Fun in the Massif Central

Fun in the Massif Central
For Saturday, May 9, 2026
Michael MacKuen

Let’s have some fun flying in the Massif Central of France. This is a large rugged rural area with high country, peaks, deep gorges, and wide plateaus.

Starting from the regional city Aurillac, we fly over the shoulders of the Cantal mountains and proceed south to the limestone plateaus, the Causses, and the sharply defined ridges and valleys of the Cévennes, and finally land along the Mediterranean coast. Along the way we shall take a close look at two grand viaducts, each a significant instance of engineering brilliance. And we shall have stick-and-rudder fun flying a dramatic river canyon, the famous Gorges du Tarn. 


Sainte-Enimie in the Gorges du Tarn

Beginning at Aurillac [LFLW], we proceed northeast over the high ridges of the old volcanic Cantal mountain range (the remnants of the largest stratovolcano in Europe – about 14,000 ft high and 40 miles in diameter) to land at the high country airfield Coltines [LFHQ]. Then past the town Saint-Flour to the gorge of the Truyère River. In 1882-1884, Gustave Eiffel and his engineering company constructed the historic railway bridge, the Viaduc de Garabit, using a parabolic truss arch design and wrought iron, the best material of the time. The lattice girders allow high valley winds to pass through, reducing pressure on the structure. For many years this was the world’s highest bridge. (Notably, the team that designed Garabit remained with Eiffel to raise the Eiffel Tower five years later.) The vermillion-red structure remains in daily use. This is a masterpiece of 19^th century civil engineering. Worth a close look.

Then over the high country to Mende-Brenoux [LFNB]. This is the beginning of the Causses, the broad high limestone plateaus of the Massif Central. These support grazing (mostly sheep). And appealingly, the plateaus are cut through by swift rivers creating deep canyons or gorges. You can catch a glimpse of these contrasts here but we shall return momentarily. We continue to the southeast, descending over sharply edged hills and valleys of the Cévennes. And land at the wide gliderport at La Grand-Combe [LFTN]. Passing Alès, the center of this coal-mining district and now a regional commercial hub, we land at the small local airport Alès-Deaux [LFMS] on the floor of the Rhône valley.

After a brief stop, we pass over Anduze (a tourist gateway) and then climb up the valleys of the Cévennes. This is a geographic and cultural region, agricultural and pastoral, whose irrigation and road networks put in place in the early Middle ages are still in use today. On the plateau Causse Méjean we land at Florac Ste Enimie [LFNO]. Then northward 5nm to connect with the Gorges du Tarn. Turning at Sainte-Enimie, we follow this impressive canyon twisting-and-turning to the village Le Rozier and the ruins of the Chateau de Peyrelade before reaching the lovely tourist town of Millau. A bit of fun, this.

Just west stands the spectacular Viaduc de Millau, the “bridge that changed the map of Europe.” This is a key part of the A75 autoroute axis from Paris to Béziers and Montpellier which has opened up north-south and northeast-southwest travel in France and western Europe. And it has connected the people of the Massif Central with the rest of Europe. The high bridge spans the wide Tarn Valley and yet it fits in with the landscape to become a work of art in its own right. It has been consistently ranked as one of the greatest engineering achievements of modern time (charming and informative interview). Well worth a few minutes of our time.

We turn south onto the plateau Causse Larzac to land at Millau-Larzac [LFCN]. After a few minutes for rest and relaxation, we continue westward over Roquefort-sur-Soulzon (home to the world-famous cheese) and then further down the Gorges du Tarn, passing three hydro-power dams and watching out for the associated power cables. Then we turn southeast and climb up onto the plateau to land at the glider field Belmont [LFIF]. We continue through another quiet glider field La Tour-Sur-Orb [LFNX] and the busy St Martin De Londres [LFNL]. Then south over Montpellier and it central square Place de la Comédie. We land at our final destination Montpellier Mediterranée [LFMT]. Take the General Aviation runway (12R/30L). Our arrival is hosted by the Montpellier Aero Club based at the south side of the commercial airport near the threshold for Rwy 12R. The 300 member club has a fleet of 12 aircraft, flight instructors’ classrooms, a clubhouse and terrace with view, a hangar, a maintenance facility, and a dedicated fuel depot. The club is now celebrating its 116^th birthday.

Documentation
The flightplan can be found here.

Aircraft
This route runs 295nm and is designed for GA aircraft. Several of the fields are small grass strips. We need a fast-cruise of about 150kts. While many aircraft will do the job, we might be especially interested in the venerable Piaggio P.149. As ever, fly what you like.

Additional Scenery
All of the airports are in the default simulator. For some local color, I recommend the following freeware addon airport packages. Thanks to these fine authors for their talent and efforts.

Recommended:
Aurillac [LFLW].  Claude Roure (Simvol)
Mende Brenoux [LFNB].  Claude Roure (Simvol)
Ales Deaux [LFMS]. Alfinet  
Millau Larzac [LFCM].  Claude Roure (Simvol)
Montpellier Mediterranee [LFMT].  prairelet (you may have this)
Viaduc de Garabit.  mv46
Marking of aerodromes with grass runways. (Library). Domtom69

You can get the freeware package here. The package also includes freeware creations that are difficult to find. (Please check for duplicates of previously installed packages.)

Time and Weather
For takeoff on Wednesday, set the simulator at 2:00pm local for May 9, 2026. We typically prefer real weather.

Multiplayer Particulars
Date and time: Wednesday, May 9, 2026. 1900 UTC (2000CEST, 1400EDT, 1100PDT)
Where: RTWR Multiplayer Discord Channel
Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: South-East Asia 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). Your courtesy will save others a lot of time and effort. Thanks!