Here's a VFR 2 hours blast flight to Mackinaw Island from KFNT!

[Sesquashtoo 2,846]

Start out at KFNT on R09

 

As soon as you lift off and retract your gear, bank a hard left and pick up Interstate I-75 northbound and stay LOW....

 

Keep it in sight, and follow it up north through Bay City (you will cross over the Saginaw River) and eventually, it will guide you right up to the Mackinaw Bridge that connects the lower and upper peninsula of the State of Michigan.  Fly over the bridge to the other side (the upper peninsula side...), and then as soon as you come to shore, bank right and that will line you up for a landing at the top of the hill on Mackinaw Island in the distance. You will see the Grand Hotel (large white building on the west shoreline as you glance to the right upon the approach.

 

Land, and then carefully taxi back to the west side of the airport.

 

Slowly, taxi onto the grass and take your plane (I used my A36 Carenado Bonanza) towards a road. This will be a hill, so easy does it......

 

Make your way onto the road and then have fun touring the island!  See if you can navigate your way to the Grand Hotel, and stop in for some great food and spirits. Enjoy the view towards the mainland.  

 

Later, taxi your way (see if you can do this all without crashing your plane!!!!) back to the airport and take a dusk flight back to Flint, Michigan KFNT (use navaids for the leg back) and land across I-75 onto R27.

 

Have fun in the air..and on a road in Mackinaw Island.

 

Mitch

[PWJT8D 446]

I was at Mackinac Island last week. Only traffic I saw leave the airport all day was a Mooney.

[jcomm 5,938]

Tempting description of a place to visit :-)  Thx!

[Sesquashtoo 2,846]

jcomm, on 13 Jul 2013 - 04:16 AM, said:

 

Tempting description of a place to visit :-) Thx!

No problem, had fun doing it. Download and install the great KFNT off off xplane.org The author did a wonderful job of it.

 

http://forums.x-plane.org/index.php?app=downloads&showfile=19193

 

Oh, and its weird that the mainland city is spelled Mackinaw City but the island itself is spelled; Mackinac Island as the poster stated it.

 

As I was driving around with the Carenado A36, I really had a chance to see the house graphics up close. Some of them have cut stone block foundations, and there really is a lot of detail to these. It really made you feel, you were on the street-scape. I guess that I'll need to find a good car somewhere and leave the plane at the airport....

 

I had much fun doing that flight out of KFNT (Flint-Bishop) to Mackinac Island yesterday. If you have the ferry and ship plugin, you will see the ferry departing the U.P. side of the bridge, heading for the right spot on the Island where the real ferry services dock at the public pier.

[Sesquashtoo 2,846]

I was at Mackinac Island last week. Only traffic I saw leave the airport all day was a Mooney.

It really is a most beautiful and peaceful place to visit. I, my wife and friends took it in last summer. We stayed on the Island and had a ball for two days. Rented bikes and did the perimeter bike ride, but also went on interior roads and as you, visited the airport. When we were there, it was packed full of G.A. including two personal helicopters. One couple we spoke to, were soon preparing to fly back to Chicago. They visit the Island on a regular Chicago Area-Mackinac Island flight. We watched them take off, and then biked back to the town for some great Italian. My wife and I pleasantly were surprised at not only the great and well-prepared food, but that that for the most part, they were not shoving it to ya, with the prices. They were most reasonable, in fact. The restaurant/pub (can't think of the name right now) that was down the street leading to the Grand Hotel, and was taken over by them, had the best Baby Back Ribs I have tasted for a long time. They use a proprietary whiskey/spice rub on 'em. They were washed down with some of Michigan's best, local pub draft. We had a blast, and absolutely recommend this island be visited in real life!!! BTW, they had to pull me onto the ferry back to the mainland, kicking and screaming! Did not want to come back to reality...and could have stayed there for two weeks! What a rest for the soul....

 

Post Edit:  The flight as described, is also great in FSX, too!

[PWJT8D 446]

 

 

Download and install the great KFNT off off xplane.org The author did a wonderful job of it.

Why thank you for the compliments  :smile:

[Sesquashtoo 2,846]

Why thank you for the compliments  :smile:

So far, this is my adopted F.B.O.  You did KFNT (Flint/Bishop) , VERY WELL!

 

Thank you!

 

Mitch