P_7878

Beautiful pictures, Andreas, of this scenic place along with a most exciting and challenging Airport and that sloped Runway, to test our piloting skills with ...🙂... Your Swiss army knife of the sky seems fully up to the challenge here...looks like ...

You seem to be utilizing the Helis, both big and small types...🙂... quite effectively in the SIM, Andreas... A lovely (one) shot of the icon in Paris ...!

Thanks, pmplayer. Yes, the livery is a nice one...the a/c is privately owned as I understand... John: Appreciated the comment. This repaint indeed looks good over (and around) the blue waters of Lake Geneva ...🙂...

A long while ago, when I lived in Columbus (OH), I knew that the city was named after Christopher Columbus, even though the city does not really have any direct connection to the explorer. BTW, finding a city by the name of "Columbus" is all too common in the U.S. (after all, this was part of the so-called "New World" the explorer was heading out for...🙂...) ...In fact, out of the 50 U.S. states, there are now 23 states with a city called "Columbus", including my own state Illinois, which fact had escaped my attention till today. This village of Columbus (IL), I gather from on-line sources, has a population of "114" and an area of "one-fifth" of a sq mile...Oh well...still it's named after the famous explorer. The (better-known) city of Columbus (OH) is the largest city in the world named after the explorer. Columbus Day there was always a remarkably prominent celebration and event each year. I do recall visiting the (impressive) replica of the Santa Maria Ship, several times, in the Columbus downtown, proudly displayed on the bank of the Scioto River that flows through the city. However, as part of bits of looking up for this post, I learned that, due to multiple factors, since 2018, the Columbus Day event has been discontinued, and that Day has been also renamed. That (Santa Maria) Ship replica, in Columbus (OH), is supposed to be the world's most authentic (museum quality) representation of Columbus's flagship. When Columbus had set sail from the town of Palos (Palos de la Frontera), Spain, he had 3 ships with him, and the largest of the 3, a square-rigged ship, was Santa Maria. Today, the nearest airport to Palos is the Seville Airport of Spain, 50 miles inland eastward, which is the destination of my flight today. Seville was historically the pivotal city, from where nearly every Spanish voyage, across the Atlantic, for the "New World", had begun. It was also where Columbus had received permission for his voyage in 1492. Air Madrid, the airline of my choice for this flight and for this post, in preference to e.g., the big and mighty Iberia...🙂..., was an extremely short-lived Spanish airline, that lived and operated for only 3 years (2003-2006) ...again an unknown repainter is ahead of me...🙂.... the airline did have one A310-300 in its fleet, with Reg. ID (D-AIDH), that's seen below in my images. So, please find this collection of images as I fly here the Air Madrid A310, from its namesake capital city of Madrid (LEMD) westward to Seville (LEZL) (and getting that much closer to Palos). So, while flying to Seville today, in the virtual world, I could not help thinking simultaneously about both the city of Columbus (OH), my one-time domicile, and the famous explorer, Columbus himself. [Note: The iniBuilds A310 is flying quite well on my Xbox, and I like it a lot, except that, due to some reasons, I cannot take screenshots effectively without (mostly) losing control of the aircraft when I un-pause the SIM, so, my ability to capture screenshots is limited...] Anyway, thanks for viewing these images of this Airbus on a short flight to the city that was the (real) starting point of the famous explorer's voyage(s) and thereby so closely associated with his life and adventures...creating, on the side, the 23 Columbus named cities in U.S....🙂...The city of Seville is also Columbus's final resting place...! Thanks for viewing...!

A good one from GB Shaw…🙂…rmeier.., Regarding films, I recall the 2 films with “Wall Street” in the names However, a bit rusty with films these days, I was confusing the one with Michael Douglas…🙂…but I found, it was The Wolf of Wall Street, with Leonardo DiCaprio, which had a memorable scene with a NYC Helipad…but alas it was the 30th Street helipad, sorry...🙂…

Very nice set, Andreas, from your past collection...One of my favorite areas to (virtually) visit in Alaska ... Even the stock MSFS scenery is rather good...I'd visited it recently. This aircraft is a classic, another one we all had variants from Milton Shupe. I also enjoyed the Carenado versions, I believe...Thanks for posting about it.

rmeier: From Student to Master....in such a short span...impressive...🙂...Teaching is the best way to learn, IMO... Painting, since FS9 days of dabbling around a bit...is now extinct for me...🙂...and likely will remain so...but your this effort will be helpful to some...I've read of such interest from a few regulars here... And I appreciate the work of all repainters, they always seem quite knowledgeable about aviation ...and they think ahead of airlines and liveries long before I can...so, I'm thankful.

