Bush League Backcountry Fly-In Series 53

The Bush League Backcountry Fly-In Series explores central Arizona for event #53. We’ll be in and around the Prescott area just north of the greater Phoenix area. There’s mountain ranges and high desert plains to get lost in. Hope you are able to join us on

Bush League Basics:

1. Everyone is welcomed! Whether you’re an expert or beginner with flying simulators, radio communications, or navigation, etc., you’re invited! We’re a friendly bunch and enjoy learning from each other.
2. The the scenery elements and recommended aircraft are based on X-Plane 12 and Microsoft Flight Simulator.
3. You will need an aircraft that can handle moderate elevation, combined with short, uneven airstrips. Helicopters are welcome too!
4. Most of the pilots enjoy navigating via pilotage, i.e. “looking out the window” and comparing it to the sectional chart, so please refer to the Phoenix VFR sectional chart.
5. We encourage you to join the VATSIM network and use the CTAF frequency of 122.8 to announce positions if a specific CTAF frequency is not listed on the sectional.
6. We’ll also use the Downwindsim Discord voice channel for the pre-event briefing and during the flight for non-ATC related chit-chat.
7. As always, the main goal of these flights is to have fun. The event is intended to be VFR, so you are free to configure your weather and time of day as you see fit.

Flight Information:

The event takes place on Monday, March 4, 2024 at 8:00pm EST (0100z March 5)! All pilots should plan to meet at Cottonwood (P52) for a short flight briefing with departures immediately following. You will be free to fly to the remaining airfields in whichever order you prefer.

X-Plane 12 Scenery Installation:
* Custom Bush League airstrips for X-Plane 12 are available at this link (16AZ Yav’Pe Ma’Ta, 23AZ Moreton Airpark, 33AZ Yolo Ranch, AZ27 Big Springs Ranch and P52 Cottonwood).
* A pre-cooked Ortho tile is also needed for X-Plane 12: zOrtho4XP_+34-113.zip
* X-World scenery (free) and Global Forests v2 ($15) are highly recommended additions for the XP12 world. The custom scenery files above have been designed with these addons in mind.
DIRECTIONS: Unzip all files and place them in your “Custom Scenery” folder.

*NEW* MSFS 2020 Scenery Installation:
* Customized MSFS airstrips from DWS are available here: 2024-03 BL Central AZ MSFS Scenery.zip (These are the same airports listed in the XP12 section above)
DIRECTIONS: Unzip all files and place them in your “Community” folder.

Uncle Melvin’s Map
Mr. Safety/Checklist’s map is found here for BL53!

If you get stuck or have a question, drop a message on the DownwindSim Discord bush-flying text channel. We’ll be happy to help and we look forward to what 2024 will bring to the Bush League Backcounty Fly-In Series!