Summertime is coming to a close in the northern hemisphere, and that means the days are getting shorter to explore eastern Alaska. This month we’ll continue the role of a bush charter pilot, ferrying passengers and supplies to locations via airplanes. Keep an eye on the weather!
We’ll plan on starting at Cape Yakataga (CYT) (the end of a previous flight) and this time head north, climbing up to and across the Bagley Ice Valley, then down the Tana Glacier for a quick stop to see Jake at Jakes Bar, located deep in Wrangell – St. Elias National Park. Be sure to stop by the cabin and say hi to Jake at the picnic table again! Then, pick your way through the mountain passes, past Regal Mountain to Chisana Airport (CZN). There’s a few cabins to catch some shut-eye, if you need it. Then, if you have time, and the weather is good, run two adventurous souls east-bound out to Horsfeld (4Z5). Again, there’s nothing else out there, so plan your fuel to be able to make it back to Chisana.
Bush League Basics:
- Everyone is welcome! Whether you’re an expert or beginner with flight simulators, radio communications, or navigation, etc., you’re invited! We’re a friendly bunch and enjoy learning from each other.
- An old beat-up, private carrier bush plane is recommended. That’s adds to the fun and challenge.
- We encourage you to join the VATSIM network and use the CTAF frequency of 122.8 to announce positions. We will not be in communication with ATC unless you plan to extend your flight into a controlled airspace.
- We’ll also use the Downwindsim Discord voice channel during the flight for non-ATC related chit-chat.
- As always, the main goal of these flights is to have fun, practice your navigation skills and good airmanship. The event is intended to be flown in real time with real weather, giving you a chance to fully experience the challenges of flying the backcountry in Alaska.
Ortho4XP Scenery Installation Instructions:
All the airstrips are developed, tested and designed to work with Ortho4XP scenery tiles. You’ll need to cook at least tiles +60-143, +61-142, +61-143, +62-142, +62-143. These are the settings I used to cook my Ortho4XP tile… I’d recommend the same! Also, I used “ARC” for the imagery source as this provided a bit more consistency throughout the Alaska region. Again, I’d recommend the same. I’ve also provided this link to modified OSM data files for the tiles. These help shape the terrain immediately around airstrips and also add A LOT of missing water features. If you’re not sure how to use the modified OSM data, here’s a short video. As always, ask in my discord if something isn’t working right.
X-Plane Scenery Installation Instructions:
You’ll want these airstrips from the July 2021 Fly-In… 2021-07 DWS East Alaska Airstrips
(If you flew with us in July, you probably already have this package. UPDATE: I’ve modified the exclusion zone around Yakataga to exclude the version available at x-plane.org if you have it installed. You’ll want v2 of Yakataga if you have that conflict.)
And you’ll want these 3 airports…
2021-09 Bush League Scenery
UPDATE: CZN, Chisana was missing an ortho texture. Version 2 has been uploaded to fix that error.
A word about forests and trees…
If you don’t have it already, you’ll definitely want to pick up GeoReality’s FREE Global Forests for Alaska. This addon will provide much better foliage coverage than the default scenery. You can download the file here.
Summary:
Do your homework, leave your GPS at home, study the charts and be mindful of the weather. Good luck and I hope you can join us!