Bilbao to Barcelona. LEBB-LELL.
For Saturday, May 21, 2022
Michael MacKuen

Today we fly between two of the most independence-minded nationalities in Spain, from the Basque Country to Catalonia. While nominally a unitary government, Spain has historically been largely decentralized in its governance and these two regions have been driving the centrifugal forces. The Basque ETA conducted a half-century-long violent terrorist campaign before disbanding in 2018. And in 2017 the Catalan government declared formal independence from Spain only to have their effort nullified by the national government and their leaders flee into exile. Our route will take us along the Pyrenees range which straddles the border of France and Spain. We shall enjoy the rugged terrain and the varying landscapes and visit a few interesting airfields before arriving at Barcelona.



We depart from Bilbao [LEBB], the commercial and cultural center of the Basque Country. (Before the official departure, some pilots will want to take a look at the Guggenheim art museum [GUGG] whose dramatic Frank Gehry architecture has made it a world-wide cultural icon. The port and city are well-portrayed in MFS.] We climb out over the coastal ranges to visit Pamplona [LEPP] – internationally famous for its "running of the bulls." Then we cross the lower ranges of the Pyrenees to land at Oloron Herrere [LFCO].

Next, we fly along the northern slopes of the Pyrenees passing the Pic du Midi [MIDI]and its dramatically perched observatory. We descend into the Luchon valley to land at the fair-sized grass field Bagnères-de-Luchon [LFCB]. The town hosts spas for tourists to enjoy the local thermal waters. And it now serves as a resource center for nearby ski resorts. Departing to the south, we must climb over the Luchonnaise Mountains which form a natural barrier between France and Spain. Climbing with intent, we can use the high mountain passes to make our way down to the western Spanish slopes. We shall stop at the country "get-away" at Coscojuela De Sobrarbe [LEPG]. The aerodrome is located on the Mediano Reservoir with water lapping up against each end of the 2000 foot grass strip. A safe landing will require some attention. (You may choose a touch-and-go if you like.)

Next we fly east to La Seu d'Urgell Airport [LESU] whose placement on a high plateau makes it visually attractive. This small newly-redeveloped commercial field serves as the main airport for the Principality of Andorra some seven miles to the north. (After a financial investment, it is now named "Andorra-La Seu d'Urgell AIport.")

Then south to Igualada, an old walled-town that now serves the rich agricultural and wine region nearby. The Igualada-Odena Aerodrome [LEIG] hosts annually a hot air balloon festival (one of the largest in Europe) as well as an airshow that emphasizes ultra lights, gliders, and acrobatic aircraft.

Quickly to the east, we fly over Montserrat [MONS], the dramatic multi-peaked "sharply-serrated" range. The entire range is now a National Park. Crossing the ridgeline, we descend on the east side to take a look at the 11th century Benedictine Abby, Santa Maria de Montserrat [ABBY]. (The monastery enshrines an image of the Virgin of Montserrat.) Located at the highest point in the area, Montserrat has become a spiritual symbol with youth traditionally climbing up to the top to experience the magnificent sunrise once in their lifetime.

We proceed down to the Mediterranean coastline, pass over Barcelona' busy modern harbor, and begin a quick tour of the city sights. We begin turning north at the old harbor Port Vell, passing the luxurious W Hotel [VELA], called "Vela" locally for "sail." From the Columbus monument we follow La Rambla [RAMB], a tourist magnet of a tree-lined boulevard with street art, theaters, restaurants, next to the narrow streets and alleys of the Gothic Quarter. (You can see the spires of the Cathedral de Barcelona.)

We then pass over the Plaça de Catalunya [PCAT], the center space of the city – think New York's Times Square or Beijing's Tiananmen Square. And then follow the Passeig de Gràcia, the great shopping and business avenue that includes some of the city's celebrated pieces of architecture. (This is Spain's most expensive street.) We turn east at Casa Mila [MILA], Antoni Gaudí's masterpiece architectural design of an apartment building. (This may look like molten photogrammetry but is not. Gaudi's interpretation of modernism is striking and worth a read. While distinctive, this building and rooftop will be hard to spot at flying speeds.)

We turn down the Avinguda (Avenida) Diagonal to get a look at the Sagrada Familia [SAGFA], Gaudí's stunning "modern" Roman Catholic church that combines Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms. Begun in the nineteenth century, the edifice is only now nearing completion. The church embodies Gaudí's controversial artistic genius and when finished it will "look like nothing else" of its kind.

We proceed northeast down the Diagonal, passing the retired bullring La Monumental, to see Torre Glories [GLORS], a 38-story office building that marks the gateway to the city's technology district. The design is meant to recall the shape of a geyser rising into the air: you may not be surprised that informal nicknames often take on a phallic or scatological character. The building is covered in a façade of glass and stands out on the Barcelona skyline. At night, the structure is especially interesting when thousands of special LED devices allow the generation of complex luminous images on the façade.

We continue on the Diagonal to the coast and turn back along the busy city beaches [BEACH]. We pass the twin towers MAPFRE and Hotel Arts [HART]. The first is an office building and the second is the city's tallest building and its most expensive hotel. On the right is the Parc de la Cuitadelia which includes the Barcelona Zoo and the Catalonian Parliament. (These are two separate places.)

After passing the old harbor again, we climb up to the top of Monjuic [MONJU] and the fortress Castell de Monjuic. (The fortress was long a center for holding, torturing, and executing political prisoners.) The broader hillside was not developed until the 20th century when the Olympic Stadium and the Palau Nacional were constructed as part of the 1929 World's Fair. The public space was renovated for the 1992 Summer Olympics adding other sporting facilities to the stadium. And the Palau Nacional now houses the highly-regarded Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya [MNAC].

We continue to Camp Nou [NOU], the home of FC Barcelona, one of the game's greatest professional teams. The stadium is Europe's largest and is undergoing renovations to modernize and enlarge the facility. Finally, we start climbing up to the Tibidabo Amusement Park [TIBI] on the Collserola Ridge overlooking the city. Begun in 1899, this is Europe's third oldest amusement park. Its most famous ride is a 1920s red Avió aircraft that is rotated over the ridgeline to give customers a sense of "flying" over the city below. (This is modeled in MFS!)

We quickly set up and land at nearby Sabadell Airport [LELL], our final destination. This and Madrid's Cuatro Vientos are the most important general aviation facilities in Spain. The airport hosts 200 aircraft and executes 150,000 operations per year. Spain's oldest aviation club is located at Sabadell.

Documentation
The flightplan(s) can be found here. (There are two nearly identical flightplans. One has several more minor waypoints and more labeling for the Barcelona circuit; the other is cleaner. A matter of taste.)
NOTAM. The last part of the trip includes a loop over the excellent photogrammetry of Barcelona. Great to see but a load on slower computers. Recommended airspeed: slow. Recommended altitude: 500-1500 with 1000 a sweet spot.

Aircraft
This is a general aviation flight of 365nm with seven landings. We shall want aircraft that can "fast cruise" at 175-180kts. Perhaps a single such as the Beech Bonanza, Mooney Ovation or Cirrus SR22; perhaps a light twin such as the Beech Baron, Cessna 310R, or Piper Seneca. I shall choose the Cessna 414A (by Flysimware) in the current N414K livery by TiAr.

Additional Scenery
All the airports are in the default simulator. I recommend some useful packages but they are not necessary.

Recommended:
Bilbao [LEBB]. caraspi. Rather good terminal building. Start at the terminal.
Pamplona [LEPP]. AirHispania. Gives the airport some distinctive character.
Oloron Herrere [LFCO]. Totof33120. Grass field. Addon apparently fixes some errors.
AirHispania Libraries. You will need these libraries for LEPP. (We used these 2 weeks ago.)

Temporarily, you can download the entire package here. [276mb]

Time and Weather
For takeoff on Saturday, set the simulator at 3:00 pm local for May21, 2022.
We typically prefer real weather.

Multiplayer Particulars
Date and time: Saturday, May 21, 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!

Here are some videos that show different parts of the Barcelona that we shall see. (The city is, of course, a world class cosmopolitan area. Parts are truly beautiful. The food is great. The culture is interesting. Much more to see and do.)

Barcelona Spain by drone. Fine aerial imagery. More "artistic" than the next one below. 4:25

Barcelona, Spain. Espana Catalunya Ultra HD. Lots of excellent aerial views that gives an impression of what the city looks like. Very long. 15:59

Casa Mila, Barcelona [HD]. Useful description of Gaudí's masterpiece. 6:13

Inside La Sagrada Familia. Barcelona's Unfinished Masterpiece. Fascinating view of the current construction techniques that promise to bring the project to completion. 5:29

Torre Agbar, Barcelona. (Now Torre Gloires). More on this special building. 3:44

Aerial Views of Parc De Montjuic. 2:18

Amazing FC  Barcelona Anthem Live at Cam Nou El Clasico El Cant del Barça. Something for a time capsule – to document what grown adults did with their time in the twenty-first century. (Though Liverpool may have something to add.) 1:46.

Historic Tibidabo Amusement Park – Barcelona Spain. Interesting aspects of this classic amusement park. 5:00