A Grenadines New Year

[MM 426]

A Grenadines New Year
For Saturday, January 1, 2022
Michael MacKuen

We shall spend New Year's day flying the Windward Islands of the Antilles. We start on Guadeloupe and enjoy the afternoon island-hopping our way to the Grenadines. Caution: your flying concentration may be distracted by views of forested volcanic islands, white sand beaches, and beautiful coral reefs.

We begin at Guadeloupe's Le Raizet [TFFR] (or Pôle Caraïbes) airport. We meet on the older GA side of the field rather than the modern international operation on the north side. Normally, during the winter season, jumbo jets fill the jetways with tourists from metropolitan France. Both Guadeloupe and Martinique are formally integral parts of France and the European Union – and thus a relatively comfortable setting for French vacationers. We take off southwards over Pointe-à-Pitre's harbor and climb up to see La Grande Soufrière [SOUF], the active stratovolcano and tallest peak in the Lesser Antilles. We then descend to the small airport Les Saintes [TFFS] on the archipelago's utterly charming Terre-de-Haut Island. Due to the trade winds, the normal approach is a circle over the boat-filled bay and between the hills to Runway 09. The passage is both beautiful and challenging.



We takeoff from Les Saintes [ignore the French tourists on the beach] and turn south to Dominica. As with many of the islands, Dominica was a target for both French and British imperial ambitions with the latter eventually prevailing. The island has few beaches and thus missed that part of tourism. However, the impressive natural setting, with its unspoiled mountains, rainforests, lakes, hot springs, waterfalls make it an attractive ecotourism destination. That said, Dominica is the least visited of all the major Caribbean islands – and one of the poorest.  We land at the major airport Douglas-Charles [TDPD]. On the island's northeast coast, it requires an hour's "entertaining" drive to Roseau, the largest city. (The frisky trade winds typically indicate a circle-to-land approach to Runway 09. Look out for the twisty valley here.) After a visit, we depart over the central forested mountains to execute a touch-and-go at the smaller Canefield [TDCF], a couple of miles from Roseau.

Continuing, we fly toward Martinique, the largest of the Antilles and the long-time center of the French Caribbean. We climb to pass Mount Pelée [PELEE] whose historic 1902 eruption and pyroclastic flows destroyed the rich fashionable French capital Saint-Pierre and killed 30,000 people within minutes. Looking down the mountainside, you can see evidence of this history. We descend to land at the current capital Fort-de-France's international airport Martinique Aimé Césaire [TFFF]. Again, the warm weather, the relaxed culture, and the white sand beaches are a magnet for French Métropoles. The airport is the second busiest in the Antilles, after Guadeloupe.

Back to a formerly-British island, Saint Lucia. While English is the formal language, the secondary language French Creole (Kwéyòl or the Patois) is spoken by 95% of the people. In addition to the export of bananas and oil, Saint Lucia has made a go of tourism. With a casino, white sands and visiting yachts, the resorts around Gros Islet and Rodney Bay [RBAY] have succeeded. And the majority of tourists visit via cruise ships at Castries, the capital and largest city. We land at Castries' airport, commonly called "Vigie" but formally George F.L. Charles [TLPC], sited between the busy harbor and the pristine Vigie beach, popular with tourists and locals alike.

Departing south along the western coast we see the oil terminal and then The Pitons [PITON], the Petit Piton and Gros Piton, which now constitute a World Heritage Site. Both, and especially the Gros Piton, are climbing targets that offer great views of the islands. We turn the corner to touch-and-go at Hewanorra Airport [TLPL] which hosts international wide-bodied jet flights. "Hewanorra" means "land of the iguana" – they often reach six feet in length and are most prevalent on the rugged northeast coast.

Next is Saint Vincent. The center of the island is dominated by heavily forested mountains, especially by the active volcano La Soufrière [4300] which erupted and caused massive damage in 1812 and 1902. The 1979 and 2021 eruptions caused less loss of life due to mass evacuations but the events were significant nevertheless. We land at the new international airport Argyle [TVSA] and refuel before heading out to the smaller islands.

Finally, the Grenadines. First is Bequia, a popular destination for yachts, expats and tourists. Sheltered by Mount Pleasant and protected from the south and east, Admiralty Bay is the safest natural harbor in the Antilles during hurricane season. (It hosted pirates during the day.) The beaches attract casual visitors and the waters off the coast attract advanced divers. Overall, the natural harbor, the unspoiled beauty, and the friendly accommodations of Port Elizabeth lead to a busy season. We land at Bequia J.F. Mitchell [TVSB].

Then the famous luxurious private island and its airport Mustique [TVSM]. The airfield has an interesting limited-sightline approach over a hill and into a bowl-shaped valley. Not to worry: for smaller aircraft, there is plenty of room for safety. Since the 1960s the island has been developed as a private entity, now operated by the island's 104 home owners. This is "an exclusive sanctuary for royalty, rock stars, celebrities and heads of industry to relax in anonymity."

With a specially-sponsored invitation, we might spend the next few days at the Mandalay Estate, a Balinese-style villa originally built for David Bowie. At the center is a koi pond with waterfalls and an infinity pool, surrounded by a series of Balinese pavilions. Bowie was fond of the villa's layout saying that "The thing about Mandalay is that it is broken up into little areas that you can get lost in". Bowie attributed his lack of being able to work there to the outstanding views from the villa, explaining that "The house is such a tranquil place that I have absolutely no motivation to write things when I'm there".

We shall press on past Canuoan and land at Union Island [TVSU]. The island has a history of sending its men to sea. Nowadays, its main services are at the waterfront handling visiting yachts and tourists, sailors and divers, who come for the shallow crystal clear waters and extensive reef complexes of the nearby Tobago Cays and Mayreau island. Located at the eastern tip of the island, on reclaimed land, the local airport handles short-haul commercial routes for Grenadine Airways, SVG Air and Mustique Airways. The blind approach is marked by difficult terrain, a displaced threshold, and a fairly short runway perched on the sea. The normally brisk trade winds indicate an "over-the-hill-and-dive" into Runway 08, leaving little room for error. Landings are "dramatic to experience and technically demanding for pilots." (Union Island is considered good practice for pilots before flying into St. Barts.) Good fun.

We turn back north for our final destination Canouan [TVSC]. The island's resorts were built in the 1990s and brought with them paved roads, fresh water and electricity. The resorts offer luxury accommodations as well as beaches, restaurants, a golf course, and plenty of diving, boating and fishing. In 2008, the runway at Canouan Airport was lengthened to accommodate larger aircraft. It is now the jet port of the Grenadines: a destination designed for commercial airliners, charters, and corporate jets. In peak season, you might see a dozen private jets on the expansive apron. After we park our aircraft, we might call the Mustique Company to send along one of their private Twin Otters. If you like.



NOTAM. Most of our airports are straightforward. However, both Les Saintes and Union Island require prior certification for pilots. These really are not difficult for light aircraft once you know what is involved. You might consider a little pattern orientation before our group flight.

Documentation
The flightplan can be found here.

Aircraft
This flightplan is 261nm in length and has plenty of stops. It is designed for aircraft that can manage a fast cruise of at least 150-160kts. As ever, please fly what you like. [I shall take the 2020 Bonanza G36 N134BB. Now located in the Miami area, this aircraft was the subject of a famous Beechcraft demonstration video by "Mindy and Sarah", a walkaround and flight.]

Additional Scenery
All airports are in the default simulator. However the default quality is such that I highly recommend populating the world with these decent freeware offerings. Le Raizet [TFFR], Les Saints [TFFS], Melvin Hall [TDPD], Canefield [TDCF], Martinique [TFFF], George F.L Charles & Hewanorra [TLPC & TLPL] pack, Argyle [TVSA], Bequia [TVSB], Mustique [TVSM], and Canouan [TVSC]. Add Rodney Bay and The Pitons. For a convenient one-step download, look at my DropBox file here.
Additionally, you might consider increasing the amount of AI "leisure boats".

Time and Weather
For takeoff on Saturday, set the simulator at 2:00 pm local for January 1, 2022.
We typically prefer real weather and expect fine conditions in the Antilles. If something happens, pick "High Clouds" or "Few Clouds", set the temperature at 80F/28C, and add winds of 15kts out of 80 degrees. (We want to simulate the prevailing trade winds.)

Multiplayer Particulars
Date and time: Saturday, January 1, 2022. 1800 UTC
Where: AVSIM RTWR Teamspeak - Casual Flights Channel
Teamspeak Server Address: ts.teamavsim.com
Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: United States East server.

If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here). Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks!

[Viking01 186]

Thanks for the one-step download!

[nbrich1 116]

Happy New Years to all of the pilots here and to your families. Welcome for 2022.

Best Regards
Norm

[MM 426]

Yes. A Happy New Year to all!

On today's weather. It appears that the MFS weather is broken today. (Widely reported and acknowledged by the MFS team.)

I recommend that we approximate the weather that is currently forecast for today. That is pick "Few Clouds" (or maybe "Scattered Clouds"), set the temperature at 80F/28C, and add winds of 16-18 kts out of 80 degrees.

Look forward to seeing you in an hour.