CXA001

This month with spring just around the corner, we head west for one last run down the ski hill. Departing Calgary we head for the BC interior at Castlegar. Castlegar is a community in the West Kootenay region of British Columbia, Canada. In the Selkirk Mountains, at the confluence of the Kootenay and Columbia Rivers, it is a regional trade and transportation center, with a local economy based on forestry, mining and tourism. Castlegar is home to Selkirk College, a regional airport, a pulp mill, and several sawmills and 2 of the most popular powder skiing resorts in BC, Red Mountain and Whitewater. Castlegar Airport or West Kootenay Regional Airport is not a place where you jump into your favorite tube-liner and ride the ILS in for landing. Castlegar Airport is a small regional airport with limited ramp space, and a small 15,000 sq ft passenger terminal. Due to the mountainous terrain impinging on both runway approaches, there is no possibility of a straight-in approach. The airport is therefore certified for daytime operations only, and the glideslope on approach is set to a steep 5.0 degree rather than the standard 3.0 degrees. The instrument approaches to Castlegar are considered among the most challenging of any in use at a commercial airport in North America. In 2006, Castlegar airport was developing departure procedures for nighttime operation, but as of 2010 the airport was certified for daytime operation only, so for this flight you might want to look at time offsetting your flight SIM. A $1 million program installed six beacons on the hills of the Columbia Valley that allow night-time take-offs from the airport. It is expected that this will only be used by air ambulances and medical traffic. Canadian Xpress would like to invite all pilots to join us on Saturday, March 29th at 21h00edt (Sunday 01h00z) for our March 2025 fly-in where we depart from Calgary International (CYYC) and fly to West Kootenay Regional (CYCG). One lucky Canadian Xpress® pilot* will win: • Any Just Flight Product from: *Please see Fly-In PDF for contest details and eligibility requirements. This is an open invitation to all pilots no matter what your flying experience to attend this Canadian Xpress event that will be flown on the VATSIM network. More information regarding this event including operational details, charts, optional add-on scenery and Canadian Xpress Model Sets can be viewed by visiting https://canadianxpress.ca See you all on Saturday the 29th!

Canadian Xpress is celebrating 15 years of operations and as part of those celebrations we will be flying some of the routes of our 15-Year Anniversary Tour. Over the next several months, we will pick one leg from the Tour and turn it into the monthly Challenge event. You will still have to fly the leg once for the tour and again for the challenge if you want credit for both. This month, we fly Leg 39 of the Anniversary Tour and fly from Montpellier to Marillac. Montpellier is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centers in the region of Occitania. In the Middle Ages, Montpellier was an important city of the Crown of Aragon (and was the birthplace of James I), and then of Majorca, before its sale to France in 1349. Established in 1220, the University of Montpellier is one of the oldest universities in the world and has the oldest medical school still in operation, with notable alumni such as Petrarch, Nostradamus and François Rabelais. Above the medieval city, the ancient citadel of Montpellier is a stronghold built in the seventeenth century by Louis XIII of France. Your mission is to depart from Montpellier - Mediterranee (LFMT) and fly to Rodez-Aveyron (LFCR) with any Canadian Xpress freeware or payware aircraft that is rated for both airports. Join Canadian Xpress today in order to participate as there are some great prizes to be won including: Any Aerosoft Download Product from: The March 2025 Monthly Challenge is open to all Canadian Xpress pilots from March 1st until March 29th, 2025 so join Canadian Xpress today by visiting https://canadianxpress.ca.

