Flying blind in the Olympic Mountains...of the PNW ...

[P_7878]

To better examine the MSFS (default) scenery (especially the terrain topology) compared to what I recall (fairly well) from my previous SIM(s) (that were enhanced by add-ons), I've, so far, generally opted, in my MSFS/Xbox system, to leave out the "Clouds" (a bit weary of those overwhelming clouds, frankly speaking...🙂...), the clouds, of course, is an integral (and critical) part of the overall scenery ambience. The Oxford English Dictionary defines "Scenery" as follows, "the natural features of an area, such as mountains, valleys, rivers and forests, when you are thinking about them being attractive to look at"...succinct and to the point...🙂...However, today, I wished to enable the Rain and (dense) Clouds, for a short (low altitude) trip in the Pacific Northwest (PNW). Most of us will recall that PNW was the very first "ground-breaking" scenery (in a series of such scenery add-ons) that we had got to enjoy and marvel at, when it was first released back in 2010 (Orbx's debut was released nearly 14 years ago on Sunday February 28th, 2010...for FSX first and P3D shortly later...what an excitement it was...🙂...and it remained a favorite among us virtual simmers, for a very long time...and still is...). 

Anyway, I found this flight, here, incredibly thrilling (from takeoff to touchdown), and quite realistic compared to anything I've experienced before in my previous SIMs.

So, here we go, as I lift off from Friday Harbor Airport (KFHR) located just southwest of the town center of Friday Harbor on San Juan Island in the U.S. state of Washington. I am travelling a short distance, south to KSEA (Seattle–Tacoma International Airport). En-route, I've diverted southwest a bit, across the straits and seas of the (inlying) vast Pacific Ocean lying to my further west, to the picturesque (and extremely scenic in RW) Olympic Peninsula, with its range of magnificent Olympic Mountains. These mountains have a maximum height of about 8,000 ft. While they appear, even in my images below, rather stunning (please see my pictures shot #s 6-11 and see if you agree), these partially seen mountain peaks (dangerously) played hide-and-seek with me, as I've navigated the narrow valleys often at 6,000 ft or less...and kept the excitement level up...🙂...throughout this (transient and virtual) passage of mine over the Peninsula ...

Once past these Olympic mountains, I've finally set my GPS Flight Plan directed for the FAF of KSEA ILS Runway 34L, and landed there safely... (that was the easy part...virtually speaking, of course...🙂...), while the (ever-present) clouds and rains still persisted around me... 

Hope you enjoy this collection of images. Thanks for viewing. 

[A Note: MSFS has an optional (U.S.) scenery Update specifically for Friday Harbor Airport and some other U.S. regions in the addendum, which I've not installed/considered for this flight...]

Edited January 7, 2024 by P_7878

[rmeier]

Another great set of photos from the PNW!

[John F]

Exciting flight for you, I'm sure. Those (straight-from-the-box) peaks look pretty impressive. I spent a lot of time in past sim's flying from the Olympic Peninsula over to Victoria and back. Will have to try it soon in MSFS2020.

[Alaska738]

Very nice shots! 😉 

[pmplayer]

Fine set, thanks for showing !

cheers 😉

[P_7878]

Folks: Appreciated the comments...Glad you liked this adventure flight of mine....🙂....

[bernd1151]

I still remember how excited I was, after I had installed the PNW ORBX scenery in my FSX and looking now at your superb screenshots, P_7878, it's just amazing how far we have come. At the same time I'm keen to know, what MSFS 2024 will add to this. From a flightsimmer's point of view, we live in great times  🙂🙂