It’s summertime, and that means fire patrol and supply runs to the Idaho backcountry.
Bush League Basics:
- Everyone is welcomed! 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.
- The best aircraft for these events are those that can handle short, narrow airstrips. STOL mods are not mandatory, but helpful. Fat tires help make the bouncy strips that much more enjoyable. Several CSL files are available to correctly render other aircraft.
- We encourage you to join the VATSIM network and use the CTAF frequency of 122.8 to announce positions. We may be in communication with ATC be sure to check ATC’s online status before you fly into or out of 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 and practice good airmanship. The weather in Idaho could be good or bad, so configure as you see fit.
Flight Information:
The event takes place on Monday, June 5th. We will gather at Idaho County Airport (KGIC) for a short flight briefing at 8:00pm EST (0000z on June 6) with departures shortly after. All the airstrips are to the east and south, no more than 60nm away, so you won’t need a fast airplane… in fact, it’s probably more important to have one that has STOL capabilities.
Considerations:
Can you fly your assignment using only pilotage and dead reckoning? If you get in trouble there’s always a few VORs you can use to intercept a radial. (Don’t follow the magenta line.)
X-Plane Scenery Installation Instructions:
The scenery has been developed for XP12. Here’s the link to the files for your “Custom Scenery” folder:
2023-06 BL Idaho County.zip
I’ve pre-cooked the Ortho Tiles you’ll need. The two tiles can be found here and these folders go in your “Custom Scenery” folder:
zOrtho4XP_+45-116.zip
zOrtho4XP_+45-117.zip
Ortho tile scenery should go near the bottom of your scenery_packs.ini folder. If you’re not sure what this means there are plenty of tutorials online or feel free to ask in the Discord channel.
We are big supporters of the X-World scenery addon (free) and Global Forests v2 ($15) addon. They are excellent additions for the XP12 world. If you don’t have them already… why not?
Questions and Help:
If you get stuck or have a question, drop a message on the DownwindSim Discord bush-flying text channel. There’s a bunch of friendly folks that’d be happy to help. Leave your GPS turned off, get Uncle Melvin’s Map and we hope you can tag along on the Bush League Backcountry Fly-In Series!
-DWS