Come And Visit Asia

By Bastian Blinten (4 October 2008)

Welcome back! Sit down and fasten your seatbelts for one more journey, covering a whole continent. We will do a round tour of Asia, passing the highest peaks and lowest terrain on earth. As Asia is the largest continent to find, the tour will actually be a little longer, concentrating on the destinations at the Mediterranean.

We commence where our last trip 'Europe 2' ended, at Perm, Russia. The aged Tupolev 154 takes us up to FL350 and across the Ural mountains into Asia.

I've never seen much of the Ural in Flight Simulator so please don't complain. It's not my fault. If you find a mesh scenery please drop me a line. I've done many round-the-world-trips and I always found it disturbing that there is so little scenery in Russia. It is the biggest country in the world but the Asian part seems quite forgotten if it comes to scenery design. The newer versions of the flightsim provide a good coverage of default airports but there is still lots of work left for add-on designers. I will present you the few destinations I found on the internet.

We have just landed at Tolmachevo airport, Novosibirsk. It is quite in the middle of the country so geographically a good spot for refuelling. Apart from that it is one of my favourite (if not the best) add-on scenery airport in my collection. The textures look great and the overall look make you feel like being there. Only recently the very detailed Tolmachevo 2008 scenery has been released as freeware for FS2004 weighing around 60 MB.

I am using a much lighter FS2002/FS2004 version by the Tolmachevo Team that you will find as a free download at fsnordic.net. But even that one is amazing.

Everything is neatly modelled and a lot of work has been put into it to produce a great look in all seasons, day and night.

Just for comparison the winter textures. Mind the big snow piles. The Siberian cold is captured pretty nicely and just looking at it makes you shiver.

On we go to the very east. Siberia is amazing. Hundreds of miles of nothing and suddenly a city with around a million inhabitants. The cities names are mostly unknown to people outside of Russia. As the Tupolev's range is somewhat limited, we do a little refuelling stop in Yakutsk and continue to Magadan.

Magadan has been a destination in my first round-the-world flight in FS5. There has been a special scenery including all necessary airports. I remember that it was fitting on one 1.4 MB disk. And that was not just Magadan but all the cities needed for the entire trip. Magadan was in the Cessna's range to continue to Nome, Alaska.

The mountains and valleys give a good impression of the vastness of the area. If you have the feeling that this is the end of the world you are certainly not far from truth. At least it is the Asian end but we'll meet some more of these in my next article.

How must life be in a city that is the only settlement for hundreds of miles?

We stick to the Russian east coast and continue to the terminal stop of the worlds longest continuous railway, the Tran Siberian: Vladivostok. The airport is default but I have added a separate military part I found at www.avsim.ru.

A line-up of helicopters is sitting there, regretting their ugliness.

From Vladivostok it is just a short hop across the Japanese Sea to Matsumoto in the very center of Japan. Due to its high elevation Matsumoto is saved from the hot and humid climate that you come across in most other parts of the country. That's why it is the center for Japanese guitar manufacturing. So if guitars are your passion, you shouldn't miss it!

The airport is big enough for a 737 but too small for the real heavies.

We are now heading for a few well known places, mainly because Japanese scenery creators have put a lot of work into building photo real scenery.

What you see here is New Tokyo International airport, Narita, about 40 miles northeast of Tokyo. It was opened in 1978 and has seen lots of opposition by the citizens. A second runway could not be opened until 2002 and some poultry farmer, who is refusing to leave his farm, is preventing its development from 2100 to 3200 meters lengths. So no place for real big poultry like a 747 so far. The construction of a third runway has been started but somehow Narita has missed the chance to become an international hub. Hey, I'm getting hungry for some extra size chicken burger.

We are returning to some altitude and enjoy the top view onto Tokyo Haneda. Photo sceneries look best from some altitude while it is hard to capture the detail if you fly low. Apart from that many dislike the scenery boundaries that are usually clearly visible and somewhat ruin the overall look.

