India's Arabian Sea Coast

Today we visit India and fly along the Arabian Sea Coast.

We depart from Shirdi (also known as Sainagar), a small town in the Indian state of Maharashtra. The airport (VASD) was opened in 2017 and offers flights to destinations in India. We head south and reach Pune AB (VAPO). Until 1978 Pune was called Poona. The city has about 7 million inhabitants and is one of the most important automobile and IT centers in India. It has been ranked the most liveable city in India several times.

30 miles west is Amby Valley Airport (VALO), we make a touch-and-go here. The city was founded in 2006 and marketed to India's super-rich and has between 600–800 luxury bungalows. In late 2016, the golf course and the airstrip stopped functioning. The whole project has faced various legal and financial problems, its future is uncertain.

Our next stop is Mumbai International Airport (VABB). Mumbai (or Bombay) is the capital city of the Indian State of Maharashtra. It is the financial capital of India and the financial, commercial, and entertainment city of South Asia. Mumbai is the center of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, the sixth-most populous metropolitan area in the world with a population of over 23 million. Mumbai lies on the Konkan coast on the west coast of India and has a deep natural harbor. Mumbai has the highest number of billionaires out of any city in Asia.

We follow the coast north and land at Daman (VADN). Daman is the capital city of the Indian Territory of “Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu”. An Indian Union Territory is not a state, it is governed by the Union Government of India. We continue north and arrive at Surat (VASU). We are now in the Indian State of Gujarat, and Surat is one of the largest urban areas of western India. It has a well-established diamond and textile industry and is a major supply center for apparel and accessories. About 90% of the world's diamonds are cut and polished in Surat. It is the second largest city in Gujarat after Ahmedabad. Further north we arrive at Vadodara (VABO). Vadodara has various large-scale industries like oil refineries, chemical plants, and energy industries.

We finish the flight at Ahmedabad (VAAH). Ahmedabad has emerged as an important economic and industrial hub in India. It is the second-largest producer of cotton in India, due to which it was known as the 'Manchester of India' along with Kanpur. Cricket is a popular sport in Ahmedabad; a newly built stadium, called Narendra Modi Stadium, at Motera, can accommodate 132,000 spectators, making it the largest stadium in the world. The effects of the liberalization of the Indian economy have energized the city's economy towards tertiary sector activities such as commerce, communication, and construction. Ahmedabad's increasing population has increased in the construction and housing industries, resulting in the development of skyscrapers.

The flight plans are here.

The flight is about 400 miles with 6 landings. We want to cruise at about 300 knots. I will probably be in the T-45 Goshawk. As always, please fly what you like.

Recommended scenery:

VASD. https://flightsim.to/file/59161/shirdi-international-airport

VAPO: https://flightsim.to/file/8926/pune-airport-vapo

VABB: https://flightsim.to/file/11495/vabb-chhatrapati-shivaji-international-airport-bom

VASU: https://flightsim.to/file/1211/vasu-surat-international-airport

VAAH: https://flightsim.to/file/40526/sardar-vallabhbhai-patel-international-airport-ahmedabad

The complete package is here.

Mumbai VABB is available as payware from ORBX, as well as a Landmarks Mumbai City Pack. There are several other freeware versions for VABB available at flightsim.to.

We could try real weather, but we would most probably see a very thick haze. I recoomend a weather preset like High Clouds. Please set your simulator for an 8:00 AM local departure.

Multiplayer Particulars

Date and time: Sunday, January 12, 2025. 1700 UTC

Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: United States East server.

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