MM

As @Janc and @Meeko indicate, if you still have the old SWS panel folders in your community folder (or otherwise active), then the new SWS PC-12 tablet control over the avionics will fail. [These are the extra panel folders you previously needed to select your desired avionics package.] This is important if you purchased from ORBX whose updater to v1.7.14 does not automatically delete those panel folders. You will want to look for them in the ORBX PC-12 folders and in the Community folder … and then delete the redundant panel folders (after saving a copy just in case). This is true for ORBX and it may be true for other installer/updater programs. You can just check your “updated” packages and trim away any leftover panel folders.

Lovely flight, Gunter. To get us ready, here is a beautiful little video: Helicopter flight over the Okavango Delta – Botswana. William Steel Photography.

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 19th 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 116th 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!

Looks great. This is a different sort of flying. BTW, if anyone is using the Blackbox FS2020 BN-2 in FS2024, you might want the avionics conversion to Working Title v2: (Garmin Navigation Suite Fixes by EnsiFerrum).

Nordeste of Brazil For Wednesday, April 22, 2026 Michael MacKuen We shall spend the day sampling parts of the Northeast Region of Brazil – in the country it is known as simply “Nordeste.” This was the first part colonized by the Portuguese and other Europeans. And it played a key role in the country’s history, its folklore, music, and literature. It is widely recognized for this history and culture, as well as its natural environment and especially its hot weather. The Dunes of Natal We begin along the rainy Atlantic seaboard passing over rich agricultural croplands and visiting several major cities. And then we shall fly though the semi-arid zone just inland. We shall finish our trip along the northern coast and Nordeste’s largest city Fortaleza. While we shall see different parts of the region, we are only sampling from a broader array of natural and social environments. To start, we depart from Natal Aluzio Alves [SBSG], a newish airport from 2014, that was built to replace the long-serving Augusto Severo [SBNT] which has since been dedicated to the Air Force. The city of Natal was founded in 1599 by the Portuguese as an early part of colonization. This included the building of the Fortress of the Three Wise Men. (Natal and other Portuguese coastal cities were captured and ruled by the Dutch for decades of the 17th century before being retaken in 1654.) Natal is the state capital of Rio Grande do Norte. However, the city’s growth was slow until the 20th century when a bridge connected the city with the hinterland and international aviation came to use the city as the shortest trans-Atlantic connection with Africa and thus Europe. During the post-WWII period of modernization and infrastructure expansion, the city population doubled and doubled and doubled again. Today, with traditional white sand beaches (such as Ponta Negra and its famous Morro do Careca) and the development of the fixed sand dunes up and down the coast, tourism has become Natal’s most import industry. Just outside the city are the Dunes of Genipabu to the north and the surfer town Pipa Beach to the south. As we head south from the city, we can see the Barreira do Inferno Lauch Center – Brazil’s first and, for many years, only military and commercial rocket launch facility. This coastal region, the zona da mata, is a flat narrow plain (30-60 miles wide). The climate is hot and wet, with most rain coming from the southeasterly winds off the Atlantic Ocean. Before the Portuguese came, the land was covered by deciduous trees of the Atlantic Rainforest. The climate and soil turned out to be excellent for the money crop sugar cane and so very little of the original vegetation remains. That said, the productive agriculture sustained the colonial populations and eventually supported the growth of the region’s main cities right on the coast with very little population moving into the bare uplands of the interior. We continue down the coast to João Pessoa [SBJP], the port city and fairly quiet capital of Paraiba State. Of special interest is the Cabo Branco Science and Arts Station, a cultural, scientific and arts center designed by architect Oscar Niemeyer. It opened in 2008 at Ponta do Seixas, the easternmost point in the Americas. Then down to Recife Guararapes [SBRF]. This state capital of Pernambuco is the largest urban area in the Northeast and the fourth-largest in all of Brazil – at 3,730,000. Historically known for its large-scale production of sugar cane, the city has added much to its repertoire. It benefited from the national government’s industrial investment in the 1970s-1980s and continues as the commercial hub of the