Favourite Low-Level Routes

[Tetsujin]

I figure I'd share my favourite low-level nav routes here. (The site https://fsxmap.com/ is great for exploring before flight.) Please post your own favourites below so I can try them out.

MACH LOOP
Llanbedr (EGOD) Rwy18 → Machynlleth → A489 → A470 → A487 → Machynlleth → Llanbedr (EGOD) Rwy36

LAKE DISTRICT (LFA17) WEST
Walney Island (EGNL) Rwy06 → Windermere → Thirlmere → Bassenthwaite Lake → Carlisle (EGNC) Rwy07

LAKE DISTRICT (LFA17) EAST
Walney Island (EGNL) Rwy06 → Windermere → Kirkstone Pass → Ullswater → Carlisle (EGNC) Rwy07

SCOTTISH LOCHS
Leuchars (EGQL) Rwy09 → Forfar → Braemar → Loch Tummel → Loch Rannoch → Loch Ericht → Loch Ness → Inverness (EGPE) → Kinloss (EGQK) → Lossiemouth (EGQS) Rwy05

SWISS ALPS
Basle-Mulhouse (LFSB) Rwy16 → Grenchen (LSZG) → Bern (LSZB) → Thun (LSZW) → Interlaken (LSMI) → Meiringen (LSMM) → Ulrichen (LSMC) → SS659 → E62 → Lago Maggiore → Malpensa (LIMC) Rwy35L

GRAND CANYON WEST
Nellis (KLSV) Rwy21L → Lake Las Vegas → Colorado River → Temple Bar (U30) → Peach Springs (1G4) → Grand Canyon → Grand Canyon National Park (KGCN) Rwy21

GRAND CANYON EAST
Grand Canyon National Park (KGCN) Rwy03 → Grand Canyon → Marble Canyon (L41) Rwy03

PORTLAND LOOP
Portland (KPDX) Rwy10L → Columbia River → Cascade Locks (KCZK) → Carson → Wind River Hwy → Swift Reservoir → Yale Lake → Lake Merwin → Woodland (W27) → Portland (KPDX) Rwy10R

SEATTLE I90
Seattle-Tacoma (KSEA) Rwy34R → I90 → Bandera (4W0) → Easton (KESW) → Cle Elum (S93) → De Vere (2W1) → Bowers (KELN) Rwy07

VANCOUVER WEST LOOP
Vancouver (CYVR) Rwy26L → Squamish (CYSE) → Pemberton (CYPS) → Lillooet Lake → Tipella (CBB7) → Harrison Lake → Chilliwack (CYCW) → Vancouver (CYVR) Rwy26R

VANCOUVER EAST LOOP
Chilliwack (CYCW) Rwy07 → Hope (CYHE) → Lytton (CYLY) → Lillooet (CAR3) → Seton Lake → Anderson Lake → Pemberton (CYPS) → Lillooet Lake → Tipella (CBBY) → Harrison Lake → Chilliwack (CYCW) Rwy07

YOSEMITE VALLEY
Mariposa-Yosemite (O68) Rwy08 → Mariposa → 140 → Yosemite Valley → Olmsted Point → Tioga Road → Lee Vining (O24) Rwy32

MCKENZIE VALLEY
Mahlon Sweet (KEUG) Rwy16 → McKenzie River → McKenzie Bridge (00S) → Three Sisters → Roberts (KRDM) Rwy04

ARTHURS PASS
Greymouth (NZGM) Rwy01 → Lake Brunner → SH73 → Arthurs Pass → Waimakariri River → Craigieburn → Christchurch (NZCH) Rwy02

NELSON-TAKAKA
Nelson (NZNS) Rwy02 → Motueka (NZMK) → SH60 → Sam's Creek → Cobb Reservoir → Cobb Hut → Waingaro Forks Hut → Lake Stanley → Anatoki Forks Hut → Anatoki River → Takaka (NZTK) Rwy36

 

[lucb]

Thank you. You just give me a lot to explore . I feel the need, the need for low level flying

 

[Aharon]

Very nice ideas but your readers would need waypoints to follow your suggestions. If you had already flown any of those routes, it would be good idea for you to input waypoint routes into your route suggestions. The waypoints for your already flown flights can be found in your computer's files for you to copy and paste.

Regards,

Aharon

 

[lucb]

IMHO Those routes are really easy to establish by the way. It’s a part of the fun ;-)

 

[Hageneezz]

I figure I'd share my favourite low-level nav routes here. (The site https://fsxmap.com/ is great for exploring before flight.) Please post your own favourites below so I can try them out.

MACH LOOP
Llanbedr (EGOD) Rwy18 → Machynlleth → A489 → A470 → A487 → Machynlleth → Llanbedr (EGOD) Rwy36

LAKE DISTRICT (LFA17) WEST
Walney Island (EGNL) Rwy06 → Windermere → Thirlmere → Bassenthwaite Lake → Carlisle (EGNC) Rwy07

LAKE DISTRICT (LFA17) EAST
Walney Island (EGNL) Rwy06 → Windermere → Kirkstone Pass → Ullswater → Carlisle (EGNC) Rwy07

SCOTTISH LOCHS
Leuchars (EGQL) Rwy09 → Forfar → Braemar → Loch Tummel → Loch Rannoch → Loch Ericht → Loch Ness → Inverness (EGPE) → Kinloss (EGQK) → Lossiemouth (EGQS) Rwy05

