Switzerland POI Part II

This is the second flight to explore the new POIs in Switzerland.

We depart from Calcinate Del Pesce (LILC) in Italy and head straight to our first POI, the Isola Bella in the Lago Maggiore in Switzerland. The island is one of the Borromean Islands. A member of the influential House of Borromeo began the construction of the palace in 1632, dedicated to his wife Isabella (thus the name). All three islands can be visited, but the Isola Bella is the main attraction.

We cross back over the Lago Maggiore and land at Lugano (LSZA). Now we get a good view of the other two large lakes, Lugano Lake and Lake Como. We pass by the three Castles at Bellinzona, which we visited some weeks ago. We land at Locarno (LSZL).

After departure, we head to the Contra Dam, famous for the 007 - Goldeneye movie scenes. We climb over Lake Vogorno and turn over the mountains to the valley of the river Ticino. Here we follow the route to the Gotthard pass. We land at Ambri (LSPM). A climb is required to reach the next POI, the Titlis Cliff Walk, a pedestrian bridge along the cliff of Mount Titlis. Built at around 3,000 m (9,800 ft) above sea level, it is believed to be the highest-elevation suspension bridge in Europe. It broke the record held by Salbit Bridge, also located in Switzerland. The bridge spans a distance of around 100 m (320 ft) but is just 1 m (3 ft) wide. The project was designed as a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the opening of the Engelberg-Gerschnialp funicular railway in January 1913. It was officially opened on 7 December 2012 during a snowstorm, leaving dignitaries from 15 countries unable to see more than just a few meters; the public opening occurred a day later. Constructed over five months, the bridge was built when weather conditions permitted. It was designed to withstand winds that reach over 190 km/h (120 mph) as well as significant snowfall. It can cope with around 450 tonnes of snow. Much of the material used in construction was transported on cable cars, with larger sections being delivered by helicopter. At a cost of around £1 million, it is hoped that the bridge will become a significant tourist attraction, particularly during the warmer months. In the first two weeks of its being opened, around 500 visitors crossed the bridge. Media reports called it the "world's scariest bridge" and Switzerland Tourism called it "a high-adrenaline kind of new adventure". The ski resort spokesman claims that the bridge is "100 percent safe" and explains that it is "really impossible to fall from the bridge".

We follow the valley and land at Meiringen (LSMM). Again we need to climb to reach the Brienz Rothorn Railway. The Brienz Rothorn Railway is a tourist rack railway, which climbs from Brienz, at the eastern end of Lake Brienz, to the summit of the Brienzer Rothorn. The railway is 7.6 kilometers (4.7 mi) long, is built to 800 mm gauge (2 ft 7+1⁄2 in gauge), and uses the Abt double lamella rack system. Unusually for Switzerland, the line is not electrified, and most trains are operated by steam locomotives. The railway was opened on 17 June 1892, after a two years construction period. The line was quickly in financial difficulties. The line was designed to carry 25,000 passengers per year but only managed 5,000 passengers in the first year. Unlike other Swiss mountain lines, the BRB was not electrified and this made the railway a special attraction as from 1953 to 1990 it was the only steam-operated line in Switzerland. Although other Swiss mountain railways offer special "steam" trips, this is the only line to offer a full steam service, the Diesel locomotive only being used for additional trains and light traffic periods. We stay high and cross the mountains and Lake Lucerne to see the Maria Hilf Chapel. The wooden chapel is over 300 years old and is still in use, mainly for weddings. It is tough to see in the simulator because the chapel is very small. The whole scenery around Stoos is stunning and the hiking trails offer magnificent views!