Northeast. Its hospital pool is the third largest in Brazil, after São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Its Information Technology and Logistics clusters are booming. Local culture is rich in terms of dance and music – with the local Carnival being one of the largest and most vibrant of the nation. On the other hand, Recife has disappointing economic inequality and high violent crime rates. Not to mention that for the past 30 years the city’s beaches have been subject to regular deadly shark attacks. Next we turn inland away from the tropical wet Atlantic coastline to the agreste, a transitional zone of rising hilly terrain with only erratic rainfall. We reach Campina Grande [SBKG]. This was a sleepy farm village until the beginning of the 20th century when the arrival of the railroads turned Campina Grande into “The Brazilian Liverpool,” awash in cotton plantations and factories. At the time, it was the second biggest producer in the world. Today, the city has become an oasis of high technologies in the middle of the Northeast, sometimes mentioned as the “Brazilian Silicon Valley.” Its software companies contribute about 20 percent of the city’s total revenue. Then over the increasingly dry scrubland, the sertão (“backcountry”). Beyond the reach of the Atlantic tradewinds, the region has minimal rainfall and is increasingly subject to droughts. During the long dry season, the desert-adapted vegetation sheds its leaves leaving a “white forest” of spindly branches and cacti to cover the landscape. We land at Caicó [SNKK]. This is a small regional city for what is essentially cattle country. We proceed northward to Mossoró [SBMS], the “capital” of the broader semi-arid region with a population of 265,000. The area is one of Brazil’s leaders in producing onshore oil. And the local economy is driven by irrigated horticulture (fruits and vegetables) oriented toward export. We depart for Ceará and the coast – to land at Aracati Dragão do Mar [SBAC] which serves the newly popular beach resort Canoa Quebrada. This once small fishing village, among dunes and cliffs, has become popular for tourists seeking a calm friendly atmosphere – with dramatic beaches and plenty of night life. It is now a trendy spot. Our final destination is Fortaleza [SBFZ], the capital of Ceará state and (depending on how one counts) the fourth largest city in Brazil at about 4 million. The city had traditionally served the poor agricultural interior of the state and much of its population growth has been recent immigration fleeing from drought devastation in the semi-arid interior. With the late 20th century national investment in the northeast’s industrial development, Fortaleza has grown economically. The large downtown and waterfront include many modern high rise developments. And the beaches and dunes attract both domestic and international tourists. For all its success, Fortaleza has also attracted poor rural migrants who live in the favelas (slums). In scope comparable to Recife, about a fifth live in favelas and about a third of the population earns less than half the minimum wage. But things are getting better: while 12 percent live in poverty, that is an improvement over 39 percent in 1991. Fortaleza has long been known for its humor. It has held an annual April 1 “lying contest” to determine and honor this year’s champion teller of tall tales. “Bode Ioiô is another symbol of Fortaleza’s humorous spirit. The goat became famous in the 1920s for roaming public places, drinking cachaça, and even having been a candidate for city council. After its death, the animal was taxidermied and remains on display at the Ceará Museum.”[wiki] As Brazil’s humor capital, both local and national comedians come to Fortaleza to learn their trade. Comedy shows are a pillar of its tourist appeal, drawing three million spectators per year. Let’s land at Fortaleza and see a show tonight. The General Aviation terminal is on the north side of the runway, opposite from the commercial terminal. Documentation The flightplan can be found here. Aircraft This route runs 525nm and is designed for GA aircraft. We need a fast-cruise of about 250kts. Some GA favorites include the Beech King Air, Beech Starship, Daher TBM, Piaggio Avanti, and the Pilatus PC-12. I’ll choose the Piaggio. 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: Natal Aluzio Alves [SBSG]. eduardoqueiroz João Pessoa [SBJP]. florencioluan Recife Guararapes [SBRF]. eduardoqueiroz Campina Grande [SBKG]. eduardoqueiroz Caicó [SNKK]. ZNScenerys Mossoró [SBMS]. ZNScenerys Fortaleza Pinto Martins [SBFZ]. aeromaia You can get the freeware airport 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 1:00pm local for April 22, 2026. We typically prefer real weather. This is the rainy season and we might expect some clouds. Multiplayer Particulars Date and time: Wednesday, April 22, 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!

