Hudson Bridges
(KLDJ-KALB)
For October 8, 2022
Michael MacKuen

Today we shall fly “low and slow” up the Hudson River from New York Bay northward toward Albany. Along the way, we shall have the opportunity to view eleven bridges that span the river and give a sense of the long history involved. And we shall take a quick look at some of the sights along both sides of the historic river valley. All this should be made more attractive by the crisp Fall colors of October.


George Washington Bridge

We start at Linden [KLDJ] in a not especially beautiful section of New Jersey. Flying east, we cross Staten Island and turn to fly under the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge [VZB]. This is the Americas’ longest span (18^th in the world) and carries 13 lanes of traffic between Staten Island and Brooklyn. (Ships entering New York harbor must pass under the bridge – which is 12ft lower in the summertime due to the expansion of the steel cables.).

After entering Upper New York Bay (one of the world’s largest natural harbors), we have on our left the huge container ports of Elizabeth and Newark New Jersey (2^nd or 3^rd largest in the US). We proceed to cross over the Statue of Liberty [LIB] (worth a quick circle for the sentimental minded) and Ellis Island [ELLIS]. On the right side are the docks of Manhattan whose importance has diminished over the years. (Interesting from an aviation viewpoint is the docked aircraft carrier Intrepid which now serves as a popular Air & Space Air museum. (You might see a Concorde on the pier.)  Further to the right (and upwards) stand the towers of Manhattan, including the (now historic) Empire State Building. About halfway up the island we pass over the famous 2009 emergency water-landing spot for Sullenberger’s US Air 1549 [SULLY]. We turn northwest over the Meadowlands Sports Complex (stadium and arena) to line up for our approach to Teterboro [KTEB]. This is a very hectic business jet airport: the controllers will be amused by our flotilla.

We get lots of friendly waves from other pilots, but JetA is not our sort of service. We depart to the east over the river to see the central campus and domed library of Columbia University [CU] and then turn back over Riverside Park [RVSID], Riverside Church, and Grant’s Tomb (in which lies the answer to the classic question posed by Marx ... that is Groucho Marx). Then north to encounter the George Washington Bridge [GWB], the world’s busiest motor vehicle bridge. [Yep.] We continue northward passing the impressive miles-long high Pallisades on our left and then Yonkers on our right. Leaning to the east side, we get a look at Washington Irving’s pink-roofed Sunnyside [SUNNY] (the much loved home of America’s first major popular writer who penned the famous short stories Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow) and the Gothic-style Lyndhurst Mansion [LYND] of railroad magnate Jay Gould.

We adjust quickly to fly (under) the attractive new Tappan Zee Bridge [TZB] that connects Nyack and Tarrytown. (This replaced the older bridge in 2017. The official name is for Governor Mario Cuomo, but it is normally called the Tappan Zee.) Turning quickly, we can catch a glimpse of the “sparkplug style” Sleepy Hollow Lighthouse [SLEEP], just offshore of Tarrytown and the village of  Sleepy Hollow. We turn eastward over Kensico Dam and Reservoir and Rye Lake to land at Westchester County [KHPN]. This commercial field has had regular connections via many regional carriers over the years. And it is also a very busy General Aviation field with four FBOs and hosts 316 aircraft.

Next, northwest along the Hudson over higher terrain to Bear Mountain (on the west bank) and Bear Mountain Bridge [BMB]. (When completed in 1924, it was the world’s longest suspension bridge, a distinction that lasted only 19 months.) This is the Hudson Highlands with the river narrowing as it passes through rising terrain on each side. We pass (the Blackshark AI version of) the US Military Academy at West Point [WP], here the deepest part of the Hudson River.

Then quickly to Stewart International [KSWF], formerly a USAF Base and now a joint New York Air National Guard and civilian commercial airport. The ANG base has long featured heavy airlift missions (first C-5s and now C-17s). The civilian airport has had a more tentative role, with ups and downs in the service that is offered. We land (best on 34 if possible) to take a look at the Asobo-modeled airport. Runway 9/27, at 11,814ft, was used for pilots practicing Concorde landings and it is now on reserve for emergency Space Shuttle landings. We probably don’t need the full two miles of runway for our aircraft. We return to the Hudson to enjoy the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge [NBB]. Opened in 1963 and doubled in 1980, this is a cantilever toll bridge with two spans, each of which carries three lanes of traffic. A few miles on, just south of Poughkeepsie, we land at Hudson Valley Regional [KPOU]. A local airport, this was a center for IBM’s aircraft fleet and became a regional facility for Cessna jets. During the 1950s-1980s, the field serviced regional airline connections for Poughkeepsie. Nowadays, it is a fairly busy General Aviation airport.

Soon enough, we turn north over Poughkeepsie and take a gander at (a Blackshark) Vassar College [VC],  the long-time elite women’s liberal arts college. It has lost that niche: it is now coeducational, but remains a top tier small college. We return to the Hudson to observe two bridges: the Mid-Hudson Bridge [MHB] and the Walkway Over the Hudson [WOHB]. The first is a 1930 three lane automobile bridge that serves regional traffic. The second is an older 1889 railroad bridge which was abandoned and then reopened as a pedestrian footbridge (the world’s second longest of its kind).  We continue over Franklin Roosevelt’s boyhood estate and Presidential Library [FDR] in Hyde Park and then, two miles north, the prestigious 54-room Vanderbilt Mansion [VBILT] once termed the most luxurious home between Albany and New York City (both by Blackshark). We turn over the east bank and land at Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome [NY94]. This features aircraft of the Pioneer Era, World War I, and the Golden Age. Old Rhinebeck continues to host weekly Saturday airshows from June to mid-October.

