HeliFest 2
2025
Aerial Rally
It's time for HeliFest 2, starting September 1st, 2025. The official end will be no later than Septemberr 30th, 2025, or upon completion of the route by all contestants, if sooner.
This aerial rally is open to all flight simulation platforms (FS98, FS2000, FS2004/FS9, FSX, MSFS 2020, P3D, X-Plane, etc.). The primary focus is to have fun while showcasing the different aircraft and scenery to be found within all the various flight sims.
This aerial adventure is open to all rotorcraft sim pilots across the web. Flight simulation enthusiasts participate in forums and other chat groups on a multitude of websites such as FlightSim.com. Everyone is welcome to join us at FlightSim.com no matter what flight simulation site you may call home. Get the word out to all simmers you know to join us on the grand adventure.
The first HeliFest followed the route of the historic Simplon Orient Express of the 1930’s, with landings at an airport in each city visited by the Orient Express from Paris France to Istanbul Turkey. Participants flew 1300 miles, visited 11 airports, and traversed 7 countries, all while sharing their adventures along the way.
HeliFest 2 will be something completely different.
We will start with 4 route segments between 5 airports.
One leg will be flown for each week of September.
Primary Route
Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico MMES
Oxnard Airport, Oxnard, California. USA KOXR
Calveras County Airport, San Andreas, California, USA KCPU
North Bend Municipal Airport, North Bend, Oregon, USA KOTH
Vancouver Intl. Airport. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada CYVR
Next we will decipher clues to find airports and landmarks along each route segment.
Clues will be given for each leg at the start of that segments' week.
Clues listed as ROUTE are mandatory legs for that segment.
Clues listed as LANDMARKS and structures or natural formations to be located.
Clues listed as CHECKPOINTS are additional airports that may be overflown or landed at along that segment.
Finally, YOU get to post clues for additional Landmarks and/or Heliports (not airports) for other participants to find!
Remember, post these as “clues” and don't show a screenshot or photos as a giveaway.
What you need to participate:
A helicopter
Charts and maps
A keen sense for adventure, and
Ability to Have Fun!!!
What NOT to bring:
NO AVIONICS, MOVING MAPS, GPS, AUTOPILOTS, FLIGHT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS, or similar new-fangled contraptions.
No sim bashing.
Guidelines:
Any and all flight simulators are welcomed. MSFS, X-Plane, P3D, CFS, etc., etc.
Document highlights during each flight segment with screenshots and any commentary or story you wish to author.
In addition to traditional aircraft exterior screenshots, try to express your efforts and adventures through the eyes of the pilot. Screenshots looking out of the cockpit will help to give the feeling from the pilot’s point of view, not as a ground observer or from another aircraft. Occasional traditional screenshots, taken from outside the aircraft, are understood to highlight scenery and/or story.
Be supportive of each other.
Remember, we want to highlight the unique capabilities of rotorcraft compared to fixed wing aircraft.
Have Fun!
Although this is not a group flight, we still want to allow th ability for each of us to find other participants who might be flying at the same time. To do this may use use JoinFS.
What is JoinFS?
It is a platform that allows pilots to fly together in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, Prepar3D, X-Plane, FSX:Steam and FSX (FS20004 2002 and CFS is not supported).
Yes, you can fly formation cross-sim!
All you need to do is start your sim, then start JoinFS (
https://joinfs.net/), and connect to the SOH hub (ts3.sim-outhouse.net).
On the JoinFS web site there is a world map showing everyone online, no matter where in the world they are.
Now anyone who enters JoinFS will see that you are there and can pop over and fly with you.
You can talk or text to each other. Or better yet, set a time and place to meet and fly together.
I now always connect to JoinFS whenever I sim fly. So if you ever see me, join up on me and take some pics (I rarely have a mic attached, so I may not talk).
And thank you Sim-Outhouse (SOH) for offering a hub for all the RotorHeads to use.
Aircraft
Any civil, government, or military rotorcraft is welcome to participate. In addition to the “as delivered” and “off the shelf” default paint schemes that are always a pleasure to see, we encourage custom repaints, with various colors and HeliFest, personal or rally sponsor colors and/or logos.
The official HeliFest 2 logo will be posted on the HeliFest 2 page. This may be used by all participants for any aircraft repaints or any of your HeliFest 2 related posts. In addition, links for airport charts and other documents of interest and other additional material for this event may be added to the HeliFest 2 thread by any of the participants.
Example Picture/Flight Plan Submittal
Here is the proposed entrant aircraft for PhrogPhlyer, who will be utilizing FSX and a custom HeliFest paint scheme.
We ask that each entrant submit an aircraft picture and state the sim you will be using.
And we must thank our Official Sponsor, Pro Flight Trainer, for their continued support of HeliFest.
HeliFest 2
First Segment
Route & Landmark Clues
