Bush League Backcountry Fly-In Series Part 6

It’s that time again. Join us on Monday, April 6, 2020 at 8:00PM EST (0000z, April 7) for part 6 of the Bush League Backcountry Fly-In Series! This month, we are in the Canyonlands of southern Utah for an airstrip scavenger hunt. In this event, the goal will be to land at as many of the seven bush strips as possible in 90 minutes. The rules are detailed below.

As always, the spirit of this event is for you to use pilotage navigation as much as possible. Those who can find all the airfields without the use of modern avionics, or X-Plane aids, will earn top bragging rights. That said, the main goal of these flights is to have fun. Check the bottom of this post for links to all the necessary resources.

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. All of the scenery and recommended aircraft is based on X-Plane 11.41.
3. From an aircraft standpoint, you need something that can get you from place to place in a timely manner, while also giving you the ability handle short airstrips at high elevations. See the information below and choose wisely.
4. We encourage you to join the VATSIM network and use the CTAF frequency of 122.8 to announce positions. Several CSL files are available to correctly render other aircraft.
5. We’ll also use the Downwindsim Discord voice channel during the flight for non-ATC related chit-chat.

The Challenge:

1. The starting airport will be Hanksville Airport, UT (KHVE). Everyone will gather there for the flight briefing at 7:45pm (2345z). For those attempting the challenge, your timer starts when you depart. You then have 90 minutes to find as many of the remote bush airfields as possible, successfully land and these “angry little scratches”, and return to Hanskville.
2. Pilots have the freedom to explore the airfields in whatever order they choose. In addition, they can explore solo or with a group if they want extra eyes on the terrain. Just make sure everyone is on 122.80, and we are all communicating with each other. Stay safe out there.
3. You know you’ve found the right place if you see the custom Bush League Backcountry Fly-In banner at each airstrip. Be sure to check out both sides of each banner as they contain useful information.
4. Style points don’t count. We expect to go through a few airframes during the evening, and look forward to the stories that go along with them. Word has it, that there is even a bent up 514DV somewhere along the route. If you crash at any airstrip, you are allowed to respawn at that location and continue your trip.

Airfield Information:
– Hanksville Airport (KHVE): elev 4453ft (09/27 & 17/35)
– Angel Point: elev. 5287ft (11/29)
– Below Buckacre: elev. 4592ft (N/A)
– Happy Canyon (UT97): elev. 4941 (09/27)
– Hidden Splendor: elev. 4819 (17/35)
– Horseshoe Canyon: elev. 5290 (18/36)
– Neilson Wash: elev 4701 (N/A)
– Temple Mountain: elev. 5295 (18/36)

Sectional and Scenery Links:
A slightly modified sectional PDF of the area is available here. This has details that are NOT available on SkyVector. You’ll want to have this in the cockpit with you.

All eight airfields are available from this link: Canyonlands_Challenge_Scenery.zip Download the .zip file with ALL 8 airstrips. Unzip the contents into your X-Plane/Custom Scenery folder. (Library requirements are OpenSceneryX, MisterX Library, Handyobjects, and the JB Library).

Scenery Notes:
If you’re using X-Plane (v11.41 is the current at the time of this writing), we’d recommend, if your system can handle it, using Ortho4XP scenery. On this flight we’ll be flying in and around tile +38-111. We’d recommend these settings for the tiles in the USA for Ortho4XP and this file (+38-111_airports.osm.bz2) to shape the terrain around the airstrips. If you don’t know how to use the .bz2 file, here’s a video tutorial. Using Ortho4XP is NOT necessary, but does add to the realism and RAISES the navigation difficulty.

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 have you join us on the Bush League Backcounty Fly-In Series!