Got Friends Monster NXCub for 2024. Updated Model and Avionics If you want to use the Got Friends Monster NXCub in 2024, you probably want v1.05 released for 10-07-2025. This is available as freeware at the Got Friends store website (https://www.got-friends.com/ ). Go to the Addons Freeware page (https://www.got-friends.com/collections/freeware ). Note that you “buy” the aircraft at a price of $0.00. In addition you probably want to use the current version of the Working Title avionics and will need an addon Garmin Navigation Suite Fixes by EnsiFerrum (https://flightsim.to/addon/90590/garmin-navigation-suite-fixes ). Download and extract the zipfile to find the folder “zEnsiFerrum-GF-Monster-NXCub-G3XTouch-V2”. Put that in your community folder (or use AddonsLinker). [For extra convenience, check your email.]

@SquadronLeader I raised this question in the Just Flight Black Square Caravan forum and Nick answered with a rich discussion. You might want to read this response to get a sense of what is at stake. In the end, he indicated that he might consider enabling a way to access the default Asobo assignments … in a future revision.

Two Kingdoms. NOTAM Here is a just-released version of Bumthang (VQBM) airport. This is just slightly better than the older FS2020 version in the official announcement and the download package. It is native FS2024 and it includes a few more airport buildings and a couple of the Dzongs (fortresses) in the hills. (And the first-time author is modeling this after a recent personal visit and photographs.) As near as I can tell, you will like either version. I’ll go with this later version simply because it reflects the author’s personal visit. Bumthang Bathpalathang [VQBT]. JohnPaulJ

Two Kingdoms of the Himalaya. Bhutan and Nepal For Wednesday, March 25, 2026 Michael MacKuen Today we shall enjoy flying in the mountains of Bhutan and Nepal. Through the twentieth century, these were remote kingdoms tucked into the Himalayas. Bhutan was small, Buddhist, essentially cut off from the outside world, and then made a tranquil transition to a constitutional monarchy. Nepal was much larger, largely Hindu, with more worldly experience, and made a violent transition to a multi-party democratic government. Current Bhutan is a small (800,000) well governed state with universal health care and education. It relies on subsistence agriculture. While it famously emphasizes happiness over economic development, it remains poor. And it is losing tens of thousands from the well-educated younger generation who are seeking jobs elsewhere. Nepal is much larger (30 million) but also is mainly agricultural and poor. And the country’s vital and once booming tourism sector has slowed down. Fully a quarter of its GDP is based on remittances from Nepalese working abroad. Our job is to fulfil a grant to spread happiness to the mountains of Nepal. The goal is driven by an understanding that the purpose of life is not just to succeed, but to be kind, mindful and content. Accordingly , we shall transport multiple shipping cases of Mindfulness, Compassion, and Simplicity, along with monks who help mix the dosages, to chosen villages in eastern Nepal. [This is a whimsical fantasy project. Apologies.] Our flight will begin in the mountains of eastern Bhutan, pass through the challenging international airport at Paro, and then visit a number of mountain village airstrips in eastern Nepal. We end at the legendary airport Lukla Tenzing-Hillary, the gateway to Mt. Everest. Depart from Kangel Danda into the Open Air We start in the mountains of Bhutan’s Himalaya range at “interesting” Yonphula [YQTY], the only airport for the eastern side of the country. This was haphazardly built on an unused military strip for a 2011 inauguration. Initial flights raised alarms. The runway was too steep, the tarmac required resurfacing, nearby hillocks wreaked havoc with crosswinds, and a fire facility had to be constructed. The airport’s re-opening for regular commercial flights was delayed until 2017. Even now, perched on a 8400ft mountain ridge, the airport can be challenging. Its use is limited to the morning hours due to the strong winds that typify local afternoons and access can be restricted by high-altitude weather systems. After admiring the views, we depart for Bumthang [VQBT] (also Bathpalathang) located in a high narrow valley. Dotted with monasteries, temples and Buddhist sacred sites, Bumthang is the spiritual and cultural heartland of Bhutan. Then west with lovely views of the spectacular snow-covered mountains to the north. Here lie some of the world’s highest unclimbed peaks – the region is protected by national parks which prohibit mountain climbing in deference to local traditional beliefs. Entering the western third of the country, we pass over the nation’s capital and largest city Thimphu [TIMPU]. (At about 115,000, its population constitutes