Well, yesterday's experiment was a real eye-opener. I learned that if I really want to, I can fly and navigate just like real-life. I also learned that I don't really want to. It turns a fun and leisurely flight simulator into something very much like work.
Today, I'm going to try something different yet again. I'm in Barcelona. I want to see Madrid and then Lisbon. They are in a straight line, and Lisbon is 538 miles away. That should be within the range of the Skyhawk, if I'm full of fuel and keep my payload down. So, I'm not going to accept any FSE jobs, and just fly myself for fun today, from one Iberian coast to the other! And I'll fly VFR, so I can go where I want, how I want.
A trip to Spain may be in my future; there is quite a bit of beautiful terrain between Barcelona and Madrid. Madrid itself looks fine -- a few very distinctive buildings, the ever-present sports stadium, and a set of leaning towers. Perhaps my navigation isn't as good as I thought!
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| Leaning Towers of Madrid! |
Arriving at Lisbon from the southeast, there is one VERY long bridge across the Tagus river. This is the Vasco de Gama bridge, at over 10 miles the longest bridge in Europe! Overall, I am disappointed with Lisbon. Based on a few photos I've seen on-line, it's much more charming in real life than in FSX. I'm also disappointed that I didn't do more research so I'd know what to look for. I found a neat old fort/castle, but only by looking on Wikipedia afterwards did I learn that it is the Castle of São Jorge.
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| Castle of São Jorge, and cruise ships in background |
Total Distance Flown: 6,435 nautical miles (plus 6,333 miles to get to Europe, and 1,771 touring the UK)
Grand Total: 14,539 nautical miles so far!
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