Wonderful pictures from a less-know airport, pmplayer...! Thanks for sharing...! That climbing shot immediately after take-off is epic...🙂...

Thanks, rmeier. Yes, once in a while it's nice to use the available suite of the (stock) weather ambiences from MSFS...a world apart from my old FSX days... Appreciated the comemnt, Will. Glad you liked...! Thanks for confirming my expectations, Bernd, about the beauty of Slovakia country, surely from your first-hand experience...Now I would feel better when I speak with my colleague next time...🙂... John: The black repaint was unintentional for the purpose, but you're right...it magnifies the (apparent) realism of mist and gloom...🙂...And Tatra, that Polish beer is surely named after these mountains that are common to Slovakia and Poland...Need to look for it in the local grocers... Thank you, Andreas. Glad you've no issues with the a/c, but I think the updates are still missing in the Xbox version...And I'm not surprised...Cheers...! Thanks, pmplayer, and you're welcome...!

...🙂...It was a hard choice, rmeier...On one hand, I'd this fire-cracker red (hot) PA-34 staring me at the face from my hangar, and then this bland-colored airframe also meekly begging me to take it up in the sky...🙂... So, I fell for the latter, in deference to its (unknown) painter whoever it was ...🙂... Thank you, Andreas. And agree with you. Even though we have flown this Piper Twin in previous generation SIMs, its charm and appeal remain undiminished... 🙂...

First of all, the Pilatus Aircraft Webpage of the Company touts the PC-12 as the "The World’s Greatest Single" with surely justifiable credentials, and states the epithet we've often heard, assigned to this a/c, "PC-12 – Swiss army knife of the sky”. Pilatus also does not forget to remind us, in case any of us forget...🙂...that "PC-12 is Crafted in Switzerland". So, even in the virtual world, it's hard to put this a/c back after flying it in MSFS for the first time yesterday...🙂... I'd previously toured the (local) Lake Geneva (80 miles north of Chicago), (faintly) raising the hope of a few here that I was actually visiting the Lake Geneva that's known the world-over, the one in Switzerland, into which the famous Rhône River of Europe flows. Nonetheless, I'm glad that you got to know about the (other) Lake Geneva, around which, during my several visits there, I'd taken delightful (and memorable) strolls. But...the (Swiss) Lake Geneva, around which I've never had a chance to do the same, is what I'm overflying here (virtually). Regarding the (Swiss) Lake Geneva, some of you might recall that I'd (previously) traced (virtually) the Rhône River from its mouth on the eastern shore of Lake Geneva, for about 100 miles upstream, all the way up to the heights of Rhône Glacier, over 10,000 ft, which is the source of the river. At Lake Geneva, so to speak, the Rhône River's hardest (first phase) part of the journey (through/past the high mountains of the Alps Range) is over. So, it gleefully enters Lake Geneva, as if it's taking a restful break on the peaceful waters of the Lake. Of course, this River's (important) job is not done yet. It would then flow out of the Lake and travel for another 400 miles or so, across EU and Southeastern France, leaving behind its historical, economic and ecological marks over these regions, and carving out many important cities of Europe. My focus here is the Lake not the river, but you can spot the entry point of Rhône River, near the foot of the Alps mountains, seen in my shot #s 16-17. One must realize that, at that point, the river having already made the (sharp) 90-degree turn, (just 20 miles, upstream) at Martigny, been forced against the immovable mountains, is now streaming down rapidly that valley and the plains towards Lake Geneva... So, please find a set of 20 pictures, below, as I've travelled, in this shiny silver PC-12 of mine...🙂..., a full circle, in a Clockwise loop, around the shorelines of the Lake. I've lifted off LSGG (RWY 04; it was always RWY 05, as far as I can remember during the decades of my FSX days...🙂...the heading has changed since, due to magnetic drift), and I have landed into RWY (LSGG) 22. My other Lake Geneva (close to home) was dotted with pretty homes on its shorelines, and here, the shorelines of this Lake Geneva, the largest in the Alps, in the far-off land, is dotted with (pretty) towns and cities, must be a most picturesque place to visit, for sure... Thanks for viewing.

You're forgiven, bernd...🙂.... Though I was wondering what the changed mode of transportation would be...🙂...But you're no stranger to Ship-related Posts here. Lovely set of images with lots of details...from a most scenic region of the world...!