Halifax is the capital and most populous municipality of the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. Halifax is an economic center of Atlantic Canada, home to a concentration of government offices and private companies. Major employers include the Department of National Defense, Dalhousie University, the Halifax Shipyard, various levels of government, and the Port of Halifax. Resource industries found in rural areas of the municipality include agriculture, fishing, mining, forestry, and natural gas extraction. The first permanent European settlement in the region was on the Halifax Peninsula. The establishment of the Town of Halifax, named after the 2nd Earl of Halifax, in 1749 led to the colonial capital being transferred from Annapolis Royal. December 6, 1917, saw one of the great disasters in Canadian history, when the SS Mont-Blanc, a French cargo ship carrying munitions, collided with the Belgian Relief vessel SS Imo in "The Narrows" between upper Halifax Harbour and Bedford Basin. The resulting explosion, the Halifax Explosion, devastated the Richmond District in the North End of Halifax, killing approximately 2,000 people and injuring nearly 9,000 others. The blast was the largest artificial explosion before the development of nuclear weapons. Significant aid came from Boston, strengthening the bond between the two coastal cities. Canadian Xpress would like to invite all pilots to join us on Saturday, February 22nd at 21h00est (Sunday 02h00z) for our February 2025 fly-in where we depart from Halifax Stanfield International (CYHZ) to Boston Logan International (KBOS). One lucky Canadian Xpress® pilot* will win: • Any Just Flight Product from: *Please see Fly-In PDF for contest details and eligibility requirements. This is an open invitation to all pilots no matter what your flying experience to attend this Canadian Xpress event that will be flown on the VATSIM network. More information regarding this event including operational details, charts, optional add-on scenery and Canadian Xpress Model Sets can be viewed by visiting https://canadianxpress.ca See you all on Saturday the 22nd!

Canadian Xpress is celebrating 15 years of operations and as part of those celebrations we will be flying some of the routes of our 15-Year Anniversary Tour. Over the next several months, we will pick one leg from the Tour and turn it into the monthly Challenge event. You will still have to fly the leg once for the tour and again for the challenge if you want credit for both. This month, we fly Leg 36 of the Anniversary Tour and fly from Malta to Palma. Palma, also known as Palma de Mallorca is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. It is situated on the south coast of Mallorca on the Bay of Palma. The Cabrera Archipelago, though widely separated from Palma proper, is administratively considered part of the municipality. The city and islands have history that dates to 120BC and the Romans. Changing hands several times over the last 2000 years. Since the advent of mass tourism in the 1950s, the city has been transformed into a tourist destination and has attracted many workers from mainland Spain. This has contributed to a huge change in the city's traditions, its language, and its economic power. The boom in tourism has caused Palma to grow significantly. In 1960, Mallorca received 500,000 visitors, in 1997 it received more than 6,739,700. In 2001 more than 19,200,000 people passed through Son Sant Joan airport near Palma, with an additional 1.5 million coming by sea. In 2023, the total number of passengers arriving at Son Sant Joan (Palma de Mallorca) airport amounted to 31,105,987. Your mission is to depart from Malta International (LMML) and fly to Palma de Mallorca (LEPA) with any Canadian Xpress freeware or payware aircraft that is rated for both airports. Join Canadian Xpress today in order to participate as there are some great prizes to be won including: Any Aerosoft Download Product from: The February 2025 Monthly Challenge is open to all Canadian Xpress pilots from February 1st until February 27th, 2025 so join Canadian Xpress today by visiting https://canadianxpress.ca.