We are passing Tokyo in a Boeing 777-300 in the old Japan Air livery. Straight ahead Mr. Fujijama is waving hello.

West-south-west we are getting to Osaka. The city offers two more interesting airports. Osaka-Itami is mainly used for domestic flights. It is a little out of favor as it lies more or less in the middle of the city and the low approaches show some effect on the people's blood pressure.

Kansai airport is the international hub built on a completely artificial island. If a sheik builds a palm tree shaped island, why shouldn't you have one in the shape of an airport? At least it keeps the noise away from the city.

The airport layout shown in these pictures is obsolete by now. The island has been enlarged and a second parallel runway was finished in 2007. Still passenger numbers are below expectations.

We say goodbye to Japan and it's just another short hop to Incheon, South Korea. Incheon lies on the west coast, just a few miles away from the capital Seoul and not far from one of the most leak proof borders of the world.

This is Peking. At the beginning of August there was an Olympic VATSIM fly-in at Peking airport. As I write this article, the Olympics have not yet started but discussed more than anything else. There is certainly a lot to say but as this web site is dedicated to flightsimming it is the wrong place for debating on politics so no further comment on that.

It just reminds me that online flying gets you in touch with the whole world, not just virtually but real. After exploring Europe over and over I'm getting curious about visiting foreign countries and have a chat with the people living there.

Okay, the chat will probably be limited to something like 'United 1470, cleared to land, runway 24L' and the potential for real international understanding is somehow limited. Still you will find people friendly and open enough to share their time and hobby with you. Online flying will probably not provide peace on earth but isn't it great to share your evening with some Asians you have never met before?

I just heard that Peking is the dirtiest city in the world in terms of air pollution. Today we try our best and add some from the mighty engines of our 777.

Next stop is Hang Zhou, somewhat inland from Shanghai. I chose this destination because it offers some of the best freeware airports in my collection. It was designed by Jiangwei Shen. Glory to him! The airport and its nearby roads are buzzing with cars and buses, trees are moving in the wind and there is perfect detail everywhere.

It is the first airport I know that comes with a complete inside. Switch to slew mode and have a look. Just some people missing but apart from that it's quite fancy!

We are leaving China and take a look for the Philippines. The South East Asian 'island-countries' are a pretty good place for a seaplane but that would somehow be too much for us today. I had first planned to continue to Papua New Guinea as it is one of the most interesting bush flying destinations. My friend Ron Blehm has already published a formidable floundering around article on that so I leave it to him.

Instead we are travelling to the very west of Indonesia, Medan. From here it is not far to our Singapore Airlines 747's home.

We take a glance from above. How must our Jumbo feel, meeting more and more of these sparkling new wonder aircraft called A380. Depressed? Feeling like getting old and being overtaken by the youngsters? However you must admit that it is ageing in dignity and it is still more attractive than its European counterpart which certainly has its qualities but looks like it has eaten too many passengers.

More big size stuff? Here we go just half an hour north of Singapore: the Petronas Towers at Kuala Lumpur. Big enough to be found in Microsoft's default scenery. Looks quite comfortable for a knife edge between the towers in the Extra 300. As we are travelling in a 747 we don't want to upset the passengers and keep going straight for their holiday destination.

Phuket in Thailand was badly hit by the Tsunami in 2004. It must be one of the most wonderful places on earth and whenever you get to South East Asia it looks like a good choice.

No Bangkok today. Let's go to some remote place in the north of Thailand: Chiang Mai. A friend of mine stayed there for a while during a social service in Thailand. The scenery was well done by Martin Strong. I like it when the style of the scenery gives you a good impression of the country. The default U.S. style airports sometimes look a little misplaced.

If you are searching for add-on scenery in South East Asia you might find a lot of war era airports in Vietnam. If that's not what you are looking for the offer is limited. I was happy to find Luang Prabang in Laos. The runway is parallel to the Mekong River and doesn't even have a concrete taxiway. Better not take one of these sensitive jets with easy to crack suspension. Since 1995 Luang Prabang has been part of the UNESCO world cultural heritage and tourism is an increasing factor in the region. Malaysian airlines are planning to pick up a service to here. Our Lufthansa B737 seems a little out of place but it is a good choice for the next destinations that lack runways for the real heavies.