Oh...this is AFS4...very nice...! Always good to try these long-hauls once in a while to keep ourselves honest in our hobby...🙂...hope, AFS4 allows Sim-Rate multiplier...🙂... ANA and 787 are both dear to me, since they gave my username here...🙂...

Wonderful visit and pictures from the big Desert...! Like your transportation too...and the fact that with the additional fuel tanks, you're ready to go far and fast ...🙂...

Marvelous looking set of pictures of this area, Andreas. Glad you found the Base Camp you were looking for...🙂...!

Beautiful duo of shots, Will...! Hadn't seen this SW version...thanks for sharing...! [Aren't you glad you're flying overhead and not in that parking-lot looking mess on the roadway...which is what, btw, used to happen to me, Will, after every time I would drop someone off at Midway for their flight and then I get back on the I-55 Expressway ....🙂...]

Will, pmplayer, John, ikbenik: Thanks much for the comments and responses...🙂...!

Thanks, Andreas...Glad you've been venturing into my neighborhood...🙂...yes, no mountains, but nice backcountry...a bit cold in winter though...🙂... Appreciated the comemnt, bernd...! And surely, you're not alone in that familiarity (or lack thereof) about the (other) Lake Geneva...🙂...Cheers...!

My Title sounds a bit like that of a (possibly romantic) novel...🙂...but it's not. A long while ago I was once talking over the phone with a colleague from Slovakia, who was in Slovakia... (now, where exactly is Slovakia located in EU again...🙂...?). Anyway, though not admitting my ignorance up front, I made a (polite and amicable) comment to her that it's a beautiful country that I would like to visit sometime. Of course, I was quite sure that such countries in EU though not as frequented by (mass tourists) as some of the well-known EU countries, are typically very beautiful with that old European charm distinctive to the country and culture. Then, I happened to speak with her again recently, and then thought to myself, it's time to make use of the MSFS tool, to overcome the void of my ignorance about Slovakia, even though at a virtual level. This is another country, btw, that I would not have thought of venturing into in my earlier SIMs, even in my wildest dreams...🙂...So, let me share with you a bit of my (own) experience, here, via this collection of 20 pictures, below. First of all, about that "Rain" thing in the Title...I added (artificially) rain and clouds to make my journey a bit more exotic and adventurous in this foreign land (MSFS Rain is always remarkably realistic feeling, though I can't say the same about those clouds...🙂...). Anyway, I travel here from western part of Slovakia from the capital city of Bratislava across the country to Košice which is the largest city in eastern Slovakia. My on-line sources that always tell me the "4" different ways to travel between any 2 cities of my interest, says that the cheapest way to travel (the 280 miles) between Bratislava and Košice (not considering flight, which I'm doing already here...🙂...) is by Bus for ($20-$50). Good to know...if I ever get a chance to go. Most significantly, for this mountain lover, the trip touches the southern edge of the series of (somewhat disjointed and less than 10,000 ft, but beautiful) "Tatra Mountains" (see shot #s 10-12) that form the natural border between Slovakia and Poland. Regarding aircraft, I've used the Carenado/Pilatus PC-12, which I had purchased several months ago when I'd also got the PA-34 but have not had a chance to deploy for my flights, so far. On retrospect, I don't know if it was a good choice today. Compounded by self-induced low-visibility conditions, this plane, at least on my Xbox system, posed one problem after another, most significantly the blank (or dark as you might say) avionics (Glass) Screens. Sometimes I wonder, how come, when I flew the PMDG 736, for the very first time, on Xbox, everything, to my limited knowledge, worked as perfectly as it had done decades ago on my FSX, but this simpler a/c did not...Oh well... Some of us here, surely, would recall that Flight1 PC-12 we had flown in older SIMs. So, I know this a/c since a long time in our virtual world. Just now, for a bit of nostalgia, I visited that F1 webpage, and read, "Notice: Please read our FS9 Limited Support before purchasing this Product.". OK, got it. Then, more significantly, a statement from the Vice President of Pilatus Business Aircraft, "We'd been looking for a high-quality Pilatus PC-12 plug-in for Microsoft Flight Simulator for several years, and as soon as we heard Flight One had one available, we browsed their website to look at what they'd created. We were simply blown away by what we saw...". If that's not a (credible) complement, then I don't know what is. Unfortunately, I wish I could say my experiences today with this PC-12 were similar. I'd been forewarned by on-line discussions though...but was hoping updates etc. would have fixed some of the commonly mentioned anomalies by now... Anyway, no one can fault the look of this aircraft in the MSSF world...simply beautiful. That more than made up for my gloom with the avionics deficiencies. So, please find these 20 images, from my trip today, across Slovakia, which educated me well enough that I could now have a more (honest) chitchat with my colleague next time I happen to speak with her...or even better, maybe I should call her up right away...🙂... Thanks for viewing these pictures...! Hope you enjoy...! And Happy Easter Weekend to those who are celebrating it...!

