The Turkish Black Sea Coast

The Turkish Black Sea Coast
For Saturday, June 1, 2024
Michael MacKuen

The Turkish Black Sea Coast, or Karadeniz, is beautiful, of historic interest, and little known to Westerners. This is about one fifth of Turkey, ranging between the cities of Rize and Zonguldak. The combination of damp northerly and westerly winds confronting an uninterrupted wall of mountains has created a rainy cool and green agricultural land. (Among Turkey’s main regions, only Karadeniz is – slightly – more rural than urban.) For Turkish city dwellers, this region is a popular escape to fresh mountain air, nature, and serenity.

The coastal shelf is bordered by the Pontic Mountains with peaks up to 5,000 ft in the west and 12,000 ft in the east. These mountains are heavily forested and they thus provided a barrier that separated the coastal region from Turkey’s mainland high plains of Anatolia. Historically, the towns along the coast were extensions of the Greek and Byzantine trade networks and a component of the silk road connecting Europe and China. Partly isolated, the region developed a population of very successful Greek and Armenian minorities. This cultural mix came to an end during World War I and its aftermath when the Turkish government deported (and exterminated) two million Armenians and then executed a population swap sending long-established Greek families to resettle in Greece and bringing displaced Turkish families to the north and east of Turkey. In the twenty-first century, with increased investment in education, medicine, roads and airports, the region has regained its momentum. Trade and tourism are on the rise.

This is an adventure suggested by Frank. Thanks.


Rugged Terrain Above the Coast

We begin our flight out of Batumi [UGSB] in the southwestern corner of Georgia. Batumi, the country’s second-largest city, has received considerable international investment during the last fifteen years, once Russian troops left and the region became integrated with Georgia. New hotels and casinos have attracted tourism and the port has been renewed. We depart and almost immediately enter Turkish airspace. We climb into the Kaçkar Mountains, the easternmost and highest part of the Pontic Mountains, to see Mount Kaçkar [Kaçkar Dagi], the highest peak in the range at 12,917 ft. Then a descent to the Black Sea coast to Trabzon [LTCG]. Historically known as Trebizond, this legendary city sat on the Silk Road and it accumulated wealth as a trade connection between east and west. Its position attracted outsiders and made it a melting pot of religions and cultures. Originally part of the Byzantine Empire, it became an independent power after the Sack of Constantinople. (In early European literature, it was used as a fanciful symbol of eastern wealth, power, and mystery.) After later being conquered by the Ottoman Empire, it nevertheless remained a major center for world trade. Only the nineteenth century rise of the Suez Canal diminished its standing. And of course the 1915-1923 forced removal of its Armenian and Greek populations proved a setback. Yet, even today it remains important as a regional center.

Continuing along the coast, we stop at Ordu-Geresan [LTCB] – the airport is built on an artificial island and opened in 2015. The Ordu region is famous for hazelnuts and produces 25% of the world supply (Turkey as a whole produces 70%). Then on to Samsun-Çarşamba [LTFH], a modest 1998 airport which provides passenger connections from Samsun to Turkish and German cities. With new high-rise buildings, a university, a regional hospital, indoor shopping malls, and a football stadium, Samsun is growing fast and is now the region’s largest city. (It was here that Mustafa Kemal Atatürk established the Turkish national movement and began the Turkish War of Independence in 1919.)

We turn inland to Merzifon [LTAP] a combination Air Force Base and small commercial airport. Merzifon hosts three squadrons of F-16 fighters. (The Turkish Air Force is the largest in Europe.) Then back north to Sinop [LTCM]. The old city sits on an isthmus and peninsula which puts it on the northernmost edge of the Black Sea coast. Ancient Sinope was founded as a Greek colony in the 7^th century BC. (It was the early home of Diogenes, the controversial 4^th century Greek philosopher who promoted individual virtue over obedience to social norms and founded the philosophies of Cynicism and, indirectly, Stoicism.) The city was conquered by the Ottomans but persisted as a prosperous “Greek” city...until 1923 when its residents were deported in the population exchange between Turkey and Greece.

