The beginning

I have been a big fan of Microsoft Flight Simulator for many years now and have enjoyed flying all kinds of aircraft to all the different destinations the sim has to offer.  Over the years, Microsoft have developed it into a very comprehensive, accurate, sim and I decided to do it justice by seeing if I could fly around the world!


My first attempt used a Shorts 360 in Flight Simulator 98.  Since the sim didn't have the wide variety of airports available to use that it does now, I had to bend the rules slightly!  I used unlimited fuel for the longer legs, and left the sim running overnight to complete the flights that had to cover hundreds of miles between airports.  But I finished, eventually, and have since lost all record of it the achievement!


So I decided to have another go - this time in FS 2004 (FS9).  Since it was released, I have accumulated a large amount of additional scenery - freeware and payware - and have used many freeware aircraft over the years.  Many were very good models but somehow they lacked the extra features that kept me interested in flying them.  I invested in the 737NG package from PMDG and was delighted with the overall package, the number of liveries available, and the chance to use a true-to-life FMC.  I was impressed with PMDGs product and looked to buy another.  I noticed the Beech 1900D in their "express" range and went for that. Again, I wasn't let down.  It is versatile, easy to fly, looks great, and was amazing value for money.  It is as comfortable on long sectors as it is on shorter ones.  I had found my aircraft for the next round the world adventure.


I decided to set off from Sydney, Australia, as I had not done much flying in the southern hemisphere and gave me the chance to explore Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, all the way up to Japan and Siberia in detail.  I had downloaded the fictional Aussie Air freeware livery (available from Avsim) and set off!  I didn't plan far ahead, but knew I wanted to set off in an easterly direction to take advantage of the prevailing winds.  I was inspired by some of the other round the world adventures I had discovered online.

41857 Nautical Miles!!

Thanks to the addition of more scenery to my FS Scenery Library, I decided to try again.  This blog charts my progress.  I hope you enjoy reading about it and that it'll inspire you to try something similar one day.