We continue north and reach the village of Einsiedeln. The Einsiedeln Abbey is a Benedictine Monastery and one of the most important baroque monastic sites in Switzerland. The Black Madonna of Einsiedeln in the Chapel of Grace attracts around 800,000 pilgrims and tourists every year. The community of Benedictine monks has around 40 members. The monastery is not under the jurisdiction of a diocese or a bishop because it is a territorial abbey. The abbey operates a private high school along with a winery, sawmill, restaurant, and other small businesses to support itself. We cross the lake and land at Mollis (LSZM). We continue and need to descend to get a view of the Landwasser Viaduct, a single track six-arched curved limestone railway viaduct. It was constructed between 1901 and 1902 and it connects directly to the Landwasser tunnel. It is also very hard to see in the simulator.

We land at Samedan (LSZS) and then follow the valley of the River Inn and reach Tarasp Castle. Tarasp Castle was probably built in the 11th century or possibly as early as the 10th century. The name comes from terra aspera or wild earth, which may refer to the new lands in the Inn River valley. It saw several owners and was attacked many times. After about 1815 the castle was abandoned and rapidly fell into ruin. Initially, the Canton planned to turn the castle into a prison, but eventually gave up the idea as too expensive and began looking for a buyer. The von Planta family bought it in 1856, began repairing it, and replaced the damaged roof. In 1900 it was purchased by Dr. Lingner, who restored the castle for a decade from 1906 to 1916. After his death, Grand Duke Ernest Louis of Hesse inherited the castle from Lingner. It was turned into a museum in 1919. In 2004 the von Hessen family announced that they wanted to sell the castle. In 2008 the municipality of Tarasp agreed to investigate purchasing it and converting it into a cultural and tourist attraction. In 2010 the Fundaziun Chastè da Tarasp was created to seek funding and administer the castle after it was purchased. After the Foundation struggled to raise funding, in 2015 the Swiss artist Not Vital announced that he would purchase the castle. In March 2016 Not Vital acquired the castle for CHF 7.9 million.

We continue north, cross into Austria, and reach the Valluga View, a prominent viewing platform at an elevation of 9219 feet. It offers a stunning 360-degree view of the surrounding mountains. We return to Switzerland and reach the Salginatobel Bridge. It is a reinforced concrete arch bridge, built between 1929 and 1930. The structure's fame among civil engineers is a consequence of the techniques involved and the elegance of its design. For us, it is very hard to see, as the valley is quite narrow.

We land at Bad Ragaz (LSZE). Right after departure, we pass Sargans Castle. The castle was constructed around 980 and in 1899 the local church took over and runs the castle which houses a museum. We pass over the Saentis Transmission Tower and reach the Sitter Viaduct, a single-track railway bridge. Following an overflight of the Kybunpark stadium, we reach the Abbey of St. Gallen. It is a dissolved abbey (747–1805) in a Catholic religious complex. The Carolingian-era monastery existed from 719, founded by Saint Othmar on the spot where Saint Gall had erected his hermitage. It became an independent principality between the 9th and 13th centuries and was for many centuries one of the chief Benedictine abbeys in Europe. The Library of the Abbey is one of the oldest monastic libraries in the world.

The flight has a length of 354 miles and 7 landings. I will be in the BS Analog Bonanza again. Please fly what you like.

The flight plans are here.

There are some freeware and payware addons available:

LILC: https://flightsim.to/file/44786/aeroclub-adele-orsi-lilc

LSZA: https://flightsim.to/file/3156/lugano-agno-lsza-airport-switzerland-tchax95

LSZL: https://flightsim.to/file/34180/locarno-air-base-lszl-switzerland-tag21

LSMM: https://flightsim.to/file/30175/airbase-meiringen-lsmm-as-real-as-possible

LSZR: https://flightsim.to/file/4453/lszr-st-gallen-airport-switzerland

LSZS: https://flightsim.to/file/3361/saint-moritz-samedan-airport-lszs-v1-0

Swiss Mountain Tree Fix: https://flightsim.to/file/20341/swiss-mountains-tree-fix-trees-on-mountains-removed

Mollis, Bad Ragaz, Samedan, and St. Gallen are available via ORBX and/or flightsim.to.

We try real weather. Please set your sim for 10:00 am departure.

Particulars:

       Date and time: Saturday, September 21, 18:00 UTC    

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