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Hello everyone! I’m back with my second edition of Flap’s Flap.
This time, I'm going to be filling in those voids that sometimes pop
into our heads when we have time to do a flight with a flight idea:
a fall foliage flight seeing tour in New England. This flight will be
completed in series of twelve legs that span from the starting
point at Presque Isle, Maine to New Haven, Connecticut. I hope you will
stick with me for these twelve legs as it will be quite a site to the
eyes! One thing I want to point out to you, in these flights, I have
used the real world weather but you may want to check it first before
you perform the flight. I will note otherwise if a weather theme has
been used instead due to uncanny VFR flying conditions. Also, a
special note - you will want to set the calendar in Flight Simulator
back to around the 12th of October, otherwise the trees will be a
pale color and might not even have leaves.
FLIGHT #1, LEG 1: KPQI (Presque Island Maine) to KRKD (Knox Regional Airfield Maine) ETA: 1:08 FLIGHT #2, LEG 2: KRKD (Knox Regional Airfield Maine) to KBHB (Hancock Co Bar Harbor Maine) ETA: 25 min. FLIGHT #3, LEG 3: KBHB (Hancock Co Bar Harbor Maine) to KBTV (Burlington Vermont ETA: 1:30 FLIGHT #4, LEG 4: KBTV (Burlington Vermont) to KVSF (Springfield Vermont) ETA: 26 min. FLIGHT #5, LEG 5: KVSF (Springfield Vermont) to OB1 (Bethel Maine) ETA: 49 min. FLIGHT #6, LEG 6: OB1 (Bethel Maine) to KEEN (Keene New Hampshire) FLIGHT #7, LEG 7: KGBR (Great Barrington Massachusett) to KBAF (Westfield Massachusetts) ETA: 15 min. FLIGHT #8, LEG 8: KBAF (Westfield Massachusetts) to 1B9 (Mansfield Massachusetts) ETA: 32 min. FLIGHT #9, LEG 9: 1B9 (Mansfield Massachusetts) to KMMK (Meridan Connecticut) ETA: 46 min. FLIGHT #10, LEG 10: KMMK (Meridan Connecticut) to 5B3 (Danielson Connecticut) ETA: 19 min. FLIGHT #11, LEG 11: 5B3 (Danielson Connecticut) to KHVN (New Haven Connecticut) ETA: 32 min.
Our flight is going to take us by our highlight today, which is Mount Katahdin which rests at 5267 feet at the peak. I’m sure it is going to be quite splendid since we’ve been blessed with great weather today.
Time to go! Everything’s checked out and we’re ready to start our flight. Tune Presque Isle traffic and select runway for take off. Announce take-off, and apply full throttle. We’ll lift nicely off the ground. You can already see the great scenery that Maine has to offer.
Take off Presque Isle Airport in our Beech V35 Bonanza.
As we continue on our journey notice the subtle mixes of oranges and yellows and browns on the ground below. Shortly, we will come upon Traveler Mountain shown here, which is in the distance at 27 nm away. Soon we will be approaching our highlight of the tour, Mount Katahdin.
Traveller Mountain in the distance, 27 nm away.
After continuing on from Traveller Mountain we will start to see the highlight of our tour, Mount Katahdin. Mount Katahdin is the highest mountain in the state of Maine, located near Baxter State Park and is nestled nicely in the White Mountain Range. You will recognize this magnificent landmark immediately as we come up on it. I’m sure you will agree it is truly a sight to see!
 Mount Katahdin, the highlight of today's flight. Notice the bursts of color on the hill below us with the foliage. |
 Another spectacular view of Mount Katahdin. Notice the bursts of orange and brown on the hill side. |
When we pass Mount Katahdin, it’s time to say goodbye to this great landmark as we head down towards Millinocket.
Saying good bye to Mount Katahdin. Orange specks seen in the bottom corner for foliage.
As we continued on our journey, we saw some splendid scenery. Unfortunately, these cliffs did not have a name. But with the beautiful shot that I got, they really should. This is some of natures wonders at her best. After passing this point, we then come upon the town of Millinocket, and then we proceed to Knox County Regional Airfield.
 These cliffs don't have a name, but should. |
 The town of Millinocket, simply one of the more interesting places on our journey. |
We’ll soon be arriving at Knox County Regional Airport. We’ll want to start our descent, so set the autopilot to descend to 2500 feet. After 2500 feet, continue flying at that level for a while, and go to your GPS. Select runway 13 for landing and load vectors to that runway. You’ll be able to guide your aircraft in nicely that way since this runway does not have an ILS. I didn’t even notice a VASI system on it, so you will absolutely need to have your wits about you on this approach. It’s a tricky one, and there’s a lot of nice scenery out there with the bay in the distance. You’ll want to stay alert and not wander off for some wrong move, and you’ll have to start over again, at least in the Flight Simulator
 Lining up to land on runway 13 at Rockland Airport. |
 Touchdown! |
Once on the ground, taxi to parking, shut off the engine, and take a break. I’m sure you’ll want to rest before we continue on our next leg.
