Welcome to Part III of our Journey around the North Sea.

We continue from Conningsby (EGXC). It is a Main Operating Base of the RAF and home to three front-line Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 units. In support of front-line units, No. 29 Squadron is the Typhoon Operational Conversion Unit and No. 41 Squadron is the Typhoon Test and Evaluation Squadron. Coningsby is also the home of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) which operates a variety of historic RAF aircraft. Panavia Tornado F3 squadrons began to form in November 1984. Tornado training took place until April 1987, when the Phantoms left (to RAF Leuchars) and Coningsby had the first  Tornado air defense squadron. To accommodate these new aircraft, extensive hardened aircraft shelters (HAS) and support facilities were built. During the Gulf War, Tornados from Coningsby were based for three months at Dhahran International Airport to participate in Operation Granby. Tornado engines were serviced on the northern section of the former RAF Woodhall Spa, denoted as RAF Woodhall.

The next POI is the Humber Bridge [WP1]. It is a 2.22 km (1.38 mi) single-span road suspension bridge that opened to traffic on 24 June 1981. When it opened, it was the longest of its kind in the world; it was not surpassed until 1998, with the completion of the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge, and is now the 12th longest. The bridge can be seen for miles around, as far as Patrington in the East Riding of Yorkshire, and out to sea miles off the coast. In 2006 the bridge carried an average of 120,000 vehicles per week. The toll was £3.00 each way for cars (higher for HGVs), making it the most expensive toll crossing in the UK. In April 2012, the toll was halved to £1.50 each way after the UK government deferred £150 million of the bridge's outstanding debt.

We overfly the Minster of York [WP2]. The Cathedral and Metropolitan Church of Saint Peter in York, commonly known as York Minster, is an Anglican cathedral, one of the largest of its kind in northern Europe. The Minster is the seat of the Archbishop of York, the third highest office in the Church of England (after the Monarch as Supreme Governor and the Archbishop of Canterbury). The title "Minster" is attributed to churches established in the Anglo-Saxon period as missionary teaching churches and is now used as an honorary title; the word "Metropolitan" in the formal name refers to the Archbishop of York's role as Metropolitan Bishop of the Province of York. Services at the Minster are sometimes considered to be at the High Church or Anglo-Catholic end of the Anglican continuum. The Minster was completed in 1472 after several centuries of construction. It is dedicated to St Peter and has a very wide Decorated Gothic nave and chapter house, a Perpendicular Gothic quire and east end, and early English north and south transepts. The nave contains the west window, built in 1338, and above the Lady Chapel at the east end is the great east window (completed in 1408), the largest area of medieval stained glass in the world.

We continue north and reach Teeside (EGNV). After departure, we visit the Teeside Transporter Bridge [WP3], known locally as The Transporter. It is the longest-existing transporter in the world. The bridge ceased to be operational in 2022. When operational, it carries a moving 'car' or 'gondola', suspended below the fixed structure, across the river in 90 seconds. The gondola can carry 200 people, 9 cars or 6 cars, and a minibus. 

On the way to Newcastle,  we pass over a statue named The Angel of the North [WP4]. Completed in 1998, it is believed to be the largest sculpture of an angel in the world and is viewed by an estimated 33 million people every year due to its proximity to the A1 and A167 roads and the East Coast Main Line. The design of the Angel, like many of Gormley's works, is based on Gormley's own body. The COR-TEN weathering steel material gives the sculpture its distinctive rusty, oxidized color. It stands 20 meters (66 ft) tall with a wingspan of 54 meters (177 ft), larger than that of a Boeing 757 aircraft. The vertical ribs on its body and wings act as an external skeleton that directs oncoming wind to the sculpture's foundations, allowing it to withstand wind speeds of over 100 miles per hour (160 km/h).

We cross the Tyne Bridge [WP5], overfly the Castle, St. James Park Stadium [WP6], and land at Newcastle Airport (EGNT). Newcastle was one of the world's largest shipbuilding and repair centers during the Industrial Revolution. 

On the way north, we follow the coast until reaching Alnwick Castle [WP7]. It is the seat of the 12th Duke of Northumberland, built following the Norman conquest and renovated and remodeled a number of times. It is now the home of Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of Northumberland, and his family. In 2016, the castle received over 600,000 visitors per year when combined with the adjacent attraction the Alnwick Garden. The history of the castle was always connected to the Percy family. Details can be read here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alnwick_Castle. It is the second-largest inhabited castle in England.

Only 12 miles further north, we reach Bamburgh Castle [WP8]. It was originally the site of a Celtic Brittonic fort known as Din Guarie and may have been the capital of the Kingdom of Bernicia from its foundation around 420 to 547. In the latter year, it was conquered by King Ida of Bernicia. After passing between the Britons and the Anglo-Saxons three times, the fort came under Anglo-Saxon control in 590. The fort was destroyed by the Vikings in 993 and the Normans later built a new castle on the site, which forms the core of the present castle. After a revolt in 1095, supported by the owner of the castle, it became the property of the English monarch. In the 17th century, financial difficulties caused the castle to fall into disrepair, but it was restored by various owners in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was finally bought by the Victorian industrialist William Armstrong, who completed the restoration. The castle is still owned by the Armstrong family and is open to the public. A short tour of the castle.

Heading northwest leads us to the next landing at Edinburgh (EGPH). Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and the seat of the Scottish Government, the Scottish Parliament, and the highest courts in Scotland. The city's Palace of Holyroodhouse is the official residence of the British monarch in Scotland. The city has long been a center of education, particularly in the fields of medicine, Scottish law, literature, philosophy, the sciences, and engineering. It is the second-largest financial center in the United Kingdom, fourth largest in Europe, and thirteenth largest internationally, and the city's historical and cultural attractions have made it the UK's second-most visited tourist destination, attracting 4.9 million visits, including 2.4 million from overseas in 2018. Time Out magazine rated Edinburgh the best city in the world in 2022. The city is the annual venue of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. It is home to national cultural institutions such as the National Museum of Scotland, the National Library of Scotland, and the Scottish National Gallery. The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1582 and now one of three in the city, is considered one of the best research institutions in the world, most recently placing 15th in the QS World University Rankings for 2023. The city is also known for the Edinburgh International Festival and the Fringe, the latter being the world's largest annual international arts festival. Historic sites in Edinburgh include Edinburgh Castle, the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the churches of St. Giles, Greyfriars, and the Canongate, and the extensive Georgian New Town built in the 18th/19th centuries. Edinburgh's Old Town and New Town together are listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

 

After departure, we follow the Firth of Fourth Northwest and overfly the Kelpies [WP9]. The Kelpies are 30-metre-high (98 ft) horse-head sculptures depicting kelpies (shape-shifting water spirits), standing next to an extension to the Forth and Clyde Canal. The sculptures were designed by sculptor Andy Scott and were completed in October 2013. They form a gateway at the eastern entrance to the Forth and Clyde Canal, and the canal extension was built as part of The Helix land transformation project. For a short time, they were the tallest equine statues in the world until Pegasus and Dragon were completed the following year.

We continue Northwest and reach Stirling Castle [WP10]. This Castle is one of the largest and most historically and architecturally significant castles in Scotland. The castle is built on an intrusive rock that is part of the Stirling Sill geological formation. It is surrounded on three sides by sheer cliffs, giving it a strong defensive position. Its strategic location, guarding what was until the 1890s the farthest downstream crossing of the River Forth, has made it an important fortification in the region from the earliest times. Most of the castle's principal buildings date from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. A few structures remain from the fourteenth century, while the outer defenses facing the city date from the early eighteenth century. Before the Union with England, Stirling Castle was one of the most used of Scotland's many royal residences, being both a palace and a fortress. Several Scottish kings and queens were crowned at Stirling, including Mary Queen of Scots in 1542, and others were born or died there. There have been at least eight sieges of Stirling Castle, including several during the Wars of Scottish Independence, the last being in 1746 when Bonnie Prince Charlie tried unsuccessfully to take the castle.

Our next landing is at Dundee Airport (EGPN). Dundee is the fourth largest city in Scotland. Rapid expansion was brought about by the Industrial Revolution, particularly in the 19th century when Dundee was the center of the world's jute industry. This, along with its other major industries, gave Dundee its nickname as the city of "jute, jam, and journalism". Today, Dundee is promoted as "One City, Many Discoveries" in honor of Dundee's history of scientific activity and the RRS Discovery, Robert Falcon Scott's Antarctic exploration ship, which was built in Dundee and is now moored at Discovery Point. Biomedical and technology industries have arrived since the 1980s, and the city now accounts for 10% of the UK's digital entertainment industry, including mobile app development and gaming. Dundee has two universities - the University of Dundee and Abertay University. In 2014, Dundee was recognized by the United Nations as the UK's first UNESCO City of Design for its diverse contributions to fields such as medical research, comics, and video games. A unique feature of Dundee is that its two professional football clubs, Dundee F.C. and Dundee United F.C., have stadiums almost next door to each other. With the decline of traditional industries, the city has adopted a plan to regenerate and reinvent itself as a cultural center. As part of this, a £1 billion master plan to regenerate and reconnect the waterfront to the city center began in 2001 and is expected to be completed within 30 years.  Dundee's international profile has grown in recent years. GQ magazine named Dundee the "Coolest Little City in Britain" in 2015 and the Wall Street Journal ranked Dundee number 5 on its 2018 list of "Worldwide Hot Destinations". 

Now we take a detour inland to visit two well-known Castles, Glamis and Balmoral.

Glamis Castle [WP11) is currently the home of Simon Bowes-Lyon, 19th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, who succeeded to the earldom in 2016 and is open to the public. Glamis Castle has been the home of the Lyon family since the 14th century, though the present building dates largely from the 17th century. Glamis Castle was the childhood home of the late Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother. Her second daughter, Princess Margaret was born there on 21 August 1930. The castle is protected as a category A listed building, and the grounds are included on the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland, the national listing of significant gardens. Since 1987, an illustration of the castle has featured on the reverse side of ten-pound notes issued by the Royal Bank of Scotland. Glamis is currently the home of Simon Bowes-Lyon, 19th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, who succeeded to the earldom in 2016.

The narrator of this video reiterates the Wikipedia Article about the Castle.

About 25 miles further north we reach Balmoral Castle [WP12]. Balmoral Castle is a residence of the British royal family. The estate and its original castle were bought from the Farquharson family in 1852 by Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victoria. Soon afterwards the house was found to be too small and the current Balmoral Castle was commissioned. The architect was William Smith of Aberdeen, and his designs were amended by Prince Albert. Balmoral remains the private property of the monarch and is not part of the Crown Estate. It was the summer residence of Queen Elizabeth II, who died there on 8 September 2022. The castle is an example of Scottish baronial architecture and is classified by Historic Environment Scotland as a category A listed building. The new castle was completed in 1856 and the old castle was demolished shortly thereafter. The Balmoral Estate has been added to by successive members of the royal family and now covers an area of approximately 50,000 acres (20,000 hectares). It is a working estate, including grouse moors, forestry, and farmland, as well as managed herds of deer, Highland cattle, sheep, and ponies.

We turn east again, back to the coast, and land at Dyce (EGPD), the airport serving Aberdeen. During the mid-18th to mid-20th centuries, Aberdeen's buildings incorporated locally quarried grey granite, which may sparkle like silver because of its high mica content. Since the discovery of North Sea oil in 1969, Aberdeen has been known as the offshore oil capital of Europe. Based upon the discovery of prehistoric villages around the mouths of the rivers Dee and Don, the area around Aberdeen has been thought to have been settled for at least 6,000 years. Aberdeen received royal burgh status from David I of Scotland (1124–1153), which transformed the city economically. The traditional industries of fishing, paper-making, shipbuilding, and textiles have been overtaken by the oil industry and Aberdeen's seaport. Aberdeen Heliport is one of the busiest commercial heliports in the world, and the seaport is the largest in the northeast part of Scotland. A university town, the city is known for the University of Aberdeen, founded in 1495 as the fifth oldest university in the English-speaking world and located in Old Aberdeen. Find out what to see in Aberdeen here.

The next stop is Lossiemouth AB (EGQS). Lossiemouth is one of the largest and busiest fast-jet stations in the Royal Air Force (RAF) and known for its proximity to flight training areas in Scotland and its favorable local flying conditions. Since the closure of RAF Leuchars in 2015, Lossiemouth is the only operational RAF station in Scotland and is one of two main operating bases for the Eurofighter Typhoon FGR4 in the United Kingdom. It is home to four front-line fast jet units which operate the Typhoon. All four Squadrons contribute to the Quick Reaction Alert (Interceptor) North capability which provides continuous protection of UK airspace. It is also home to No. 120 Squadron and No. 201 Squadron, both flying the Poseidon MRA1 in the maritime patrol role. It has also been designated as the future home of the RAF's new fleet of three Boeing Wedgetail AEW1 airborne early warning and control aircraft, with deliveries commencing in 2023. There are several non-flying units at RAF Lossiemouth including No. 5 Force Protection Wing and an RAF Mountain Rescue Service team. The airfield opened in 1939 and was operated by the RAF, predominantly as part of Bomber Command, until 1946 when it transferred to the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) and became known as RNAS Lossiemouth or HMS Fulmar. Lossiemouth was used as a training station by the FAA until it was handed back to the RAF in September 1972, after which it has largely operated as a fast-jet base.

We continue to land at Wick (EGPC). Captain Ernest Edmund "Ted" Fresson, the founder of Highland Airways Limited, established the first air service at Wick, using a grass field one nautical mile north of town. On 8 May 1933 Fresson's company began its first scheduled service between Inverness, Wick, and Kirkwall. In 1939, the field was put under the authority of the Air Ministry and turned into an RAF base. The field was improved with hard runways, hangars, and other buildings, and became one of fourteen airfields ranging from Iceland to North Yorkshire administered by No. 18 Group, RAF Coastal Command, whose headquarters was at Pitreavie, Fife. Pilots flying from Wick engaged in reconnaissance, anti-submarine patrols, convoy escort, defense of Scapa Flow, and strikes against the Germans in Norway and Norwegian waters. The plane most frequently used was the Lockheed Hudson.

Leaving the Scottish Mainland northbound we arrive at Kirkwall (EGPA), the largest town of the Orkney Islands. Kirkwall Harbour with nearly 1 kilometre (0.6 mi) of quay edge is the second commercial hub for Orkney after Hatston. There is a Marina and support for fishing and dive vessels. After extensive work on harbor facilities, the town has become a popular cruise ship stop, with several ships arriving each week in the season. This has added to the prosperity of the town and allowed a thriving sector of independently owned shops. Each year now, 140 cruise ships visit Kirkwall and Stromness. Weaving in Orkney took place from Viking times.

Overflying the Orkneys we finally reach the Shetland Islands and land at Sumburgh (EGPB). The Shetland Islands are the northernmost region of the United Kingdom and its administrative center, largest settlement, and only burgh is Lerwick, which has been the capital of Shetland since 1708, before which time the capital was Scalloway. The archipelago has an oceanic climate, complex geology, rugged coastline, and many low, rolling hills. The largest island, known as "the Mainland", has an area of 967 km2 (373 sq mi), and is the fifth-largest island in the British Isles. It is one of 16 inhabited islands in Shetland. Humans have lived in Shetland since the Mesolithic period. Picts are known to have been the original inhabitants of the islands, before the Norse conquest and subsequent colonization in the Early Middle Ages. During the 10th to 15th centuries, the islands formed part of the Kingdom of Norway until they were annexed into the Kingdom of Scotland due to a royal dispute involving the payment of a dowry. In 1707, when Scotland and England united to form the Kingdom of Great Britain, trade between Shetland and continental Northern Europe decreased. The discovery of North Sea oil in the 1970s significantly boosted Shetland's economy, employment, and public-sector revenues. Fishing has always been an important part of the islands' economy.

The local way of life reflects the Norse heritage of the isles, including the Up Helly Aa fire festivals and a strong musical tradition, especially the traditional fiddle style. Almost all place names in the islands have Norse origin. The islands have produced a variety of prose writers and poets, who have often written in the distinctive Shetland dialect. Numerous areas on the islands have been set aside to protect the local fauna and flora, including several important seabird nesting sites. The Shetland pony and Shetland Sheepdog are two well-known Shetland animal breeds. Other animals with local breeds include the Shetland sheep, cow, goose, and duck. The Shetland pig, or grice, has been extinct since about 1930.

On the way to our final destination, we overfly the Broch of Musa [WP13].  It is a preserved Iron Age broch or round tower and the tallest broch still standing and among the best-preserved prehistoric buildings in Europe. It is thought to have been constructed c. 100 BC and is one of more than 500 brochs built in Scotland. The site is managed by Historic Environment Scotland as a scheduled monument.

We finish our tour at Scatsta (EGPM). After World War II Scatsta Aerodrome lay dormant but reinstated as a civilian airport in 1978 to support the Shetland oil industry, and the Sullom Voe oil terminal in particular. In 2008 Bristow Helicopters won an integrated contract to provide five major oil and gas companies with logistics via fixed-wing flights from Scatsta and onward helicopter flights to various platforms, rigs, and ships around the northern North Sea and Atlantic Ocean. By August 2018 Scatsta was the sixth largest airport in Scotland, ranked by international passengers. This classification may have been based on helicopter flights to and from oil platforms in the Norwegian and/or Faroes sectors of the North Atlantic/North Sea oil region.  The only fixed-wing route operating regularly from Scatsta was a shuttle to and from Aberdeen, to ferry offshore crew to Scatsta for onward travel via helicopter to oil platforms, and also mainland workers at the Sullom Voe Terminal commonly working either a 2-week on/off shift or 10 days on 4 days off rota.

The town nearby is Lerwick, the main settlement on the Shetlands. A walk around the town is available here.

 

The flight plans are available here.

 

The flight has 600 miles and 10 landings. We want to save some time for an extra circle around a castle or another POI, so we want to cruise at about 300 knots. A Warbird or a subsonic jet like the MB339, the Hawk, the Goshawk,  or the M-346 would be a good choice. I will be in the AV88B Harrier. As always, please fly what you like.

 

The scenery package for the whole flight is available here.

Multiplayer Particulars
Date and time: Wednesday, November 15, 2023. 1900 UTC
AVSIM Discord Server: https://discord.gg/K5Vy6UxWNm  - AVSIM GROUP EVENTS-SAT. COM3
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). Please be kind enough to enter the title exactly as it stands in the title=”xxx” line of the aircraft.cfg file. Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks!

A few extra sceneries in a package for: Kirkwall EGPA, Scatsta EGPM, and Shetlands details...all by superspud. We have used these before when we have flown in the Orkneys and Shetlands but are posted for those who haven’t saved the sceneries from that previous adventure.