about one seventh of the nation’s.) We continue and land at Paro [VQPR], Bhutan’s one major international airport. Surrounded by 18,000ft peaks and nestled in a deep twisting valley, this is considered one of the world’s most daunting approaches. Originally an Indian Armed Forces helicopter base, it was developed with a modest passenger building and a short runway – which limited its first airline service to the Dornier 228 in 1983. With Indian financial support, Paro became a modern jet airport. Nowadays, it has a 7,431ft runway, multiple services buildings, a revamped artistic terminal building, and traffic of about 20 flights a day. It remains a daylight airport with no on-field navaids. A westward climbing departure takes us over India’s Sikkim into Nepal to land at Taplejung Suketar [VNTJ]. The preferred runway is 07, but 25 will work if the weather requires. Many small Nepalese airports were blacktopped in the mid-2010s and now are better all-season fields. Suketar normally has weekly Nepal Airlines DHC-6 flights to and from Kathmandu and allows trekkers to enjoy the mountains of eastern Nepal. Next is Tumlingtar [VNTR] whose runway is both lower and longer. It serves bigger turboprops and is a fairly busy regional tourist hub with six airlines providing flights to Kathmandu and elsewhere. (In 2022 we visited this area to see the fascinating cultural trek that Jeff’s brother took in October of that year. See Nepal Trek.) Further west, we visit Khanidanda [NVKD] (mislabeled Bhojpur in the sim). These regular air connections to Kathmandu are essential for many remote regions including the Diktel district here. (This field requires Rwy 08 for landing.) And then Rumjatar [VNRT], another STOL hub that supports its region as well as the larger town Siddhicharan. Turning northeast we visit a nearby hilltop strip that poses a different challenge. Kangel Danda [VNKL] lost its regular service in 2017 (but its neighboring villages are hoping for a resuscitation). It is on our list for the sport of its landing and is therefore optional. Our penultimate stop is Phaplu [VNPL], a prosperous small town with a regional school. Nowadays, it not only serves the local area but acts as a more distant access point for Mount Everest – a less expensive option. (Ryan Air Everest airport?) Finally, we reach our famous final destination Lukla [VNLK]. There are airports with shorter runways, ones with steeper runways, and ones at higher elevation. But nothing really compares with this very busy tourist airport that requires real airmanship to skillfully execute the approach and landing on a day-to-day basis. (While there is a nice payware model for Lukla, let’s stick with the default hand-crafted rendition so that everyone is at the same altitude when we arrive. More fun to share the experience.) This trip should allow us to enjoy some stunning scenery. And several of the airports will provide some visual stimulation as they are sited on mountaintops. But these are routinely visited by twin-engined passenger transports: they are not quite PNG-style challenges. Except for Lukla… So let’s have some fun. Documentation The flightplan can be found here. We prefer real weather. Aircraft This route runs 320nm. We probably want something that might carry passengers or cargo in this sort of high-altitude STOL environment. And we need a fast-cruise of about 160kts. Commercial flights in Bhutan and Nepal are routinely flown by ATR airliners and DHC-6/Do-228 aircraft. We might try the DHC-6 Twin Otter or a Cessna 208 Caravan or a Daher Kodiak or perhaps a Cessna 408 SkyCourier. This route was designed with the Cessna 208 Caravan in mind. As ever, fly what you like. Additional Scenery Many but not all of the airports are in the default simulator. (Yonphula and Bumthang Bathpalathang are not in the default and are thus required downloads.) Lukla and Paro are Asobo-handcrafted. While both are good renditions, you probably want kychungdotcom’s current revision of 2024 Paro. I recommend the following freeware addon airport packages. Thanks to these fine authors for their talent and efforts. Recommended: Trashigang Yonphula [VQTY]. tomlaut1080 Bumthang Bathpalathang [VQBT]. kychungdotcom Paro 2024 [VQPR]. kychungdotcom Nepal Bushstrip Upgrade Pack. kychungdotcom Kangel Danda [VNKL]. alpinebravo One unusual library (for VNKL) is Sergio Del Rosso’s SDR Himalaya Pack (250mb), here for VNKL. You may already have this. Recommended but not necessary. You can get the freeware airport 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 8:00am local for March 25, 2026. We typically prefer real weather. Multiplayer Particulars Date and time: Wednesday, March 25, 2026. 1800 UTC (1900CET, 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! [Note that North American Daylight Savings Time starts on March 8, 2026. European Daylight Savings Time begins March 29, 2026.]

For a reminder of what was done earlier (FS9 & FSX), you might take a look at California Classics. This was an absolutely wonderful experience of the sort that you are proposing. This was probably easier to do in the FS9 environment where the expectations of aircraft and scenery models were lower and more of the experience was left to the simmer’s imagination. But perhaps an inspiration for today.

Flight Over the Solomons For Saturday, March 7, 2026 Michael MacKuen Today we shall take a look at the historic Solomons Campaign (1942-1944). During World War II, this was the extended conflict in the Solomon Islands, between Rabaul and Guadalcanal, in which the Allies halted and reversed the forces of the Japanese Empire. In late 1942, the Japanese seemed invincible and the efforts of the Allied soldiers, sailors, and airmen were seen as doomed to failure. By early 1944, the tide had turned and the Allies were on their way to victory. For fun, we shall treat this week’s event as a loose reenactment of flying during that time. Several of our airports are imaginary recreations of the military airfields – with ships, vehicles, and aircraft from the era. A few sceneries are renditions of important historic airfields shown in their present state. And a few are bare-bones default representations. And again for fun, this is an opportunity for some, but not everyone, to fly historic warbirds of that time and place. We will be flying “the Slot.” Black Sheep on the beach at Vella Lavella We begin at Seghe [AGGS] on the eastern coast of New Georgia Island. After defeating the Japanese in their efforts to retake Guadalcanal, the Allies (mostly Americans here) began the long journey to the war’s end with a full-scale landing on the western side of New Georgia. The goal was the vital airfield at Munda Point which the Japanese had built and developed in 1942 as a support field for their Guadalcanal campaign. Before launching the invasion, the Americans first built a rough strip at Segi Point to support the operations in the west. We shall fly from this small strip to Munda* [AGGM] which, after a shockingly difficult month-long battle, was captured and rebuilt as a major base of operations in the region. (The * indicates a re-created WWII airfield. The details in these representative but somewhat fanciful recreations are worth a close look.) We next stop at Gizo* [AGGN] airstrip – located on the narrow Nusatupe Island just offshore from the country’s second-biggest town. The wartime landing ground was built by leveling two small islands and joining them with excavated material. (After enjoying some modernization, this field continues in service today. In 2023, it won an award for “best airstrip in the South Pacific.”) On the approach, we pass near Plum Pudding Island and over Olasana and Naru Islands from which the PT-109 crew (led by Lieutenant Kennedy) were rescued in August 1943. And then on to Barakoma Airfield* [AGBA] on Vella Lavella. After the costly seizure of Munda, the Americans’ initial plans to take the large Japanese garrison and airfield on Kolombangara were quickly revised. Just a bit further west was lightly-defended Vella Lavella Island on which Marines and Seabees landed in August 1943. The airfield was operational by September and fully developed by November. For the next 6 months it hosted a Navy F6F squadron and a half dozen Marine F4U squadrons including the famous VMF-214 Black Sheep of Pappy Boyington. We follow up with another strip built by the Americans. In October-November 1943 the 3rd New Zealand Division captured Mono in the Treasury Islands as a potential base for attacks on Rabaul. The project focused on adjacent Stirling Island where the Seabees did their magic. Within a month the airfield became operational for multiple USAAF squadrons of P-38s and B-25s in the campaign to neutralize Rabaul. While most of the airbase is now gone, the airstrip remains in use by Solomon Airlines. We land at the contemporary Mono [AGGO]. Then we make a quick hop to the Shortland Islands and Ballale Island [AGGE]. In 1942 the Japanese captured the island and built a major operational airfield with a resurfaced runway and matted taxiway loops and revetments. By early 1943, the airfield was a busy forward base for bombers and fighters of both the Navy and Army with up to 95 combat aircraft on the island. For construction, they used more than 500 prisoners captured during the siege of Singapore. Tragically, a number of men died due to harsh working conditions and many more were killed when the Allies bombed the airfield and hit the prisoners’ camp. The remaining few men were executed under orders to eliminate the prisoners if the island were to be taken. In the event, the island was bypassed. We continue to the main island of Bougainville to execute a low-pass or touch-and-go at Buin [AYUI], a Japanese-built military airbase. In early April 1943, the thoughtful, capable and widely-revered Admiral Isoruku Yamamoto took personal command over a massive two-week air campaign (I-Go). The first wave combined 150 aircraft from Rabaul with 200 aircraft from the carrier fleet dispersed to Buka, Buin and Kahili on Bougainville and at Ballale. The strategic goal was to halt the Allied offensive momentum and gain time to build up the defenses around the naval stronghold at Rabaul. Apparently successful, the operation was concluded and on April 18 Yamamoto personally flew from Rabaul to congratulate the pilots at Ballale. American intelligence got the details of his flight and USAAF P-38s intercepted the aircraft and shot down and killed Yamamoto during Operation Vengeance. The interception took place near Buin airfield. As the Allies advanced, they needed an airbase that could more effectively operate against Rabaul. On November 1, 1943, the US Navy and Marines conducted an amphibious landing at Empress Augusta Bay – on the lightly defended west coast of Bougainville. Seabees immediately started construction of Torokina and made the airfield operational in 40 days. The single runway was surfaced with Marston matting and was primarily used by fighters – of the USN, USMC, USAAF, and the RNZAF On December 30, Piva Airfield was opened just north. One runway (Piva Yoke) became the main bomber field and a second runway (Piva Uncle) augmented the initial fighter capacity. These three airfields proved critical to the eventual neutralization of Rabaul – because they put the massive Japanese base of operations within range of the Allies’ tactical fighters and bombers. We can land at either Torokina* [AGBK] or Piva Torokina* [TOK] (The Piva Fighter Strip is marked by waypoint [PIVAF].) The beachside airstrip AGBK is slightly shorter but