Viking01

Today, we follow Australia's Highway 1 for a short stretch. Highway 1 in Australia is not a continuous road in the traditional sense, but rather a vast network approximately 14,500 km long that circles the entire continent. It is particularly important in the Northern Territory (NT), where it serves as the link between remote regions and major transportation hubs. In the NT, Highway 1 consists of various sections that together form a route of about 1,400 km. It runs roughly from the border with Western Australia in the west to the border with Queensland in the east. In the west, Highway 1 comes from Kununurra (WA) and continues as the Victoria Highway to Katherine. From Katherine, a major section branches off northward toward Darwin. This section follows the well-known Stuart Highway. Also from Katherine, Highway 1 continues southward on the Stuart Highway to Daly Waters. There, it turns east and follows the Carpentaria Highway to the border with Queensland (near Wollogorang). We depart from Newcastle Waters (YNCW) and head north. We land at Murranji Station (YMJI) and Dunmarra (YX21) and follow Highway A87 to Daly Waters (YDLW), where Highway 1 joins A87. Only 5 miles north, we land at Kalala Homestead (YX55). We follow Highway 1 and land at Vermelha (YX47), Rombola Family Farms (YX48), and Homebush Park (YHBP) before we finish the flight at Tindal (YPTN), a joint military and civilian field. The flight is 200 miles long with 7 landings. We want to cruise at about 150 knots. I will be in the PAC P-750. As always, please fly what you like. If you want to use the ORBX PAC P-750, there is a 2024 version available. To my knowledge, the update was free. In case you find the exhaust heat effect way too big, drop me an e-mail, and I'll send you a new exterior model file that resolves the problem for me. The flight plans are here. Newcastle Waters is not in the GTN database. The GTN flight plan departs from Tennant Creek (YTNK). Recommended scenery: Daly Waters – YDLW NT Missing Airfields Mandatory! Tindal – YPTN We try real weather. Please set your simulator for a 3 PM local departure. Multiplayer Particulars: Date and time: Sunday, June 28, 2026. 16:00 UTC Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: United States East server These flights are events posted at DigitalThemePark. For these Sunday flights, we use DTP’s Discord Server for communication. 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!

Sorry, there was a wrong LNM flight plan in the package. The pln files are correct. Here is the correct LNM plan.

This is the third - and last - flight in our "Danube revisited" series. We're going to thread through four countries — Serbia, Romania, and Bulgaria, with a peek at the Romanian-Serbian border — following one of Europe's great rivers for much of the way. We're departing from Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport (LYBE), Serbia's main international hub sitting about 18 km west of the city center. It's named after the Serbian-American inventor. From Belgrade, we head northeast, leaving the flat fertile plains of Vojvodina and tracking up toward the border. Vrsac (LYVR), our first landing, is about 80 km northeast of Belgrade, sitting in the Vojvodina region of Serbia. It is home to the SMATSA Aviation Academy, which has been training airline pilots since 1972, when JAT Yugoslav Airlines, now Air Serbia, set up shop here. It has trained pilots for airlines across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Now, we turn south and pick up the Danube, following it downstream through increasingly dramatic terrain. After crossing back over the Danube, we are in Romania — and as we track the river southwest, the flat plains give way to something altogether more impressive. We're entering the Iron Gates, the 134 km gorge system where the Danube forces its way between the Carpathian Mountains to the north and the Balkan Mountains to the south. The river narrows dramatically — at the Great Kazan gorge, it squeezes to just 150 meters wide, flanked by limestone cliffs rising 300 meters. We'll also pass the joint Romanian-Yugoslav hydroelectric dam built in the 1970s, still splitting its output equally between the two countries. After the gorge's ease, we leave the river and turn southeast toward our stop, Barza Targu-Jiu (LRPOU — sometimes listed as RO-0045). It is a small private airfield about 5 km southeast of the city of Târgu-Jiu in Gorj County, Romania. Târgu-Jiu itself, a few minutes from the airfield, is worth knowing about: it's the hometown of Constantin Brâncuși, arguably Romania's greatest sculptor and one of the most influential artists of the 20th century. In 1937, he created the "Way of the Heroes" here — an open-air ensemble running through the city center that includes the Endless Column, the Gate of the Kiss, and the Table of Silence. The whole ensemble was recently inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. A short hop back west and north to the Danube brings us to Drobeta airfield (LRBI, also referred to as RO-0023). The city is one of those places where ancient history is literally sticking out of the riverbed. Drobeta-Turnu Severin sits just east of where the Iron Gates gorge ends, and it was here that Emperor Trajan built the first bridge ever thrown across the lower Danube, completed in 105 AD. The bridge was over 1,100 meters long — for more than a thousand years, it held the record as the longest arch bridge ever built. Back on the Danube heading southwest, we cross into Bulgaria. Vidin Smurdan (LB40, also LBVD) is a small airfield 4 km from the city of Vidin, in Bulgaria's northwestern corner. It's a port city on the Danube with a long history — Celtic, Roman, and then medieval Bulgarian. For the final leg of the day, heading southeast into Bulgaria's interior, we leave the Danube behind. Gabrovnitsa (LB15) is near the town of Montana in northwestern Bulgaria, a former Bulgarian Air Force base, home to fighter squadrons flying MiG-21s and later MiG-23s. Its job was to defend the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant on the Danube from air attack. It closed in June 2002 and was partially demolished, though the runway infrastructure remains. The flight is 320 miles long with 4 landings. We want to cruise at about 200 knots. I will be in the A2A Aerostar. Please fly what you like. The flight plans are here. The GTN flight plan ends at LBSF as the destination airfield is not in the GTN database. Recommended scenery: Belgrade – LYBE Vrsac – LYVR There is a payware version of Belgrade available from Fly2, via ORBX. We try real weather. Please set your simulator for a 6 pm departure. Multiplayer Particulars: Date and time: Sunday, June 21, 2026. 16:00 UTC Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: United States East server These flights are events posted at DigitalThemePark. For these Sunday flights, we use DTP’s Discord Server for communication. 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!