We start the 2025 fly-in schedule with a trip to our nation’s capital. Starting in Quebec City, where explorer Samuel de Champlain founded a French settlement in 1608, and adopted the Algonquin name. Quebec City is one of the oldest European settlements in North America. The ramparts surrounding Old Quebec (Vieux-Quebec) are the only fortified city walls remaining in the Americas north of Mexico. This area was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985 as the "Historic District of Old Quebec". Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It’s located in the southeastern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Founded in 1826 as Bytown, and incorporated as Ottawa in 1855, its original boundaries were expanded through numerous annexations and were ultimately replaced by a new city incorporation and amalgamation in 2001. Ottawa is the political center of Canada and the headquarters of the federal government. The city houses numerous foreign embassies, key buildings, organizations, and institutions of Canada's government; these include the Parliament of Canada, the Supreme Court, the residence of Canada's viceroy, and Office of the Prime Minister. The selection of Ottawa as the capital of Canada predates the Confederation of Canada. The choice was contentious and not straightforward, with the parliament of the United Province of Canada holding more than 200 votes over several decades to attempt to settle on a legislative solution to the location of the capital. Canadian Xpress would like to invite all pilots to join us on Saturday, January 25th at 21h00est (Sunday 02h00z) for our January 2025 fly-in where we depart from Jean Lesage International (CYQB) to Ottawa Macdonald Cartier International. One lucky Canadian Xpress® pilot* will win: • Any Just Flight Product from: *Please see Fly-In PDF for contest details and eligibility requirements. This is an open invitation to all pilots no matter what your flying experience to attend this Canadian Xpress event that will be flown on the VATSIMnetwork. More information regarding this event including operational details, charts, optional add-on scenery and Canadian Xpress Model Sets can be viewed by visiting https://canadianxpress.ca. See you all on Saturday the 25th!

Canadian Xpress is celebrating 15 years of operations and as part of those celebrations we will be flying some of the routes of our 15-Year Anniversary Tour. Over the next several months, we will pick one leg from the Tour and turn it into the monthly Challenge event. You will still have to fly the leg once for the tour and again for the challenge if you want credit for both. This month, we fly Leg 31 of the Anniversary Tour and fly from Paro to Lukla. Paro is a town, in the Paro Valley of Bhutan. It is an historic town with many sacred sites and historical buildings scattered throughout the area. It is also home to Paro International Airport, Bhutan's sole international airport. Paro International Airport is served by Drukair. Paro Airport has been described as "the most difficult commercial airport in the world". The airport has only one runway, airplanes on approach pass by the 18,000ft Himalayan Mountain peaks, and the 6,500 ft runway length presents a double challenge, due to the low air density. As a result, only a handful of airline pilots (8 as of December 2014) are certified to operate commercial airplanes there. About 30,000 people arrive at the airport each year. Lukla is a small town in the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu rural municipality of the Solukhumbu District in northeastern Nepal. Situated at 9,383 ft above sea level, it is a popular place for visitors to the Himalayas near Mount Everest to arrive. Although Lukla means "place with many goats and sheep", few are found in the area nowadays. Lukla village holds a small airport serving the region, and a variety of shops and lodges catering to tourists and trekkers, providing western-style meals and trail supplies. From Lukla, travelers need two days to reach the village of Namche Bazaar, an altitude-acclimatization stop for those continuing on. The airport has a 1,729 ft single asphalt runway, making it the shortest commercial runway in the world. Your mission is to depart from Paro International (VQPR) and fly to Tenzing-Hillary (VNLK) with any Canadian Xpress freeware or payware aircraft that is rated for both airports. Join Canadian Xpress today in order to participate as there are some great prizes to be won including: Any Aerosoft download product from: The January 2025 Monthly Challenge is open to all Canadian Xpress pilots from January 1st until January 29th, 2025 so join Canadian Xpress today by visiting https://canadianxpress.ca

Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. Vancouver has the highest population density in Canada, with over 5,700 inhabitants per square kilometer and the fourth highest in North America. Located on the Burrard Peninsula, Vancouver lies between Burrard Inlet to the north and the Fraser River to the south. The Strait of Georgia, to the west, is shielded from the Pacific Ocean by Vancouver Island. The city has an area of 115.18 km2, including both flat and hilly ground. Until the city's naming in 1885, "Vancouver" referred to Vancouver Island, and it remains a common misconception that the city is located on the island. The island and the city are both named after Royal Navy Captain George Vancouver (as is the city of Vancouver, Washington, in the United States). Vancouver has one of the largest urban parks in North America, Stanley Park, which covers 404.9 ha (1,001 acres). The North Shore Mountains dominate the cityscape, and on a clear day, scenic vistas include the snow-capped volcano Mount Baker in the state of Washington to the southeast, Vancouver Island across the Strait of Georgia to the west and southwest, and Bowen Island to the northwest. As of 2016, the Port of Vancouver is the fourth-largest port by tonnage in the Americas, the busiest and largest in Canada, and the most diversified port in North America. While forestry remains its largest industry, Vancouver is well known as an urban center surrounded by nature, making tourism its second-largest industry. Major film production studios in Vancouver and nearby Burnaby have turned Greater Vancouver and nearby areas into one of the largest film production centers in North America, earning it the nickname "Hollywood North". Canadian Xpress would like to invite all pilots to join us on Saturday, December 28th from 21h00est (Sunday 02h00z) to 24h00edt (Sunday 05h00z) for our December 2024 fly-in where we depart from Portland International (KPDX) to Vancouver International (CYVR). One lucky Canadian Xpress pilot* will win: • Any Just Flight Product *Please see Fly-In PDF for contest details and eligibility requirements. This is an open invitation to all pilots no matter what your flying experience to attend this Canadian Xpress event that will be flown on the VATSIM network. More information regarding this event including operational details, charts, optional add-on scenery and Canadian Xpress Model Sets can be viewed by visiting https://canadianxpress.ca See you all on Saturday the 28th!

Canadian Xpress is celebrating 15 years of operations and as part of those celebrations we will be flying some of the routes of our 15-Year Anniversary Tour. Over the next several months, we will pick one leg from the Tour and turn it into the monthly Challenge event. You will still have to fly the leg once for the tour and again for the challenge if you want credit for both. This month, we fly Leg 26 of the 15-Year Anniversary Tour and fly from Auckland to Queenstown. Auckland is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It is the most populous city of New Zealand and the fifth largest city in Oceania. Auckland lies between the Hauraki Gulf to the east, and the Hunua Ranges to the south-east. The surrounding hills are covered in rainforest and the landscape is dotted with 53 volcanic centers that make up the Auckland Volcanic Field. Queenstown is a resort town in Otago in the south-west of New Zealand's South Island. The town is located on the northwestern edge of Lake Wakatipu, a long, thin, Z-shaped lake formed by glacial processes, and has views of nearby mountains such as The Remarkables, Cecil Peak, Walter Peak and just above the town. Queenstown is known for its tourism businesses, especially adventure and ski tourism. Your mission is to depart from Auckland International (NZAA) and fly to Queenstown International (NZQN) with any Canadian Xpress freeware or payware aircraft that is rated for both airports. Join Canadian Xpress today in order to participate as there are some great prizes to be won including: Any Aerosoft Download Product from: The December 2024 Monthly Challenge is open to all Canadian Xpress pilots from December 1st until December 29th, 2024 so join Canadian Xpress today by visiting https://canadianxpress.ca.

I have these turned off and still have the blue high lights. changing Lock mode to Legacy mode in Flight Interface did the trick!

Canadian Xpress is celebrating 15 years of operations and as part of those celebrations we will be flying some of the routes of our 15-Year Anniversary Tour. Over the next several months, we will pick one leg from the Tour and turn it into the monthly Challenge event. You will still have to fly the leg once for the tour and again for the challenge if you want credit for both. This month, we fly Leg 24 of the 15-Year Anniversary Tour and fly from Hilo to Kahului. Hilo is the largest settlement which encompasses the Island of Hawaii. The city overlooks Hilo Bay and has views of two shield volcanoes, Mauna Loa, an active volcano, and Mauna Kea, a dormant volcano. The Hilo bay-front has been destroyed by tsunamis twice. The majority of human settlement in Hilo stretches from Hilo Bay to Waiakea-Uka, on the flanks of the volcanoes. Hilo is home to the University of Hawaii at Hilo, Imiloa Astronomy Center, as well as the Merrie Monarch Festival, a week-long celebration, including three nights of competition of ancient and modern hula that takes place annually after Easter. Hilo is also home to the Mauna Loa Macadamia Nut Corporation, one of the world's leading producers of macadamia nuts. Hilo is served by Hilo International Airport. Your mission is to depart from Hilo International Airport (PHTO) and fly to Kahului (PHOG) with any Canadian Xpress freeware or payware aircraft that is rated for both airports. Join Canadian Xpress today in order to participate as there are some great prizes to be won including: Any Aerosoft Download Product from: The November 2024 Monthly Challenge is open to all Canadian Xpress pilots from November 2nd until November 29th, 2024 so join Canadian Xpress today by visiting https://canadianxpress.ca.

