The name "Sierra Nevada" literally translates to "snowy mountains". The word "Sierra" is Spanish for "a range of mountains" or "jagged mountain range", and "Nevada" is the feminine form of the Spanish word for "snowy". In this post, if you examine the few (overfly) images of my passage today over this majestic mountain range, you'll see why this name is fully justified.

Even if you're not a local to U.S....🙂..., you might have heard plenty (at least from this mountain-lover here...🙂...) about the two mountain ranges (the Sierra Nevada and the Rocky Mountains) both of which span in north-south orientation, in the western United States. The Rockies may be slightly better known, and in fact, is also more familiar to me from my several RW visits. Sierra Nevada has remained kind of bit of a mystery to me. However, from years ago, I distinctly recall glimpses of it, seen from up above (from domestic airliners), while flying to the west coast from Chicago, during my visits e.g., to San Francisco and San Jose.

On one of those occasions, the return flight, I especially recall was in an AA MD-80 (btw, can you believe AA once operated an astronomical number of nearly "400" MD 80s/90s in its fleet...I have travelled several times on those very nice MD twinjets). Anyway, as the airplane passed over the Sierra Nevada in the glowing dusk light (it was an evening flight back), while me glued to the cabin window...🙂...to catch sight of Sierra Nevada (a mountain range I've never visited up close), the snow-capped mountain peaks of it had appeared glistening in golden sunlight...proving to me why they have been named as such. It was a beautiful sight that has remained in my memory.

So, that bygone bit of transient memory triggered this post of mine, and I wished to fly along this mountain range today, in my virtual world, this time at a much lower altitude, at the Pilot's discretion...🙂...and in a personal Bizjet of my own...🙂...The Sierra Nevada spans about 400 miles (in the states of California and Nevada), being bit of a misnomer...🙂...since it's not Nevada but the state of California which is the main site of location for the Sierra Nevada Mountain range (though a spur of the range extends into Nevada, seen in my final approach, near Lake Tahoe, which lake, itself, exists across the border of the two states). 

Here, for this post, I've chosen to fly for about 200 miles, south to north, over the main segment of this mountain range, lifting off from Bakersfield, California (Meadows Field Airport, KBFL) destined for Reno–Tahoe Intl. Airport (KRNO) in Nevada, ~20 miles northeast of Lake Tahoe which is located alongside my glidepath towards the ILS Rwy 35L of KRNO.

The Cessna Citation Longitude was a favorite of mine in MSFS2020. So, I'm glad it also served me well today, in MSFS2024, for this (virtual) sightseeing excursion...over and along a mountain rage that I've often imagined and read much about but never had a chance to visit up close. And just as the mountains were glistening in the sun of my distant memory, the sun, here, too, is going down in the western horizon brilliantly shining on the same mountains, visible on the Pilot's side window of my Cessna Citation Longitude...🙂...letting me re-live memorable bits of that entire KORD-KSFO trip. There is really nothing like a flight in our virtual world to rekindle such memories...🙂...of course, short of a RW trip...again some time...in future...

BTW, I recall reading somewhere that there is, now, in this beautiful (default) MSFS Bizjet, a Cabin is included, which indeed looked good to me..(have shown one shot of it) ...

Hope you enjoy this collection of pictures from my trip today...!

Thanks for viewing...!

Finally, some 2024 Longitude shots (need more of the cabin and the exit door).☺️

Edited December 17, 20241 yr by Dillon

Thanks for the nice shots, looks great.

Very nice set, thanks for showing !

cheers 😉

Great set of shots!  Love the golden morning sunshine glow on the snow covered mountains!

Super shots, love the biz jets ! 

Dillon, Helmut, pmplayer, Calum, Adam et al.:

Thanks for the comments and responses...!

Yes, it's easy to fall in love with this Bizjet...🙂...a nice one to fly in the SIM, indeed...