The Long Norwegian Coastline

The Long Norwegian Coastline
For August 27, 2025
Michael MacKuen

We take a couple of days to revisit the long beautiful Norwegian coastline – the world’s second longest coastline after Canada. It is not mere distance that matters here; it is the frenetic wiggles of the edges of the many fjords and islands that make the difference. On our first day we shall travel the sparsely populated coast between Bodø and Trondheim and then swing through the small cities of Kristiansund, Molde and Ålesund. On our second day we shall explore the heart of Norway’s stunning fjords whose natural beauty attracts the attention of tourists all around the world.


A quick stop at Mo i Rana

We begin at Bodø [ENBO]. The facility began its present structure as a post-WWII Royal Norwegian Air Force base which became the core site for the defense of Norway’s northern air space. Starting in 1955 it flew fighter jets, from F-84s to F-86s to F-104s to F-16s that comprised the main combat force until recently. Throughout its history, Bodø Station supported the headquarters for the military north. In parallel, Bodø was also a key base for NATO joint missions (now including Sweden and Finland) that form the outer shield of Europe’s northern defense posture. Starting in 2022, Norway’s F-16s were replaced by the more capable F-35s. These are primarily based at Ørland Air Station (further south near Trondheim) with a QRA (Quick Reaction Alert) forward base at Evenes 90 miles north of Bodø. The air base at Bodø was scheduled to close ... although current events seem to have spurred a rethinking of the original plan as Bodø is the likely site for NATO’s operations center for the High North.

The municipality of Bodø (51,000) is the second largest city of the North and has taken on a life of its own – distinct from the air base. The city was a “European Capital of Culture” in 2024. The north side of ENBO hosts the civilian operation which is a fairly busy local air center and a connecting point to the bigger cities of Norway and Europe. And nearby is Norway’s national Aviation Museum: the propellor-shaped hall is the largest of its kind in the Nordics. (This is depicted in WombiiActual’s scenery just northeast of the airfield’s perimeter.)

Bodø is the headquarters of Widerøe, the long-serving Norwegian regional carrier. In the 1960s the national government initiated a program of building small STOL regional airports to serve difficult-to-reach locations in rural Norway – to provide meaningful connections between the country’s urban and rural populations. The project began with four airports along the coast between Bodø and Trondheim: Røssvoll-Mo i Rana, Sandnessjoen-Stokka, Brønnøysund, and Namsos to be served by Widerøe DHC-6 Twin Otters. We shall land at each of these to celebrate this successful aviation venture.

We depart to the south over the mountains to stop at Mo i Rana [ENRA]. In 1955 this onetime fishing village was transformed when Norway’s government built its first steel mill and attracted industrial workers from all over the country. Mo i Rana became a city of heavy industry for the next fifty years, growing from 2,000 to 25,000. After a moment, we proceed to the sea, passing Helgeland Bridge and landing at Sandnessjøen-Stokka [ENST] on the west coast of Alsta island. The small town is an administrative, medical, and transportation center. More notable is the imposing Seven Sisters (De syv soestre) mountain range whose seven distinctive summits are a very popular hiking attraction. According to legend, the beautiful troll Maiden Lekamøya and the Seven Sisters in her charge were surprised while moonlight bathing by a young troll Hestmannen who yearned for the maiden. In the subsequent boisterous chase, the young trolls forgot about time. The Seven Sisters were caught by the first rays of sunlight and were turned to stone, frozen forever in their flight.

Next down the coast to Brønnøysund [ENBN]. Similar in origins to the other smaller STOL airports, Brønnøysund extended the runway and added a new terminal and new control tower, as well as a satellite-based landing system. It also developed a separate helicopter base for service to the offshore oilfields. This became a more capable airport, now with direct connections to Oslo and the south. (FYI: Careful observations confirm that Brønnøysund airport lies on Europe’s continental landmass.) And then on to Namsos [ENNM], a large town (15,000) at the mouth of the Namsen river, one of the richest salmon rivers in Europe. The location, where the Namsen opens to the sea, made it ideal for sawmills -- with eleven mills at the height of the business. Now the large Moelven mill supplies much of the sawn timber sold on the Norwegian market. Departing to the south, we pass over the multiple-award-winning Skarnsund Bridge which has been designated a protected cultural heritage site. Worth a look.

We fly to the international airport Trondheim Vaernes [ENVA]. Located on the south side of Trondheim Fjord, this large cosmopolitan city (205,000) is Norway’s fourth largest urban area. This was the “capital” of Viking Norway from the 9^th century. And it became the church’s main site from the 12^th century (first Catholic and then Lutheran). With some rises and declines (including several devastating fires), Trondheim has been a major center for all of Norway’s history. The Old Town section includes blocks of classic wooden buildings as well as the historic religious center and pilgrimage site Nidaros Cathedral. The nearby island Munkholmen is a former monastery, fortress, prison, execution site (severed heads were displayed as a public warning to criminals and political opponents) and now a tourist attraction. More recently Trondheim has become Norway’s “Technology Capital” with NTNU (Norway’s science and technology university) and SINTEF (an independent research institute with $300 million annual revenues) located here. The city hosts 37,000 students and 5,000 researchers and academics. The Royal Norwegian Air Force Academy is nearby. Trondheim Airport [ENVA] is on flat land 10 miles to the east. This is Norway’s fourth-busiest with two modern terminals for domestic and international flights. The Trondheim-Oslo route is one of the busiest in Europe. SAS has both cargo and maintenance operations here. And the airport is Central Norway’s hub for general aviation and executive jets.