Kahului an unincorporated community in Maui County in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It hosts the county's main airport (Kahului Airport), a deep-draft harbor, light industrial areas, and commercial shopping centers. The population was 28,219 at the 2020 census. Kahului is part of the Kahului-Wailuku-Lahaina Metropolitan Statistical Area which comprises all of Maui County, including nearby Wailuku and the West Maui town of Lahaina. Kahului is on the north central side of the island of Maui on the shore of Kahului Bay. It is bordered to the west by Wailuku, to the southwest by Waikapu, and to the east by Kahului Airport and Spreckelsville. Maui is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles. The islands' volcanic cones are formed from basalt, a dark, iron-rich/silica-poor rock, which poured out of thousands of vents as fluid lava over millions of years. Some of its volcanoes were close enough to each other that lava flows on their flanks overlapped, merging into a single island. Maui is one such "volcanic doublet," formed from two shield volcanoes that overlapped to form Maui. The older, western volcano has eroded considerably, forming the peaks of the West Maui Mountains. Pu'u Kukui is the highest, at 5,788 ft. The larger, younger volcano to the east, Haleakala, rises to 10,023 ft above sea level, and measures 5 mi (8 km) from seafloor to summit. The eastern flanks of both volcanoes are cut by deeply incised valleys and steep-sided ravines that run downslope to the rocky, windswept shoreline. The isthmus was formed by sandy erosional deposits. Volcanic rocks protrude on a Maui beach. Maui's last eruption (originating in Haleakala's Southwest Rift Zone) likely occurred between 1480 and 1600 the resulting lava flows are located at Cape Kina'u between Ahihi Bay and La Perouse Bay. Haleakala is dormant, but not extinct. Canadian Xpress would like to invite all pilots to join us on Saturday, October 26th at 21h00edt (Sunday 01h00z) for our October 2024 fly-in where we depart from Daniel K Inouye (PHNL) and fly to Kahului (PHOG). One lucky Canadian Xpress® pilot* will win: • Any Just Flight Product from: *Please see Fly-In PDF for contest details and eligibility requirements. This is an open invitation to all pilots [b]no matter what your flying experience[/b] to attend this Canadian Xpress event that will be flown on the [b]VATSIM[/b] network. More information regarding this event including operational details, charts, optional add-on scenery and Canadian Xpress Model Sets can be viewed by visiting https://canadianxpress.ca See you all on Saturday the 26th!

Canadian Xpress is celebrating 15 years of operations and as part of those celebrations we will be flying some of the routes of our 15-Year Anniversary Tour. Over the next several months, we will pick one leg from the Tour and turn it into the monthly Challenge event. You will still have to fly the leg once for the tour and again for the challenge if you want credit for both. This month, we fly Leg 20 of the 15-Year Anniversary Tour and fly from Castlegar to Kelowna. Kelowna is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley in the southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. The name Kelowna derives from the Okanagan word, referring to a grizzly bear. Kelowna is the province's third-largest metropolitan area (after Vancouver and Victoria). After a period of suburban expansion into the surrounding mountain slopes, the city council adopted a long-term plan intended to increase density instead particularly in the downtown core. This has resulted in the construction of taller buildings, including One Water Street a 36-story building that is the tallest in Kelowna. Other high-rise developments have already broken ground or been approved since then, including a 42-storey tower on Leon Avenue which will be the tallest building in the city, and among the tallest in B.C. Your mission is to depart from West Kootenay Regional (CYCG) and fly to Kelowna International (CYLW) with any Canadian Xpress freeware or payware aircraft that is rated for both airports. Join Canadian Xpress today in order to participate as there are some great prizes to be won including: Any Aerosoft Download Product from: The October 2024 Monthly Challenge is open to all Canadian Xpress pilots from October 2nd until October 29th, 2024 so join Canadian Xpress today by visiting https://canadianxpress.ca .

