Norway Below the Arctic Circle
(ENBO-ENML)
For August 17, 2022
Michael MacKuen

We continue our southward voyage below the Arctic Circle. This is still pretty far north: at the end we shall be about level with Nome, Fairbanks, Yellow Knife and Iqaluit. We are not far below the Arctic Circle.



We begin at Bodø [ENBO]. The facility began its present structure as a post-WWII Royal Norwegian Air Force base which became the core site for the defense of Norway’s northern air space. Starting in 1955 it flew fighter jets, from F-84s to F-86s to F-104s to F-16s that comprise the main combat force here today. Bodø supports the headquarters for the military north. In parallel, Bodø is also a key base for NATO joint missions (now including Sweden and Finland) that form the outer shield of Europe’s northern defense posture. Starting this year (2022), Norway’s F-16s are being replaced by the more capable F-35s. These will be primarily based at Ørland Air Station (further south near Trondheim) with a QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) forward base at Evenes 90 miles north of Bodø. The air base at Bodø is scheduled to close this year ... although current events seem to have spurred a rethinking of the original plan.

The municipality of Bodø (51,000) is the second largest city of the North and has taken on a life of its own – distinct from the air base. The city will be “European Capital of Culture” in 2024.  (Plans to base the F-35s here were nixed due to the city’s concerns about noise pollution.) The north side of ENBO hosts the civilian operation which is a fairly busy local air center and a connecting point to the bigger cities of Norway and Europe. And nearby is Norway’s national Aviation Museum: the propellor-shaped hall is the largest of its kind in the Nordics. (This is depicted in WombiiActual’s scenery just northeast of the airfield’s perimeter. While waiting for your simulator to load, you can cross the street and see the large collection, including a prominently featured F-104 Starfighter.)

We depart to the south over the mountains to stop at Mo i Rana [ENRA]. In 1955 this onetime fishing village was transformed when Norway’s government built its first steel mill and attracted industrial workers from all over the country. Mo i Rana became a city of heavy industry for the next fifty years, growing from 2,000 to 25,000. We stop and then head for Mosjøen [ENMS] which is a second industrial town in the North. The Alcoa aluminum plant is among the largest and most advanced in Europe and is the cornerstone of the local economy. The airports ENRA and ENMS are two more of the state-subsidized local airfields with Wideroe Dash-8 services. (Currently there are plans to build a larger joint-use airport near ENRA.)

Next out to the coast to Brønnøysund [ENBN]. Similar in origins to the smaller STOL airports, Brønnøysund extended the runway and added modernizations to the terminal, as well as a satellite-based landing system. It also developed a distinct helicopter base for service to the offshore oilfields. This became a more capable airport, now with direct connections to Oslo and the south. And on to Namsos [ENNM], a large town (15,000) at the mouth of the Namsen river, one of the richest salmon rivers in Europe. The location, where the Namsen opens to the sea, made it ideal for sawmills -- with eleven mills at the height of the business. Now the large Moelven mill supplies much of the sawn timber sold on the Norwegian market.  

We fly to the international airport Trondheim Vaernes [ENVA]. Located on the south side of Trondheim Fjord, this large cosmopolitan city (205,000) is Norway’s fourth largest urban area. This was the “capital” of Viking Norway from the 9^th century. And it became the church’s main site from the 12^th century (first Catholic and then Lutheran). With some rises and declines (including several devastating fires), Trondheim has been a major center for all of Norway’s history. Today it is Norway’s “Technology Capital” with NTNU (Norway’s science and technology university) and SINTEF (an independent research institute with $300 million annual revenues) located here. The city hosts 37,000 students and 5,000 researchers and academics. The Royal Norwegian Air Force Academy is nearby. Trondheim Airport [ENVA] is on flat land 10 miles to the east. This is Norway’s fourth-busiest with two modern terminals for domestic and international flights. The Trondheim-Oslo route is one of the busiest in Europe. SAS has both cargo and maintenance operations here. And the airport is Central Norway’s hub for general aviation and executive jets.

We depart over the main city (and NTNU), proceed up the Fjord to visit Ørland Main Air Station [ENOL]. This has become the key Norwegian air base hosting F-35 fighters (replacing F-16s), Westland Sea King search and rescue, and providing forward facilities for NATO E-3 Sentry AWACS flights. Ørland also serves as a base for NATO’s joint operations. The field also hosts a civilian aero club.

Kristiansund Kvenberget [ENKB] is our next stop. The town is located on four islands and is open to the sea. For ages, it handled fishing and lumber until it developed successful “clippfish” operations sending dried codfish throughout Mediterranean Europe as a staple. (Skillfully dried salted cod preserves nutrients and flavor and has a storage life of several years.) The city was a world leader in the popular foodstuff. In recent years, Kristiansund has become a major oil and gas city supporting offshore installations for Royal Dutch Shell and Statoil. The population is now more than 25,000.

Our final destination is Molde [ENML]. Originally a mix of farming and timber port, the town grew as a center for the Norwegian textile and garment industry. In the later 19^th century, it added tourism with a number of luxurious hotels, lush gardens and parks to entertain summer visitors in the “City of Roses.” By the 1960s, Molde had become a multi-faceted city with farming, fishing, commerce, health care, higher education and tourism. With a population of 31,000, it is slightly larger than its local rival Kristiansund. And only thirty miles to the southwest is Alesund, famous for many things including its being a jumping-off point for amateur seaplane flying. ...

Documentation
The flightplan can be found here.

Aircraft
This route runs 382nm and indicates a “fast cruise” of at least 175-180ktas. Many general aviation light twins and fast singles will do nicely. I shall fly the Flysimware C414AW in the “Sky Magic” N414K livery by TiAr. As ever, fly what you like.

Additional Scenery
All the airports are in the default simulator. I recommend these addon airport packages but they are not necessary. (Most are only modest improvements, but they are small downloads.)

Recommended:
Bodo [ENBO]. WombiiActual. 55mb
Mo i Rana [ENRA]. eddrik84. 2kb
Mosjoen Kjaerstad [ENMS]. eddrik84. 107kb
Bronnoysund [ENBN]. eddrik84. 2kb
Namos [ENNM]. eddrik84. 35kb
Trondheim [ENVA]. Dudlileif. 36mb
Orland [ENOL]. kjetihaa. 15kb
Kristiansund Kvernberget [ENKB]. daghb. 21mb
Molde Aro [ENML]. daghb. 16kb
Treefix Northern Norway. CaptOle. 48kb (from before – check to avoid duplicates)
Treefix Northwestern Norway. CaptOle. 140kb

Temporarily, you can download a package that includes all the sceneries here. (131mb).

In addition, I’d recommend the following payware airports:
Trondheim [ENVA]. Jo Erlend Sund, Simen Nygaard. Aerosoft. Available at Orbx and Aerosoft.
Molde [ENML]. Finn Hansen. Orbx. Available at Orbx.
(If relevant, be sure to drop the freeware renditions if you have payware sceneries active.)

Time and Weather
For takeoff on Wednesday, set the simulator at 3:00 pm local for August 17, 2022.
We typically prefer real weather. A few clouds are to be expected and given the variability of Norway’s coastal weather we may have to work through some heavier-cloud sections. But we don’t have time to do lots of IFR approaches so we should be willing to reset the weather if necessary.

Multiplayer Particulars
Date and time: Wednesday, August 17, 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!

Will have to miss this flight.. 😟

7 hours ago, Bert Pieke said:

Will have to miss this flight.. 😟

Nooooooooo!