fsx-se Which GA airports to use when flight planning

[MarkW 1,490]

I recently purchased the RealAir Duke and it now joins my Milviz 310 in my GA hanger.   I have been so used to flying into and out of large airports that I have no clue which airports to use for GA flying (other than those in the Toronto area where I live).  As most of my GA flying is in North America is there a list somewhere of the better GA airports in each US state?  I know Skyvector will give you details on services available but I am sure there are certain airports that people prefer to fly into for their final destination and also for fuel stops. 

[Flying Penguin 44]

Not by state, but this might be of interest:

 

http://airportjournals.com/wp-content/uploads/0905009_1.jpg

[mdata 46]

That's for sure an interesting list. Thanks for posting, Jamie.

Cheers

Frank

[MarkW 1,490]

Great thanks.   The GA airport just 10 km from my house would be about 5th on that list with 140,000 movements. Buttonville CYKZ.

[MarkW 1,490]

Here is the General Aviation Manufacturers Report (2013) that has tons of really interesting stats on aircraft produced, accident stats but also this list updated to 2013.  

 

http://www.gama.aero/files/GAMA%202013%20Databook-Updated-LowRes.pdf

[Ron Attwood 3,464]

Any airport you fancy Mark. They can't touch you for it! No landing fees, free gas and if your servants are off for the night and the kitchen isn't too far away, free food and drink. Simming, don't you just love it?

[Griphos 138]

Fly into any airport that has been upgraded from default and has a long enough runway and that is in the area you want to fly around in.

[Jim Robinson 122]

I love the Orbx FTXG NA freeware airports pack for this reason alone, it's not that the airports themselves are so spectacular, although KAPA and a few others are really good, the developers did a great job of picking the airports though IMHO. There's a fellow over there in the German forum that maintains a google earth .kmz for all these airports and you can open it in Plan G so all the freewares show up as blue airplanes on the map.

 

Also it takes some effort to find good ones that move a lot but it's great fun to find a few real world aircraft on flightaware of the type you're currently flying and recreate the flights they do. I was into the JetProp  for a couple months, and these 3 gave me quite a few flights to choose from:

 

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N465TP (enroute KCOD-KAPA right now)

 

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N951CS

 

http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N4415E

 

If you set your sim time to the actual date/time the real world flight took place and then let ASN do historical weather locked to sim time you'll be amazed how accurately the winds aloft are depicted, you can look at the track logs on flightaware and if for example the real world flight picked up a tailwind and hit 300 kts GS over Blue Mesa VOR in Colorado you can pretty much expect to see the same thing in the sim. I was really impressed!

[Overload 91]

AVSIM member lonewolfee1 provided a link to a map of all the ORBX freeware (and payware) airports - there's quite a few in Canada and North America - might be a good start.

Eugene

 

Freeware:   https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zg4CDEo7W1E4.kowonyERyZ-8

 

Payware:   https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zg4CDEo7W1E4.kzB3b7LjaUxM

[MarkW 1,490]

I have the freeware ORBX airports and I will look at those on my flight planning.