#3 Stonehenge

Start: EGVA, 1720; $2055.40 and 30gal

Now I'm back in business! I've got two Polite Politicians (only in the UK!) who want to go south, and so do I. After a tour of Stonehenge from the air, I'll stop off at the nearby Boscombe Down airstrip to pick up one additional passenger, and then continue on to their destination.

I've not been to Stonehenge, but I've seen plenty of photos. I may be mistaken, but it seems to me that FSX doesn't do it justice. Although I'm glad they included it at all, it sure seems small and insignificant. I dropped down to 500 AGL feet for my screen shots, but it still looks to me like a few scattered Logo bricks! See for yourself....

Stonehenge, out standing in its field!

Maybe the problem is that I'm still too far away. While impressive, Stonehenge probably isn't all that large, since these massive blocks were moved by hand (unless you believe the ancient aliens stories). So, from 500 feet up, it might look a bit small. Back at EGDM, I rent a PT Cruiser, and go for a little drive. Using my special VIP access (it costs more, but it's worth it!), I got to park right next to the structure!

Up close and personal!

This may be a recurring issue during this tour. FSX (assisted by UTX and GEX) do an admirable job of rendering the world's scenery. But the great majority of the man-made structures are "generic"; all the well-known landmarks require custom modeling and an unbelievable amount of work to place all over the globe. If Stonehenge was a bit underwhelming, we'll next see if London knocks my socks off!

End: EGDM, 1751; $2055.40 and 27gal