One of the most interesting flightsim destinations is the Himalaya with Mount Everest, Kathmandu and Lukla. Aerosoft has done a terrific job on that area in an add-on for FSX. I love flying there (although without FSX) and I recommend some mesh scenery to make it even more breathtaking to the eye. (Funny little breathing eye.) Still I believe that those French altiports are a greater challenge if it comes to landings. What ever you prefer, we are not going to Nepal today.

Don't worry, you will still see some of the Himalaya. Let's start with Lhasa. At first glance the approach doesn't look too spectacular but keep in mind that the runway is at 12,000 feet altitude. Watch your speed as you are coming in. The air is thin!

More of the Himalaya: We are approaching Paro in the kingdom of Bhutan. It is situated in a deep valley and if I say deep I mean it! So if you have a taste for something remote and challenging approaches, try this one. People in Bhutan are living from agriculture and tourism so bring in some passengers to fill up their hotels.

Today I cherish the B737's climbing abilities. The 737-300 is small without too much weight to be lifted. A steep climb will be needed to get away safely.

Okay, okay, this is Nepal, somewhere near Mount Everest. It is just on the way to our next destination so I couldn't resist taking a picture.

India: a country with more than 1 billion people but unfortunately very few flight simmers and online pilots. The only add-on I could find was Rajkot airport in the north west of the country. The runway is pretty short so we have to stick to the 737.

There was little information to find about this city except that Mahatma Ghandi lived here for a couple of years. Peace be with him and with us on our next leg.

We've seen lots of Russia so far but none of the former soviet countries. We are heading for Almaty, the former capital of Kazakhstan. Before checking my atlas I had never realised that some of he highest mountains in the world reach as far as here. Peak Pobedy is 7439 metres (24,407 feet) high and its top is the border between Kirgisia, Kazakhstan and China. North of Almaty you will find lots of steppe and half-desert.

With almost 1.2 million inhabitants it is the second largest city of central Asia right after Tashkent, which is our next destination.

I never found out what kind of tower that is in the city center but I guess it must be some TV-tower. We are now shifting to a Lufthansa Cargo MD-11. Lufthansa flies to Tashkent via Astana 49 times a week. Quite a number. Lufthansa Cargo sorted out their ageing B747-200's in 2005 and is now relying completely on the more modern MD-11 which, despite its age, is still very successful as a freighter.

I've always tried to complete my virtual Lufthansa fleet and the MD-11 was the last plane missing. After problems with other models I finally found this one reminding me more of an aircraft of the FS98 era. Still it is complete with moving parts but the flight model.... Well, never seen an airliner before with a clear nose-down attitude at cruising speed and altitude. The climb speed is more than enormous but the aircraft does what it is supposed to and flies without difficulties.

We are approaching the Southwest Asia. We touch down at Tehran. I've once seen a picture of Tehran taken from an approaching Boeing 707 and the look of the city was quite impressive. Pretty grey and full of skyscrapers. However there was a line of skyscrapers of even greater size looking like they are cutting the city in half. Iran VACC opened not long ago. Think I'll have a try sooner or later.

The airport is improved with the popular Tehran 2003 add-on. The northern part of it is dedicated to civil aircraft, while the southern apron holds a collection of military freighters and two Iranian F-14s.

We take off again in another B777, this time in Emirates livery. I always wanted something like Emirates in my collection. It was sad that "Emirates" was not included in the default set of ATC names. With the help of Edit Voicepack I got over this and now my world wide fleet is a little more complete. Emirates is a fast growing airline and Abu Dhabi has become a hub for flights from Europe to South East Asia or Australia. That's why they operate an impressive long-range fleet.

Just like the A380 I find that the 777 looks like an aircraft that desperately needs a diet. Just like a pumped up 767. But as a flight simulator default it is well done and works fine on long flights.

