The flights that came with Carrier Tracks 1 & 2 start in the air near the carrier(s). Not on deck. Here are tracks.
THE TRACKS
VOLUME 1
1. Oahu, circles the island beginning and ending at Pearl Harbor. Accessible from Naval and Marine Corps Air Stations around the island. Included flight starts on a carrier south of MCAS Kaneohe Bay (PHNG), using the Acceleration Hornet (in Marine livery).
2. San Diego, travels up and down the southern California coast, from San Diego to Point Mugu. Accessible from NAS Point Mugu (KNTD), NAS North Island (KNZY), and MCAS Miramar (KNKX). Included flight starts on a carrier north of San Diego, configured for T-45 training quals. Aircraft is the freeware T-45 Goshawk by Dino Cattaneo, but if you don't want to install that you can switch to another aircraft after the flight loads (or edit the .flt file to accomplish the same result).
3. Juan de Fuca, starts in the Georgia Strait, travels down through the San Juan Islands and out to the Pacific Ocean via the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Accessible from NAS Whidbey Island (KNUW) and CGAS Port Angeles (KNOW). Included flight starts on a carrier in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, using the Acceleration Hornet.
4. Pensacola, hugs the coast from Mobile Bay to Fort Walton beach. Accessible from Eglin AFB (KVPS), NAS Pensacola (KNPA), and NAS Whiting (KNSE). Included flight starts on a carrier configured for T-45 training quals. Aircraft is the freeware T-45 Goshawk by Dino Cattaneo, but if you don't want to install that you can switch to another aircraft after the flight loads (or edit the .flt file to accomplish the same result).
5. Key West, circles the archipelago from Seven Mile Bridge to the Marquesas. Accessible from NAS Key West (KNQX). Included flight starts on a carrier north and west of the airfield, using the Acceleration Hornet.
VOLUME 2
1. Marseille to Nice, a route for the French carrier "Clemenceau," with lots of airbases inbetween. Included flight starts on the carrier deck with the Acceleration Hornet (white livery).
2. Oceana, Virginia. This is one of the places where the U.S. Navy trains fighter pilots. Carrier is offshore and accessible from NAS Oceana (KNTU) and NS Norfolk (KNGU). Included flight starts on the "U.S.S. Eisenhower" with the Acceleration Hornet (USN livery).
3. Corpus Christi, Texas. Accessible from NAS Corpus Christi (KNGP). Included flight starts in the freeware T-45 Goshawk, on a deck configured for qual operations.
4. Cuba. A highly unrealistic track from NAS Guantanamo Bay (MUGM) to NAS Key West (KNQX), hugging the northern coast of Cuba. Cruise takes almost 24 hours each way. Included flight starts on deck, about 15 minutes out of Guantanamo. Microsoft spent some time on the scenery here, so have a look. No provocation to Cuba is intended with this flight, which is why we're using the unarmed NASA version of the Acceleration Hornet.
5. Kauai. A scenic circuit of the Garden Isle. Kauai is supposedly the wettest place on earth, but things are dry for the moment. Military jets are welcome at the Barking Sands Pacific Missile Range Facility Airport (PHBK).
6. Maui. Another scenic cruise, which also takes in the tiny, crescent-shaped atoll Molokini.
7. St. Maarten and St. Barthelemy. This scenic route follows a figure-eight between the two islands. As befits this part of the world, the French carrier "Clemenceau" is used instead of the American "Eisenhower."
Chuck B