more scenic! (Pick AGBK and Runway 09/27.) A low pass over the unchosen nearby strip would be appreciated by the men who prepared the airfield… We visit two adjacent airfields at the northern tip of Bougainville. First we execute a low-pass or touch-and-go at the Japanese auxiliary field Bonin* [ABON] on the Bonin Peninsula. And then, just across the narrow Buka Passage, we land at Buka [AYBK] which remains in service as the island’s main commercial airport. These two airfields were maintained in active status as forward airfields with relatively small resident components (up to 36 aircraft) but always ready as a staging ground for Rabaul-based aircraft to conduct operations to the south. (These were constant threats to the fighter-bomber complex at Torokina.) The airstrips were regularly attacked by the Allies but eventually bypassed as the campaign against Rabaul came to a conclusion. Finally, we fly 150nm to cross New Ireland and land at the northern tip of New Britain to see Rabaul itself. We first land at Tokua [AYTK] which was one of the naval stronghold’s outlying airfields. Rabaul and its airport were located at the foot of the very active Tavurvur volcano before a 1994 eruption destroyed the town and the airport. The provincial capital was moved to Kokopo and the main airfield was relocated here at Tokua, on the opposite side of the extended Rabaul caldera. After a moment, we fly 9nm to the southwest to execute a low-pass or touch-and-go at Tobera* [PTO] which was another of the Japanese outlying airfields – here it is depicted in a minimalist WWII form. Then 12nm to the northwest, over Simpson Harbour, we reach Rabaul Lakunai* [AYRB] which was the main airfield for the Japanese naval fortress during WWII. After the war, this continued as the town’s main commercial field until the devasting 1994 eruption. Through 1942 and 1943 and early 1944, Rabaul was the central operational center for the Imperial Japanese Navy in the region. It was defended by 110,000 troops and Simpson Harbour was often filled with warships and transports. The main airbase at Lakunai was supported with 5 outlying airfields and the air fleet numbered 100-300 combat aircraft. It was from Rabaul that most the aircraft for the Guadalcanal campaign were flown – 4 hours out before engaging in combat and 4 hours back. It was the home base for the legendary Tainan Air Group which included the singular Saburo Sakai, the charismatic Hiroyoshi Nishizawa, their amiable friend top scoring ace Toshio Ota, and their exceptional squadron commander Junichi Sasai. Over Guadalcanal, Ota and Sasai were killed and Sakai was very seriously wounded. The Allies decided not to seize Rabaul but instead to neutralize it and bypass it. Establishing air and naval bases around the stronghold, from November 1943 they conducted increasingly massive aerial attacks on the harbor and airfields. The IJN warships departed in November after a number were sunk. The Japanese Navy then decided to reinforce the air fleet with planes and experienced pilots from their carriers and then brought in even more planes to establish an effective air defense. But the constant loss of planes and especially the loss of trained pilots threatened to wipe out the Navy’s air wing. Finally in February 1944, the Navy flew the airplanes to Truk and tried to evacuate the highly skilled maintenance staff – whose transport ship was sunk on departure. Without warships or aircraft, and under constant aerial bombardment, “fortress Rabaul” became “prison Rabaul” as the troops could not escape. We can celebrate the courage and skill and sacrifices of the airmen who participated on both sides of this campaign as well as deeply grieve the human tragedy of war. Documentation The flightplan can be found here. We prefer real weather. Aircraft This route runs 485nm. The event asks for fast aircraft and encourages flights in warbirds of the time and place. Some popular choices include: the Grumman F4F Wildcat, Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, Mitsubishi A6M Zero, Lockheed P-38 Lightning, Vought F4U Corsair, and the Grumman F6F Hellcat. (Also welcome would be the “period-adjacent” Hawker Hurricane, Supermarine Spitfire, Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, and North American P-51 Mustang.) Pilots who prefer a more modern flight will need aircraft capable of 240kts fast cruise – say a Daher TBM or Pilatus PC-12 or Beechcraft King Air. Many of these historic aircraft can be difficult to master, and we have little currency in warbirds. But this is a good time to have some fun getting acquainted and reacquainted. I’ll probably start with the F4U and maybe turn to the F6F or the P-38. As ever, fly what you like. Additional Scenery Many but not all of the airports are in the default simulator. (Barakoma, Torokina, Bonis, Tobera, and Lakunai are not in the default simulator and are thus required downloads.) I recommend the following freeware addon airport packages. Thanks to these fine authors for their talent and efforts. Recommended: Seghe [AGGS]. dciskey Munda WWII [AGGM]. Tag21 Gizo WWII [AGGN]. Tag22 Barokoma (Vella Lavella) WWII [AGBA]. TAG21 Mono [AGGO]. bltv Torokina WWII [AGBK]. Tag21 Bonis WWII [ABON]. smwwwin Buka (2024) [AYBK]. Mountainair Tokua Rabaul (2024) [AYTK]. Mountainair Tobera Rabaul WWII [PTO]. smwwwin Lakunai Rabaul WWII [AYRB]. Tag21 You can get the freeware airport package here. The package also includes freeware creations that are difficult to find. Libraries. You may have some of these already. The large “Vintage Aircraft Collector Library V2” provides a number of aircraft for the constructed sceneries. And, despite the huge size, the “WW2 Naval Air Station Midway” is well worth the download for this event. (If you are diskspace constrained, you might download and then wipe it after the flight.) IPDC Vehicles Library. Amarillon IPDC Scenery Objects Library. Amarillon Dave’s 3D People. BadMed Dave’s Seaplane Base Objects Library. BadMed Dave’s Higher-Res Crooked Library. BadMed Animated Human 3D Models Library. superspud Palm Tree Library. ChrisPiAviation Vintage Aircraft Collector Library V2. Totof33120 [788 MB] WW2 Naval Air Station Midway circa 1942. johnnypropeller [1.61 GB! Worth the download for this event.] Time and Weather For takeoff on Saturday, set the simulator at 8:00am local for March 7, 2026. We typically prefer real weather. Multiplayer Particulars Date and time: Saturday, March 7, 2026. 1900 UTC (2000CET, 1400EST, 1100PST) 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! [Not relevant here, but note that North American Daylight Savings Time starts on March 8, 2026. European Daylight Savings Time begins March 29, 2026.]

Not much help here. I have not flown the Corsair for a couple of years. Activated it and got into the aircraft in FS2024, starting on the runway (and thus not doing a startup). The RPM and Oil Temperature gauges work (and do seem to work properly) in a quick around the pattern takeoff and landing. I did not test a longer flight. This is the Blackbird (Milviz) FG-1D Corsair v1.2.0_210812 which I originally installed in September 2022. So knowing “it works for me” is not much help other than saying that this particular version does work in FS2024.

Hi @Jack_Sawyer. The A2A guys are pretty much the same team than has held together over the years. And their customer support remains good. I’m surprised to hear a serious complaint – I’ve been monitoring their forums for a number of years: surely they do not satisfy everyone but they typically do respond and try to help. Did you get a chance to post your help request on the A2A forums for Accusim 2.0? Comanche 250 for MSFS and Comanche 250 for MSFS Tech Support. BTW, I did try the 2024 native Comanche and the fueling process works when you use the A2A Comanche tablet application. (I know that “it works for me” doesn’t help much other than indicate that this is not a general bug.) So it may be something subtle for your particular circumstance. (Or maybe a WASM problem that Microsoft may have fixed yesterday?) Best wishes working this out.

NOTAM. 2026-02-16 0340 UTC. If you downloaded the flightplans before 0300 UTC on Monday, 2026-02-16, please download again. The newer flightplans include a few minor tweaks to make the path through the mountains more clear. The basics remain the same. (If necessary or convenient, you can still use the original formulations.)

