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Flatland Flying 1. Duluth and the Twin Cities For Saturday, June 27, 2026 Michael MacKuen This afternoon we shall explore parts of the American Upper Midwest. Starting in northern Minnesota, we fly from Duluth south over the Wisconsin-Minnesota land of forests and lakes to the Twin Cities. Changing to helicopters, we take a look at the new photogrammetric “TIN” cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Then fly aircraft again south to the Mayo Clinic and east to La Crosse on the Mississippi. Not many mountains today. Won a Free Sample on the Cirrus Factory Tour We begin with Duluth on the western shore of Lake Superior. This city was a fur-trading center and frontier town until the last half of the nineteenth century. The explosion of mining in the Iron Range and increased lumbering combined with the opening of the Great Lakes passage to the Atlantic and the arrival of the railroads. Duluth became an almost instant success as a port that carried iron ore, coal, lumber, and grain to the Great Lakes region and to the broader world overseas. Nowadays, with diminished mining (due to exhaustion of the richest ore deposits and the decline of the US steel industry), commodity shipping has become more a steady enterprise rather than a booming industry. The city remains the main center for commerce and tourism in the region. We start at Duluth International [KDLH] which is especially important for the local economy as it is the main headquarters and production plant for Cirrus Aircraft. The SR series has been a great success and Cirrus is the largest producer of piston-powered aircraft (since 2013) and now the world’s third largest aviation manufacturer by unit-volume. For our flight, we have a free use of an SR22T if we like. You can go to the delivery office near GA Parking 15 in the freeware scenery. (The Cirrus is not required for this flight. Please fly what you like.) On the northeast side of the airport is a Minnesota Air National Guard unit that includes the long-distinguished 179th Fighter Squadron flying F-16s. After takeoff we fly south to the St. Louis River and fly along the docks and harbor that made Duluth famous. At the new aquarium, we turn to fly over (or through) the Aerial Lift Bridge and the Duluth shipping canal. Then south along Minnesota Point and Superior Harbor before executing a touch-and-go at Sky Harbor Airport [KDYT]. We then proceed south over the forests and lakes of northern Wisconsin with stops at the beautifully-sited small airfields at Voyager Village [9WN2] (a fly-in golf resort) and Shell Lake [KSSQ]. And southwest to the Minnesota border to land at Osceola Simenstad [KOEO]. We complete this portion of our trip by visiting the Twin Cities northern suburbs with a touch-and-go at Blaine’s Anoka County-Blaine [KANE] and then a full-stop landing at Brooklyn Park’s Crystal [KMIC]. These are two very busy General Aviation airports with many businesses and many locally-based aircraft. At Crystal, we switch to helicopters (or low-and-slow aircraft) in order to explore the Twin Cities in more detail. First is Minneapolis, the larger and more corporate and better-resourced of the two. When we approach the Mississippi River, we see the newly designed Lowry Avenue Bridge, and then Target Field (MLB baseball) and the Target Center (NBA basketball). Next we fly between the tall skyscrapers of downtown, with waypoints for Target’s Corporate Headquarters and the government center. On down to the Mississippi River where we get a sense of city’s past. The prime real estate of Nicolette Island, once rundown, has been preserved for limited development. Then St Anthony Falls which was once the center of the growing 19th century town where it supplied power for the flour and lumber mills that made the city a success. We circle back at the Univ of Minnesota steam plant to see the modernist Guthrie Theater (a leader in the national movement to revive local theater). A short distance south is the US Bank Stadium, the new and massive indoor NFL football stadium. Next is the optional helipad at the Henepin County Medical Center [9MN9]. We continue southwest to pass the Minneapolis Convention Center and then pivot at the Walker Art Center, a national treasure of modern and contemporary art. Next is the locally impressive Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia). Heading toward the river, we pass over the West Bank of the University of Minnesota (UM) and its social sciences buildings. Crossing the river, we can land at the helipad at the University of Minnesota Hospital [MY65]. Next is the large central campus