SWISS ALPS
Basle-Mulhouse (LFSB) Rwy16 → Grenchen (LSZG) → Bern (LSZB) → Thun (LSZW) → Interlaken (LSMI) → Meiringen (LSMM) → Ulrichen (LSMC) → SS659 → E62 → Lago Maggiore → Malpensa (LIMC) Rwy35L

GRAND CANYON WEST
Nellis (KLSV) Rwy21L → Lake Las Vegas → Colorado River → Temple Bar (U30) → Peach Springs (1G4) → Grand Canyon → Grand Canyon National Park (KGCN) Rwy21

GRAND CANYON EAST
Grand Canyon National Park (KGCN) Rwy03 → Grand Canyon → Marble Canyon (L41) Rwy03

PORTLAND LOOP
Portland (KPDX) Rwy10L → Columbia River → Cascade Locks (KCZK) → Carson → Wind River Hwy → Swift Reservoir → Yale Lake → Lake Merwin → Woodland (W27) → Portland (KPDX) Rwy10R

SEATTLE I90
Seattle-Tacoma (KSEA) Rwy34R → I90 → Bandera (4W0) → Easton (KESW) → Cle Elum (S93) → De Vere (2W1) → Bowers (KELN) Rwy07

VANCOUVER WEST LOOP
Vancouver (CYVR) Rwy26L → Squamish (CYSE) → Pemberton (CYPS) → Lillooet Lake → Tipella (CBB7) → Harrison Lake → Chilliwack (CYCW) → Vancouver (CYVR) Rwy26R

VANCOUVER EAST LOOP
Chilliwack (CYCW) Rwy07 → Hope (CYHE) → Lytton (CYLY) → Lillooet (CAR3) → Seton Lake → Anderson Lake → Pemberton (CYPS) → Lillooet Lake → Tipella (CBBY) → Harrison Lake → Chilliwack (CYCW) Rwy07

YOSEMITE VALLEY
Mariposa-Yosemite (O68) Rwy08 → Mariposa → 140 → Yosemite Valley → Olmsted Point → Tioga Road → Lee Vining (O24) Rwy32

MCKENZIE VALLEY
Mahlon Sweet (KEUG) Rwy16 → McKenzie River → McKenzie Bridge (00S) → Three Sisters → Roberts (KRDM) Rwy04

ARTHURS PASS
Greymouth (NZGM) Rwy01 → Lake Brunner → SH73 → Arthurs Pass → Waimakariri River → Craigieburn → Christchurch (NZCH) Rwy02

NELSON-TAKAKA
Nelson (NZNS) Rwy02 → Motueka (NZMK) → SH60 → Sam's Creek → Cobb Reservoir → Cobb Hut → Waingaro Forks Hut → Lake Stanley → Anatoki Forks Hut → Anatoki River → Takaka (NZTK) Rwy36

Awesome! I used to only fly jetliners but getting more and more into low and slow...Will try these routes! Thx

 

[wolfebee89]

Awesome! I used to only fly jetliners but getting more and more into low and slow...Will try these routes! Thx

nice...fly VFR - you'll like it and rather addictive albeit, do not spend too much time fiddling with the scenery though! and turn off the GPS; fly instead with visual scenery markers/checkpoints and ground based navaids

 

[Tetsujin]

Awesome! I used to only fly jetliners but getting more and more into low and slow...Will try these routes! Thx

You're welcome. May I also suggest low & fast?

 

[Tetsujin]

Very nice ideas but your readers would need waypoints to follow your suggestions. If you had already flown any of those routes, it would be good idea for you to input waypoint routes into your route suggestions. The waypoints for your already flown flights can be found in your computer's files for you to copy and paste.

Regards,

Aharon

Thanks for the suggestion. I do have saved flight plans for some of these, but for the most part it's just a matter of following obvious valleys, roads, and water features between the provided points, all of which can be found on FSXmap.com. They shouldn't be too hard to figure out.

The Mach Loop and Lake District are real RAF low-flying areas, so there's plenty of info online for those:





Others, like the Grand Canyon or the Swiss Alps have very obvious valleys to follow. For example, here's what the Portland Loop and Yosemite Valley routes look like:





The two NZ routes at the end are a bit more tricky. Motueka (NZMK) isn't part of the default scenery (though the town is there), and you'll also need something slower than a fast jet (I recommend CT4B or a helicopter) to follow the very tight valley system into Cobb Reservoir:

 

[Aharon]

@Tetsujin

Thanks for SUPER awesome presentation of graphic pictures.

Regards,

Aharon

 

[Tetsujin]

Here's an alternative second half of the above Swiss Alps route:

SWISS ALPS (ALT)
Bern (LSZB) → Thun (LSZW) → Interlaken (LSMI) → Meiringen (LSMM) → Ulrichen (LSMC) → Ambri (LSPM) → Locarno (LSZL) → Lago Maggiore → Malpensa (LIMC) Rwy35L

An entirely different Swiss Alps route from Zurich to Malpensa:

SWISS ALPS EAST
Zurich (LSZH) Rwy16 → Wangen-Lachen (LSPV) → Walensee → Bad Ragaz (LSZE) → E43 → Hwy13 → SS36 → Lago di Como → Malpensa (LIMC) Rwy17L

And some pics for the McKenzie Valley route out of KEUG posted earlier: