In MSFS, there has long been a Texas-specific (Free) Update, but I have not really explored much of it except for a cross-country flight from Austin (west) to El Paso, about which I'd posted here earlier. This (MSFS) Update specifically mentions Austin and San Antonio. Having lived in Austin for several years, and having visited San Antonio a couple of times, I thought, I would see what it means to extrapolate my RW driving experience into a virtual (MSFS) trip between these 2 cities. San Antonio is about 80 miles southwest of Austin. I distinctly recall that Saturday morning drive down the (very) busy I-35 South Interstate, as if all of Austin was on its way to San Antonio, for the weekend, in the sparkling sunny weather. You can spot this I-35 highway in several of my pictures, below.

The fact is I-35 is an extremely busy highway in and around Austin, serving as the major artery that runs right through the heart of Austin's downtown (in other words, when I lived there, whenever I had to commute locally, I would make every attempt to stay off I-35 and consider other alternatives, thereby antagonizing the nice GPS lady keen on providing me with truly helpful directions...🙂...). Anyway, it had taken me nearly twice the time I'd initially allocated for the drive to San Antonio. But the trip was worth it. San Antonio is a nice town to visit, with the San Antonio River flowing through it, along with its famous River Walk. Likewise, in Austin, the "Colorado" River passes through Austin Downtown, you can spot it in my (Austin downtown) picture below (this "Colorado" River is not to be confused with the other Colorado River of the Rockies).

San Antonio's history is rich with aviation...with names such as Stinson, Dee Howard, and Ed Swearingen been associated with the city. I'm sure most of us, in the SIM, have flown a/c carrying the names of these aviation pioneers. San Antonio Airport is also a major Hub for several airlines including Southwest and American.

Anyway, please find 20 pictures of what I witnessed from the air, as I flew direct, as the crow flies, from KAUS/Austin to KSAT/San Antonio, without the hassle of any I-35 traffic jam...Still, I would not trade in the RW trip with this virtual trip...🙂...but it certainly gives a perspective not obtainable from a ground-based travel...

Thanks for viewing...!

Edited February 24, 20242 yr by P_7878

Fine set from a fine Trip !

cheers 😉

Nice shots! 😉 

Excellent! Lots of fine details just confirming what I'm already discovering: Texas is a great place to fly and explore...and I haven't even installed the Texas free update yet! 🙂

On 2/24/2024 at 12:35 AM, pmplayer said:

Fine set from a fine Trip !

cheers 😉

Thanks. Yes, a Texas trip has always something new to offer....🙂...

 

15 hours ago, Alaska738 said:

Nice shots! 😉 

Thank you, Will ...!

 

14 hours ago, John F said:

Excellent! Lots of fine details just confirming what I'm already discovering: Texas is a great place to fly and explore...and I haven't even installed the Texas free update yet! 🙂

Yes, John, you will not find your (local) Appalachians so far south...🙂...but it's certainly an interesting update and glad MSFS thought of it....

Very nice shots there from Texas and a nice paint for the Skyhawk. You can fly for a longtime in Texas, it's so large...

On 2/25/2024 at 11:52 AM, andiflyit said:

Very nice shots there from Texas and a nice paint for the Skyhawk. You can fly for a longtime in Texas, it's so large...

Thank you...! And, yes, as they say...Everything is bigger in Texas...You could be driving non-stop for 12+ hours on the highway in TX, and be still Texas...🙂...That had surprised me...