Three countries, one river

Three Countries, one river: Germany, France and Switzerland

The flight follows the river Rhine from Mainz to Basel and extends into Switzerland up to Lausanne at the Lac Léman.

We depart from Mainz-Finthen (EDFZ).

Mainz is the Capital City of the German Bundesland Rheinland-Pfalz (Rhineland-Palatinate). The city lies directly opposite the city of Wiesbaden, the Capital City of the German Bundesland Hesse, at the confluence of the Main and the Rhine.
After WWII, the borderline between Hessen and Rhineland-Palatinate was changed with the result, that the six parts of the city on the east side of the Rhine were given to Wiesbaden. But its inhabitants still consider themselves as „Mainzer“ (belonging to Mainz). Mainz itself is a very old city. It dates back long before the Romans appeared, but they started the first settlement here. Since then, the city grew into what it is now. Its history and economy are closely related to the city’s position at the Rhine, Main, and Neckar. Since ancient times, water transport was used to get goods from Switzerland to the North Sea, hence the settlements along the rivers grew and gained strategic and economic importance.

This video gives you a nice impression of the city of Mainz:

Mainz is famous for being the home of the invention of the movable printing press, as the first books printed using movable types were manufactured in Mainz by Johannes Gutenberg in the early 1450s AC.
This Wikipedia article extensively describes the historic and economic development of the city of Mainz.

We follow the Rhine south and land at Oppenheim (EDGP).

A little further south we overfly the city and land at Worms (EDFV). The cathedral of Worms is a very good example of Romanesque architecture in Germany. But Worms is also famous for its connection to the Nibelungen Saga, as Worms was the Capital of the Kingdom of Burgundy in the 5th century. Today, Worms, Trier, and Cologne fight over the title of Germany’s oldest city.

A tour around Worms.

Our next stop is Mannheim, (EDFM). The city is located at the confluence of the Rhine and the Neckar in the northwestern corner of Baden-Württemberg. The Rhine separates Mannheim from the city of Ludwigshafen, just to the west of it in Rhineland-Palatinate, and the border of Baden Württemberg with Hesse is just to the north. Mannheim is downstream along the Neckar from the city of Heidelberg.
Mannheim is unusual among German cities in that its streets and avenues are laid out in a grid pattern, leading to its nickname "die Quadratestadt" ("The City of Squares"). The eighteenth-century Mannheim Palace, the former home of the Prince-elector of the Palatinate, now houses the University of Mannheim.
Many important inventions originated in Mannheim:
In 1817 Karl Drais built the first bicycle here,
In 1880 Werner von Siemens presented the first electric elevator,
In 1886 the first automobile from Carl Benz rolled across the roads,
In 1921 the Lanz Bulldog followed.

Mannheim in 4K

The next airport we land at is Speyer (EDRY). The airport is very close to the city. You can reach the Cathedral on foot in 10 minutes! Directly north of the airport is the well-known Technical Museum, which has many very interesting exhibitions on display. Among them is a Boeing 747, and you can walk over its wing. The museum is closely linked to the Auto- and Technic Museum of Sinsheim, which is not far away. That museum displays a Concorde, so both museums are well worth a visit.

The city of Speyer is one of the oldest cities in Germany. It celebrated its 2000th birthday in 1990. The city houses many interesting museums and buildings like the Memorial Church and the Old Town Gate. 

You can get a guided tour around Speyer in this video:

From here we follow the Rhine again and head towards Karlsruhe (EDSB), our next landing. Germany’s largest oil refinery is easily visible near Karlsruhe. But it is also home to the Federal Court of Justice and the Federal Constitutional Court. Its most remarkable building is the Palace. The city was laid out from the Palace with 32 roads leading from the Palace like spokes on a wheel. Thomas Jefferson visited Karlsruhe and handed out the plans for 12 cities to L’Enfant, when he set out to plan the city of Washington. One of them was the plan of Karlsruhe.
 

Now we cross the border to France and land at Straßburg (LFST). Together with Basel (Bank for International Settlements), Geneva (United Nations), The Hague (International Court of Justice), and New York City (United Nations world headquarters), Strasbourg is among the few cities in the world that is not a state capital that hosts international organizations of the first order. Straßburg is also the official seat of the European Parliament.

A tour of Straßburg.

We cross the Rhine back into Germany and land at Altdorf-Wallburg (EDSW). From here we continue due south and land at Freiburg (EDTF). Freiburg is a famous old German university town and archiepiscopal seat. Freiburg was incorporated in the early twelfth century and developed into a major commercial, intellectual, and ecclesiastical center of the upper Rhine region. The city is known for its medieval cathedral and Renaissance university, as well as for its high standard of living and advanced environmental practices. The city is situated in the heart of the major Baden wine-growing region and serves as the primary tourist entry point to the scenic beauty of the Black Forest. According to meteorological statistics, the city is one of the warmest in Germany and held the all-time German temperature record of 40.2°C (104.4°F) from 2003 to 2015.

A short drone video of Freiburg.

We turn west into France again. We land at Colmar (LFGA). The city is renowned for its well-preserved old town, its numerous architectural landmarks, and its museums, among which is the Unterlinden Museum, which houses the Isenheim Altarpiece.

Colmar is situated on the Alsatian Wine Route and considers itself to be the "capital of Alsatian wine" (capitale des vins d'Alsace).

Impressions from Colmar.

We fly south and land at Habsheim LFGB), France before we turn southwest and enter Switzerland. We land at Porrentruy (LSZY). We stay in Switzerland and reach Grenchen (LSZG). The city is well known for its watch industry, which has been present for more than 150 years.

We fly south and land at Bern (LSZB). Bern is the de facto capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".

Bern in 4K

Now we head west and land at Neuchâtel (LSGN) at the lake with the same name. We continue south and reach today’s destination, Lausanne (LSGL), at Lake Geneva.

A new video featureing Lausanne.

 

The flight has 300 miles and 14 landings. A GA plane capable of cruising at about 150 knots would be perfect. I will probably in the JustFlight Turbo Arrow IV. As always, please fly what you like.

Flightplans are here.

 

There are some freeware addons available:

Oppenheim: https://flightsim.to/file/28032/edgp-flugplatz-oppenheim-aero-club-oppenheim-guntersblum-germany-upgrade

Mainz:https://flightsim.to/file/23369/edfz-mainz-finthen

Worms: https://flightsim.to/file/14080/worms-airfield-edfv

Mannheim: https://flightsim.to/file/28603/edfm-airport-mannheim-city

Speyer: https://flightsim.to/file/31761/edry-airport-speyer-ludwigshafen-and-technology-museum

Altdorf: https://flightsim.to/file/41357/altdorf-wallburg-airport-edsw

Colmar: https://flightsim.to/file/4684/colmar-houssen-airport-lfga

Freiburg: https://flightsim.to/file/6416/edtf-city-airport-freiburg

Habsheim: https://flightsim.to/file/32070/mulhouse-habsheim-lfgb

Porrentruy: https://flightsim.to/file/5838/lszy-porrentruy-pruntrut

Bern: https://flightsim.to/file/6970/lszb-bern-belp-airport

Neuchâtel: https://flightsim.to/file/14209/lsgn-neuchatel-airfield

Lausanne: https://flightsim.to/file/35043/lsgl-lausanne-la-blcherette

The complete package is available here.

 

Time and Weather
For takeoff on Saturday, set the simulator at 1:00 pm local for January 15, 2023.
We typically prefer real weather. It is unlikely, but possible, that the weather will prevent our completing the mission. If necessary, we shall adjust accordingly.

Multiplayer Particulars
Date and time: Saturday, January 14, 2023. 1900 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!