Hi Rhett,I wish that I was closer to the Alps so that I could do some of these trips, they sound awesome.In my country of birth, New Zealand, there are the Southern Alps, named after the European alps as they are very similar in profile, although the mountains in New Zealand are not as high. Good thread, Bruce.

RhettI skied last winter In Mirabelle and Courcheval as well as three days in Val D"Isere.Having taken a major fall I took a day off and took myself up to the very short Altiport at Mirabelle.I went with an instructor in a little french Ski plane. The strip was around 6500 feet asl and only 1600 feet long built like a downhill launchpad.We flew over the area of the French Alps.Coming back into land you had to land up hill. On touch down it was a case of adding full power to get to the top of the slope.I am hoping that in FSX MS will make the whole Alpine range as extreme detail. They should create it as an aviation playground for gliders, Ski planes, Helicopters and challenging approaches for Biz Jets.Peter

In FS, I can see that we should fly to Zurich in our LDS B76's or PMDG 744's; then hop into an ATR, PC12, or something else that realistically flies low enough to actually see the Alps, and is able to get into some of these airports. What we need is a flight plan that takes us through the Alps via these interesting airports- that could be fun. :)Bruce.

You guys are making me want to fly in Switzerland now in FS. Make your own flight plan. Start at Zurich, fly southeast towards the Dolomites, and do touch and go's on all the strips going westward...until you hit Mirabelle as Peter describes. I wonder if those strips are all in FS.Or maybe "hit" is not the appropriate word for Mirabelle. haha.Peter's description of his experience there is to me a scary one. I was scared enough a few years ago as a pax on an MD-80 landing at KORD with a very low ceiling and a high crosswind. When the rear wheels touched down, it seemed like an eternity to wait for the pilot to bring the front end of the plane toward the centerline...Rhett

Thanks!I'll check it out!