there...and even more important...WHERE THEY SHOULD BE! Attractions where they should be!Kudos....Back to my VFR Tourist Flight, lol. I'm now going to head over towards Tobermory----and see if the ferry is heading out towards Manitoulin Island....will follow its course...then on towards Blind River, Soux Saint Marie...north following the coast past Batchawana Bay and Old Woman River Hill...to finally check out the famous Canada Goose statue on the cliff in Wawa, Ontario...that sits over the beautiful coast of Lake Superior. From what I have been seeing today in FSX, I fully expect it to be there...lol. Oh....if you take my trip yourself....do land at Wawa..and then take a taxi over to the Wawa Inn...and order a great plate of Superior Smoked White Fish. They serve the best there. I know...I stay there sometimes on business, lol!Back to the flight....and cheers!Mitch'er

You mean like this Mitch?! :-lol

You mean like this Mitch?! :-lol-----------------------------------------------------You betcha, Geofa! :)Oh, BTW, no Canada Goose Sculpture at WAWA, Ontario, Canada in FSX, ROTFLMBO!Oh well....I'll just have to settle for some great smoked White Fish the next time I'm in those parts......Cheers!Mitch'er

What a neat flight .. That area doesn't have the mountainous relief of say, the Pacific Northwest... but all the islands and bays make for some very scenic flying ...You could have turned south near the "Soo" (Sault Ste Marie), and flown right over my house.. and then diverted over to Mackinac Island (I'm flying there for real this weekend), for a nice, dockside lunch.

------------------------------------Hi Brett,If you continue with your Lake Superior VFR flight....check out the 'Sleeping Giant' offshore at Thunder Bay. It's there! :)I must admit, with FS9---it's all Heavy Iron..but with FSX....LOTS of VFR slow and low! Good stuff....nah...GREAT STUFF....Cheers!Mitch

"How accurate/"real" is the FSX world....?I've been real-world piloting for over 35 years, but every once in a while something happens that simply continues to amaze me about FSX. One of those things happened again yesterday.I live in Las Vegas, NV. My current job offers me a lot of flexibility, and I happened to be off-work for 4 days in a row. So yesterday morning I woke up at around 3 AM after an 8-hour "nap" (heh - heh!), and found myself totally bored with two more days off yet. So as I sometimes do, I got a wild hair and decided to take a road-trip to the Grand Canyon. Heck...it's only 278 driving miles from Las Vegas to the South Rim, so I did the math and figured if I left by 4 AM I'd get there by 8 AM (speed limit on Arizona Interstates is 75 MPH, so everybody drives 85 MPH!), wander around a bit at the Canyon, and be back home by mid evening. Just a "get out of town" trip for a day, with no particular goal in mind.While wandering around the South Rim after I got there, I noticed the helicoptors flying overhead...the "tour" flights. I thought, "Hmmmm....". So after leaving the Canyon, I stopped at the Grand Canyon Airport (KGCN) to just "check on the price". One of the tour operators...Papillon Helicoptors...had 3 different tours. One was a 55-minute "Ultimate" tour that circled all the way around the North Rim and back. In a Bell JetRanger. "HMMMMMMM...I've never been in a JetRanger before.....!". I was teetering on signing up for it, but the price was "iffy" to me. I could buy almost a half-dozen new addons for Flight Simulator with what I would spend on it. But then the girl at the counter said, "So you are a pilot?" (I "just happened" to mention that to her while we were talking!). "Well, I have a flight in 30 minutes with 5 people from France on it. There is ONE seat left, and seeing as you are all alone ("OUCH!"), I can give you the co-pilot's seat and put the 5 others in the rear 5 seats." Damn her!!!! She could sell sand to a dying man in the desert! So after forking over my Visa card, I was ushered across the street to the Papillon complex.Thirty minutes later, I'm climbing into the co-pilot's seat, only to look over and see the pilot, who appears to be about 18-years old (he was older, I'm sure...but), and thinking to myself, "Hmmmmm.....". Oh well...headset on, quick pilot briefing over the passenger's headphones, and off we go. And my first thought was, "Damn! This thing is shaking itself apart!" For some reason, I assumed a Bell JetRanger ride would be "smooth". No vibrations. Not so. I was getting vibrated around more than I do in my Black and Decker Massage Chair I have at home.In any case, it was one of the most enjoyable flights I've ever had. I've flown "over" and "near" the Grand Canyon many times in the past. But to get "up close and personal" with it in the JetRanger was completely different. It was awe-inspiring. I'll never forget it.Now...for The Sequel. On my 4-hour drive home to Las Vegas, all I'm thinking is, "I wonder how simulating this flight in FSX will look?" So I get home and fire up FSX. I have the freeware Grand Canyon photoscenery from OZx, and high-resolution terrain mesh for the Canyon. I retrace the exact flight route in FSX using the default JetRanger...and I am totally astounded!During the real flight, the pilot pointed out several "points of interest" in the Canyon. Two of them were "The Spire" and "The Battleship"...geological rock formations we got very close to during the flight. You would never know they existed unless you took one of these flights, because they aren't visible from either the North or South canyon rims. In FSX with the terrain mesh I have...they were THERE...and I was simply astounded at how "real" they looked in FSX compared to the real flight. I hovered the FSX JetRanger near them and just stared in awe at what I was seeing in FSX. And this same thing happened numerous times while I did the FSX re-creation flight. I love FSX. It continues to amaze me how "real" or "accurate" it can really get. It's a simulation...but a damned good one as far as I'm concerned.PS - As an aside, remember that "18-year old looking pilot?" Well, I learned I have a LOT to learn about flying helicopters in FSX yet. He flew an approach and landing in that JetRanger at KGCN that was simply amazing, at least to me. The landing pad for the JetRanger was smaller than the size of my driveway at my house, surrounded by other ones with other JetRangers parked on them. Close other ones. He brought that JetRanger in so smooth with no hesitation or stopping, right up to the point of the landing struts contacting the ground with NO "thump" at all. I did not recognize the fact they had even contacted the ground until he "throttled down" the engine. That's when I realized we had actually landed already. In contrast, my FSX landing would have taken out two or three of the surrounding JetRangers in the vicinity while I "hover-smothered" a half-acre of real estate. Oh well....time for more helicoptor practice in FSX!Rick

