#87 Machu Pichu

Start: SETE, 0716; $10742.65 and 34gal

Another exciting day planned for today! I'm heading south to Peru and Machu Pichu and the nearby, famous Cuzco airport. I know that crossing those mountains will be a challenge in my little GlobeTrotter (according to Plan-G, at one point I will have to reach 12,000ft, which isn't possible in a real Cessna 172). So I know that means that I'll travel empty towards the end of today's route.

I will be travelling empty at the start of my route, too! There just aren't any jobs from Tena going anywhere near the right direction. So, I'll toss a coin, head south to Taisha, and see what I find there.

End: SETH, 0827; $10742.65 and 27gal

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There was no fuel available at Taisha, but I've still got enough to get to my next destination. I'm taking 3 Group Charter passengers way, way up to Huancabama. It's still south, but it's 10,000 feet up!

End: SPAB, 1057; $12756.65 and 10gal

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Well, turns out there's no fuel at Huancabama, either. I'm running low, so I'll hop over to Jaen empty (passengers, not fuel!) and fill up.

End: SPJE, 1133; $12591.10 and 45gal

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This time I've got 3 Group Charter passengers going to Juanjui. This will be my last job for the day, and the rest will be devoted to traveling, and then seeing Machu Pichu and landing (I hope!) at Cuzco.

End: SPJI, 1316; $13980.10 and 32gal

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Nobody's going my way, and I've still got a nice bankroll, so I'm just going to continue on my own. Probably just as well, as I need to be as light as possible so I can climb, climb, climb! Since there's no fuel here in Juanjui (this is the third airport with no FBO -- if anyone is looking to create a network from scratch, Peru has LOTS of spots to build).

I've got to stop for fuel, and I just couldn't resist when I saw the ICAO code: SPAY (for those that don't know, in real life I am a veterinarian). Still no FBO, but there's a fuel depot, so I'm good to go. Now the climbing will begin....

End: SPAY, 1725; $13910.33 and 30gal

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I couldn't help it -- even though it's virtual, this is the trip of a lifetime, and I don't know when I'll be in this part of the world again. So, I sprung for Aerosoft's Cuzco X scenery, since it includes so much more than just the airport. It's photoreal scenery and extensive auto-gen all the way out to Machu Pichu, which I'll witness for myself on this leg.

This has been another fairly long day (Wait -- aren't they all 24 hours? Come on -- you know what I mean!). I hope there's still enough light for good photos; it should be almost 7:00pm by the time I get to Machu Pichu.

It's 6:51pm, I'm at 12,000ft, 18 miles to Machu Pichu, and the sun is at the horizon. I'll either get really exciting sunset shots, or dull and dark ones!

Machu Pichu -- disappointing from the air

Score one for the GlobeTrotter! It took every last rpm she had, but I managed to climb to 14,000 feet and thread my way through the valley leading to the turn for Cuzco. Whew!

Cuzco, after dark -- not recommended! (and I suspect, not allowed)

Cuzco, the next morning

Leaving Cuzco

I know Machu Pichu is a long way from the airport (scenery-wise), so it's wonderful that they included it at all. But from the air, it was fuzzy and poorly defined. But the Cuzco airport is absolutely amazing. Probably the best and most highly detailed scenery I've experienced on my system. I highly recommend Cuzco X from Aerosoft.

End: SZPO, 1724; $13910.33 and 13gal


Total Distance Flown:  47,345 nautical miles
Total v$ Deposited: $200,000

To South America

Start: MROC, 0657; $5260.41 and 27gal

Another v$10,000 deposit in the bank -- what a great way to start the day (which started a bit too early because the blasted monkeys started howling!).

Luckily, my passenger was an early-riser, too, and was actually waiting for me when I got to the airport. So, a quick pre-flight, a little more gas in the tank, and I'm ready to go. We'll be heading to Panama on this leg; makes me wish I had some Central and South America scenery installed. But I don't think I'll be flying in this part of the world very much, so I can't justify the expense....

Climbing in Costa Rica!

