Fantastic complementary tool !!!!!!

[fruitfly]

Very soon we're gonna start setting up our schedule of flights.
Sure, many of them will be copies of real-world flights, but we will also want to make up some unexisting but interesting flights of our own. I
suspect that (amongst other) some of the most important factors will be geographic location of the route in regard to the mountain
massiffs, islands and indentantion of the coast.. (All good VFRs are good IFRs, but not vice versa!)
In one word, we all want to fly over interesting ground.

So... How to know what terrain is interesting? 2D common maps you can buy in the bookstores or find on the web?
There's something so much better here; a freeware published by NASA:

http://worldwind.arc.nasa.gov/

In a few simple words: NASA has scanned the whole planet. It's got all that MASSIVE photo on its server (what you're gonna see is NOT a
real time picture!!!) and you can zoom in any area of your interest; Select a view mode (NLT Landsat7/Community LS7/USGS Digital
Ortho...), select the area with a left click and zoom in with a mouse wheel to the area you are interested in flying from/to. Hold the right
button while moving the mouse left/right to see the relief. (wait for the picture to be downloaded in the lower right corner!)
The special emphasis was given on American major cities. These you can zoom so much you can reckognize the colour of the cars or
makes of the planes on the runway!!!
I know, it' 180 Mb download, but I tell you it's worth it. Take my word on it.

So basically there are two major benefits of this program: when your relatives from a far and exotic country visit you they can show you
around (or if you're interested in geography - which you will be/once you get a hang of it) and secondly -as a mean to help you decide
what routes you are gonna fly.
And that's the reason I'm talking about this program here.
Hope you'll enjoy yourselves as much as I do! All the best!




Post Edited ( 06-29-05 17:05 )

[rfbarber]

You are right!

A seriously cool program. I can see it being used as a general guidline for flight locations, but try this, too:

http://map.aeroplanner.com/mapping/chart/aptsel.cfm

With this, you may pick a starting point, and find airports within a predefined radius. I use this all the time when I need someplace new to
fly, and I'm pressed for time and want an idea of how long the flight may take.

Thanks!

[Stringfellow]

You have stumbled on an idea that I suggested to Dan several days ago. My suggestion was to include a "Links Page" with a list of
various links to sites that could help with flight planning, weather checking (we do have realtime weather, at least with 15 min updates), so
we can use a lot of real world planning. I sent him a modest list of links already and am still working on others between proofing. But the
proofing takes priority right IMHO.

If anyone has any suggestions on links you'd think future FsP users can use, please submitt them in a thread.

What do you think?

[rfbarber]

Sounds like a plan... I'm sure there are several people with "gems" out there from which we could all benefit.

Count me in on the project! I'll search my Favorites list.

[briansommers]

i base my flights on good available add on scenery (ususally payware) and that how i determine my airports in my routes.

i have all of fly tampa's scenery and various others as well

these airports then determine my routes, very easy that way

[fruitfly]

Well... one can certainly find some ideas here:

http://www.fsdestinations.com/

and here:

http://www.dangerousairports.com/

P.S. don't forget to click on the ICAO; you'll get more data and screenshots!

[DanSteph]

intteresting links fruitly

Dan

[clut]

that fsdestinations seems really cool.. I'll have to try out some of their VFR flights sometime. thanks for the link.