] Kelowna is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan Valley in the southern interior of British Columbia. It is the 20th-largest metropolitan area in Canada. After a period of suburban expansion into the surrounding mountain slopes, the city council adopted a long-term plan intended to increase density particularly in the downtown core. This has resulted in the construction of taller buildings, including One Water Street, a 36-story building that is the tallest in Kelowna. Other high-rise developments have already broken ground or been approved since then, including a 42-storey tower on Leon Avenue which will be the tallest building in the city, and among the tallest in B.C. The exact dates of the first settlement in the Okanagan Valley are unknown, but a northern migration led to the habitation of this area some 9,000 years ago. The Indigenous Syilx people are the first known inhabitants of the region where they continue to live today. Canadian Xpress would like to invite all pilots to join us on [b]Saturday, September 28th at 21h00edt (Sunday 01h00z)[/b] for our September 2024 fly-in where we depart from Edmonton International (CYEG) and fly to Kelowna International (CYLW). One lucky Canadian Xpress® pilot[b]*[/b] will win: • Any [b]Just Flight Product[/b] from: [b]*[/b]Please see Fly-In PDF for contest details and eligibility requirements. This is an open invitation to all pilots [b]no matter what your flying experience[/b] to attend this Canadian Xpress event that will be flown on the [b]VATSIM[/b] network. More information regarding this event including operational details, charts, optional add-on scenery and Canadian Xpress Model Sets can be viewed by visiting https://canadianxpress.ca or by directly downloading our Fly-In document here. See you all on Saturday the 28th!

Canadian Xpress officially launched 15 years ago today on September 4th, 2009. Over the last 15 years, our pilots have logged over 348,000 hours and flown over 197,000 flights. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our past & present pilots as well as all our sponsors for their continued support.

Canadian Xpress is celebrating 15 years of operations and as part of those celebrations we will be flying some of the routes of our 15-Year Anniversary Tour. Over the next several months, we will pick one leg from the Tour and turn it into the monthly Challenge event. You will still have to fly the leg once for the tour and again for the challenge if you want credit for both. This month we fly Leg 9 of the 15-Year Anniversary Tour and and fly from Montgomery Alabama to Washington D.C. Washington D.C. is the Capital City of the United States of America and is not a in any State of the Union. D.C. stands for District of Columbia, which name pays tribute to Lady Columbia. Miss Columbia is a female national personification of the United States. It was also a historical name applied to the Americas and to the New World. Washington, D.C., is located in the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. East Coast. The city has a total area of 68.34 square miles. The south bank of the Potomac River forms the district's border with Virginia and has two major tributaries, the Anacostia River and Rock Creek. Tiber Creek, a natural watercourse that once passed through the National Mall, was fully enclosed underground during the 1870s. The creek also formed a portion of the now-filled Washington City Canal, which allowed passage through the city to the Anacostia River from 1815 until the 1850s. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal starts in Georgetown and was used during the 19th century to bypass the Little Falls of the Potomac River, located at the northwest edge of the city at the Atlantic Seaboard fall line. Your mission is to depart from Montgomery Regional (KMGM) and fly to Ronald Reagan National (KDCA) with any Canadian Xpress freeware or payware aircraft that is rated for both airports. Join Canadian Xpress today in order to participate as there are some great prizes to be won including: Any Aerosoft Download Product from: The September 2024 Monthly Challenge is open to all Canadian Xpress pilots from September 1st until September 29th, 2024 so join Canadian Xpress today by visiting https://canadianxpress.ca .