We depart over the main city (and NTNU), proceed up the Fjord to visit Ørland Main Air Station [ENOL]. This has become the key Norwegian air base hosting F-35 fighters (replacing F-16s), Westland Sea King search and rescue, and providing forward facilities for NATO E-3 Sentry AWACS flights. Ørland also serves as a base for NATO’s joint operations. In addition, the field hosts a civilian aero club.

Kristiansund Kvenberget [ENKB] is our next stop. The town is located on four islands and is open to the sea. For ages, it handled fishing and lumber until it developed successful “clippfish” operations sending dried codfish throughout Mediterranean Europe as a staple. (Skillfully dried salted cod preserves nutrients and flavor and has a storage life of several years.) The city was a world leader in the popular foodstuff. In recent years, Kristiansund has become a major oil and gas city supporting offshore installations for Royal Dutch Shell and Statoil. The population is now more than 25,000. On leaving, we shall see the Gjemnessund Bridge (for 20 years Norway’s longest suspension bridge). This bridge has a special problem with seabirds – whose manure contain salt and ammonia which damages concrete. The bridge is frequently cleaned and covered with an elastic membrane to protect the structure. Probably needs an up-close safety inspection…

Our final destination is Molde [ENML]. Originally a mix of farming and timber port, the town grew as a center for the Norwegian textile and garment industry. In the later 19^th century, it added tourism with a number of luxurious hotels, lush gardens and parks to entertain summer visitors in the “City of Roses.” By the 1960s, Molde had become a multi-faceted city with farming, fishing, commerce, health care, higher education and tourism. With a population of 31,000, it is slightly larger than its local rival Kristiansund. And only thirty miles to the southwest is Ålesund Vigra [ENAL], a primary airport serving the island town famous for many things including its fishing, ship building, and Art Nouveau architecture. Time-permitting, we shall finish at Ålesund. Otherwise, we shall pick up there on our journey into the fjords.

Documentation
The flightplan can be found here.

Aircraft
This route runs 420nm and indicates a “fast cruise” of about 200ktas. Many general aviation fast twins and light turbines will do nicely. I shall fly the Black Square piston Duke. As ever, fly what you like.

Additional Scenery
All the airports are in the default simulator. I recommend these addon airport packages but they are not necessary.

Recommended:
Bodo [ENBO]. WombiiActual
Bronnoysund [ENBN]. eddrik84
Namos [ENNM]. eddrik84
Trondheim [ENVA]. Dudlileif
Orland AB [ENOL]. Ehindur [FS2024]
Kristiansund Kvernberget [ENKB]. daghb
Molde Aro [ENML]. Daghb [See scenery package.]
Alesund Vigra [ENAL]. Togstad_SP
Mo I Rana [ENRA] is an Asobo hand-crafted airport.

Temporarily, you can download a package that includes all the sceneries here. (557MB).

In addition, I’d recommend the following payware airports if you have them. (The freeware versions range from ok to very good).
Trondheim [ENVA]. Aerosoft. Available at Orbx and Aerosoft. [FS2020/FS2024]
Molde [ENML]. Orbx. [FS2020]. Alesund Vigra [ENAL]. Orbx. [FS2020]
(A reminder to disable freeware renditions if you have payware sceneries active.)

And finally, I suggest using a “tree fix” for Norway. There are two options:
(a) CaptOle: Treefix Northern Norway 2024, Treefix Northwestern Norway 2024, Treefix Western Norway 2024. These three small files represent the work of CaptOle which we used happily in FS2020 but now are updated to the FS2024 SDK. (November 2024)
(b) Tatu: NorForest. This is a newer more comprehensive work which does tree removal on the coasts as well as some work with different biomes throughout the country. (August 2025)
At the moment, I’m using NorForest, but am experimenting with both. These are NOT required for our flight but one or the other might give more realistic vegetation in the landscape.

Time and Weather
For takeoff on Wednesday, set the simulator at 3:00 pm local for August 27, 2025.
We typically prefer real weather. A few clouds are to be expected and given the variability of Norway’s coastal weather we may have to work through some heavier-cloud sections. In practice, however, we may choose to use appropriate weather presets.

Multiplayer Particulars
Date and time: Wednesday, August 27, 2025. 1800 UTC
Where: AVSIM RTWR Teamspeak - Casual Flights Channel
Teamspeak Server Address: ts.teamavsim.com
Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: United States East server.

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