East of Casablanca

[MM]

East of Casablanca
For February 22, 2025
Michael MacKuen

We initiate our trip across the top of the Maghreb visiting Morocco and then Algeria. Starting at the bustling economic powerhouse Casablanca, we fly over the current and ancient capitals Rabat and Fes. After turning north to the Mediterranean coast we proceed east to Algeria’s second city Oran. Later, our next trip will take us through Algiers and the rest of coastal Algeria.  


“Louis, I think that this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” – Rick

We begin with an early afternoon departure from Casablanca [GMMN]. Mohammed V airport, was originally a USAF base and is now the 4^th busiest airport in Africa with about 200 operations a day. We fly over the heart of Casablanca itself, the largest city and economic powerhouse of Morocco. The default cityscape is only broadly representative, but we can take advantage of adilvr’s “landmarks” to note a few POIs. (These are lightweight models.) We pass over the Technopark, part an area of new and ambitious development, and the Twin Center high rise towers built at the turn of this century and an icon of the city’s economic dynamism. And in the early 20^th century French colonial center we see the attractive Casablanca Cathedral (now a museum). We skirt over what is now “United Nations Square” and its historic Clock Tower – which marked the division between the old Arab Medina to the north and the new French colonial city to the south. When we hit the coastline, we can take a good look at the Hassan II Mosque and its Minaret (the 2^nd tallest in the world). Sitting on the edge of the ocean, this stunningly beautiful creation is the work of 6,000 local artisans whose aesthetic is highlighted by characteristically Moroccan mosaic tilework.

Then we turn up the Atlantic coast to Rabat. Historically, Rabat and neighboring Salé were small towns and relatively unimportant. (In the 17^th and 18^th centuries, the two towns became an active base for pirates, the Salé or Sallee Rovers, who captured ships, treasure, and slaves all along the European coast – including ventures as far away as Iceland and Nova Scotia.) Then in 1912 the newly arrived French made Rabat the colonial capital and it then became Morocco’s national capital on independence in 1956. Rabat, along with Salé and Temara constitute the country’s second largest urban area. While it has its traditional areas, this is essentially a modern 20^th and 21^st century city.

Again, default Rabat is generic and again adilvr gives us a few landmarks. The Rabat Zoo (which has modeled animals) was founded to host the King’s household lions in 1973. And the Hassan Tower is worth a good look. This is a half-finished mosque minaret (144 ft high) from the 12^th century when it was designed to be the largest in the world. Unfortunately the ruling caliph died before finishing his ambitious plan. The ruins have been restored and the tower has become a symbol of Morocco’s past and, also, a tourist attraction. (The modeled Mausoleum of Mohammed V and Hassan II is just across the square.) We land at Rabat-Salé [GMME] which is both a Royal Moroccan Air Force Base and also a fairly busy international airport.

Next we fly over rolling hills and dry plains to reach Fes Saiss [GMFF] south of the ancient city itself. Fes (also “Fez”) is the ancient capital of Morocco – over the years many dynasties have ruled the country and they were most often based in Fes (or sometimes Marrakesh). And, the equally ancient Al-Quarwiyyin Mosque/University has been a center for learning since the 9^th century (though by the 14^th century it had become more concerned with religious instruction than science, philosophy, or medicine). Fes was the political and cultural capital of the country and right through the 20^th century it was also home to most of the country’s ruling families. The large and lively Fes Medina makes claim to being one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited cities and is a UNESCO Heritage site. That said, most of the current city lies in the more modern Ville Nouvelle.


Heading north over Fes

We head for the north over the Rif Mountains. The rugged range has been home to Berbers since prehistoric times. Although the region has been conquered by many dynasties, it has always been resistant to assimilation. Even after independence from France, the Rif rebelled against the new Moroccan king. We land at Al Hoceima Cherif Al Idrissi [GMTA], about 5 mile southeast of the city itself. Al Hoceima is one of the main (small) cities of the Rif and perhaps its politically most unruly population. In recent years its weather and attractive beaches have made Al Hoceima a modest tourist attraction – with special links to the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. We proceed eastward 44nm to the Spanish enclave Melilla [GEML]. While only 5 square miles in area, it is home to 86,000 people. Once a military stronghold for Spanish colonialism in Morocco, its people now rely on fishing, cross-border trade (and smuggling), and on Spanish/European grants and wages for its income. The civilian airport (just fitting inside the enclave) is a busy place with frequent air connections to cities on the Spanish mainland. (The approach and departure involve some airmanship to avoid Moroccan airspace.)

Continuing east, we fly along the Mediterranean coast to cross into Algeria. We land at Tlemcen Messali El Hadj [DOAN], some 11 miles northwest of the city. Tlemcen had its centuries of glory but now is more of a regional center. Our final leg takes us to Algeria’s second city Oran. First we circle north to see Mers El Kébir, the historic and current naval harbor (which is famous/notorious for the 1940 British destruction of the Vichy French fleet). Then the Port of Oran which was a truly important Mediterranean hub for a thousand years. And it was a target for conquest by various Islamic dynasties as well as by the Spanish (16^th through 18^th centuries) and more recently the French (19^th and 20^th centuries). Nowadays, the city is fairly modern and by many accounts a more friendly and livable place than Algiers. Our destination is Oran Ahmed Ben Balla [DAOO].

Documentation
The flightplans can be found here.

Aircraft
This is a longer flight of 440 miles that takes us from Morocco’s Atlantic coast to Algeria. We shall want aircraft with a “fast cruise” of about 200-220ktas. Some possibilities include the C414 Chancellor, the Beech B60 Duke (and its turbine conversion), the Beech King Air C90, the Daher TBM 850/930, and the Pilatus PC-12. Faster yet are the Beech King Air 350 and the Cirrus Vision Jet. I’ll probably fly the Black Square TBM 850. As ever, please fly what you like.

Additional Scenery
All of the airports are in the default simulator. I recommend the following scenery to enhance our experience. (These are MSFS2020 sceneries that work well in MSFS2024.) Thanks to the authors for their talent and efforts.

Recommended:
Casablanca Landmarks. adilvr
Rabat Scenery. adilvr
Rabat-Salé [GMME]. joujou92 (1.4GB)
     (In MSFS2024, do not install the optional packages.)
Fes Saiss [GMFF]. joujou92 (869MB)
Tlemcen [DAON]. karis5963r
Oran Ahmed Ben Bella [DAOO]. mokhtarbo33

Note that both Rabat-Salé [GMME] and Fes Saiss [GMFF] are pretty large downloads. They are very good freeware and recommended as such. But we are just passing through and we will have only a brief look at the airports’ fine workmanship. Those cautious about download costs/speeds might give them a pass.

You can get a download package (without GMME and GMFF) here. (174MB)

There is also a payware Casablana [GMMN] airport by Prealsoft.

Time and Weather
For takeoff on Saturday, set the simulator at 2:00pm local for February 22, 2025.
We typically prefer real weather.

Multiplayer Particulars
Date and time: Saturday, February 22, 2025. 1900 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!