(FS2024) Finding where Espoo is...in a Piper Seminole...

[P_7878]

OK...If you're a resident of one of the Nordic countries up there, you already know...🙂...However, if you live in far-off parts of the world (as I do), you may or may not know where Espoo is, which is a city in Finland, located just about 10 miles west of Helsinki, the capital city of Finland. I have never visited nor lived in Espoo, but I often chat with a colleague who is a life-long resident of Espoo. In fact, earlier this week, I was telling him that Chicago is (currently) getting blanketed by heavy snow and was told that Finland is no stranger to heavy snow either. Indeed, Finland gets a lot of snow, especially in Lapland, the country's northernmost region, which is perpetually covered by snow in the winter months...at least (also) based on certain (fictional) "Mystery" and "Thriller" series episodes, filmed in Finland, that I've had chance to (personally) view on Netflix...🙂....On the silver screen, and surely in the RW too, this region always looks like a winter wonderland, just as what Chicago is looking like this week...

BTW, here is a curious statistical coincidence:
The average annual snowfall in Chicago is around 37 inches, and the average annual snowfall in Finland is also (coincidentally) around 37 inches...!

Anyway, after chatting with my colleague in Espoo this week, I wished to find out for my curiosity today where exactly Espoo is in my virtual world. And having just seen plentiful snow this week around here, and already getting a bit tired of cleaning several inches of (continuously falling) snow from my driveway....🙂..., I have opted, here, just for this post and for a different view, to (magically) transform my season to one of the summer months in Finland, thereby revealing more greenery rather than just white terrains...during my flight today...🙂...

So, I lift off from Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (EFHK), flying westward for about 100 miles (see my EFB route map), across the coastal lowlands and woodlands, quickly overflying Espoo (Espoo has no airport of its own, with its main access airport, being the nearby Helsinki-Vantaa Airport)...carrying on towards my destination airport in the city of Turku (EFTU). For my task, I've called upon an old (but trusted) friend of mine from the Piper lineage, the PA-44 Seminole Twin Prop, an a/c I'm familiar with (and greatly fond of), since the earliest days of my involvement in this hobby. As I recall, there were a few freeware renditions of this aircraft, long before Carenado/Alabeo (finally) developed a decent version for FSX/P3D. This one here is also by Carenado as I understand, and you have to selectively enable "streaming" of it from the MSFS2024 Library to activate it. The a/c is not perfect, but surely a good-looking one to look at (inside and out) and also nice to fly... equipped with a pre-glass cockpit, featuring traditional avionics e.g., a (basic) GNS 530 Garmin unit and (classic) steam gauges (see close-up shots).

I've landed into ILS Runway 26 of Turku (EFTU), after passing over a stretch of pretty landscape in my final approach, dominated by pastures, woods, rivers, lakes, and streams etc. (see final images).

Most importantly, I now know where Espoo is...🙂...and you do too...

Thanks for viewing...!

[John F]

Nice flight, and thanks for changing the season. Wish it were so easy in RL! 🙂

[pmplayer]

Nice Trip, fine shots !

cheers 😉

[P_7878]

On 2/13/2025 at 10:01 PM, John F said:

Nice flight, and thanks for changing the season. Wish it were so easy in RL! 🙂

Yes, it was a nice flight John...and, yes, I wish I could just switch to Spring season around here today, before walking out of doors IRL. There has been a fresh layer of additional snow overnight....and I need to drive somewhere on an errand...Oh well... Taking the snow shovel out may do better than magically changing the season in the MSFS world...🙂...

 

On 2/13/2025 at 10:20 PM, pmplayer said:

Nice Trip, fine shots !

cheers 😉

Thanks for the comment, pmplayer. Appreciated...!

[Alaska738]

Beautiful shots! 😉 

[P_7878]

On 2/17/2025 at 11:26 AM, Alaska738 said:

Beautiful shots! 😉 

Thanks for the comment, Will. Appreciated.

Cheers...!