Today we’re flying from the Black Sea through Georgia and Azerbaijan to the Caspian Sea. We depart from Batumi (UGSB), Georgia’s second-largest city and a vibrant Black Sea resort town known for its striking mix of Belle Époque architecture and futuristic modern towers. Georgia is one of the world’s oldest Christian nations — the Georgian Orthodox Church dates to the 4th century. The country has a turbulent modern history: Soviet rule until 1991, a brief civil war, the loss of Abkhazia and South Ossetia (both Russian-backed breakaway regions), and a short war with Russia in 2008. Currently an EU candidate country, with strong pro-Western public sentiment but a government drifting toward Moscow, a source of ongoing domestic tension and street protests. From Batumi, we head east through Georgia to Tbilisi (UGTB), the country’s ancient capital straddling the Mtkvari River — a city of sulfurous bathhouses, medieval churches, and a lively old town that has sat at the crossroads of Europe and Asia for over 1,500 years. From Tbilisi, we follow the southern flanks of the Greater Caucasus range, crossing into Azerbaijan to land at Zagatala (UBBY), a small regional airport nestled in the foothills close to the Georgian and Russian borders, surrounded by dense forests and walnut groves. Azerbaijan has about 10 million people, the majority Shia Muslim but largely secular in practice — a legacy of 70 years of Soviet rule. It sits on massive Caspian oil and gas reserves, which funded a dramatic modernization of Baku from the 2000s onward. Ethnic and political tensions with neighboring Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh defined much of its post-Soviet history — Azerbaijan retook the enclave by military force in 2023, ending a 30-year frozen conflict. Politically, the country has been an authoritarian state under the Aliyev family since 2003. It hosts a Formula 1 street race in Baku. The country’s name roughly translates as “Land of Fire” — a reference to naturally occurring surface gas fires. Next, we push a little further into Caucasus terrain to Gabala (UBBQ), a mountain resort town that was once the ancient capital of Caucasian Albania — a fascinating and largely forgotten civilization predating the Arab conquest. From Gabala, we descend toward the Caspian lowlands and arrive in Baku (UBBB), Azerbaijan’s spectacular capital. Built on a peninsula jutting into the Caspian, Baku blends a UNESCO-listed medieval old city with an oil-boom skyline dominated by the iconic Flame Towers. Finally, we head north along the Caspian coastline to finish the flight at Uytash (URML) — the airport serving Makhachkala, capital of the Russian republic of Dagestan. Dagestan is Russia’s most ethnically complex republic — over 30 distinct indigenous peoples speaking mutually unintelligible languages, including Avars, Dargins, Lezgins, and Kumyks, among others. Overwhelmingly Muslim. The mountains of Dagestan resisted Russian conquest fiercely throughout the 19th-century Caucasian War. In the 1990s–2000s, it was a major flashpoint of Islamist insurgency spilling over from Chechnya. Today, it is still considered a sensitive security zone. It is also known for elaborate silver craftsmanship, distinctive tower villages clinging to cliffsides, and some of the most rugged mountain terrain in Europe. Makhachkala itself is a fast-growing, somewhat chaotic city with a very young population. The flight is 600 miles long, so we want to cruise at about 400 knots, a good opportunity to get back into the cockpit of a fighter jet. I will be in the IFE Tornado. Please fly what you like. The flight plans are here. Recommended scenery: Tbilisi – UGTB Gabala – UBBQ Baku – UBBB Uytash – URML The complete package is here. We try real weather. Please set your simulator for a 3 PM local departure. Multiplayer Particulars: Date and time: Sunday, June 14, 2026. 16:00 UTC Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: United States East server These flights are events posted at DigitalThemePark. For these Sunday flights, we use DTP’s Discord Server for communication. 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!