To the southwest is Kastamonu Uzunazi [LTAL], a newish hilltop airport (2013) with flights to Istanbul. It was in Kastamonu, one of the most conservative towns in Anatolia, that Atatürk made the case (1925) for the wearing of hats and suits and neckties (rather than religion-based veils and turbans) as a step toward modernization. In that speech, he continued, “In the face of knowledge, science, and of the whole extent of radiant civilization, I cannot accept the presence in Turkey's civilized community of people primitive enough to seek material and spiritual benefits in the guidance of sheiks. The Turkish republic cannot be a country of sheiks, dervishes, and disciples. The best, the truest order is the order of civilization. To be a man it is enough to carry out the requirements of civilization.” Atatürk’s secularization and modernization campaign was successful for generations – but is seems to have been stalled (if not reversed) in recent years.

And northwest to the coast where we fly over the picturesque little port town Amasra. It is much appreciated for its beaches, its classic city center, its fortress castle, and its natural setting on two islands. While certainly on the map for foreign tourists, Amasra is a special favorite for Turkish vacationers. Just a few miles on is Zonguldak Çaycuma [LTAS]. The westernmost of the Black Sea cities, Zonguldak was established in 1849 as a port for the nearby coal mines and the coal industry remains the main economic activity.

Our last leg takes us west to Istanbul on the Bosporus Strait. We circle down and fly low over the great city to catch a glimpse of the sights. On the Bosporus we see the Sultan’s Dolmabahce Palace (the 19^th century extravagance whose cost bankrupted the empire). We note the historic peninsula with the Hagia Sophia (the mosque and former church considered the epitome of Byzantine architecture) and the Blue Mosque (an iconic example of Ottoman architecture).

We turn back to our final destination Istanbul Sabiha Gökçen International Airport [LTFJ]. This is the city’s second airport, located on the Asia Minor side of the city. Larger still is Istanbul [LTFM] which is located on the European side northwest of the city. (The older Atatürk Airport near downtown was replaced in 2019. The north-south runways are closed and to be replaced by a large urban green park. The remainder will serve select cargo and business jet traffic as well as Turkish Air Force operations.) Sabiha Gökçen is a busy, and growing busier, facility that now handles 39 million passengers a year. The just-completed second runway will double the capacity of the airport.

Documentation
The flightplan can be found here.

Aircraft
This is a flight of about 720nm with 8 landings. You will need an aircraft capable of “high cruise” of at least 375-400kts. The best choices are subsonic jets. Pilots who chose slower jets may occasionally ask Scottie for a burst of warp power. Pilots who choose faster jets will want to exercise their throttle control. We shall leave no one behind. I shall probably fly the IFE Tornado or F-35A in a stock livery. In any case, you should fly whatever aircraft you like.

Additional Scenery
All of the airports and the POIs are in the default simulator. That said, several addons will enhance the scenery appreciably. Thanks to these talented addon creators.

Trabzon [LTCG]. armortas
Ordu-Giresun [LTCB]. AG_Sim
Samsun Carsamba [LTFH]. AG_Sim
Amasya Merzifon AB [LTAP]. SimportTeam
Sinop [LTCM]. SimportTeam
Kastamonu Uzunyazi [LTAL]. Acar_Scenery
Zonguldak Caycuma [LTAS]. AG_Sim
Istanbul Sabiha Gokcan International [LTFJ]. malioguducu
Temporarily, you can obtain the package here (724MB).

Time and Weather
For takeoff on Saturday, set the simulator at 9:00am local for June 1, 2024.
We typically prefer real weather and will follow form if the weather is good. If not, I recommend the default “Few Clouds” or “High Clouds” presets.

Multiplayer Particulars
Date and time: Saturday, June 1, 2024. 1800 UTC
RTWR Multiplayer Discord Channel
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!