Back to the Hudson, passing over Kesicke Farm [KF], a local farm that has turned to family entertainment mixed with agriculture. We examine the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge [KRB], a relatively new 1957 truss bridge that carries two lanes of traffic each way. And then the 1935  Rip Van Winkle Bridge [RVWB] between Catskill and Hudson, New York. (This is named after the Washington Irving short story that mentions the two towns.) We continue further, pass over the town of Hudson, and land at Columbia County [1B1]. (With winds out of the south, take care on final approach to Rwy 21 which is directly over a golf course. There has been an incident of a golfer intentionally hitting a landing aircraft with a golf ball. Given the incredible difficulty of such a shot, imagine the number of attempts that must be made every week.)

Finally, we return to the Hudson to see two more bridges: the Alfred H Smith [AHSB] and the Castleton-on-Hudson [CHB]. The second is for regional motor traffic. The first is an older railway bridge, the southernmost on the Hudson, that carries freight from New York City and New England to the rest of the country. (These are true-to-life photogrammetry bridges and thus more functional than visually impressive.) We land at South Albany [4B0]. Our final leg takes us over the main city, the Empire State Plaza and the New York State Capitol [NYCAP]. To complete our journey, we land at Albany International [KALB].

Documentation
The flightplan can be found here.

Aircraft
This day is designed for a leisurely flight in classic biplane trainers such as the Tiger Moth and Boeing Stearman. (The Anthony Lynch Tiger Moth is available for about $17 to $18 and the DC Designs Stearman is about $11 to $15. You might like the ITBS reviews of the Moth and the Stearman.) This route runs 180nm and indicates a “fast cruise” of at least 75ktas. (Tiger Moth pilots will want “Engine Realism Easy” to allow abusing their engines to get to 75-80kts. Stearman pilots can easily make that speed and more.) Many general aviation aircraft will do nicely. The Cessna 152 might be ideal, especially with the JPLogistics realism modifications. Equally interesting might be the Aviat Huskey or Zlin Savage Cub. Faster aircraft will need skillful management to stay in contact with the 1930s trainers. I shall fly Anthony Lynch’s Tiger Moth in the stock RNZAF colors. As ever, fly what you like.

Additional Scenery
All the airports are in the default simulator. I recommend the following addon scenery packages but they are not necessary. (The bridges are the highlights of this flight and thus very strongly recommended.)

Recommended:
Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, Tappan Zee Bridge, Bear Mountain Bridge, Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge, Mid-Hudson Bridge, Rip Van Winkle Bridge, and Sleepy Hollow Lighthouse all by PhysicsTeacher.
George Washington Bridge by blondejfx
Newburgh-Beacon Bridge, and Walkway Over the Hudson Bridge by Kingj02
Poughkeepsie Hudson Valley Regional (KPOU) by Windhover
Columbia County Airport (1B1) by Gaiiden
Linden (KLDJ) in NJ Airfields by demonicdave
Albany International (KALB) by Steve Wetherwax
New York City Water Fix & Cleanup by mistercoffee (use the standard file; you probably do not want his additional bridges)

Thanks to these fine authors for their talent and efforts.

Temporarily, you can download a package that includes all the sceneries here. (101mb).

Additionally, you might enjoy the SamScene package for New York City. (Orbx, Simmarket and elsewhere.) And you might like Dreamflight Studios’ Teterboro (KTEB). (Contrail and Simmarket.)

Beyond these sceneries, I would strongly recommend that you use Fall Season textures for the vegetation. If you have a package for the Fall vegetation, great. If not, be sure to look at your email.

Time and Weather
For takeoff on Saturday, set the simulator at 10:00 am local for October 8, 2022.
We typically prefer real weather. This is a VFR flight to enjoy the Fall colors, so we should be willing to reset the weather if desired. The forecast is fine. Things may change.

Multiplayer Particulars
Date and time: Saturday, October 8, 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!

 

 

I've just followed the route on Google Earth. It's gonna be a heckuva ride! A veritable gawk fest. 👀

I flew a bit of it up to the tunnel (can't remember the name) but there were straight lines showing in the water that shouldn't be there. Anything to do with the water fix maybe?

Anyway, really looking forward to this.

“...there were straight lines showing in the water that shouldn't be there. Anything to do with the water fix maybe?”

Thanks.

Yes, it appears to be the case. (With the mrcoffee water fix disabled, those straight-line artifacts disappear. My experiment with disabling the waterfix removed the lines and left the shoreline in pretty good shape. However, I’m running the SamScene Manhattan. My distant recollection is that the default Manhattan needed those water fixes.) Would someone else give this a try to see what you get?

I'll plod along there again with it un-fixed. IBB

 

I'm back. Disabled nywtrfix and the lines have gone. I see a lot of New Yorkers have got themselves hover cars to avoid tolls for using the Weehawken tunnel. Clever. 😁

Oh, I'm not using anything special NY wise, except the bridges.

Edited October 7, 20223 yr by Ron Attwood