We are now heading for the countries of the very rich and not so famous. We are passing overhead the 321 meter high Burj Al Arab hotel which is designated a special class hotel, so even higher than a 5 star. Apart from the hotel and the city there is endless desert. So in general travellers are excited by the city but outside of that there is hardly anything to find but sand and stone.

We turn west and follow the coast, landing in Abu Dhabi. You see what I mean when I talk of the desert.

Next stop is Jeddah in Saudi Arabia. My add-on offers little detail but an amazing array of airliners parked on the ground. It's hard to find a place for yourself. I once visited the city by mistake. I had just downloaded an Airbus A300 and because of its size I estimated that it is suitable for long range. I didn't know about its history and that it was originally designed for short and medium range flights in Europe and the U.S. I was heading from Germany for the Seychelles in the middle of the night. The tanks were dry when I was cruising over the Red Sea. Jeddah was within range so I put the plane down in one piece.

Good moment to switch to an Airbus. Royal Jordanian mainly operates Airbuses. They have three A310-300 in service and two more as freighters. We fly to Amman, Jordan's capital and become part of a not very authentic RJ fleet. As we are now going to explore the Middle East the A310 is great in its short range role.

All my airports in that area have on old fashioned look. They are probably updated FS2000 airports. The landscape between our destinations is more or less boring so hurry up before you fall asleep.

Ahh! Finally back to the Mediterranean! We are heading for Ercan, Cyprus. As we approach the island I find it much to my liking. I'd love to stay here for a little longer.

The Greek and the Turkish are still not very comfortable about sharing this island. As you can see we landed in the Turkish part. Maybe it's my complete unawareness of political or historical facts that make me say: Hey, everybody, it's a beautiful island. Shake hands, relax and have a beer together! Man, I'm so naive. Of course there is always an important reason for a good fight and after some quick and helpless tries to reunite the island, people start chasing me away.

Sorry passengers. They don't want us here. Grab your bags and back on the plane!

The approach to Eilat leads above Egyptian territory, nice coral beaches and that shopping mall that lies ahead. Needless to say that the latter is passed at hair raising altitude. Eilat is the Las Vegas of Israel. As you can see there is a skyline of hotels that resemble those in Vegas. Of course there is no gambling in a religious state like Israel. That's why you can take a ship ride into international waters and have your game of luck out there. In Eilat you don't need to turn your head too much to see four countries: Israel, Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. The Jordan airport of Aqaba lies in the background, parallel to the Eilat runway. The two towns lie side by side.

The runway cuts Eilat in two. It is a relatively short and is mostly used for domestic flights. It's just big enough for our Airbus to stop in time.

Time to switch to something small. Israeli scenery designers have done quite a good job reproducing some of the countries landmarks so the Piper Cub is the right choice.

This is a clipped wing version of the Cub, featuring a better manoeuvrability. I sometimes use it for aerobatics although I guess the original Piper would have commented quite unfriendly on that. The aircraft is one of Bill Lyons' formidable freeware planes. They all come with a complete 3D cockpit, great looks a sound set and the obligatory pin-up-girl. The sound is not perfect but good enough and apart from that the planes are still among the best I've seen. Anyway the pin-up compensates for every thinkable shortcoming. And with some spoons of hummus in our fuel tank we get going at super speed.

We are flying due north across the Negev desert to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth at about 1200 feet below sea level. If you ever had a taste for the bizarre try flying inverted below sea level. Something like that is only possible in Israel (and maybe Death Valley). Well, at least once...

The middle of the lake is the border to Jordan.

We cross the mountains, the West Bank and head for Tel Aviv. Right below lies Ben Gurion airport, Israel's international hub. We carry on to the beach and offer a little show for the hotel guests.

Just north of the hotel lies Sde Dov airport, home of Arkia Israeli Airlines. The approach is along the beach and close to that famous chimney.

North of Tel Aviv we find one of the few flying clubs of the country at Hertzlia. Those water towers are a common sight in Israel.

Mind the wires on the wing which are actually moving with the ailerons.