Today we fly in the border region between Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We depart from Pakuba (HUKFF), Uganda, at the northern tip of Lake Albert. This lake is part of the complicated system of the upper Nile. Its main sources are the White Nile, ultimately coming from Lake Victoria to the southeast, and the Semliki River, which issues from Lake Edward to the southwest. The water of the Victoria Nile is much less saline than that of Lake Albert. The lake's outlet, at its northernmost tip, is the Albert Nile section of the White Nile. The river later becomes known as the Mountain Nile when its course enters South Sudan. We head west, land at Mahagi (HUPI), DR Congo, and then follow the lake shore south until we reach Bunia (FZKA), DR Congo. This is by no means a peaceful area, so we depart, cross back into Uganda, and land at Fort Portal (HUFP). We cross the northern part of the Rwenzori Mountains and land at Bundibugyo (HUBU), before flying over the main ridge of the Rwenzori Mountains. The highest peak of the Ruwenzori reaches 5,109 meters (16,762 ft), and the range's upper regions are permanently snow-capped and glaciated. Rivers fed by mountain streams form one of the sources of the Nile. Because of this, European explorers linked the Ruwenzori with the legendary Mountains of the Moon, claimed by the Greek scholar Ptolemy as the source of the Nile. Virunga National Park in eastern DR Congo and Rwenzori Mountains National Park in southwestern Uganda are located within the range. We land at Kasese (HUKS), the gateway to the Queen Elizabeth National Park. Kasese began as a small trading post in the early 20th century. Its growth was significantly stimulated in the 1950s with two major developments: the establishment of the Kilembe Mines for copper and cobalt extraction, and the construction of the western extension of the Uganda Railway to the area, creating a transport hub. The town was planned and built to support the mining industry, which attracted a large workforce and spurred commercial activity. We cross the mountains again and land at Margarita (HUMH) before heading to Beni (FZBM). Time permitting, we continue south to finish the flight at Rughenda (FZMB). The flight is 270 miles long and has 8 landings. I planned the flight for the Cessna Caravan, but, as always, please fly what you like. The flight plans are here. Most airfields are not in the GTN database. Therefore, the GTN flight plan departs from HUGU and finishes at FZNA. Recommended scenery: Pakuba – HUPA. Please set your simulator for a 9 am local departure. We try real weather. Multiplayer Particulars: Date and time: Sunday, June 7, 2026. 16:00 UTC Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: United States East server These flights are events posted at DigitalThemePark. For these Sunday flights, we use DTP’s Discord Server for communication. 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!

This is the second part of a new visit to the River Danube. We continue from where we finished part I: from Langenlebarn (LOXT) and head towards Vienna. We overfly the City - including a circle over the town - and land at Vienna International Airport (LOWW). It is Austria's largest airport and serves as the hub for Austrian Airlines. Departing to the east, we follow the river that flows broadly across a flat plain. The Danube flows through ten countries and passes through four capital cities: Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest, and Belgrade. The next stop gets us to the Slovakian capital, Bratislava. The landscape is low and marshy — this is the edge of the Pannonian Plain, where the river begins to slow and spread. After the Danube emerges from the Hungarian Gates Gorge near Bratislava, the river stream slows abruptly and loses its transporting capacity, causing enormous quantities of gravel and sand to settle, forming a network of islands on both the Slovak and Hungarian sides of the river. We overfly Bratislava Castle. Its roots date back to 907 AD. The castle building features four towers — one on each corner — and a courtyard with an 80-metre-deep water well. The largest and tallest is the Crown Tower on the southwest corner, dating from the 13th century, which for approximately 200 years housed the crown jewels of Hungary. We land at Bratislava's International Airport (LZIB). Slovakia's capital sits gracefully along the Danube with a beautifully preserved old town, Baroque architecture, welcoming squares, and a hilltop castle watching over it all. Now we cross into Hungary and head southeast. The Danube here divides into multiple arms and channels, forming the Szigetköz wetland on the Hungarian side — a floodplain maze of river branches, oxbow lakes, and poplar forests that is now a protected nature area. We stop at Győr (LHPR). The Town sits at the confluence of the Danube, Rába, and Rábca rivers in northwest Hungary's Western Transdanubia region, earning it the nickname "City of Rivers." We depart for a short southeastward leg to reach the ruins of Tata Castle. It stands on the shores of Öreg Lake (Old Lake) in the town of Tata, Hungary. Built between 1397 and 1409 by King Sigismund of Luxembourg on the foundations of an earlier fortification, it became one of the king's favourite residences. During the Ottoman occupation, the castle was an important fortress of the Hungarian borderland defensive system. Today, it houses the Kuny Domokos Museum. Rejoining the Danube, the route now enters one of the most dramatic stretches of the entire river. The flat plain is left behind as forested hills close in on both banks. East of Komárno, the Danube enters the Visegrád Gorge, squeezed between the foothills of the Western Carpathians and the Hungarian Transdanubian Mountains, where the steep right bank is crowned with fortresses, castles, and cathedrals of the Hungarian Árpád dynasty from the 10th to the 15th century. We pass Esztergom, with the Esztergom Basilica, the largest church in Hungary and the seat of the Catholic Church in the country. The next POI is Visegrád Castle, crowning a 333-metre hilltop above the Danube Bend, built following the devastating Mongol invasions of the 13th century and evolving from a defensive stronghold to a royal residence, serving as guardian of the Hungarian Holy Crown for nearly two centuries. Visegrád became the country's capital during the 14th century reign of Charles Robert of the Anjou dynasty. The Citadel was connected to a Lower Castle by a high stone wall that ran all the way down to the bank of the Danube, ending in a watchtower. The sharp bend at Visegrád — the Dunakanyar — is the most photographed landscape in Hungary. Now the Danube widens again as the hills recede and the great Hungarian capital comes into view. We overfly Budapest, Hungary's capital city. Split by the Danube into hilly Buda and lively Pest, the city is an extraordinary mix of grandeur, grit, elegance, and energy, offering one unforgettable view after another. We pass the green dome of the Parliament Building and land at Hungary's main International Airport (LHBP). South of Budapest, the river enters the Great Hungarian Plain — the Alföld — a vast, largely flat agricultural landscape stretching to the horizon. The Danube here becomes broader and slower. We land at Kalocsa (LHKA), Hungary's paprika capital — the fields of red peppers surrounding the town are one of the most distinctive features here. Our next turnpoint, Baja, is at the meeting point of two large regions: the Great Hungarian Plain and Transdanubia, with the River Danube separating the two. Continuing south, the Danube crosses the Hungarian-Serbian border. The landscape becomes increasingly flat, and the river widens further, dotted with sandy islands. South of the border, we are in the Vojvodina region of Serbia. We finish the flight at Klisa (LDOS), an urban area of the city of Novi Sad, Serbia's second-largest city. Novi Sad itself is a major cultural centre and the administrative capital of Vojvodina. The flight is 300 miles long with 5 landings. I will be in the A2A Aerostar. As always, please fly what you like. The flight plans are here. Recommended scenery: Langenlebarn – LOXT, you may have this airfield already Vienna – LOWW Bratislava – LZIB Gyor – LHPR Hungary VFR, we used this addon before. It is also available via ORBX We try real weather. Please set your simulator for a 4 pm local departure. Multiplayer Particulars: Date and time: Sunday, May 31, 2026. 16:00 UTC Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: United States East server These flights are events posted at DigitalThemePark. For these Sunday flights, we use DTP’s Discord Server for communication. 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!

Sorry, I cannot set tags, and I have found no way to insert a screenshot. ☹️

We continue our tour around the Black Sea and depart from Pashkovsky (URKK), Krasnodar's main airport. We head back to the Black Sea and cross the Caucasus. The Greater Caucasus forms a nearly impassable wall, a natural barrier separating two very different air masses — and historically, two different worlds. On the north side: Russia's flat steppe. On the south side: the lush, subtropical Black Sea coast. Once clear of the ridge and beginning to descend toward the sea, the landscape transforms completely — dense green forest, rivers tumbling down to the shore, and the blue of the Black Sea stretching out to the west. We land at Agoy (UAGG), a small village with a beach stretching over 400 metres, and trees growing right up to the water's edge. The village is over 100 years old, founded in 1915. There's no big resort infrastructure here — it's the kind of place Russian families come for a quieter alternative to the crowds further south. Next up is Sochi (URSS). Sochi was established in 1896 on the site of a former military fort and began developing as a resort area in 1902. The presence of mineral springs, beautiful coastal and mountain scenery, and a warm, humid subtropical climate quickly made it a large and popular holiday destination. Sochi is the only city in Russia with a humid subtropical climate — palms, magnolias, and citrus trees grow alongside traditional Russian birches and pines. In the early 1930s, the Soviet government allocated 1.4 billion rubles to develop Sochi, inviting the best architects and engineers. The resort was meant to show the whole world how a person would live under communism — a Utopian fairy tale by the sea. By the 1960s, Sochi was home to a network of sanatoriums and rest homes serving the Soviet elite, with retreats for artists and intellectuals. Sports celebrities and cosmonauts trained and recovered there. It became a kind of Shangri-La, a "dream place." Then came the 2014 Winter Olympics, which transformed the infrastructure again. Greater Sochi stretches about 145 kilometres along the coast, making it technically the longest city in Europe. The nearby Rosa Khutor ski resort, built for the Olympics, is now one of Russia's premier winter sports destinations. After Sochi, the coastline continues southeast, and we pass the border from Russia into Abkhazia. This is one of the most geopolitically loaded stretches of coastline in the world. Abkhazia is a small disputed territory on the eastern shore of the Black Sea that declared independence from Georgia in 1999 following a civil war in 1992–1993. Despite recognition by a handful of nations, including Russia, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, Abkhazia's sovereignty is not recognized by most of the international community. Georgia regards it as occupied territory. After the 2008 Russo-Georgian War, Abkhazia allowed Russia to take control of its border, railways, and airport, and to build military bases in the region. The territory is effectively a Russian protectorate — it uses the Russian ruble, Russian passports are widespread, and Russian soldiers are stationed there. Our next stop is Gudauta (UG23), the capital of Abkhazia. It's the administrative center of its district and has a population of around 9,000 people. The area has its own microclimate — the bay is small, and the town is more exposed to sea winds, making it a bit cooler than nearby villages. The town is a traditional, calm Black Sea resort — but like most small resort villages in Abkhazia, it's somewhat neglected: roads are in disrepair, the city park is abandoned, and buildings are dilapidated. Gudauta is also notable for hosting a Russian military base, which tells something about the current reality on the ground. Our next landing is at the Vladislav Ardzinba Sukhum International Airport (UGSS) — formerly known as Sukhumi Babushara — the main airport of Abkhazia. On 1 May 2025, it resumed operations and direct flights with Moscow for the first time since the 1990s and the war in Abkhazia. The airport was built in the mid-1960s during the Soviet era, when it was used purely for domestic flights — primarily to bring Soviet citizens to the beaches of Abkhazia. Close to 5,000 people a day used to pass through in the summer months. Then the civil war hit in the early 1990s, and everything stopped. The airport was heavily damaged, and land mines were subsequently cleared from its grounds by the HALO Trust, the only mine clearance agency active in Abkhazia. It then sat largely dormant for over 30 years before recently reopening. The entire story of this airport is essentially a condensed version of Abkhazia's own turbulent history. Now we cross into Georgia proper. Georgia (Sakartvelo in Georgian) is a country of extraordinary geographic variety — from the subtropical Black Sea coast to alpine glaciers to semi-arid wine valleys. The Georgian script is one of only a handful of unique alphabets in the world. The country has had a turbulent recent history. It gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, went through a chaotic and violent 1990s, experienced the Rose Revolution in 2003, which brought a pro-Western government to power, and then fought a brief but consequential war with Russia in 2008 over South Ossetia, which, like Abkhazia, remains a frozen conflict and Russian-backed breakaway region. Georgia has been on a path toward EU integration, though that process has had its tensions. What visitors almost universally remark on is the warmth of Georgian hospitality — there's even a saying that a guest is a gift from God — the remarkable cuisine, and the wine culture (Georgia is considered one of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world, going back some 8,000 years). We land at Kopitnari (UGKO), the airport serving Kutaisi, Georgia's third-largest city. Officially named David the Builder Kutaisi International Airport, it is the second busiest airport in Georgia, handling 1.7 million passengers in 2024. Originally a military airfield built after World War II, the site was used during the Soviet years for domestic flights connecting Kutaisi with other cities across the USSR. It was closed for renovation in 2011 and reopened in 2012 with Wizz Air as a key partner, which quickly made it Georgia's main hub for low-cost airlines connecting the country with European destinations. Kutaisi itself is an ancient city — one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world — and was historically the capital of the Kingdom of Colchis (the land of the Golden Fleece) and later the capital of the united Kingdom of Georgia. We finish at Batumi (UGSB), the second-largest city in Georgia and the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara. The city has been a place of importance for a very long time — the earliest known written reference to Batumi is attributed to Aristotle in the 4th century BC. The ancient Greeks called it Bathys Limen — "the deep harbor" — which is still accurate; it remains a major working port today. Its economy historically relied on maritime trade and oil transit, particularly after the construction of the Baku–Batumi pipeline in the early 20th century, and it remains a key transit point for Caspian energy exports. Today, Batumi is often referred to as the "Las Vegas of the Black Sea" for its gambling industry, modern hotels, and nightlife. The flight is 300 miles long with 5 landings. The flight plans are here. We want to cruise at about 220 knots and have one stop with a 2000-foot runway. I will be in the SWS PC-12, please fly what you like. Recommended scenery: Agoy – UAGG Sochi – URSS Babushara – UGSS Kutaisi – UGKO The complete package is here. We try real weather. Please set your simulator for a 12 noon local departure. Multiplayer Particulars: Date and time: Sunday, May 24, 2026. 16:00 UTC Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: United States East server These flights are events posted at DigitalThemePark. For these Sunday flights, we use DTP’s Discord Server for communication. 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!

