Balkans Patrol

[Viking01]

Today we fly over the Balkans. The borders of the Balkans are, due to many contrasting definitions, disputed. There exists no universal agreement on the region's components.

We depart from Tirana (LATI), the capital city of Albania. Tirana is the most important economic, financial, political, and trade center in Albania due to its significant location in the center of the country. Our first landing is at Kukes (LAKU), Albania. The city was nominated for the 2000 Nobel Peace Prize for its hospitality and for embracing thousands of refugees during the Kosovo War. It was the first time a town was nominated for the prize. In 2017, the city applied for the 2018 European Green Capital Award to become Europe's Green Capital. We continue northeast and arrive at Pristina (BKPR), the capital and largest city of Kosovo.

Further northeast we reach Niš (LYNI), Serbia. Niš is the third largest city in Serbia and the administrative center of the Nišava District. Several Roman emperors were born in Niš or used it as a residence: Constantine the Great, the first Christian emperor and the founder of Constantinople, Constantius III, Constans, Vetranio, Julian, Valentinian I, Valens; and Justin I. Emperor Claudius Gothicus decisively defeated the Goths at the Battle of Naissus (present-day Niš). Later playing a prominent role in the history of the Byzantine Empire, the city's past would earn it the nickname Imperial City. After departure, we turn northwest and land at Ladevici (LYKV), Serbia. It is a dual-use airfield.

We head north and land at Belgrade's Nicola Tesla Airport (LYBE). Belgrade is Serbia's capital City and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe and the world. We turn south and reach Sarajevo (LQSA), the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegowina. It exerts region-wide influence in entertainment, media, fashion, and the arts. Due to its long history of religious and cultural diversity, Sarajevo is sometimes called the "Jerusalem of Europe" or "Jerusalem of the Balkans". It is one of a few major European cities to have a mosque, Catholic church, Eastern Orthodox church, and synagogue within the same neighborhood. It is also home to the former Yugoslavia's first institution of tertiary education in the form of an Islamic polytechnic, today part of the University of Sarajevo. We stay in Bosnia and Herzegowina and land at Banja Luka (LQBK), Serbia's second largest city. On 28 February 1994, an incident occurred in which four Republika Srpska Air Force aircraft, which had violated Bosnia's no-fly zone and bombed a factory, were shot down southwest of Banja Luka by planes from the United States Air Force on behalf of NATO, marking the first active combat action in the alliance's history. We overfly the Kozara National Monument, commemorating the partisans of WWII.

We finish the flight at Zagreb's Pleso Airport (LDZA). Zagreb is the capital and largest city of Croatia.

The flight has a length of 550 miles with 8 landings. We want to be cruising at about 400 knots. I will be in the IFE Pa200 Tornado. The F-35 or the M346 are among the suitable aircraft. Please fly what you like.

The flight plans are here.  

Time and weather. Please set your simulator for a noon local time departure. I suggest setting the date for April 6 or later to avoid looking at trees without leaves everywhere.

Recommended scenery: All airports are available as payware by various developers through ORBX.

Freeware sceneries:

Kukes LAKU

Morava LYKV

Banja Luka LQBK

Zagreb LDZA

Belgrade LYBE plus a further enhancement

 

Multiplayer Particulars:

Date and time: Sunday, March 23, 2025. 1700 UTC

Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: United States East server.

These flights are events posted at DigitalThemePark and use DTP's Teamspeak Channel for communication.

If you want to help others enjoy the multiplayer experience, don't forget to enter your aircraft details on the multiplayer spreadsheet (linked here). Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks!