Revisiting the Caribbean - Part 2

[MM 426]

Windward Islands Shuttle
For Saturday, February 17, 2024

We continue our return to the Caribbean with a sequence of island-hopping flights. We begin in Dominica and continue southward through Martinique, Saint Lucia, and the Grenadines to Grenada. Along the way, we pick up and let off passengers at the airports along the way.


Finals, Union Island, The Grenadines

We depart from Dominica’s international airport Douglas-Charles [TDPD] and cross over the island’s northern tip, circling over Portsmouth (now an “ecotourism” site) and Fort Shirley. The latter was built by the English and enhanced by the French when the island changed hands in the eighteenth century. (Once the Europeans brought enslaved Africans to work the sugar cane plantations, the islands became successful economic engines. England, France, Spain and the Netherlands  contested these islands for 150 years, building forts and naval facilities, and fighting a number of battles.) Fort Shirley was home to soldiers of the West Indian Regiment who mutinied in 1802 over living conditions and the possibility of being re-enslaved and put into the cane fields. We continue down the west coast to land at Canefield [TDCF], a small airport slotted onto a narrow coastal shelf between the hills and sea. Most visitors land at Douglas-Charles and take an “entertaining” hour-long drive that twists over the central mountains. Our smaller aircraft provide direct access to the capital city Rosseau.   

We head southward for the French island Martinique. Like Guadeloupe, this is an overseas Department of France itself. Martinicians are French citizens and thus part of the EU. They are economically tied to France, with the local banana industry being a traditional exporter to metropolitan France. (To be sure, the French have provided considerable economic subsidies to the island.) First thing we encounter is the active volcano Mount Pelée [4800] which in 1902 erupted and emitted a pyroclastic flow that within minutes completed destroyed Saint-Pierre the “Paris of the Caribbean” and killed all 30,000 residents (save three). We descend around the central mountain range to see Martinique’s Sacré-Coeur de Balata, modeled after the iconic Basilica Montmartre in Paris. It stands on the hills overlooking Fort-de-France below. We pass over the capital city and its port to land at the island’s large international airport Martinique Aimé Césaire [TTTF]. With the normal winds, our departure will take us over Le Francois and its Eglise St. Michel (an open modern structure with a lively congregation). We turn and can see several of the white (and black) sand beaches along the southern coast – which are very popular with Métropole French vacationers.

Next is Saint Lucia, the largest of the Windward Islands. We fly over Rodney Bay with its attractive beach, yacht harbor, shops, restaurants, clubs, hotels, and resort developments. Nearby, Gros Ilet hosts a Friday night street party which, later in the evening, gets loud, boisterous, and unsuitable for family visitors. A short bit further lies Castries (ke-STREEZE), the national capital. We land at George F.L. Charles Airport [TLPC], typically approaching on Rwy 09. This 1940s airport lies next to popular Vigie Beach and is locally known by its original name Vigie Field. It is a busy commercial airport now served by multiple turboprop airline and cargo flights to many regional Caribbean destinations. Castries itself is the national capital and hosts the institutions of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States. In the last several years, it has become a major port of call for cruise ships.

We fly along St. Lucia’s west coast, over the oil terminal, to the small town Soufriere and the famous "picture postcard" Petit Piton and Gros Piton. (“See the mountain, climb the mountain, drink the beer.”) And then east to Vieux Fort and Hewanorra [TLPL]. A much larger facility, this is the nation’s international airport that accommodates widebody intercontinental jets. (It is an hour’s drive from Castries.)

Southwest lies Saint Vincent. Its northern volcano La Soufriere had a massive explosive eruption in April 2021 that caused large scale damage to the island due to the heavy ash deposits. Scientists had been watching the volcano and were able to give notice for evacuation. And the pyroclastic flows were in the sparsely-populated northern mountains. Happily the loss of life was minimal although island agriculture was devastated and tens of thousands had to be moved and faced dislocation in their lives. The financial cost to the island was substantial in terms of immediate aid, relocation, replanting, rebuilding, and redevelopment.

We land at the new (2017) Argyle Airport [TVSA] which is the small nation’s only international airport. It was built on the coast east of Kingstown to replace the small city airport which could not be expanded to modern standards. We depart westward to take a quick look at the city, with its Romanesque Cathedral of the Assumption and then Fort Charlotte, perched on a ridge over the city and bay. The fort was built by the French and finished by the English. It was used as a base to defeat the fierce Carib islanders who successfully resisted colonial rule until the end of the eighteenth century.

We head for the Grenadine Islands whose tourism potential seems promising. (Some individual stories.) We first visit Bequia (BEK-way), the largest of the chain and only 9 miles south of Kingstown. We land at JF Mitchell [TVSB]. The island, and especially Port Elizabeth and Admiralty Bay, have become popular among cruising yachts, divers, tourists, and expats. Admiralty Bay is one of the safest natural harbors in the Eastern Caribbean and was a favorite among pirates during their day (including Blackbeard Edward Tech and Henry Morgan as well as Sir Francis Drake). The recent film series Pirates of the Caribbean seems to have increased the popularity of the area.

Next is Mustique [TVSM]. This small island was developed in the 1960s as an exclusive sanctuary for the very rich and famous. The leadership and 104 home owners have managed the island to maintain privacy and security – though nowadays vetted members of the public may temporarily rent some homes as vacation residences (for a price). The airport is plenty big enough for our aircraft but the over-a-ridge approach and landing will require a little attention. Then to Canouan Island that was isolated until the 1990s when Canouan Resorts began development, built roads and installed electricity and water desalination plants. It established two large hotels and resorts that included luxury villas and a private golf course. The airport Canouan [TVSC] has since been extended to become a “jetport” which now handles regular passenger airliners, charter flights, and corporate jets.

Somewhat different is Union Island. This is more of a long-established working island with a laid-back culture. Nowadays, yacht services and day-chartering are the mainstays with hotels, bars, restaurants and the like catering to those who are visiting the tropical beauty of nearby Mayreau and the Tobago Cays. Union Island Airport [TVSU] has lengthened its runway to accommodate more passenger traffic. Nevertheless, the normal winds require a “blind approach” over a steep hill onto Rwy 08. This route is thought to be good training for the notoriously challenging landing at St. Barts. (The approach is routine for experienced pilots, less so for passengers.)

We hop down to Lauriston [TGPZ] located on the Caribbean shore of Carriacou Island. This quiet island is a dependency of Grenada. It features some of the most unspoiled coral reefs in the region and hosts 33 dive sites on the calmer Caribbean side.

Our final destination is Grenada (gre-NAY-de) – we join this month’s celebration of the nation’s fiftieth birthday. The island was first claimed by the French and then ceded to Britain in 1763 who ruled it until Grenada gained independence in 1974. The nation went through a rough patch when the initially elected government was overthrown by a coup and then the new leader (Maurice Bishop) was murdered by a hardline faction of his party. The US invaded (evidently to thwart the left-wing group’s allying with Cuba) and reinstalled a democratic government. This act was widely condemned in the international community.

Grenada is best-known for its spices, especially nutmeg and mace. We fly over the island’s high rain forest admiring the Grand Etang crater lake and waterfalls. And circle the capital St. George’s – noting Fort Frederick and the visually striking Parliament House. We land at Maurice Bishop [TGPY], on Point Salines five miles south of the capital. (Do not wear camouflage.)

Documentation
The flightplan can be found here. (Caution. The *.gfp needs the final waypoint TGPY to be clarified by user intervention in the Garmin itself.)

Aircraft
This flight emphasizes air transport to the small islands in the Winward Islands. Some of the enroute airports handle jets and large turboprops. However, other airports require “STOL” transport aircraft or smaller GA aircraft. Good choices would include the DHC-6 Twin Otter and the Cessna 208B Caravan. (Another typical regional aircraft is the BN-2A Islander, but that is a bit slow for our purposes. The Daher Kodiak would be a good substitute.) Perhaps the Tecnam P2012 Traveller would suite these short legs. Or you might prefer to do “charter operations” in another airplane. You should, of course, fly what you like.

Additional Scenery
All the airports are included in the default but many lack features. I recommend that you install several addon airports to improve the airfields.

Dominica Douglas Charles (Melville Hall) [TDPD]. wilfridlisandro (Bernardofly)
Canefield [TDCF]. wilfridlisandro (Bernardofly)
Martinique Aime Cesaire [TFFF]. timot75
Port of Martinique Layout. wilfridlisandro (Bernardofly)
Castries George F.L. Charles [TLPC]. lexuz2020
Hewanorra International [TLPL]. lexuz2020
Rodney Bay. runwild
SLU Oil Terminal. runwild {needs Totof33120 TNCE installed...from Wednesday}
Saint Vincent Argyle [TVSA]. timot75
Bequia JF Mitchell [TVSB]. Totof33120
Mustique [TVSM]. Totof33120
Canouan [TVSC]. Totof33120
Union Island [TVSU]. Totof33120
Lauriston [TGPZ]. Totof33120
Grenada Maurice Bishop [TGPY]. timot75

Temporarily, you can obtain the package here (1.58GB). (Our recent experience indicates that you want to check for duplicates of already-existing sceneries.)

There are good payware options for Douglas-Charles [TDPD], Aime Cesaire [TFFF], and Maurice Bishop [TGPY]. (There are also payware packages for the Grenadines but these freeware are really good.) In any case, please check for duplicates.

Finally, a suggestion. If you have adjustable seasonal colors, consider setting the season to Summer North to avoid brown foliage in the tropics. A matter of taste and YMMV.

Time and Weather
For takeoff on Saturday, set the simulator at 1:00 pm local for February 17, 2024.
We typically prefer real weather and will follow form if the weather is good. If not, I recommend the ”Josh #1” preset with ground winds at 10kts from 120 degrees magnetic. The latter to mimic the normal tradewinds.

Multiplayer Particulars
Date and time: Saturday, February 17, 2024. 1900 UTC
AVSIM Discord Server: https://discord.gg/K5Vy6UxWNm  - AVSIM GROUP EVENTS-SAT. COM1
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!