The Comoros & Mayotte Today, we explore the Channel of Mozambique and fly from the Comoros Islands to Majotte, searching for Sailing Ships and wrecks. The Comoros is formed by Ngazidja (Grande Comore), Mwali (Mohéli), and Ndzwani (Anjouan), three major islands in the Indian Ocean, located in the Mozambique Channel between the African coast and Madagascar, with no land borders. The islands emerged from the floor of the Indian Ocean as a result of volcanic activity and are often called the "perfume islands" for their fragrant plant life and scenic beauty. Comoros is the third-smallest country in Africa at 1,862 km². All three islands feature rugged topography with steep peaks formed by volcanic activity. The highest point is the active volcano Karthala on Grande Comore, rising to about 2,361m. Comoros has experienced more than 20 coups or attempted coups, with various heads of state assassinated. President Azali Assoumani has consolidated power since 2019 by cracking down on the opposition and limiting press freedom. In January 2025, his ruling party won parliamentary elections, taking 28 out of 33 seats; opposition parties rejected the results. Under the constitution of 2001, each island elects its own governor and legislative assembly. The government of each island is free to administer its own affairs so long as its actions do not infringe upon the rights of the other islands or the federal union. Comoros' economy gained momentum in 2025, with real GDP growth estimated at 3.8%, driven by construction linked to the Galawa Hotel, El-Maarouf Hospital, and infrastructure for the 2027 Indian Ocean Island Games. Remittances from the large diaspora are a major economic pillar. Mayotte is a special case: it is an overseas department of France. It is geographically part of the Comoro Islands, but politically French. The Union of the Comoros claims it but does not administer it. We depart from Prince Said Ibrahim International Airport (FMCH), the principal international airport of the Comoros, on the Island of Grande Comore. It is the only airport in the country equipped to handle international flights. We fly along the island and cross over to the Island of Mohéli and land at Mohéli Bandar (FMCI). The airport does not publish a METAR — the nearest weather station is Dzaoudzi Pamandzi International Airport, 174 km away. It's a small, simple airfield serving the least populated of the three Comorian islands, known for its pristine nature and sea turtles. We head over to the Island of Anjouan and land at Ouani (FMCV). Anjouan is the most densely populated island of the Comoros. Airlines serving the route include Int'Air Îles, Comores Aviation International, and Ewa Air, connecting to Mohéli, Dzaoudzi, and Moroni. Now we fly once more across the Mozambique Channel and arrive in Europe - kind of. We reach Majotte, a French Overseas Department. It is an outermost region of the European Union and, as an overseas department of France, part of the eurozone. We land at Chirongui (FMCR), a small general aviation airstrip on the main island of Mayotte (Grande-Terre). It's a minimal facility with no scheduled commercial service. We head over to the Petite-Terre Island, fly around it clockwise, and land at Aéroport de Mayotte – Marcel Henry (FMCZ). The airport faces significant vulnerability to tropical cyclones and to rising sea levels, given its elevation of only 7 meters. Time permitting, we should jump into a helicopter and check out the many sailing ships and shipwrecks that come with the ship addons for Majotte. The flight is 200 miles long with 3 landings. The flight plans are here. There is no flight plan for the helicopter flight. A typical aircraft for the area could be the Brittan-Norman Islander, the Caravan, or a Cessna 404. Since we want to operate from a 1000-foot runway, I will be in the Islander. For the helicopter flight, I will probably be in the Huey again. As always, please fly what you like. Recommended scenery: Pamandzi – FMCZ Sailing Ships and Wrecks Sailships Library Scilly Sailships Dapani – FMCR Prince Said Ibrahim – FMCH The complete package is here. We try real weather. Please set your simulator for a 10 am departure. Multiplayer Particulars: Date and time: Sunday, May 17, 2026. 16:00 UTC Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: United States East server These flights are events posted at DigitalThemePark. For these Sunday flights, we use DTP’s Discord Server for communication. 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!

The Okavango Delta is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the few interior delta systems in the world that does not flow into a sea or ocean. It was also named one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Africa in 2013. Covering between 6,000 and 15,000 km² depending on the season, the land is astonishingly flat — dropping just 60 metres over a distance of 250 km — and the river dissolves into an intricate maze of channels, lagoons, floodplains, and palm-fringed islands. We will split the flight into two parts: a fixed-wing flight across the area and a helicopter flight to see the animals, camps, and lodges. The fixed-wing part has a length of 150 miles and 9 landings on dirt strips or near lodges. We depart from Seronga (FBSH) and finish at Xakanaxa (FBMF). In between, we have the chance to overfly some camps and animals. The helicopter tour departs from Guma Airstrip (FBGU), next to the Guma Camp, with some hippos nearby. This part is about 190 miles long with countless spots, camps, animals (if we see them), and dirtstrips. I assume we will make it up to Rann Airport (FBMQ), consider the remainder of the flight an option, time permitting. For the first part, I suggest a STOL aircraft like the C208, the Kodiak, or similar aircraft. For the helicopter part, a smaller helicopter is suitable, like the H125, the 500, or the H135/H145. I will probably be in the BlackSquare Caravan in the Zambia Flying Doctor Service livery and in the TAOAG Huey. As ever, fly what you like. The flight plans are here. Recommended scenery: The dirt strips are in the simulator's database. To see the eye candy, you want to have the Okavango Scenery from SWS (also available via ORBX). We try real weather. Please set your simulator for a 9 am departure. Multiplayer Particulars Date and time: Saturday, May 16, 2026. 1800 UTC 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).

I agree. I flew both versions for some time and the 2020 version seems indeed better than the 2024 version. Unfortunately, the support is non existent, the Turbo Version and the GTN are not useable.

Hi, did someone try to use GTN patch for the 2024 version? On my end, the patch install a BN-2 Turbo Prop folder, but without a manifest.json. Therefore, the Turbo Prop Version does not show up and neither does the option for the GTN. I tried reinstalls, downloads without anti virus, but the patch never creates a manifest.json.

This flight follows one of Europe's most scenic river corridors, the Danube (Donau), from the heart of Bavaria in southern Germany to the outskirts of the Austrian capital. Along the route, we will pass through two countries, two distinct cultural landscapes — the Bavarian Gäuboden lowlands and the celebrated Austrian Wachau valley — and encounter nearly two thousand years of continuous human history. The Danube is the second-longest river in Europe after the Volga, running approximately 2,860 kilometres from the Black Forest in Germany to the Black Sea in Romania. We did this flight before. We depart from Manching Airbase. It is a dual-use airfield, home of the Bundeswehr Technical and Airworthiness Center for Aircraft. The first flights for the Tornado and Eurofighter prototypes took place here. A couple of miles downstream lies Kelheim, at the confluence of the Altmühl and the Danube — an important archaeological site with Celtic and Roman-era remains. Just across the river and up in the hills to the south is Weltenburg Abbey, a Benedictine monastery believed to be the oldest in Bavaria, founded around 620 AD by Irish and Scottish monks. Weltenburg operates what is often cited as the world's oldest monastery brewery, still producing beer on site today. The surrounding Danube Gorge between Kelheim and Weltenburg is a dramatically narrow limestone canyon, one of the most striking natural features in Bavaria, popular with kayakers and hikers. Shortly after passing Regensburg, the distinctive white marble silhouette of the Walhalla becomes visible high on the Bräuberg hillside. The Walhalla is one of Germany's most extraordinary monuments. Conceived in 1807 by Crown Prince Ludwig of Bavaria (later King Ludwig I) as a patriotic hall of fame for distinguished figures of the German-speaking world, it was built between 1830 and 1842. The building is a faithful recreation of the Parthenon in Athens, constructed in white marble, sitting on a massive, terraced substructure rising 55 meters above the Danube valley. The colonnade consists of 46 Doric columns, and the structure is 66.7 meters long. Its name comes from Valhalla of Norse mythology, the hall where fallen warriors rested. Inside, the walls are lined with 130 marble busts and 65 memorial plaques honoring notable Germanic figures spanning 2,000 years of history, from Arminius (victor at the Battle of the Teutoburg Forest in 9 AD) through modern times. Figures as varied as Charlemagne, Dürer, Gutenberg, Mozart, Beethoven, Kant, and Sophie Scholl are represented. The Bavarian Council of Ministers selects new entrants every few years; the original 96 busts installed in 1842 have since grown considerably. Our first landing is Straubing Wallmühle (EDMS). It handles around 27,000 movements per year, with business aviation accounting for more than half of the traffic, and over 100 aircraft are based there across 11 hangars. Deggendorf (EDMW), our next landing, has a single asphalt runway, oriented 09/27. The Danube harbour at Deggendorf is the only trimodal freight centre on the Bavarian Danube and was for many years the only free port on the river in Bavaria. Vilshofen (EDMV) lies directly on the Danube and is noted among pilots for its friendly atmosphere, good facilities, and proximity to the town. Noise abatement procedures along the river are in effect, particularly at weekends. Vilshofen has a remarkable claim to brewing history. A son of the town, Josef Groll (1813–1887), travelled to Pilsen in Bohemia in 1842 and there brewed the world's first pale golden lager, the beer that became Pilsner Urquell and inspired more than two-thirds of all beer styles produced globally today. He is remembered as the father of the Pilsner. Just downstream lies Passau — the three-rivers city where the Inn and Ilz join the Danube — though today's route continues south-east following the river as it enters Austria. Crossing the German-Austrian border at Passau, the Danube enters the narrow gorge of the Schlögener Schlinge — one of the most dramatic river loops in central Europe, where the Danube cuts through the granite of the Bohemian Massif in a series of tight meanders. Following the river, we approach the city of Linz. Linz Airport (LOWL) is a dual-use facility, sharing the site with the Austrian Air Force's Fliegerhorst Vogler military base. It is Austria's second-largest cargo airport and handles scheduled and charter operations. The city of Linz, Austria's third largest with about 200,000 inhabitants, is the capital of Upper Austria (Oberösterreich). Continuing downstream into Lower Austria, the route enters the Wachau — a stretch of the Danube valley between Melk and Krems inscribed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site. The Wachau is famous for its terraced vineyards, apricot orchards, castle ruins, and small wine villages that seem barely changed since the Middle Ages. The first great landmark of the Wachau is Melk Abbey (Stift Melk), visible from many kilometres away as a massive golden-yellow Baroque complex perched on a sheer granite cliff directly above the river. The site was originally a castle-residence of the Babenberg dynasty, Austria's ruling family from 976 to 1246. On 21 March 1089, Margrave Leopold II gave the cliff and its buildings to Benedictine monks, and a monastic community has lived here without interruption ever since — nearly a thousand years of continuous occupation. The magnificent Baroque complex visible today was built between 1702 and 1746, following a fire and reconstruction programme. The great abbey church with its twin towers and magnificent dome, the marble hall, and the library — which holds over 100,000 volumes including priceless medieval manuscripts — represent one of the finest ensembles of Baroque architecture north of the Alps. The library possesses manuscripts more than a thousand years old brought by the founding monks. Melk Abbey managed to survive the dissolution of monasteries under Emperor Joseph II in the 1780s due to its great academic reputation, and it remains an active religious and educational community today, running a secondary school for nearly 900 pupils. In his 1980 novel The Name of the Rose, Umberto Eco chose to name his narrator "Adso of Melk" as an homage to the famous abbey. A short distance downstream from Melk, the white walls of Schönbühel Castle appear on the right bank of the Danube, rising from a rocky outcrop about 40 metres above the river — precisely where the Wachau valley begins. The castle is known as the "Keeper of the Wachau." The site has been occupied since at least the 12th century, when it was first built by Marchwardus de Schoenbuchele as a defensive structure, possibly on the footprint of an earlier Roman fortification. Originally the property of the Bishop of Passau, it passed through many hands over the centuries, including a long tenure under the powerful Starhemberg family from 1419 until 1819. After falling into disrepair, the castle was purchased by Count Franz von Beroldingen in 1819 and substantially renovated, making it habitable again by 1821. The Seilern-Aspang family, who acquired it in 1930, remains its owner today. Though not open to the public, Schönbühel is one of the most photographed castles in Austria and a defining image of the Wachau from the river. Further downstream, on the north bank of the Danube high above the river on a rocky spur of the Dunkelsteinerwald forest, stand the dramatic ruins of Aggstein Castle — arguably the most atmospheric castle ruin along the entire Austrian Danube. The castle was probably begun at the start of the 12th century and came into the possession of the Kuenring family in 1181. The Kuenringers became notorious robber barons. The castle withstood every direct assault; it was never taken by force. About 55,000 visitors come each year to explore the hidden stairways, dungeons, knight's hall, and chapel, and to enjoy one of the finest panoramic views of the Wachau. The castle ruins regularly host medieval festivals and theatrical events. We land at Langenlois (LOAG), also known as Krems-Langenlois. The town of Langenlois is Austria's largest wine-producing municipality. The Kamptal wine region, named after the River Kamp that flows southward through it before joining the Danube east of Krems, is one of the most prestigious wine districts in the country. With around 3,600 hectares under vine, it is renowned above all for Grüner Veltliner and Riesling. Langenlebarn (LOXT) is a military airfield of the Austrian Air Force. The airfield has a history that mirrors the turbulence of the 20th century with particular vividness. The Austrian First Republic planned a military airfield here in the 1930s; the German Luftwaffe took up those plans after the Anschluss in 1938 and built the base with local labour, completing it by March 1939. During World War II, its primary function was pilot training. In a remarkable postwar moment, Pan American World Airways operated scheduled passenger service from New York to Langenlebarn from June 1946 — one of the first transatlantic air links into central Europe after the war. When the Austrian State Treaty was signed in 1955, US Secretary of State John Foster Dulles arrived here. The airfield was handed over to the reborn Austrian Air Force on 30 September 1955. For motor racing fans, the airfield hosted Formula Two Championship rounds from 1967 to 1971 on a 2.9-kilometre circuit laid out on the runways. The Austrian driver Jochen Rindt won the inaugural race here in 1967 before future world champions Jack Brabham and Jim Clark also competed on the circuit. Our next POI is Kreuzenstein Castle. The lords of the castle were not only ruling over large parts of the Tulln field and the Korneuburg basin, but also surveyed the nearby city of Vienna, as well as vast areas of Lower Austria. The first medieval castle was presumably constructed here at the beginning of the 12th century. During the final years of the Thirty Years' War, the Swedes largely destroyed it by demolition charges during their retreat. During the following decades, the ruins were used by the surrounding inhabitants as a quarry for construction materials. The castle's current appearance owes everything to one remarkable man. It was Austrian nobleman Johann Nepomuk Count Wilczek who decided to rebuild the castle in the 19th century, inspired by the Romantic ideal of the Middle Ages. Between 1874 and 1906, an ambitious restoration project was carried out using original elements from medieval ruins and materials collected throughout Europe. The castle remains in the Wilczek family's possession today. It has also become a popular film location — scenes from the Netflix series The Witcher were shot here in 2019, and in 2023 it served as a backdrop for the Disney+ series Shardlake. Before landing at Schwechat, the route passes over the city of Vienna (Wien), the Austrian capital and one of the great imperial cities of European history. Vienna International Airport (LOWW) is Austria's largest airport and the hub of Austrian Airlines, as well as a major base for Ryanair and Condor. The airport handles over 31 million passengers per year and connects Vienna to 195 destinations in 68 countries, operated by 65 airlines. The 109-metre-high ATC tower, completed in 2006, is the tallest control tower in Europe. The flight is 265 miles long and has 6 landings. Any GA airplane is suitable. I will be in the A2A Comanche. Please fly what you like. The flight plan is here. Recommended scenery: Manching – ETSI (dependency: Lossiemouth EGQS, KXTA Homey Airport, and Turtle Tanks library) Straubing – EDMS Deggendorf – EDMW Vilshofen – EDMV Linz – LOWL Krems – LOAG Langenlebarn – LOXT Vienna – LOWW is available as Payware The package is available here. You may have downloaded some of the airports before. We try real weather. Please set your simulator for an 11:00 am local departure. Multiplayer Particulars: Date and time: Sunday, May 10, 2026. 16:00 UTC Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: United States East server These flights are events posted at DigitalThemePark. For these Sunday flights, we use DTP’s Discord Server for communication. 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!

Thanks for directing me to more scenery for the Falklands! These add-ons improve the airstrips, make them easier to find, and add two POIs: a radar station and Mare Harbour. Mare Harbour Radar Head Mt Kent Falkland Island Airstrips If you downloaded the flight plan before Thursday noon (UTC), please download it again: Flight Plan

Today, we simulate a typical day of operations for the Falkland Islands Government Air Service (FIGAS). Since 1979, FIGAS has operated 5 Britten-Norman Islander. They replaced the DHC-2 Beaver, which had been used since 1953. The Islander fleet underwent a couple of significant modernization upgrades and is now equipped with Glass Cockpits, Autopilot, and Satellite Tracking. The various airstrips form the backbone of the islands' infrastructure. Next to Port Stanley and Mount Pleasant Air Base, more than 30 airstrips across the islands are regularly serviced. Most strips are simple grass tracks. Before a plane lands, a local farmer often drives a vehicle along the strip (a "strip run") to ensure there are no geese, sheep, or deep ruts that could endanger the landing. Since there are no fixed terminals with departure boards, the daily flight schedules (who flies when and where) are traditionally broadcast every evening on FIRS (Falkland Islands Radio Service). For residents of the "Camp" (the local term for the countryside), this is the most important information of the day. This service is offered only through FIGAS. Unlike regular airlines, FIGAS does not have a fixed flight schedule. It operates more like an on-demand air taxi service. Passengers must submit their flight requests by 10:00 a.m. the day before. The pilots don’t plan the route for the next day until the afternoon of the previous day, based on the bookings. The route is then announced on local radio (FIRS) and on Facebook. Often, the planes fly in a loop from Stanley, visiting several airstrips in sequence to drop off or pick up passengers. The prices vary, depending on the status of the passengers: tourists pay between 150 £ and 190 £ for a single tour to some of the smaller islands. Scenic flights cost about 170 £. Residents pay about 60 £ per flight. There is a strict limit for the luggage (max 20 kg/person), and over baggage must be requested in advance and is very expensive. Tourists need to book their flight many weeks in advance. We depart from Mount Pleasant AB (EGYP) and visit 8 strips on a clockwise tour, finishing at Port Stanley (SFAL). Shortly before reaching Port Stanley, we pass byPembroke Lighthouse, time and weather permitting. The trip is 190 miles long with 8 landings. The shortest runway is 1382 feet long. The Britten-Norman Islander is the ideal aircraft, but any aircraft cruising at about 140 knots and capable of operating from a 1300-foot grass strip is suitable. I will probably be in the Blackbox Islander. As always, please fly what you like. The flight plan is here. See post below! Additional scenery: Port Stanley – SFAL RAF Mount Pleasant – EGYP Pembroke Lighthouse To see all details at Mount Pleasant, you should activate nickb007’s Lossiemouth. The complete package (without Lossiemouth) is here. We try real weather. Please set your simulator for a 9 am local departure. Multiplayer Particulars: Date and time: Sunday, May 03, 2026. 16:00 UTC Microsoft Flight Simulator Multiplayer: United States East server These flights are events posted at DigitalThemePark. For these Sunday flights, we use DTP’s Discord Server for communication. 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!