After a refuelling stop we continue further north along the Mediterranean coast. We pass by Hadera Power Station. Ships deliver coal from South Africa. It is turned into energy and smoke in all kinds of funny colors.

Going on above Haifa and the Sea of Galilee into Beirut. The International airport is among my absolute favorites.

It is well integrated into the city and comes with great textures. Apart from that it is certainly a less travelled location in flightsim. We give the Piper a rest, kick out the passenger in the back seat and go for something faster.

My beloved Spitfire MKIX offers a little more power and we climb away steeply. After a short dash along the Lebanese coast we head for the open sea.

Cyprus again. No flak today, so it looks like they forgave my sins. There is Turkey coming up on the horizon, country of doner kebap. A big thanks to the Turkish for inventing this most delicious thing. Ever since I met this combination of tasty bread, delicious veal, salad, tomatoes and garlic sauce, it has always had a strong influence on my life.

Most of the country is quite mountainous. We head due north to the capital Ankara.

As we reach the city we waste the last drops of fuel roaring by the Ataturk mausoleum. Ataturk was the founder of Turkey and a national hero.

Ankara airport is a weird place. The greatest error in mesh terrain I've ever seen. The hole is so deep that AI traffic cannot land at all. Takeoff is okay, but I experienced some funny things when I once held short of the runway, waiting for some traffic. I heard the tower clearing an MD-80 for final approach and expected to see it coming any moment. But instead of the landing clearance the tower handed over to ground control. Where was the aircraft?

As it didn't turn up for a while I went for an illegal takeoff and had a look around. It was a funny sight when I found the MD-80 which desperately tried to dig itself a hole in the ground for final approach. The tires were permanently smoking and obviously it didn't know where to go. I watched for a while and there was further laughter when more traffic arrived to liven up things.

Today our landing is quite eventless.

We continue southwest, getting closer to Europe. A good mesh is a pleasure over here. We return to the Mediterranean near the city of Antalya a popular holiday destination. I had just planned to fly over but as the Spit is a drunkard at high speeds I need another stop for refuelling.

Climb out to Izmir at the west coast of Turkey. Our GPS shows that the two runways at Izmir are in fact two different airports. Funny configuration!

On our way to Bursa, further north. The sun begins to set as we fly above Marmara sea.

Our Spitfire wears the livery of MH434, mentioned in my earlier article 'Come And Visit Spain'. Mylcraine was the name of South African fighter pilot Flt. Lt. Henry Lardner-Burke's wife. He downed 4 and a half Krauts (which might be literally true). In 1947 the aircraft saw more action in Java with the Royal Netherlands Air force. In 1953 it was sold to the Belgian Air Force and went to civilian hands in 1956.

In the following years it had a couple of movie roles including 'The Battle of Britain' and ended up with the Old Flying Machines Company. It is one of the few warbirds that has been flying continuously since 1943.

We are approaching Istanbul, on the 'border' to Europe. We do the last little hop in the Cessna 182S and take our time for sightseeing.

The approach is in heavy side wind coming in from the sea. The Ataturk airports runways offer plenty of space for a Cessna to still come down comfortably. We taxi to parking and as we are back in Europe it is time to end the tour and return home.

It was quite a distance. Not too bad. We've seen endless funny airports, weird mountains, poor and rich places and all you need for a good flying experience. Now it's time to go. I take the Lufthansa Airbus A330-300 back to Frankfurt. To be honest, their pilots are currently on strike and I wait some virtual six hours until they finally decide to take me home. How can they dare! As a good German tourist I debate with others about the strike and the injustice of life, these damn overpaid pilots and what ever. I'm so busy that I almost miss the plane after all. Quite an unruly end to my otherwise pleasant journey.

As the wheels leave the ground I abruptly fall to sleep. Well, it was quite enough. Asia in one and a half days. Considering the choice of aircraft it should be considered a record.

See you next time on the very last leg of my travels across Australia and Oceania.

Bastian Blinten
b.blinten@gmx.de