of the University of Minnesota and then the NCAA basketball arena and football stadium. We continue east over railyards, highways, and residential neighborhoods, passing Alianz Field (MLS soccer), before getting to St. Paul, the second of the Twin Cities. In quick succession, we pass over St. Paul Cathedral, the Grand Casino Arena (NHL ice hockey), and the St. Paul RiverCentre (the convention center that just hosted the 2026 Flightsim Expo!). We pivot a half-mile north to see the State Capitol (and the state government buildings) and then back to look at the substantial St. Paul downtown. (On the edge is a marker for the downtown Fitzgerald Theater, not well-modeled, which for 40 years hosted live public radio performances of Garrison Keillor’s Prairie Home Companion.) We pass over CHS Field (St. Paul’s tiny minor league ballpark that surprisingly leads the nation in minor league attendance.) Then we cross the river to land at St. Paul Downtown Holman Field [KSTP]. This is mostly a GA airport for local businesses and pilots as well as the Minnesota Army National Guard. It is named after a 1920’s barnstormer/stunt-pilot/airmail-pilot/airline-pilot who once set a world record of 1,433 consecutive loops in an airplane during five hours over the St. Paul airport. After a moment, we continue southwest along the Mississippi River to historic Fort Snelling, on the bluffs of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers, which was the early nineteenth century attraction that caused the Twin Cities to spawn here. We now use our special contacts to fly directly over Minneapolis-St. Paul International and request permission to “buzz the tower” to salute one of the distinguished members of the AVSIM community. We divert south to circle around the Mall of America – the largest shopping mall in the United States and the western hemisphere (but only 12th in the world!). We land at Minneapolis-St. Paul [KSMP] to transfer to fixed-wing aircraft. We reconvene at the Signature Aviation FBO just south of the intersection of Rwys 12-30 and 04-22 – near GA Parking 170 in the freeware KMSP. Our next leg is along the Mississippi to Red Wing Regional [KRGK] in Wisconsin across the river from Red Wing in Minnesota. This is home to Red Wing Shoes and the world’s biggest boot [size 638½]. Then south 34nm to fly over Rochester and the center of the Mayo Clinic – the hospitals and research facilities are scattered over the city and constitute one of the very best medical facilities in the world. The Clinic draws patients from around the world. We land at Rochester International [KRST]. Our final destination is just east of the Mississippi in Wisconsin, La Crosse Regional [KLSE]. This riverboat town lies in a flat valley surrounded by 500-foot bluffs. This is the Driftless region, composed of high ridges dissected by narrow valleys. Early French explorers named it after the game that Native Americans played with sticks resembling a Bishop’s staff, la crosse in French. During the 19th century, the city grew as it developed two industries, lumber mills and breweries. Nowadays La Crosse is a fair-sized regional city whose residents delight in their friendly small town atmosphere. Documentation The flightplan can be found here. Aircraft This route runs 319nm and is designed for GA aircraft. We want planes that can fast-cruise at about 155-160kts. I shall probably fly the Asobo/WT Cirrus SR22T in the default Baja Turquoise livery. The Twin City tour is best flown in a helicopter. I’ll take the Huey. 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: Duluth International [KDLH]. 2024. MNSceneryDesign Sky Harbor [KDYT]. MNSceneryDesign [touch-and-go] Voyager Village [9WN2]. spidermanMN Shell Lake Municipal [KSSQ]. Windhover Simenstad Municipal [KOEO]. spidermanMN Anoka Co-Blaine [KANE]. 2024. NoseNugget71 [touch-and-go] Crystal [KMIC]. spidermanMN St Paul Downtown Holman Field [KSTP]. 2024. MNSceneryDesign Minneapolis-St Paul International [KMSP]. 2024. connomar Red Wing Regional [KRGK]. spidermanMN Rochester [KRST]. 2024. MNSceneryDesign La Crosse Regional [KLSE]. 2024. BullfrogSim Minneapolis St Paul Heliports for MSFS2024. flymidwest 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.) There is an excellent payware Minneapolis-St. Paul [KMSP] by Flightbeam. (It is currently on sale at Orbx.) That said, the above listed freeware is perfectly fine for our purposes. Time and Weather For takeoff on Saturday, set the simulator at 16:00pm local for June 27, 2026. We typically prefer real weather. Multiplayer Particulars Date and time: Saturday, June 27, 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!

