Shetlands to Highlands

[Viking01 181]

Scotland, from Shetlands to Highlands

Our departure today is Scatsta (EGPM) on the very north of the Shetland Islands. It was developed as an RAF field in 1940 and abandoned after the end of WWII. It was then reopened as a civilian airport in 1970 to support the growing Shetland oil industry.

Next up is Sumburgh (EGPB, an ORBX payware), the main airport on the Shetlands. It has a long history dating back to 1936.  It is now served by LoganAir, offering flights to and from destinations in Scotland and Norway (Bergen). 

We leave the Shetland Islands and head to the Orkney Islands. We land at Kirkwall (EGPA), the largest town on the Orkneys (Population of about 9000). The airport is also served by LoganAir and is known for its low ceilings and lots of rain.

Our next stop is Wick (EGPC), situated on north-eastern part of the Scottish Mainland. Main users of the airport are helicopters, serving the oilfields off the Scottish shore. It is also a popular stop for ferry flights to and from the USA on the route via Iceland.

From here we follow the coastline with a south-westerly heading until we turn at the bridge crossing the Dornoch Firth. We then cross the Moray Firth and turn at the Lossiemouth NDB. Next stop is Inverness (EGPE).

Inverness is the northernmost city in the UK and is regarded as the Capital of the Highlands. Here the River Ness enters the Moray Firth and from here the Great Glen can be followed about 62 miles (100 km) to Fort William. It is a geological fault that serves as a travel route using the many Lochs and connecting rivers. The Caledonian Canal is part of that route, as well as a railroad, that stopped operation in 1947.

We follow that route, overflying famous Loch Ness (watch out for Nessie), Fort Augustus and Fort William. Weather permitting, we should be able to see Ben Nevis at our left when we pass Fort William. Ben Nevis is the highest mountain on the British Isles with 4411 ft. At North Connel (EGEO) we stop again before we take off again and turn to a south-easterly heading and enjoy the beauty of the Loch Lomond Trossachs National Park area in the Highlands. WP8 should get us close to Ben Lomond, one of Scotland’s highest mountain (3196 ft).

Our destination today is Edinburgh (EGPH), the Capital of Scotland. It is the second busiest city in the UK (after London of course) focussing on banking, investments and insurance. Edinburgh has many attractions, the famous castle, home of the annual Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo, is just one of them.

UK2000 offers a free version of its EGPH scenery which you may want to install. It can be found at www.uk2000scenery.com.

We have about 370 NM to cover, so we should be able to cruise around 200 kts. The Twin Otter on the screenshot (that I could not get in here no matter what...) would be a bit too slow I'm afraid.

Flightplan: Klick!

Recommended scenery:

ORBX Scotland and ORBX Sumburgh

Particulars:

Date and time: Saturday July 1, 2017, 18:00 UTC

Where: AVSIM RTWR Teamspeak - Casual Flights Channel

Teamspeak Server Address: ts.teamavsim.com

Cross-Platform Multiplayer: JoinFS. Latest TEST version is here. (FSX, FSX-SE, and P3D)

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Recommend that you set your initial clock to 19:00 hours in local time to account for flight time and the usual "faffing about" time.

[Ron Attwood 3,464]

We'll not get out alive! Well, the Englishmen among us. Whaddya mean Nick's not coming? Ach scheiße!

Where's the Brummie when you need him?

[CavalierDuck 106]

 

10 minutes ago, Ron Attwood said:

We'll not get out alive! Well, the Englishmen among us. Whaddya mean Nick's not coming? Ach scheiße!

 

Sorry, Green Day gig in London!   

[Ron Attwood 3,464]

45 minutes ago, CavalierDuck said:

 

Sorry, Green Day gig in London!   

That's a party that's a complete waste of a vote!