End: MPDA, 0843; $5952.22 and 45gal

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Well, so much for Panama. I'll still get to see it from the air, but this leg will take me all the way to Columbia. I'm not crazy about landing in Columbia, but I don't have much choice. Plus, I don't intend to leave the airport grounds. For now, I've got 2 La Ruta passengers, going to Carepa.

End: SKLC, 1242; $7567.07 and 45gal

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Skirting the west coast of Columbia, I will now be taking 3 La Ruta passengers to Guapi. And for the record, as I expected and hoped, Columbia and its people are lovely.

End: SKGP, 1647; $9762.18 and 30gal

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Not that I'm anti-social or anything, but I'm not unhappy that I'm done with passengers for the day. This next leg will have me take 116kg of Priority Courier material into Ecuador (specifically, Tarapoa). I'm glad it's not too heavy a load, because there's big mountains between here and there!

That was closer than I'd like -- I'm climbing steadily, but the hills are climbing faster! As the sun sets slowly in the west, I come within 800 ft of the summit. But, it was 800 ft ABOVE, so all is well!

End: SETR, 1853; $10360.65 and 44gal

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Last leg's a short little hop of 100 miles. I'm taking 235kg of canned goods with me to Tena. Since there's no fuel there, I tanked up before take-off.

As I get closer to Tena, I see what appears to another big mountain range in the distance (it's big and it's dark, so I assume it's a mountain!). Luckily, the airport I'm heading to lies in the foothills, so I won't have to climb it tonight.

End: SETE, 2015; $10942.65 and 34gal


Total Distance Flown:  46,371 nautical miles
Total v$ Deposited: $200,000

#86 Mexico City

Start: MMMX, 0809; $7906.54 and 45gal

Got here very late last night, so no photos until this morning. I'll be starting a very long journey. My next destination is Sao Paulo, Brazil (4000-some miles away!), and I'm planning to fly over Machu Pichu on the way (if I decide to get Aerosoft's Cuzco scenery). So, I'll just head southeast, going where FSE takes me, 4 or 5 legs at a time.

To begin, I will take 3 Private Shuttle passengers east to Jalapa. With 3 passengers and a full load of fuel, the climb to 12,000ft is going to be labored! But first I'll get a tour of Mexico City (which, on a side note, was complex enough that it brought my system down to about 4fps)....

Mexico City

End: MMJA, 1001; $9177.34 and 33gal

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I've unloaded my passengers, and am now taking on 3 Excalibur passengers, going to Minatitlan. I for one will be happy to leave the high altitudes behind for a while. Of course, I have to temper that against the fact that I'm now facing a 22kt headwind. Suddenly, severe turbulence, and then I've got a 24kt tailwind. Good thing I haven't had lunch yet!

End: MMMT, 1207; $11480.24 and 45gal

Boy, they really gouge you for the fuel here!

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Now this is a little better! Those first two hops were rather short. But this time I'm going 460 miles to Comayagua in Honduras, with 3 Military Charter passengers.

Wow, southeastern Mexico is gorgeous! More and more, I'm glad I upgraded to FS Genesis 2010. I wonder how much better the new "Extreme" version are?

Mountainous Mexican sunset

End: MHSC, 1850; $14645.96 and 40gal

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To end up the day, I have 1 "La Ruta (MHSC)" passenger going to San Jose in Costa Rica. I'm really looking forward to exploring the scenery of this lush, rainforested country, but that will have to wait until tomorrow.

End: MROC, 2233; $15503.66 and 15gal


Total Distance Flown:  45,275 nautical miles
Total v$ Deposited: $190,000

Down Mexico Way

Start: L18, 0702; $4212.88 and 54gal

Another $10,000 to the bank here in Southern California.

My next stop is Mexico City, nearly 1300 miles southwest. Needless to say, I'll be making some stops along the way! It took a lot of back and forth searching and planning, but I managed to find a route with paying customer all the way -- except for my very first short hop down to Tijuana. So, the first 50 miles I'll be empty. The next 1320 miles I'll have company of one sort or another.

As the cloud cover gets thicker and thicker, I'm not surprised when my VFR clearance is denied. So, I quickly file an IFR plan, and continue towards Tijuana.

End: MMTJ, 0751; $4212.88 and 54gal

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Since this leg is a bit ovr 600 miles, I topped off my tank. I now have 1 SAQ Cliente and we're headed almost all the way down the Baja peninsula to La Paz. Maybe I'll get a chance to brush off my high school Spanish!

End: MMLP, 1428; $4946.03 and 40gal

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I've now got a short hop (66 miles) taking 2 Private Shuttle passengers and 92kg of Private Courier material to Cabo San Lucas! But then I've got another long leg, so I gassed up before taking-off, since fuel was cheaper in La Paz.

End: MMSD, 1537; $5663.39 and 45gal

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Getting closer to the end! For this leg, I've got 3 Aeronaves Quetzal passengers, going 515 miles to Morelia. So, I've topped off the tank again (as much as I can with 3 passengers), and we're off.

Moon over Mexico

End: MMMM, 2157; $8209.86 and 27gal

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Well, it's really dark (no big surprise, since it's 10:00pm!). I knew this was going to be a long series of flights, but somehow I didn't expect it to be THIS long! My last run, to get me to Mexico City, is hauling 292 kg of Cargo. But, I'd really rather be farther along on this journey than a little behind, so I'm going to grab a soda (for the caffeine) and keep going!

End: MMMX, 2323; $8209.86 and 18gal


Total Distance Flown:  44,206 nautical miles
Total v$ Deposited: $190,000

#84 Yosemite #85 Los Angeles

Start: KSFO, 0708; $8272.01 and 45gal

This may turn out to be the highlight of the tour! Although it will end in Los Angeles (not my favorite destination), I'll be passing through the fabulous Yosemite Valley (my favorite destination). And, to make it all the more spectacular, I'll be turning on my GeoRender Yosemite scenery!

Right at the crack of dawn (at least, that's what it feels like to me), I'm starting off by taking 3 Kenn Borek passengers to Westover-Amador in Jackson. I don't know what a Kenn Borek is, but that's okay!

After take-off, I couldn't help but take a few more shots of San Francisco. These were what I was expecting -- a bit hard to see the city (and impossible to see the Golden Gate Bridge) because of the fog.

Typical San Francisco weather

End: O70, 0818; $10496.81 and 36gal

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Now it's the trip I've been waiting for. I'll be flying 2 Private Shuttle passengers to Mariposa-Yosemite airport, and taking a slight detour right through the Yosemite Valley on the way. I know that screen captures of a virtual flight through a simulated landscape cannot compare with the awesome majesty of Yosemite National Park (which I've been lucky enough to visit twice), but it still should be awfully good!

Yosemite - El Capitan

Yosemite - the Valley

Yosemite - Half Dome (even with GeoRender, it's a disapointing imitation)

End: O68, 0932; $10881.11 and 28gal

P.S. I'm not sure if I have the GeoRender scenery working or not -- it sure doesn't look photorealistic to me. I have since learned that there is freeware Yosemite scenery (plus lots more) available from Blue Sky Scenery. Their screenshots looked better than what I got, so I downloaded it. Here are replacement images of Yosemite using the Blue Sky scenery:

Yosemite - El Capitan

Yosemite - the Valley

Yosemite - Half Dome (my take -- BlueSkyScenery is better, and FREE!)

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Just an intermediate stop, but a very convenient one. There are 2 Propulsion Technicians and 1 Airframe Engineer who want to go to Quail Lake Sky Park. That's in exactly the right direction for me, so I'll take them!

End: CL46, 1243; $13343.51 and 14gal

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A quick lunch, a little more planning, and today's last leg turned out to be better than I'd hoped. From Quail Park, I've found 3 Private Passengers who'd like to go to Fallbrook Community airport, and they don't mind a scenic overfly of LA. So, I get to see it without actually having to stop there! And, this flight will take me just a little bit further towards my next destination.

FSX may not model Yosemite quite as nicely as I'd like, but it has LA smog down just right! The Hollywood sign was completely obscurred, as was all but the tops of the skyscrapers in LA.

Los Angeles smog

End: L18, 1419; $14591.81 and 4gal


Total Distance Flown:  42,837 nautical miles
Total v$ Deposited: $180,000