PNG Eastern Highlands. Missionary Pilots Part 2 For Wednesday, February 18, 2026 Michael MacKuen This morning we continue flying through a southern part of the Eastern Highlands. Again, we visit airstrips that are part of the circuits of several missionary aviation teams, Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF), Ethnos360 Aviation (of Ryan Ferran and Missionary Bush Pilot), Adventist Aviation, and SIL Aviation. This time we fly a circle roughly counter-clockwise east-to-west from Aiyura back to Goroka. Again, this flight features a mixture of Ken Hall’s Highland Bush Strips Pack 3 and Highland Bush Strips Pack 4 (payware at Orbx). Out of Sindeni Another early morning departure takes us to Tarabo [TB], one of the early-days Australian government stations and thus centers of western contact. No longer a remote site, it enjoys a paved road connection to the population centers of PNG. The community is now the location of Tarabo Lutheran High School. A small sweet story: it has benefited from a student project, initiated at the University of Goroka, which built a large water storage and pumping system that serves both the school and the community. We move on to Owena [AYWW] and Aziana [AYLA]. Here is a visitor’s description of his accompanying an Ethnos360 Kodiak pilot’s flights to Aziana (with video of landing and takeoff) and Owena (both landing and takeoff). Both of these strips will be interesting if not fascinating. They are steep and short. Aziana is more difficult (in real life it requires some special training) and thus made optional for either a landing or a low-pass. We then turn to Gema [AYGM] with its increasingly uphill pitch (19%) to a smallish parking area at the top. This strip lies only 4nm east of our previous stop at Simogu. See INSANELY STEEP Mountain Runway Takeoff [Extended Cut]. (Long video. If you have the time, enjoy the villagers’ pride in their runway improvements and in their newly built tourist guest house.) Next we head southeast through the Marawaka Gap and descend to the valley floor for a landing at Marawaka [AYMW]. This is another old Australian station which was for many years known for its tremendous natural beauty. With the subsequent movement away of government offices, the village has lost much of its economic momentum and fallen on hard times. Nevertheless, locals remain optimistic for the future. After landing, we turn back west along the valley to land at Sindeni [AYDY], a fairly busy airstrip with sometimes multiple flights a day. For a flight into the strip, see The Worst Place Ever to Crash a Plane. The village serves as a local center with several schools and a clinic. (For some local sights, see the first 5 minutes of this video.) In addition, the relatively easy 7% sloped runway makes Sindeni a favorite training field for several of the missionary flight organizations. We continue along the valley to land at Boikoa Airstrip [AYOI], an isolated village that relies on aviation (now mostly MAF flights) for access to supplies and medical care. (Here is a 13-year-old grainy film of an Aiyura-based SIL flight into Boikoa for a coffee pickup.) Then a quick flight over the mountains to Simbari [AYQB]. (For a brief look at the airstrip, see the first few minutes of Most Pilots Will Never Fly a Trip Like This.) This was once a very remote valley that was slow to turn away from traditional customs. As late as the mid-20th century the Simbari valley social structure was a strongly reinforced patriarchy. Young boys were separated from their mothers and intimately initiated into manhood and for years kept separate in a special boys accommodation. The implicit aim was to cultivate a strong male warrior class that could succeed in more-or-less continual low-scale warfare with neighboring tribes. At the turn into the 21st century, this culture became more “modern.” Contact with the rest of New Guinea brought schooling, job opportunities, missionary values, commercial coffee agriculture … and the government’s suppression of routine tribal warfare. Nowadays boys and girls grow up together and their differential roles have evolved into something like normal world-standards. (See the original anthropological research summary [open the abstract] and a Wiki update about the valley’s relatively quick modernization.) We fly 34nm west to the Gulf Province’s tropical lowlands and Wabo [AYWB] on the Purari River. Wabo was another of the Australian Patrol stations that is now a PNG government district station with newly developed police and administrative facilities. (The police stations in nearby districts were burnt down by locals.) For several years the airstrip has served as a regional MAF flight center. Wabo is the destination of this Garoka-sourced flight SPECTACULAR Low Level JUNGLE FLIGHT in Papua New Guinea. We turn to the north to reach Haia [AYHA], a regular on the MAF circuit. This is a remote village in the Crater Mountain Wildlife Management area – accessible primarily by air. The village has long been a focal point for missionary work among local tribes. The small airfield is perched on a low ridgeline surrounded by higher terrain that makes for an potentially fascinating circling approach. For the challenge of working out a safe mountainous approach though low-lying scattered clouds, see How to Stay Alive PROCEED WITH CAUTION. We turn north through the Maimafu Gap to land at Mengina Airstrip [AYEG]. And then up through the Tua Valley to Kora [AYOZ]. Next up through the higher hills is Nomane [AYNO]. The Lutheran mission has been there since the 1971. All three airstrips are on the MAF and/or Adventist circuits. Finally, we fly back to the “big city” Goroka [AGYA], landing on Runway 35R to exit to the right onto the General Aviation center. The two northern hangars are operated by Ethnos360 (NTM) Aviation and Adventist Aviation. And at the south end of the GA tarmac is Pacific Helicopters. Documentation The flightplan can be found here. We prefer real weather. Aircraft This route runs 200nm and includes many difficult mountain airports. The event asks for “cargo aircraft” with some STOL capability. Some popular choices include: the Brittan-Norman Islander, Cessna C185, Cessna Caravan, Daher Kodiak, DHC-6 Twin Otter, PAC 750, and Pilatus PC-6. (The DHC-4 Caribou should work but it may be too large for this mission.) I shall probably take the Blackbird-Milviz PC-6. As ever, fly what you like. Additional Scenery Most of the airports are in the default simulator. However, we want to use Ken Hall’s Highland Bush Strips Pack 3 and Highland Bush Strips Pack 4 (payware at Orbx) to enhance the experience. (You want both packages for Part 2, this week. This will be a mix of both packages as in Part 1, two weeks ago.) In addition, I recommend the following freeware addon airport packages. Thanks to these fine authors for their talent and efforts. Recommended: Aiyura [AYAY]. SkyborneVisions (from a previous flight) Owena [AYWW]. Photosbykev Aziana [AYLA]. Photosbykev Wabo [AYWB]. ardeef Goroka [AYGA]. FPASC52 (from a previous flight) You can get the freeware package here, and an extra package here. The packages also include freeware airports that are difficult to find. (The “extra” package includes freeware for Gemi [AYGM] by Photosbykev and Sindeni [AYDY] by Milosanx – useful for those not purchasing the Ken Hall payware packages.) Time and Weather For takeoff on Wednesday, set the simulator at 7:00am local for February 18, 2026. We typically prefer real weather. Multiplayer Particulars Date and time: Wednesday, February 18, 2026. 1900 UTC (2000CET, 1400EST, 1100PST) 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!