"How accurate/"real" is the FSX world....?I've been real-world piloting for over 35 years, but every once in a while something happens that simply continues to amaze me about FSX. One of those things happened again yesterday.I live in Las Vegas, NV. My current job offers me a lot of flexibility, and I happened to be off-work for 4 days in a row. So yesterday morning I woke up at around 3 AM after an 8-hour "nap" (heh - heh!), and found myself totally bored with two more days off yet. So as I sometimes do, I got a wild hair and decided to take a road-trip to the Grand Canyon. Heck...it's only 278 driving miles from Las Vegas to the South Rim, so I did the math and figured if I left by 4 AM I'd get there by 8 AM (speed limit on Arizona Interstates is 75 MPH, so everybody drives 85 MPH!), wander around a bit at the Canyon, and be back home by mid evening. Just a "get out of town" trip for a day, with no particular goal in mind.While wandering around the South Rim after I got there, I noticed the helicoptors flying overhead...the "tour" flights. I thought, "Hmmmm....". So after leaving the Canyon, I stopped at the Grand Canyon Airport (KGCN) to just "check on the price". One of the tour operators...Papillon Helicoptors...had 3 different tours. One was a 55-minute "Ultimate" tour that circled all the way around the North Rim and back. In a Bell JetRanger. "HMMMMMMM...I've never been in a JetRanger before.....!". I was teetering on signing up for it, but the price was "iffy" to me. I could buy almost a half-dozen new addons for Flight Simulator with what I would spend on it. But then the girl at the counter said, "So you are a pilot?" (I "just happened" to mention that to her while we were talking!). "Well, I have a flight in 30 minutes with 5 people from France on it. There is ONE seat left, and seeing as you are all alone ("OUCH!"), I can give you the co-pilot's seat and put the 5 others in the rear 5 seats." Damn her!!!! She could sell sand to a dying man in the desert! So after forking over my Visa card, I was ushered across the street to the Papillon complex.Thirty minutes later, I'm climbing into the co-pilot's seat, only to look over and see the pilot, who appears to be about 18-years old (he was older, I'm sure...but), and thinking to myself, "Hmmmmm.....". Oh well...headset on, quick pilot briefing over the passenger's headphones, and off we go. And my first thought was, "Damn! This thing is shaking itself apart!" For some reason, I assumed a Bell JetRanger ride would be "smooth". No vibrations. Not so. I was getting vibrated around more than I do in my Black and Decker Massage Chair I have at home.In any case, it was one of the most enjoyable flights I've ever had. I've flown "over" and "near" the Grand Canyon many times in the past. But to get "up close and personal" with it in the JetRanger was completely different. It was awe-inspiring. I'll never forget it.Now...for The Sequel. On my 4-hour drive home to Las Vegas, all I'm thinking is, "I wonder how simulating this flight in FSX will look?" So I get home and fire up FSX. I have the freeware Grand Canyon photoscenery from OZx, and high-resolution terrain mesh for the Canyon. I retrace the exact flight route in FSX using the default JetRanger...and I am totally astounded!During the real flight, the pilot pointed out several "points of interest" in the Canyon. Two of them were "The Spire" and "The Battleship"...geological rock formations we got very close to during the flight. You would never know they existed unless you took one of these flights, because they aren't visible from either the North or South canyon rims. In FSX with the terrain mesh I have...they were THERE...and I was simply astounded at how "real" they looked in FSX compared to the real flight. I hovered the FSX JetRanger near them and just stared in awe at what I was seeing in FSX. And this same thing happened numerous times while I did the FSX re-creation flight. I love FSX. It continues to amaze me how "real" or "accurate" it can really get. It's a simulation...but a damned good one as far as I'm concerned.PS - As an aside, remember that "18-year old looking pilot?" Well, I learned I have a LOT to learn about flying helicopters in FSX yet. He flew an approach and landing in that JetRanger at KGCN that was simply amazing, at least to me. The landing pad for the JetRanger was smaller than the size of my driveway at my house, surrounded by other ones with other JetRangers parked on them. Close other ones. He brought that JetRanger in so smooth with no hesitation or stopping, right up to the point of the landing struts contacting the ground with NO "thump" at all. I did not recognize the fact they had even contacted the ground until he "throttled down" the engine. That's when I realized we had actually landed already. In contrast, my FSX landing would have taken out two or three of the surrounding JetRangers in the vicinity while I "hover-smothered" a half-acre of real estate. Oh well....time for more helicoptor practice in FSX!Rick