Marvelous series of pics, pmplayer...! Like the ice-blue colors of this BA Livery and the typeface on the fuselage of the a/c...

Beautifully captured shot, Will...Always like the Airport premises and AI aircraft in your pictures....

Yes, you folks in PC are beginning to get spoiled with all these new (and quality) a/c...GA and otherwise...🙂... Cannot forget Milton Shupe's D18S from the past SIMS... Nice shot of this classic from around NZ...!

Thank you, Will...! Appreciated the note, John. Sometimes these experiences need a bit of jogging of memory ... from this SIM or other sources of help...🙂... Thanks for the comment ...! Glad you liked the pictures, pmplayer...Cheers ...!

What a coincidence...🙂.... you surely do great pictorial record-keeping of your trips...Vincent... Again, like I said before, you are probably more familiar with west-coast than most of us here ...except the natives ... Walking and biking are great ways to get to know places...And, of course, creating scenery of airports...should help too...🙂...

If I were to ask you (no need to answer...🙂...), what would you prefer to visit, in the natural world, given a choice of Lakes, Rivers, Mountains, and Seas....what would you say...? And no combination is allowed...🙂...noting that Mountain, my top preference, goes smoothly with each of the others... (i.e. Mountain + (Lake, or, River, or Sea) indeed creates an irresistible attraction). I can vouch for it personally e.g., after my most recent virtual (and long-gone RW) visit to Sausalito...because I recall when I was driving along the heights of Sausalito, with the roads often meandering past (and very near) the private residences, I was looking down on the Bay below, and was saying to myself, this is indeed breathtaking...! My state Illinois has "3,000" lakes (including the "big" Lake Michigan seen in my previous post). Alaska, the un-disputed leader, has 3,000,000 lakes. The next two states, Wisconsin and Minnesota, across which I'm flying today, are (#2 and #3) behind Alaska, with 15,000 and 12,000 lakes respectively (unofficial numbers from yours truly...), because whether a body of water is a lake, or a pond is somewhat subjective. For folks outside U.S., these two (upper midwest) states exhibit some of the coldest winter temperatures in the country. I recall a fascinating experience once (and once was enough for me...🙂...) with "Ice Fishing" in Wisconsin, at the invitation of a seasoned (and veteran) Ice Fisherman friend. Most of the lakes you see (sparkling blue) in my pictures below, probably get all frozen over by mid to end December...with the fish merrily swimming along below the ice with help from some interesting physics...🙂...The Lake Winnebago (Wisconsin's largest lake, see its pictures below) may have a (winter) ice depth of about 6-7 inches. I trusted my friend (somewhat cautiously) when he told me, "I would need about 4 inches of ice to walk on it or 8 inches to drive a car on it..."...We never drove a car on the lake, thankfully... So, here, I fly, starting out from Chicago (KORD) to Minneapolis (KMSP), heading in a northwesterly direction (the highway I-90/94, that I'd driven a while ago, between these two cities, actually runs more north than west...). These two states are major residences to people of Scandinavian descent. So, I recall, when I'd started out on my trip to Minneapolis, a colleague had suggested (and reminded) me, just before I got under way, "Don't forget to visit "Norske Nook"", which is a "Norwegian" diner off the Highway, supposedly famous for standout pies, for hundreds of miles around, so, I did visit it...not sure what (pie) I ordered there... Please find 20 pictures, as I fly over the multitude of lakes (small and big) across the state of Wisconsin, including its largest inland Lake Winnebago (shot #s 9-11). Then I tracked, for a bit, the mighty and beautiful Mississippi River (shot #s 12-14), which runs along the border of Wisconsin and Minnesota. Past more Lakes, I finally reached Minneapolis, and not surprisingly noticed several lakes around the airport area. I have then landed in KMSP (Minneapolis-Saint Paul) Airport, an airport I've never flown into, in RW, but have visited it once to drop off a friend there...so, it felt nice to get re-acquainted to KMSP, here, again... Thanks for viewing...! Hope you enjoy these images from my trip in the U.S. Midwest...in Spring season...!