Make sure that you check the weather in Maine - you want to be certain it will be ideal for some VFR flying weather. If there are any abnormalities, you can feel free to use the Fair Weather theme or even the Clear Skies Weather Theme. I was blessed with excellent weather with the real world download so I used that.
Okay! Load up FS2004 and go to the flight planner. Load up a trip from KRKD (Knox County Regional) to KBHB (Hancock Bar Harbor). Flight time to complete should be approximately 20 minutes. Oh, by the way - not to make you nervous or anything but a friendly group of aviation flight seeing enthusiasts are going to be meeting us there to continue on Leg 3 - which will cover some splendid mountain terrain. Set your altitude to 3500 feet, and adjust the flight path to that shown below. Set the time to day too by the way - any later time is good. Not too late - you don't want it to be dark for our passengers on our next journey.
Foliage Leg 2.
Taxi to the active, and take off. Apply full throttle and you'll lift nicely off the ground - not too steep, just right. You'll immediately notice the great coast of Maine in all its glory. Truly a wonderful sight.
The coast of Maine.
After continuing down the coast of Maine, we are going to be coming along to some nice little inlets in the harbor. Nothing too spectacular as far as foliage goes, but a nice looking shot none the less. You'll want a picture of this for your scrap book.
The town of North Haven and inlets.
After passing North Haven, we are going to want to prepare for our descent. Apply flaps and start to descend to 1700 feet until you see the runway. Lower the gear when you have reached the proper speed, apply the flaps and nicely touch down on the tarmac. You'll be able to greet your passengers for the next journey when you arrive.
 Gear down. |
 Touchdown! |
After we pull up to parking, we'll change aircraft to a larger size - we want to make sure our passengers ride in comfort and have enough room for their photography equipment. Grab yourself a cup of coffee, and when you're done, I'm sure everyone will have arrived and will be ready to go.
Load up FS2004's flight planner or FSNavigator and select the following airports (see image below). Adjust the flight plan so that it looks like mine - you will be able to see some interesting scenery this way along the way. Set your altitude to flight level 4500 feet, and time of day to morning around 11 am.
After everyone has loaded, start the engines and taxi to the active. As always you'll lift nicely off the ground if you don't pull back too hard on the stick and make everyone nervous at such a steep takeoff. Enjoy the coastal scenery as you make your turn towards the mainland and continue on - you won't see water again for quite a while, unless it's a local lake or stream. On this flight plan however, our main attraction will be The Presidential Mountain Range in New Hampshire, which is home to Mount Martha, Mount Washington, and Mount Madison. Mount Washington being a very popular scenic area - especially during the winter months. I'm sure you will be in awe when we get to this section of our flight. Our passengers picked a nice day to join us!
Take off from Bar Harbor, with a view of Cadillac Mountain in back.
Once we are in the air relax a bit. Take in some of the scenery and turn on the auto pilot at 4500 feet. You will want to be able to point out the landmarks to your passengers as we come upon them, so you'll want to be ready and not have to worry about maintaining altitude manually. One of our first mountains that we will approach will be Lafayette Mountain.
 Lafayette Mountain. |
 Another dramatic view of Lafayette Mountain. |
Once we pass Lafayette Mountain, we will be coming upon Olde Speck Mountain. Olde Speck Mountain is at the beginning of the Presidential Range (of course, that depends on how you plan the flight) but it is also a wonder to see. It is even better with the Microsoft's update to support greater detail in the terrain mesh.
Olde Speck Mountain.
After we pass Olde Speck Mountain, we will be coming on to the highlight of today's flight: The Presidential Range. This is beautiful at all altitudes, low and high - some of you may prefer to be higher for this, but I think that this flight is perfect at 4500 feet. It may even start to make you a little nervous as you see some of the peaks come at you - but not to worry - you should be able to go by them just fine. If you feel like you won't feel free to adjust your altitude.
 Flying over the mountains with the fall trees below. |
 Mount Madison. Bear in mind this is still at 4500 feet. |
 Mount Washington behind the clouds. |
 Saying goodbye to Mount Washington. |
After the Presidential Range, we will soon be entering Vermont.
Entering Vermont.
After we have travelled into Vermont and approach the city of Bristol, we will want to start our descent.
Getting ready for our descent, coming up on the city of Bristol.
You will want to line up perfectly to land before you get to the runway. As always, apply flaps accordingly and begin your descent to the tarmac. You will see a nice view of Winucket River as you approach Burlington.
Gear down, lining up to land.
This landing was perfect. From the cheers in the back, our passengers were pleased!
Touching down in Burlington.
Taxi to parking and shut down the engine. Everyone will say their goodbyes over a cup of coffee and then we'll head on for our next adventure.
Checked the weather? If it's bad, load up the fair weather theme. The weather had been excellent for me all week, so I had nothing to worry about. Okay! Tune radios to the traffic and announce taxi, and taxi to the active. Announce taking the runway, and proceed with caution. Apply full throttle and off we go! We'll lift nicely off the ground.
Takeoff from Burlington with Mount Mansfield in the background.