And the mesh model was just right for Central Illinois. 😉

@St Mawgan Thanks!

BTW. Does anyone know if Momo has figured out to let us know when the installer has to be updated? (Other than a message somewhere on Discord...where it is hard to find that a message is not there.)

Alaska. On the Outer Edge For Wednesday, June 10, 2026 Michael MacKuen Today we shall take advantage of the approaching summer solstice to visit the remote northwest coast of Alaska, its “outer edge.” We begin at Kotzebue and visit a series of native Alaskan villages as well as a few current and former USAF coastal radar sites to reach Utqiaġvik (Barrow), the northernmost town on the North American continent. We travel through the land of the midnight sun. Dramatic Setting for Cape Lisburne Long Range Radar Station We start from Kotzebue, the largest town (3,102) and transportation hub of the Northwest Arctic Borough of Alaska. The town gets its name from Otto von Kotzebue, the Baltic German who in 1818 explored the area looking for the Northwest Passage. Kotzebue Ralph Wien [PAOT], named after the founder of Alaskan Airways, is the area’s one airport with regularly scheduled commercial flights to Anchorage and Nome. It serves as the center for local aviation on which the region’s rural communities rely. We first visit Noatak [PAWN], a small Inupiat hunting-fishing community on the west bank of the Noatak River. (The village is on the western boundary of the Noatak National Preserve which along with the Gates of the Arctic National Park constitutes the largest contiguous wilderness in the US.) Then to the coast to pass over the Red Dog Port. The Red Dog Mine is the world’s largest zinc mine. Lying 40nm to the northeast, it trucks the mined zinc as concentrate to the port for export to external smelters. Continuing, we land at Kivalina [PAVL] which is an island village that is threatened by rising sea levels and coastal erosion due to climate change. This is one of a select number of villages in the region where people hunt the bowhead whale (or Arctic whale) which is otherwise a protected species. [The bowhead has the capability to break through 8-24 inch-thick surface ice – a critical capability for whales needing to surface while swimming under arctic waters. Further, bowhead whales are the longest-living mammals with a life span over 200 years.] Of the few native settlements permitted subsistence whaling, four more lie further along our route: Point Hope, Point Lay, Wainwright, and Barrow. Point Hope [PAPO] is our next stop. This is an ancient whaling village site, one of the longest continually occupied sites in America, because the protrusion of Point Hope into the sea brought whales close to the shore. Just north on the Lisburne Peninsula is Cape Lisburne [PALU], the most northwestern point in Alaska. From 1951-1983, the USAF built and maintained a Long Range Radar System facility at Cape Lisburn Air Force Station that was part of the DEW Line network of radar sites. An assignment to one of these original sites was one of the most isolated and remote duties which an Airman could serve. In the 1980s and 1990s, the older technology was replaced with unmanned systems and the currently operating LRRS equipment (perched on top of the high cliff at Cape Lisburne) is unstaffed and remotely controlled. The runway site, nestled between imposingly steep high hills and the freezing winds and waves of the Arctic Ocean, makes for a dramatic setting. We continue to Cape Sabine [Z53] for a low pass. After many of the radar stations were decommissioned, the sites were “returned to nature.” The portrayal of Cape Sabine gives a sense of what little remains. (The modeled runway is partially strewn with boulders.) Farther along lies Point Lay [PPIZ], another whaling village. The Cold War radar equipment was modernized for the 1990s but eventually was dismantled by 2006. The gravel strip remains for public and military use. Next is Icy Cape [2AK8]. A DEW Line radar station was set up in the 1950s but it was soon decommissioned in 1963. All the military buildings and equipment have been removed but the streets and airstrip remain. We can take a quick look at the abandoned site before moving on to Wainwright [PAWI]. Wainwright is a fairly large tight-knit Inupiat community which relies on traditional subsistence hunting (whaling and caribou) as well as a rich tradition of native arts and crafts. The Cold War radar station was among the first built in 1953 and it was modernized to an unmanned LRRS facility in 1994. However this was closed in 2008. The airport continues to serve the local community with about 1,000 air operations a month. Our final destination is Utqiaġvik, formerly known as Barrow before a 2016 local referendum changed to the original name. This is the largest town (4,927) on the North Slope and the twelfth largest in Alaska. It has been home to Inupiat people (an Inuit ethnic group) for more than 1,500 years. A long-time native whaling community, in the 19th century it became part of the world-wide whaling industry. Today it continues the proud heritage with subsistence level whaling. In aviation history, Barrow is the site of the Wiley Post-Will Rogers crash in 1935. (Post was a famous round-the-world pilot and aviation pioneer. Rogers, the rodeo performer and radio personality, was perhaps the most popular man in America.) Exploring for a Trans-Siberian mail route to Russia, they made an unplanned stop while lost in foggy weather. Minutes later, an engine failure on takeoff led to their fatal crash. We shall fly just north of town to circle over the Point Barrow LRRS Airstrip [PABP] where a USAF long-range radar facility still operates. We then land at Wiley Post-Will Rogers Memorial Airport [PABR]. Documentation The flightplan can be found here. Aircraft This route runs 441nm and is designed for GA aircraft. We want planes that can fast-cruise at about 220kts. I shall probably fly a PC-12. 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: Kotzebue Ralph Wien [PAOT]. TheReal.K3V Point Hope [PAPO]. Mountainair Cape Lisburne [PALU]. Mountainair Cape Sabine [Z53]. Mountainair Point Lay [PPIZ]. Mountainair Icy Cape [2AK8]. Mountainair Wainwright [PAWI]. Mountainair Barrow Wiley Post-Will Rogers [PABR]. Sergio Del Rosso 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 10:00pm local for June 10, 2026. We typically prefer real weather. Multiplayer Particulars Date and time: Wednesday, June 10, 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!

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.