---------------------------------------------------------------------Rick...a great post! Yes...as I tool around in FSX-VFR mode, I am amazed myself at what I find, like having taken flights at Myrtle Beach, S.C....and to find that the coastline is absolutely faithful in FSX!Cheers!

I'll chime in again.. and agree that FSX is a never-ending source of amazement.. and as important; a great training/currency tool. There's no doubt in my mind that simming keeps the piloting part of your brain from getting stale twixt real flights. I try to approach every sim session with a "mission" in mind. Sometimes it's a real-world rehearsal (more in a bit). I rarely just fire it up and fly. I'll plan the flight as though it were real.. load my pax and baggage realistically; which usually limits the fuel I can carry. .. so part of the flight planning above and beyond (real) weather briefings is to plan fuel stops and alternates. And.. I like (as in real flying), to have a kneeboard full of data, before taking to the skies.. NAV-aids, ATIS/AWOS/ASOS, CTAFs.. etc. And if the weather looks marginal.. any approach plates I might need. I even do a mock walk-around.ANYway.. a few years ago, I planned my first trip to the big fly-in, Airventure in Oshkkosh. I have to admit that the published arrival was a little intimidating.. ALL of those planes trying to get in/out of there :( I stuck the C172 in Chicago, and flew that arrival a dozen times in FSX.. It most certainly made the real thing more familiar, and less stressful. Just having the references ingrained (lakes roads, etc) was a huge help.

Rick, thanks for the great post, I really enjoyed it!

I'll chime in again.. and agree that FSX is a never-ending source of amazement.. and as important; a great training/currency tool. There's no doubt in my mind that simming keeps the piloting part of your brain from getting stale twixt real flights. I try to approach every sim session with a "mission" in mind. Sometimes it's a real-world rehearsal (more in a bit). I rarely just fire it up and fly. I'll plan the flight as though it were real.. load my pax and baggage realistically; which usually limits the fuel I can carry. .. so part of the flight planning above and beyond (real) weather briefings is to plan fuel stops and alternates. And.. I like (as in real flying), to have a kneeboard full of data, before taking to the skies.. NAV-aids, ATIS/AWOS/ASOS, CTAFs.. etc. And if the weather looks marginal.. any approach plates I might need. I even do a mock walk-around.ANYway.. a few years ago, I planned my first trip to the big fly-in, Airventure in Oshkkosh. I have to admit that the published arrival was a little intimidating.. ALL of those planes trying to get in/out of there :( I stuck the C172 in Chicago, and flew that arrival a dozen times in FSX.. It most certainly made the real thing more familiar, and less stressful. Just having the references ingrained (lakes roads, etc) was a huge help.

Yes...I can see how that would have helped you. I find (myself, not a real-world pilot....yet...) that in manually piloting the plane...and with a great weather engine, I am truly appreciating the 'dance' that the trim and throttle settings play to maintain level flight -/+ 50 feet. The immersion is so rewarding.Mitch