Afterwards, turn south and we'll be heading towards the Green Mountains, which is the home to Mount Killington. For those of you into skiing, I'd highly recommend this area. I don't ski myself, but people love it for the sport. On our way, we will pass Hogback Mountain. This will be in the beginning of our flight into the Green Mountains.
 Hogback Mountain to the left, approaching East Middlebury. |
 I just liked this little lake tucked in nicely. |
After Hogback, continue south. We'll be approaching Killington Peak shortly. You want to make certain you don't get too close to the mountain, or you will have to adjust your flight path around it. We should be at a nice distance though.
Pico Peak and Mount Killington peak; note the spendid fall scenery.
After we pass Killington Peak, we will be preparing for our descent. We will pass the townships of Brandon and Rutland as well. You have to be extra cautious on this approach for it is right after a mountain. I almost made the mistake of miss judging it - and had to pull up. You will see what I mean in the following screen shot.
Yes, these it is...pull up a little.
I did manage to get to the ground safely with this approach. I was surprised because I hardly ever fly in the mountains, but after these flights, I'll be a pro!
Touchdown at Springfield.
Load up your aircraft on the ramp and get ready to set instruments. Set your auto pilot to 3500 feet and get ready for an excellent journey. The hightlights of today's trip will be The Presidential Range along with a few lesser known mountains around the area - mountains that I didn't even know existed or heard of!
Okay! Start your engines and announce taxi to the active - your choice or whatever the weather is doing at this point in time with wind restrictions, etc. Taxi to the runway and hold short. You will want to make sure no traffic is coming, then pull into position apply full throttle and gently lift off the ground.
Takeoff from Springfield.
As we climb to 3500 feet we will first be approaching Mount Ascutney. What a sight to see! This flight should have some good "flight seeing."
Climbing to 3500 feet, Mount Ascutney in front.
After we pass Mount Ascutney - at least it won't be any rush that we do in a little Cessna - we will be approaching the town of Windsor, Vermont tucked nicely in a little valley. We can even see some dots of color on the hill side as we fly by. After passing Windsor, we will then be coming upon the town of Hartland.
 Approaching Windsor, Vermont. |
 Coming up on Hartland. |
Look to the left. See the mountains to the distance? That's Killington Peak out there.
Another view of Hartland with Killington Peak in the distance. Beautiful!
After Killington, we will be approaching White River Junction.
White River Junction.
Once we have flown by White River Junction, it won't be long until we come upon the Presidential Range. In the Presidential Range rests Mount Madison, Mount Martha, but the most famous peak is Mount Washington. But first we come to Mount Moosilauke.
Mount Moosilauke.
Even though Mount Washington has some cloud cover, it is still a great sight. This terrain mesh is tremendous detail and gives the feeling of hight. Remember - we are at 3500 feet and we can see the color in the trees below us on the ground.
Mount Washington behind the clouds.
We then pass by Mount Cardigan, whose peak is just slightly above us in altitude.
Coming up on Mount Cardigan.
After we pass the range we will still be in the state of New Hampshire, but one of the most well known lake areas is Lake Winnipesaukee. It's beautiful on a day like today!
A view of Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire.
After Lake Winnipesaukee we will then soon be approaching Bethel.
Approaching Bethel. Mount Tecumseh in the distance.
We will then pass by the town of Oxford. What wonderful color on the hills below us!
The town of Oxford. The trees on the hill side are nice!
Afterwards, we will want to start our descent. Get ready to land at Bethel, Maine, runway 22 for approach, pending weather conditions in your world at the time of flight. When the runway is in sight, start to apply flaps accordingly and descend to the runway. I made a little bit of a steep landing, but I still made it in one piece.
 A little bit of a steep descent. |
 Touchdown! |
Pull off the runway after touchdown so you don't become a bother to other air traffic in the area, taxi to parking, and shut down the engine. You'll want to rest up a bit before continuing the rest of legs.
With this stop we complete the first part of our story. Flights 6-11 will be published in December after my next month's article which will have a focus on holiday shopping for the flightsimmer, so I'm sure you'll want to tell all your husbands, wives or significant others about that one - they'll be able to find everything (hopefully) on your wish list.
 My system settings for Flight Simulator 2004. |
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Performance on computer systems will vary so please don’t email me
about my FPS too slow if I mention them on mine. Computer system for
this article and all others of Flap’s Flap is the following:
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I appreciate having my readers along and thank you all for taking time to look at my work. Until next time, happy flying and keep the blue side up!
Inspired by my article? Have any tips that you have discovered during the years, any questions or concerns? Email me at ragtopjohnny01@aol.com. I will print them in future issues of Flap’s Flap.
Now, for some light legal stuff:
Flap’s Flap does not accept any responsibility for varied performance in systems. Please note my system specs and the display properties work fine with MY system. Set your display properties accordingly to your computer. Also, with any How To items that are given in these articles, please use at your own risk! I will hold no responsibility to any damage done to your system. And, as always, remember: Back up your files before changing them!
John J. Thuot II
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Flap's Flap #1
ragtopjohnny01@aol.com
