With some reluctance, today I de-streamed the NAMC YS-11 and re-streamed the PMDG 777F into my active list of aircraft. So, for this post, I move from the (whistling) Mk.452 (turboprop) Dart engines to the massive (and powerful) GE90-115B turbofan engines. Unquestionably, the YS-11 gave me a good time and enjoyable run for the money it cost me...🙂... (see my previous 2 posts). 

If you recall, I'd recently flown a virtual flight here, patterned after the RW trip of a friend of mine who drove from Poland to Italy (and back) for his end-of-summer vacation. And today, I came to know that another close (local) friend of mine would be flying tomorrow from Chicago O'Hare to El Paso, Texas. That trip sounded to me like an interesting flight to test the PMDG 777 with, on a short stint of about 1,200 miles. Indeed, with (2x-4x) SIM rate, that PMDG products typically have no issues with; I completed the flight effortlessly, in a single continuous session, without having to pause it for any (life-sustaining) errands, such as picking up grocery or visiting a nearby Kung Fu Tea store for a Boba drink...🙂...though, after I did successfully pilot this 777F into El Paso's ILS Runway 22 for a smooth touchdown (see my concluding images below), I thought I deserved to treat myself to a Coffee Boba... (iced; since, it was a warm day in Chicago today), along with chewy Tapioca pearls at the bottom...🙂...

When I lived in Austin (TX) for several years, I had taken a road-trip from Austin to El Paso. Having just previously completed a weekend trip from Austin to San Antonio, I had casually asked my (aforesaid) friend of mine (a Texas native), "So, is it 3-4 hours to El Paso? I'm planning a trip this weekend." I was then struck by the reply. The time it takes to travel from Austin to El Paso, both cities within the state of Texas, could easily top "9" hours...! Texas is a "big" state, for sure.

Can you imagine that the longest east-west distance in the state of Texas, from its easternmost border to the westernmost point of the Rio Grande River near El Paso, is nearly 800 miles (my road-trip from Austin to El Paso was about 600 miles)? So, you could drive (seemingly) endlessly in Texas for 800 miles (and 10-14 hours), and still not cross a state border. In contrast, in certain parts of Europe, you could easily pass through 5-7 "countries" in 800 miles of roadway. Indeed, AI tells me, "With an optimally chosen 800-mile straight road, e.g., a line from northern Italy or Austria eastward would hit numerous country borders. One could potentially travel through Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and then a route through the Balkans could even be extended to include countries like Montenegro, Serbia, North Macedonia and so on."

From Chicago O'Hare to El Paso International Airport, non-stop flights do operate but a typical flight would make an intermediate stop either in Dallas or Houston. Here, I fly the 777F non-stop from KORD/Chicago to KELP/El Paso (see shot #4 below for routes and MAPs on both the PMDG EFB and MSFS EFB; the SimBrief Route was uploaded into the FMC of the 777). El Paso is a Texas city (interestingly) located directly on the borders of the two states (Texas and New Mexico), and also on the international border with Mexico. El Paso is located at the trailing ends of the southernmost tip of the (vast and extensive) Rocky Mountains range, but also within the Chihuahuan Desert of the southwestern U.S., so, it presents a most unique type of topography (see shot #14 for a specimen). I distinctly recall while driving from Austin (westward) to El Paso, how the High Plains of Texas Plateau, gradually transitioned to the scattered (and isolated) mountains, and desert landscape, as I approached the vicinity of El Paso.

For my flight route here, at the pilot's discretion...🙂..., I've diverted a bit towards north of El Paso, into the high mountains of New Mexico (see shot #s 11-13), before finally heading south to capture the ILS signals of KELP's ILS Runway 22. It was a fun flight, as always, with this PMDG 777 aircraft.

Hope you enjoy this collection of images from my trip today.

Thanks for viewing...!

Edited October 4, 2025Oct 4 by P_7878

Fine set !

cheers 😉

Good flight! (My only exposure to the El Paso/Juarez area is through "TexMex Motors" on Netflix. 🙂)

pmplayer, SKEWR, and John:

Many thanks for the responses....🙂...glad you liked these images of the T7F.

 

2 hours ago, John F said:

Good flight! (My only exposure to the El Paso/Juarez area is through "TexMex Motors" on Netflix. 🙂)

Oh..."TexMex Motors"...I have heard of it, but should have probably seen a bit of it on Netflix, instead of all those suspense and horror movies...🙂...

El Paso is a highly historic city which I'd liked a lot from my RW visit...you might like it too...